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Book Review of The Beginning of Everything

The Beginning of Everything
reviewed on + 380 more book reviews


Summary:
Ezra Faulkner is the captain of the tennis team. He seems to have it all. He is given a brand new car, is popular, and good looking. Unfortunately, he is in a car crash that ends his tennis career and forces him to figure out what to do now. He switches gears and decides to try out debate. Through this switch, he finds out that he has more intellect than he previously acknowledged and some of the nerdy crowd are more than he expected. He even meets a new girl to both challenge and intrigue him. Overcoming tragedy is just one step in Ezra's overall path; his life is really just beginning to take shape.

My thoughts:
Schneider has done an amazing job with the writing! Ezra is an extremely relatable character, even if you were not popular in high school. He is down to earth, honest, and very positive (in most cases). The reader watches as Ezra completely redefines every part of his life, even with some grief over his pre-accident self. The struggle he goes through is engaging, but he grows to be a much stronger person than what he originally was. Schneider also throws in some twists that I didn't see coming. Much like the roller coaster, there are some turns that you clearly see coming, but those that you are also blind to. I really felt surprised with some things. It was nice to see that a YA novel could still surprise me in a coming of age type story. I highly recommend everyone taking a few hours to meet and interact with Ezra.