You can also read this review on my blog here. 
 In short: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord is a lovely read with relatable characters and relationships. 
 Let's back up a second: I actually read Emery Lord's debut, Open Road Summer, before delving into The Start of Me and You. I never reviewed Open Road Summer, but here's the short version: I really could not get past the protagonist's predilection for calling all girls "sluts." I'm normally all for flawed characters in books, but this one - albeit small - negative characteristic of the main character just turned me off of her completely for some reason, and I found I couldn't get past that. 
 So now here's the major difference in my feelings for Emery Lord's sophomore novel: I really liked Paige Hancock, the protagonist of The Start of Me and You. She was super relatable and even though she was still flawed - Emery Lord's characters tend to be nicely layered - she was still likeable. And it wasn't just Paige: I really appreciated the characterization of all members of Paige's friend group. Something else that Emery Lord seems to be able to do very well is to showcase really great friendships in addition to romance. 
 Those who know me know that romance is not my specialty and I tend to shy away from very romance-heavy novels. But for what it's worth: I thought the romance in The Start of Me and You was very well done. It was exactly the kind of romance I go for when I'm in the mood for a romance at all: a slow building relationship that sneaks up on you unexpectedly, but just FITS so perfectly that you wonder why you never saw it before. 
 Overall, I'm pleased I gave Emery Lord another shot despite not digging the protagonist from her debut novel. And honestly, it really was that one little thing that got stuck in my craw and I couldn't seem to get over; otherwise I'm sure I would have loved Open Road Summer as much as The Start of Me and You. Emery Lord really does have a fantastic talent at creating genuine and relatable characters, relationships, and stories.