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Beginnings
When artist and barista Elena Evert wakes up in the hospital after collapsing in the street, her biggest fear is that they won’t let her leave—a fear that is quickly realized as she finds herself being transferred to the hospital’s psychiatric ward. She is in desperate need of professional help, not only to gain enough weight to stay alive but to start recovering from the eating disorder that’s been convincing her that she’s not good enough for years. Despite her near skeletal stature, she constantly believes that she could lose more weight. But while she might need help, she certainly doesn’t want it.
Also in the psychiatric ward at the time is Maverick Sovannah, a poet and book lover who’d been recently brought into the hospital with drug-induced psychosis, resulting from taking cocaine laced with something that had inspired him to climb onto a rooftop and try to jump. His stay in the hospital will be far shorter than Elena’s, though just as desperately needed, and just long enough for them to briefly meet on her first day there.
Three months later, out in the world, their paths cross again, and this time there is an almost instantaneous connection between them—a connection that soon blossoms into a sort of love that neither of them has ever experienced. A love that feels selfless and unconditional. It feels like two parts of a single being coming back together at last. But even such a love as theirs is no remedy for mental illness or addiction on its own. . . and its survival is never guaranteed.
Also in the psychiatric ward at the time is Maverick Sovannah, a poet and book lover who’d been recently brought into the hospital with drug-induced psychosis, resulting from taking cocaine laced with something that had inspired him to climb onto a rooftop and try to jump. His stay in the hospital will be far shorter than Elena’s, though just as desperately needed, and just long enough for them to briefly meet on her first day there.
Three months later, out in the world, their paths cross again, and this time there is an almost instantaneous connection between them—a connection that soon blossoms into a sort of love that neither of them has ever experienced. A love that feels selfless and unconditional. It feels like two parts of a single being coming back together at last. But even such a love as theirs is no remedy for mental illness or addiction on its own. . . and its survival is never guaranteed.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2025
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November 19, 2025
WOW. It is rare that I read romance because I usually find them totally predictable and without much substance. Beginnings is a real surprise. From page one you know that Elena and Maverick are not your average ‘Hallmark’ couple. They have serious challenges without guaranteed outcomes and they each have their own interior voice bringing you along with them. I really liked how clearly defined each voice is and I feel I gained insight into some of the psychological aspects of eating disorders. I have never read anything like it. I don’t know if gritty is the right word to describe this book but it is certainly not romantic fluff. I became invested in Elena and Maverick and wanted them to find their way and even after having finished the book, I am still cheering them on.
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