Emily Winslow

Writing a book can be so intimidating, and having recently started the journey myself, and found myself struggling a bit, I was eager to see what advice and help Winslow had offered inside this book. This exceeded my expectations - it’s easy to read, full of encouragement, and I feel like I have a clearer path forward now, and a lot more confidence than I used to. I think one of the things that really stood out to me is Winslow doesn’t tout one writing style as better than another, and show more is very accepting of a variety of styles (which I greatly appreciate). Winslow’s love for creative writing clearly shines through the pages, and I would love to have had her as a professor when I was still in college. I cannot recommend this enough, whether you’re just starting out on your journey, somewhere in the middle, or more experienced and looking to improve your craft. A must-read for creative writers! show less

The Start of Everything begins when the body of a teenage girl is found washed up in the fens. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel follows the two detectives, Chloe and her partner Morris, as they track down the identity of the girl and the person who killed her. Interwoven are stories and flashbacks from people who become involved in the murder, or who were involved in the murder when it took place.

My favorite thing about this book is that it's a smart, complicated mystery that makes show more you think and takes time to sift through. All too often, mysteries are dumbed down or only about the romance or the drama while the mystery takes place on the side. In The Start of Everything, we get interesting, complex characters and the mystery really takes center-stage. I'm a fan of stories that take the time to show multiple viewpoints within multiple timelines, so for me, this was perfect; however, I can see people getting confused as they adjust to this sort of storytelling.

With all these different viewpoints, Emily Winslow covers a lot of big topics and does it well -- this is a book that makes you think, and I love that. Whether it be the difficulties of living with autism, what it's like to be a woman in a job dominated by men, what it's like to come back after injury in a high-risk job, sibling rivalry, family dynamics, etc. I came into this book thinking it'd be a fun mystery, but I loved how Winslow surprised me by delving into really serious, deep issues. Kudos to her.

The characters are all fantastic. I have to say, Mathilde is my favorite and I'm sad I didn't get to see more from her perspective, but I think Winslow did an excellent job in showing how she experiences the world differently from most people.

However, the ending just didn't really cut it for me. While the mystery gets solved, I still didn't get a good feeling of resolution. Some people like that, but there were a couple of loose ends I was hoping to see a conclusion for. Also, the book is separated into parts and the way the story moves through these parts is a bit jarring. I didn't mind the multiple perspectives, but the timeline was a bit strange to follow and took some getting used to. Again, this isn't a terrible thing, but it did take me out of the story a little bit.

Despite that, there is so much to love about The Start of Everything. The writing is beautiful, funny, and smart, and the mystery itself is just fantastic.

*Thank you to The Book Depository for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.* show less

This story had so many twists, turns and relationships that I drew myself a diagram to keep it all straight - and I say that as a huge compliment to the author! I began reading this as I do most books, in small bits, but quickly realized I wanted to sit down and give this one my undivided attention. In my opinion this is how mysteries should be written - as a big huge puzzle, with each piece slowly providing another glimpse into the scene but not fully coming together until you have all the show more pieces and begin to twist them and turn them. This author is a master at it. The mystery itself was front and center with the main characters personal stories providing just the slimmest backdrop to make them interesting and human without in anyway drawing your attention away from the clues. I haven't read a really good mystery like this in a long time and was happy to learn there are more in this series. Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book.

You know a book is great when it feels like regular life – things like feeding yourself and sleeping -- is intervening on your ability to read it. Emily Winslow’s THE START OF EVERYTHING is just such an addictive find. It is layer upon layer of mystery – what happened, whodunnit and why-- that grabbed me from page one, when an autistic-type person decided to track down a mysterious girl. The amateur sleuth becomes a show more crime victim. A murder investigation brings up testimony that can’t possibly be true, except it’s no lie. Circumstances and assumptions cascaded in constant, unexpected ways. Every revelation leads to another twist – and, inevitably, heartache – right until the end.

THE START OF EVERYTHING is both a finely-woven, ever-expanding mystery and an unflinchingly insightful look at the tragedy of everyday life. And it is not to be missed. show less