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| Note: This review contains spoilers under the cut. You do not want to get spoiled. Trust me. |
If you are a fan of The Perks of being A Wallflower, and The Fault In Our Stars, then this book is perfect for you! It's crazy - I actually bought this book as an impulse buy, and I am so glad I did! It may sound crazy, but to me, I feel like this book came a pivotal moment of my life where I had been thinking a lot about life, the people in it, the future, the path I want to lead, the friendships I've had, and this book just addressed it all. In a sense it is literally about the beginning of everything, the world beyond your teen years and how your teenage experiences can shape you. It may seem like a cliché kind of story, a popular kid who falls into the lower heaps of the social chain and learns right from wrong, but this book isn't about that. It is all about the idea of self discovery - finding yourself through struggles, reinventing and defining yourself on your own terms. And that to me, is one of the most beautiful things in life, and this book just executed that perfectly. It is beautifully written, and certain aspects of the book are pretty thought provoking. They actually challenged my perspective on certain topics. There is something about coming of age stories that I love, and this one held a specific kind of charm for me. That being said ... it's not a book for everyone. I do highly recommend it - it has definitely become one of my favourite books of the coming year. For sure.
As I am sure you can tell by now ... I am in love with this book. There are so many things I liked! This book had an odd sense of humour that I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the 90s kid and popular culture references, especially in relation to Twilight and the vampire culture haha! This book also had some seriously thought provoking questions, like for instance, the idea that life doesn't really truly start until you have a personal tragedy. It's an interesting concept I'd never considered before. But if you really think about it, when you're pushed to your greatest lengths and your limits are tested, that's when you realise what you are actually capable of, or what truly matters in life, just as Ezra did in this story. I love how this theme is explored throughout the entire book. This is also probably one of the reasons why Ezra Faulkner, has become one of my favourite protagonists in the world of literature. He is witty, charming, smart and an utter romantic. There's something very charming and endearing about him, especially seeing his struggle coming to terms with his own personal tragedy. In the end it really did make him a stronger individual, and that journey was kind of beautiful to witness.
One of my favourite things about this book was the ending. Something that I always find bitter-sweet is when the main character and the romantic interest end up together, which is romantically awesome but also so typical. This ending, however ... I did not see coming. To have a story about a romantic love that lasted it's time in High School, but no longer is present is just poetic justice to the fictional world. This story was never really about Cassidy Thorpe and Ezra Faulkner as a couple. It was about the growth of Ezra as a character, an individual and how his life changed by making a decision to start mattering. I think that is a beautiful metaphor to have. You are the change in your life. Other people may influence you in some shape or form, but ultimately - you are the one who made certain decisions to get to where you are now. I just think that message is utterly inspiring. Happy endings in books are always so focused on tying up loose ends, by making sure the main lead is romantically happy after all his struggles, but this ending was did the opposite of that. And that was brilliant. It was the beginning of everything. There was so much more to come after Ezra's experience of high school. That can relate to a lot of things - even college. The reflection of who made you into who you were is a pretty interesting concept in my opinion. This book was only a fraction of the whole collage, and that is kind of beautiful. Holding a fragmented piece of a fictional character's life. Ah.
So ... what did you think of Severed Heads, Broken Hearts? Or The Beginning of Everything? Did you love it? Hate it? Are you planning to read it? Let me know in the comments below!
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