Everything Is Just Beginning ~ Review

Everything is Just Beginning

By Erin Bartels

Michael Sullivan wants to write songs and play his music, but life and his former band have other opinions. That is until he meets Natalie Wheeler. 

Fortunately, first impressions didn't make a permanent impression, as Michael and Natalie's first meeting was less than stellar. Though borrowing a New Year's party invite is certainly a unique way to meet the person about to change your life for the better. 

I loved how each chapter was numbered as a recorded track. This added a special touch, in my opinion. I found all the recording lingo/jargon interesting. 

The story takes place mainly in 1990, though the pivotal moment that starts everything is New Years Eve 1989. This is a story of second chances, endings, new beginnings, and discovery. Who are we? And who do familial ties affect us? These are but a couple of questions that Michael finds himself confronted with in this entertaining book that focuses on music but is oh so much more. 

There are lighter moments mixed in with the more serious ones. But I think it just added more depth to the characters and the overall story. I liked Everything is Just Beginning better than The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water only because I was more comfortable with the underlying story. I think this would make an excellent choice for a book club selection. And for those who remember and miss the early 1990s, I would highly recommend this book.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

An Immersive Story of Music, Struggle, 

and Starting Over from an Award-Winning Author

Michael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a decent guitarist, but since he was kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he's not sure he'll ever get a record deal. Living with his loser uncle in a beat-up trailer and working a dead-end job, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future. Until the invitation for a swanky New Year's Eve party shows up in the mailbox. It's for his uncle, with whom he shares his name, but his uncle is going out of town . . .

On the effervescent night of December 31, 1989--as the Berlin Wall is coming down, the Soviet Union is inching toward democracy, and anything seems possible--Michael will cross paths with the accomplished and enigmatic young heir to a fading musical dynasty, forever altering both of their futures.

Award-winning novelist Erin Bartels enchants with this story of two lonely souls who have exactly what the other one needs--if they could simply turn their focus from what is ending to what is just beginning.