Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Title: The Start of Me and You
Author: Emery Lord
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: March 31, 2015
Rating: ★★★

Summary (via Goodreads):

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it's never too late for second chances.

It's been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she's back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it's high school after all. But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

I'm sad to say that Emery Lord's books are perhaps just not for me.

I had heard great things about The Start of Me and You and was hoping I'd enjoy this one as much as others seem to have (or that I'd at least like it more than I did Open Road Summer) – but unfortunately I just thought it was really boring. The storyline was predictable and stale. It felt like every stereotypical teen flick – or the plot of every Sarah Dessen novel, minus pregnancy and jail time – rolled into one.

The characters never really came alive for me, either. I could visualize them all but I didn't connect with any of them or find them compelling enough to really feel invested in their lives. Even now I'm still forgetting the main character's name. (Is it Lucy? Sara? Megan? No. I just checked – it's Paige.)

All that being said, there are two things I really did like about The Start of Me and You. The first is Emery Lord's portrayal of a really strong, loyal group of friends – Tessa, Morgan, and Kayleigh, and eventually Ryan and Max. I didn't have friends like Paige's when I was in high school so I was happy to see (and fascinated by) that solidarity and support. And SLIGHTLY SPOILERY? BUT I was really glad she didn't throw in any unnecessary best friend drama with Tessa – no girl hate, no love triangle (not in the obvious, expected way, at least) – she kept this one thing pure and untainted, thank the (Emery) Lord.

The other thing I loved is the PostSecret scene toward the end of the book. Aside from the fact that I don't love name-dropping of contemporary works (it pulls me out of the story and back into real life – and she does this a lot throughout the book, calling out John Green, Gilmore Girls, Firefly, among others), I loved the way it made everything come together. It made the story feel a little tighter, less slapdash. And it was just a sweet, romantic moment. Special, in a way that the rest of the story wasn't.

The Start of Me and You is a light, easy read. I love contemporary novels but I don't usually go for light, easy reads so this is probably why it didn't gel with me – however, there are some passages and moments and lines in the book that are lovely to read and think about, so for that reason alone I'd say it's worth checking out.

For me, this book feels like the equivalent of eating ice cream on the boardwalk in the summer, or drinking pumpkin spice lattes and wearing chunky knit scarves in the fall: a little bit expected, but enjoyable enough.

Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Title: Open Road Summer
Author: Emery Lord
Publisher: Walker
Publication date: April 15, 2014
Rating: ★★★½

Summary (via Goodreads):

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind... and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. 

Open Road Summer is a lighthearted summertime read with a strong friendship and the kind of romance we've all probably daydreamed about at some point. However, there are a bunch of things that niggled at me, which made for less pleasant reading experience overall.

Reagan is an interesting narrator – aggressively defensive (how's that for an oxymoron?), rebellious but reforming, fiercely loyal. She reminds me of Nastya from Katja Millay's The Sea of Tranquility, which, incidentally, I disliked so much that I could not read past page 49. Both Reagan and Nastya are a little bit cynical. They wear this protective layer – a "don't mess with me" look on their faces – and it feels like they are constantly daring the universe to try and do its worst. Their affection is hard won, and they are both judgmental, often holding other girls to the same double standards that they scoff. There's quite a bit of condescending girl hate in Open Road Summer, which is one of my biggest pet peeves in a book.

Fortunately, Reagan is a little more tolerable than Nastya. I think a big part of it is that her friendship with Dee makes you see her in a better light, in spite of all her flaws. Dee is your standard all-American country singer. I equate her to Taylor Swift, except authentically Southern and possibly a bit more squeaky clean. Dee and Reagan seem to be complete opposites, so it makes their relationship unexpected but endearing.

The romance in this book isn't particularly electric, but it's definitely very sweet. There are a handful of passages that make you sigh and want to go listen to the old love songs from Taylor Swift's self-titled album. (Or was that just me?)

If we could capture feelings like we capture pictures, none of us would ever leave our rooms. It would be so tempting to inhabit the good moments over and over again. But I don't want to be the kind of person who lives backwardly, who memorializes moments before she's finished living in them. So I plant my feet here on this hillside beside a boy who is undoing me, and I kiss him back like I mean it.

Matt Finch of former boy band fame (he's somewhere between Hanson and the Jonas Brothers in my head) is your average Nice Guy™ – kind, witty, very persistent, quite sassy... He's normal, which makes him immediately likable. He's perhaps not a character you might fall in love with, but you can certainly see why someone else might. The banter between Matt and Reagan is well-written and realistic. In fact, most of the dialogue in Open Road Summer feels that way – realistic, candid, unforced – despite the fact that we're talking about a major country singer, a former pop star, and a summer-long cross-country tour.

Parts of this book do feel trivial – the conflict is somewhat self-imposed and you can't help but wonder why everyone's making such a big deal out of everything. At the same time, although they are kind of silly, the problems in Open Road Summer aren't the type that weigh heavy on your heart once you close the book. It's a carefree novel that makes you appreciate good friends and innocent love. Quick and easy to read, Open Road Summer is a solid debut from Emery Lord. Summer's almost over but this book helps it live on.