review: the start of me and you

This is not gonna be a properly written review because i wrote most of my thoughts in point form and i'm too lazy to elaborate. I didn't really expect to enjoy this that much, and i really did and i'm rating it 4.5 stars!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?
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 open herself up to life and love again?

Plot
-simple and cliche as expected, but perfect for what i was hoping for
-i love all the moments Paige spent with her friends
-i didn't like the part starting from the conflict that occurs as much as all the parts before it because i didn't really get bubbly feels as much
-the ending was a little abrupt and there should have been like an extra chapter of more cutesy moments!
-but in my edition, there was an extra section after the acknowledgments of two of the characters exchanging emails and i LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It makes up for the lack of closure.

Characters
-I LOVE THE CHARACTERS. ALMOST ALL OF THEM.
-Paige wasn't an annoying MC except for when she's trying too hard to impress Ryan. I really loved how she developed throughout the book, dealing with grief and trying to embrace herself as someone who deserves to make the best of her life.
-MAX IS BAE. HE IS EVERYTHING I WANT IN A GUY.
-I love all of Paige's friends, especially Tessa! Their friendship is incredible, as well as the one between them and Kayleigh and Morgan.
-I love that Emery Lord makes all of the characters she mentions significant in the story; her parents, her sister, even her late boyfriend's best friend and her crush's ex-girlfriend.

Writing
-LOVED IT
-A LOT
-I DOG-EARED SOME PAGES AND TWEETED SOME QUOTES BCS THEY WERE SO GOOD
-the writing flows easily
-there were a lot of movie/tv show/book references which was awesome
-but there were a few times where it felt unnecessary/out of place
-i love how and what the author wrote about friendship

Overall it was a really light and cute read, and it's got no explicit scenes at all which i truly appreciated because it didn't need that typical YA trope to be great. Highly recommend this for fans of Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson.