Acclaimed author Emery Lord crafts a gorgeous story of friendship and identity, daring to ask: What happens after happily ever after?
It's senior year, and Paige Hancock is finally living her best life. She has a fun summer job, great friends, and a super charming boyfriend who totally gets her. But senior year also means big decisions. Weighing "the rest of her life," Paige feels her anxiety begin to pervade every decision she makes. Everything is exactly how she always wanted it to be--how can she leave it all behind next year? In her head, she knows there is so much more to experience after high school. But in her heart, is it so terrible to want everything to stay the same forever?
Emery Lord's award-winning storytelling shines with lovable characters and heartfelt exploration of life's most important questions.
MY THOUGHTS
I really liked The Start of Me and You, but I didn't like this one as much. I liked this book, but I really feel like a sequel wasn't needed.
It's the summer before senior year and even though Paige has a great summer planned--one full of friends and seeing her boyfriend, Max--she can't help but worry about the future. This will be her last year at high school, her last year with all her friends together, and she just doesn't know what she will do next.
I will admit that it has been almost five years since I've read The Start of Me and You, so I was a little worried about going into this book. My memory isn't the best. Thankfully, it was fairly easy getting into this book and it read much like a stand-alone.
I know many people were looking forward to this book because they wanted to see Paige and Max happily together, but that's just not how sequels work. The thing is, there is a reason why contemporary romances usually get companion books instead of sequels and that is CONFLICT. You cannot have a book without conflict and what's a big conflict in contemporary romances? The main couple not getting along of course. And that is evident in this book. Paige and Max spend much of the book disagreeing, sometimes even not talking to one another, so we don't have a happy romance.
On one hand, it is realistic. Couples have arguments. When a couple finally gets together at the end of a book or movie, it won't be all butterflies and rainbows afterward. The topics that this book discusses is also very realistic and relevant to the characters. Paige is worried about her future, about college, and about where she and Max's relationship will go after high school. This leads to a lot of miscommunication and some poor choices, but it is something that teenagers worry about. On the other hand, it grew tiring. The arguing went back and forth the whole book and it just frustrated me. It made the pacing slow and made me feel like the book wasn't going anywhere. It also made me feel like Paige wasn't really growing. But, I did like how the book discussed Paige's anxiety and I also loved how it showed her friend group.
It's the summer before senior year and even though Paige has a great summer planned--one full of friends and seeing her boyfriend, Max--she can't help but worry about the future. This will be her last year at high school, her last year with all her friends together, and she just doesn't know what she will do next.
I will admit that it has been almost five years since I've read The Start of Me and You, so I was a little worried about going into this book. My memory isn't the best. Thankfully, it was fairly easy getting into this book and it read much like a stand-alone.
I know many people were looking forward to this book because they wanted to see Paige and Max happily together, but that's just not how sequels work. The thing is, there is a reason why contemporary romances usually get companion books instead of sequels and that is CONFLICT. You cannot have a book without conflict and what's a big conflict in contemporary romances? The main couple not getting along of course. And that is evident in this book. Paige and Max spend much of the book disagreeing, sometimes even not talking to one another, so we don't have a happy romance.
On one hand, it is realistic. Couples have arguments. When a couple finally gets together at the end of a book or movie, it won't be all butterflies and rainbows afterward. The topics that this book discusses is also very realistic and relevant to the characters. Paige is worried about her future, about college, and about where she and Max's relationship will go after high school. This leads to a lot of miscommunication and some poor choices, but it is something that teenagers worry about. On the other hand, it grew tiring. The arguing went back and forth the whole book and it just frustrated me. It made the pacing slow and made me feel like the book wasn't going anywhere. It also made me feel like Paige wasn't really growing. But, I did like how the book discussed Paige's anxiety and I also loved how it showed her friend group.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I did like this book, but I got tired of the arguing throughout the book. I think The Start of Me and You really didn't need a sequel, but I do hope fans of the book enjoy this one.I hereby give this book
3 Stars
Meaning: I liked it
I did like this book, though Lord still owes me an answer about a certain choice Paige had to make (seriously!). I was hoping this would be the book, where we got to see these two have their ooey gooey romance. So, I was a little sad that it was the expected senior year struggle book, but did think Lord did a nice job exploring many things, and I liked the focus on friendship. I remember being so moved by parts of this book, and if I get a huge emotional response from a book, I tend to give it many stars.
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