Review: Another great read. I am loving this series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 25, 2013
This book is basically the fallout from the events at the end of Maybe with a Chance of Certainty.Everyone loves Brad Graymark. He is attractive, popular, athletic, charming, and wealthy. He is your standard, Abercrombie issued, high school approved, All-American golden boy.Everyone loves Brad, everyone except for Brad.Brad is filled with self-loathing. He hates the image he has pandered to. He is aware that he hasn't been true to himself for a very long time. And all those people who love him, they don't actually know him. He feels dishonest and disconnected. However, he doesn't know if he wants to abandon the comfort that comes with his image and being loved by all. Commence freak-out.Brad is just so lost. He takes a painful look at himself, his environment, social circle, and his past actions. Brad is terrified he will fall into his old patterns, run away from his problems, and hurt Kyle (the only person he cares about) again.End of the Beginning is mostly the inner musings of Brad. There is a lot of character growth, and insight into who Brad really is. I didn't find Brad's POV quite as enjoyable as Kyle's. But Kyle has that special brand of snarky sarcasm to temper the whiney teenage angst. Brad was still loveable, and his emotional turmoil managed to tug at my heartstrings. It was actually great to learn about Brad from his own perspective, to learn how imperfect he really is. He is selfish, a little self absorbed, melodramatic, and so heartbreakingly damaged. It was great watching him reflect, and figure things out. I loved Brad all the more for it in the end.This book was so Goode. (Heh, see what I did there?). Go read it!3.5 Stars