Book Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

The Start of Me and You
by Emery Lord
Series: Standalone
Publication: Bloomsbury on March 31, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Death

Jacket copy:

It's never too late for a second chance . . .
It's been one year since it happened - when Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident.  After shutting out everyone except for her family and three best friends, Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the real world . . . and she has a plan:
1. Date a boy: Her old crush Ryan Chase is the perfect path to normalcy.
2. Attend parties: With her friends by her side, doable.
3. Join a club: Simple, it's high school after all.
4. Travel: Well, a girl can dream.
5. Swim: Terrifying. Yet possible?
The new Paige feels ready for anything, but when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop.  Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult.  Can she face her fears and finally open herself up to life and love again?

I Was Here - Gayle Forman

I Was Here 
by Gayle Forman

Series: Standalone

Publication: Viking Juvenile on January 27, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Death, Realistic Fiction, Mystery

Cody and Meg were inseparable . . . until they weren't.

When her best friend, Meg, drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated.  She and Meg shared everything - so how was there no warning?  But when Cody travels to Meg's college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there's a lot Meg never told her.  About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in the dead-end town in Washington.  About Ben McCallister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own.  And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can't open - until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend's death gets thrown into question. 

Though I've only read a couple of Gayle Forman books to date, I have never been completely taken with one of Forman's books.  Out of her works I have read, however, I cannot say I Was Here was a favorite.

Recently, a very popular topic in YA has been suicide.  In just the past couple of months, I have read more than my fair share of books dealing with this heavy subject.  And although suicide is an important topic that calls for discussion and action, I think it is a bit tired out in the genre.  Reading about suicide is never fun or enjoyable for me, and so I think it's best if I lay off the subject for a while.

My main issue with the book were the characters and their relationships.  I never felt deeply connected to Cody, Meg, or Ben, and I felt their relationships between each other were not developed well or enough.  I wanted to get a better sense for Cody and Meg's "inseparable friendship" before the incident, so I could better feel for Cody and relate to her.  However, the girls' friendship was painted to the reader as if they were more strangers than friends.  Cody knew absolutely nothing about Meg's life in college or about Meg for that matter.

There was also a bit of romance between Cody and Ben, romance that I felt was unnecessary.  The entire "thing" felt very awkward and strange to me, and ultimately distracted the reader from the main storyline.  I don't say this often, but I think the book would be better off without this slight touch of romance.

A lot went unexplained, unexplored, and unanswered, but I guess that's the whole point: there's not always a reason or an answer to uncover.  People sometimes act in ways you'll never be able to quite understand.

I do like the final note the book left off on, though.  Cody found the closure she was searching for and said goodbye to Meg in a beautiful way.

I Was Here is another sad but beautiful novel from New York Times Bestselling Author Gayle Forman.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye - Cynthia Hand

The Last Time We Say Goodbye

by Cynthia Hand

Series: Standalone

Publication: HarperCollins on February 10, 2015

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Death, Family

Jacket copy:

There's death all around us.  We just don't pay attention.  Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before.  When she had a family that was whole.  A boyfriend she loved.  Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself.  And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died.  But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone - a text Tyler sent that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone.  But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

What's amazing about this book is how easy it is to fall into.  When I first opened the cover to face page one, I felt as if I somehow already knew Lex and was simply a friend sitting in during one of her therapy sessions.  Throughout the book, Cynthia Hand's writing consistently remained easy to follow, easy to love, and did not disappoint.  The author definitely has a way of spinning her words together, and with such a gift, was able to create a beautiful, contemporary standalone.

For a teenager, for anyone, really, Alexis is dealing with a lot in her life.  There's a weight burdening down on her shoulders that no one should have to deal with: the death of a loved one . . . the suicide of a loved one . . . her brother, Tyler.

Though Tyler is physically gone, his "ghostly" presence is still very much alive and with Lex.  She thinks she's going crazy, seeing flashes of him in the mirror, the corners of her vision, and in her nightly dreams.  The reader gets to know her loved and deeply missed brother, Ty, simply through Lex's memories of him.  Along with Lex, it's hard to believe he's really gone - he's really passed.

Throughout the story, Alexis is trying to come to terms with Tyler's death, trying to believe that time really does heal all.  While Lex is recovering, her life does continue on, no matter how impossible that may seem.  However, other aspects of her life suffers, such as her closest relationships with those she cares about.  People like Steven, a boy she's trying very hard to not be in love with, but quite obviously is.  His character is one that as the reader you can't help but absolutely love.

Now, however beautiful Cynthia Hand's writing was, it didn't quite touch me as it hoped it would.  I think, perhaps, it wasn't the writing or the story that was lacking, it was simply my own personal life and circumstances at moment that couldn't enable me to feel the words exactly as I'd wished to.  Books mean different things to different people depending on where they are in life.  Maybe if I had come across this book at a different time, it would mean so much more.  And unfortunately this is part of the reason why I couldn't quite give the book a five.

I don't usually particularly take interest in "journal entry books," but this one is worth the read.  However sad Lex's terms were, it was great to come along on her journey with her.  It's painful.  It's difficult.  It hurts your heart, but it's written beautifully and will ignite the flame of hope and promise to distinguish some of that aching.