This was a nice read but a bit too classic. Indeed, we have the usual and cliché shojo where the shy girl that doesn’t talk to anyone is asked out by the most popular guy of high school and she begins to open up. Sometimes it works and sometimes less. Here I didn’t get attached to the characters and I don’t have an intense desire to read the next volume. However, I always think it is strange to judge a manga series just on its first volume so I will read the next one to see how the story goes.

I recommend it if you’re looking for a relaxing read without thinking needed

3/5

4,5 stars from me!

I started of with wanting to read this manga solely due to the cover art. And I´m so happy that I had the opportunity to read this because I absolutely love and adore this manga!

For starters I really liked the premise of a shy girl that loves reading, and she doesn´t really feel like she belongs anywhere, because that was me. So in some ways I really relate to Suehiro, with her being shy and a bookworm.

I wasn´t expecting much, but I really fell inlove with the story and the characters. The feeling of first love, and just falling inlove in general really comes through in this manga, And It´s so heartwarming and pure!

Suehiro is absolutely adorable, and I love her growth from being a shy girl that starts to open up with the help from Takasago.

Takasago is a dream come true, and I´m so inlove with him, he is honestly so perfect! He is literally perfect boyfriend material, and anybody that says otherwise can fight me!

I really love the art too! The characters and pretty much everything was drawn so well!
Anyways, I´m completely inlove with this manga, and I will for sure be continuing with this series!

This was really cute and the artwork was exceptional! Typical high school setting and dynamic with the cripplingly shy heroine and über-popular hero, but really well done. I liked that bullying was actually addressed (not at all a fan of those "games" which has the loser ask an unpopular kid out on a date as a prank).
The heroine went from being completely passive to being more bold, even standing up to him when her ideas went against what he wanted. It was sweet and interesting enough that I'd want to read the next volume.

5/5 Great start to a series!

Such a good volume I can't wait to read more! This is a cute shojo kinda story that has a high school setting. Its pretty much like every other high school manga/anime so if you like those you should definitely give this one a try! I really enjoyed the cute art style and the main characters relationship and can't wait to learn more about the the "mysterious" character.

Disclaimer: I read this early on Netgallyey in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll try pretty much any series Nikki Asada produces. Her work is really adorable, and The Springtime of My Life Began with You is no exception.

Shiro is shy after moving from place to place with her family. She’s a bookworm, and hasn’t said a word to any classmates outside of class in months, when Takasago-San approaches her to ask her out. Unbeknownst to Takasago and his friends, Shiro heard them suggesting Takasago’s task in their game should be to ask someone out.

Shiro knowing this is embarrassed and slyly turns him down by confirming she knows his request is just a part of a game. To his credit, Takasago seems a bit oblivious and had questioned whether asking someone out is a good idea. His friends convinced him it’s be fine, like he’s doing the person a favor. Their classmates disagree and once they hear what’s going on begin to whisper that this is bullying.

Takasago is mortified, he realizes he doesn’t know much about her since she’s always quietly reading. In his remorse he continues to pursue Shiro, declaring them to be dating. Through Takasago’s persistence the two begin to get to know each other, and he finds himself growing attached to Shiro. Shiro in turn is shocked to find herself becoming friends with Takasago.

This is a character driven story, I really relate to Shiro, she reminds me so much of myself as a teenager. I found myself warming up to Takasago quickly, it’s heartening to see him take Shiro under his wing and adorable how possessive he becomes of his time with her. He defends her, commends her, helps her wishes come true… and this was only volume 1.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes. Class Rep-kun will be a formidable rival for Shiro’s affection 👀

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this!

Okay, I thought I wasn't going to like this at the start but it defiantly changed my mind, I've been wanting to find more slice-of-life manga and this one fits. I thought it was a bit weird the main guy forcing the main girl to go out with him at first but it turned out very cute and funny.

Suehiro is a shy girl. On a dare, Takasago asks her out. Only that she knows it's because of a dare, so she makes it really hard for him. This was such a nice story! I saw a bit of myself in Suehiro, not because I was shy but because I used to take books to school every day. I loved Takasago, he's too cute! Everything this boy does makes your heart flutter. I can't wait for volume 2. If you enjoy meet-cutes, the classic "popular boy falls in love with shy girl", and sweet mangas, you need to read this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for letting me read this manga in exchange for an honest review!

This is such a cute story, but it moves a lot faster than most shojo high school romances I've read before! I really like how Takasago challenges Suehiro's insecurities and pushes her to trust him. I like how Suehiro is slowly coming to realize that he is serious about her. I really need the next volume because I want to see how these two will continue to grow together!

The Springtime of My Life Began With You pleasantly surprised me. A lot of slice of life romance mangas are always iffy depending on the content, and I was worried with how it started, but I cannot wait for the next volume to be released! Thank you the publisher, author, and NetGallery for letting me read this beautiful and heartwarming story.

This is a cute, typical high school romance story where the main female lead is a shy loner in class and her love interest is the popular boy who has a somewhat sad backstory involving sports. (If I had a shojo story checklist for this novel I would check quite a number of items off of it.) Not to say this is a bad thing, even if it is pretty predictable. It's engaging enough that I'd read the next volume to see what happens. I also love that it revolves around her love of reading, which I share with her. All in all, I enjoyed it.

The Springtime of My Life Began with You surprised me by being very earnest and cute. Suehiro is mostly by herself, since she's very shy. The school's heartthrob boy ends up asking her out because of a penalty game, but she already knew that, because she heard the whole thing. Thus Takasago decides to deny the game and ask Suehiro in reality. No one believes the thing will last, but the two get to know one another in a friendly way, form a literary club and whatnot. This would all be very cliched, but Takasago saves the whole thing. His character is blunt and multifaceted and not just a pretty boy. Suehiro is cute yes, but I hope she grows out of her shyness, since it's slightly annoying. The pace is nice and these two actually do stuff together, like normal stuff, which is great.

The art looks nice and cute, but still lively and not just sparkle. In a sense The Springtime of My Life Began with You is quite realistic, which is a good bonus. I do hope Asada keeps this refreshing and moves the story like this, with ease. One of the better school romances surely.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MANGA:

The manga follows Suehiro, a quiet and collected girl, who prefers books over real people. One day, her life changed dramatically after, Takasago, a popular guy in her class asks her out as a part of game. All eyes turn to her, waiting for her response. Knowing that the people in her class want to humiliate her, she runs away. However, Takasago is more persistent than she believes as he tries his best to get close to her and understand her better.

OPINION:

4/5 Stars

In all honesty, this manga gave me second hand embarrassment at times, but this didn't stop me from reading it. I could see parts of myself in Suehiro, as she is very shy and prefers to stay away from unwanted attention. Her relationship with her book was truly what moved me, as she thought of it more of a an object that comforted her, than means for entertainment (“It’s not so much interesting as it is comforting…”, Suehiro about the book).

The first chapter is a sweet intro to their relationship and we get a first glimpse on why this book is so important to her. It may appear to be an overtold story, and a little cliché at times, but it's very easy to read. I think this line can describe the vibe of the story easily, “I’m surprised he even noticed someone like me”.

It's a sweet story, that shows that opposites attract — shy girl and popular guy. What I specifically liked about this story was that even though he was the popular guy, he wasn't cocky or rude with her. Takasago, took time to try to understand her better, while also attempting to help her overcome her fears and make new friends. He is very sweet, and noticed small details about her.

Both of the Main Characters are likable — even though Takasago can be a little forward and Suehiro a little cringe. The art style was very pretty and the structure of the panels was easy to follow.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I would recommend this manga to people who like sweet Shojo romance stories with pretty boys, that admittedly make your heat flutter. Readers of Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) may enjoy this manga.

PERSONAL RATING:
★★★★☆ Overall
★★★★☆ Characters
★☆☆☆☆ Tears Level
★★★★★ Art Style
★★★★☆ How Likely to Recommend

Not only the title for this manga is uber cute but the cover too kept calling to me (more than how literally the character is stretching his hands to me). I had never heard of this title, but it has all the elements for a nice shoujo manga.

Suehiro is your typical manga girl, she's shy, she can't make friends, but she seems okay with that, spending her days reading books. One day, Takasago, the popular guy all shoujo manga main characters must meet, asks her out because of a punishment game. She declines instantly, but he persists with admirable effort.

The story is born from a very used trope of popular guy changes quiet girl's life while she discovers his big secret and accepts the side of him he's always hidden (the last part isn't really obvious in this first volume so I'm only guessing). Still, not only I love the trope, but also Takasago is cute, he's far from those loud, conceited popular guys we usually find, so I myself am intrigued. I'd also love to find out more about his reasons to ask her out, even the game is never explained in this beginning. And this has a big chance of being a love triangle, because there's another guy, one more similar to Suehiro, who shows up here and there. What are his intentions? What is his connection with Suehiro's favorite book?

From the cover you can guess the drawing is pretty. Also, the story flows very well, making this a quick read. And after reading this review, you can see how a story that begins so simple actually made me intrigued. I definitely want to read more! One detail I look forward in the following volumes is the side characters. In the end of the volume we get an extra showing their other classmates and I'll take a guess they'll probably be important to the story in the future, but how?

Definitely recommended to those who like shoujo manga.

I absolutely adored this manga! This first volume of a sweet shoujo follows the budding romance between Takasago, a popular, good-looking high schooler, and Suehiro, a shy bookworm who's been asked out as what she thinks is a joke. Soon, she realizes that Takasago won't give up on her, and so starts a cute relationship that completely warmed my heart!

At first, I was a bit wary due to the summary, but I was pleasantly surprised by Takasago's earnest crush on Suehiro! I loved the softness of the art style and their relationship, and I had to pause so many times from cuteness overload! Shoujo fans are sure to love this one, especially those who are fans of height differences, devoted boyfriends, and shy main characters! I'm definitely looking forward to the next volume.

Well, wasn’t this a sweet surprise! The Springtime Of My Life Began With You is full of tropes: we start with the classic popular boy dates shy, quiet girl because of a game. He isn’t insensitive however and insists on getting to know her, and then asks her out for real. However, others (girls) in the class don’t like that and bully the girl and he defends her, etc.

While this doesn’t add anything particularly new to the high school romance genre, I did enjoy their honest and open communication with each other. They are very cute and the moments they spend getting to know each other seem rather effortless and moreso a good beginning to a friendship with a crush, which I think is how it should be since they didn’t know each other beforehand. The MC is shy, but she really tries to get out of her comfort zone and wants to make new friends, and hopefully the series continues with her finding connection and happiness. Usually I don’t enjoy a ‘typical’ romance, but I think this has potential to be a very sweet and rewarding story. Definitely going to be picking up another volume!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

I was excited to read this manga because it seems like a sweet one, but it just didn’t work for me.

There is your typical popular guy who (of course) notices the shy girl who no one talks to and has no friends. Even though this trope has been done, again and again, I wouldn’t have minded if the rest of the manga was good, but it wasn’t the case. The main issue I have is that nothing is happening. The manga is flat; the characters aren’t interesting at all. The author added nothing new to the story, unfortunately.

This is such a sweet story! I love a good introvert/popular person story. I loved seeing the growth of Suehiro and cannot wait to hear more about the depth of Takasago. There's so much more to each if these characters and we got a little taste in this volume. Excited for the next volume!

What a sweet story. I am actually excited to see where this goes. It is very much a slice of life style manga and I do always wish that the characters will speak up and say what they are thinking to the other person but I am surprised by the depth in each character. I am excited to know more about both of their backgrounds and pasts. The addition of joining the club was a nice touch. I won't say more than that for fear of spoiling the story (which I would never want to do). If you want to read something that will make you feel good inside, then pick this up for a light, fun, interesting read.

There was nothing explicit or overly sexual in it so I would say this is for tweens and up. TW for bullying a little.

I have been having a lot of good luck with the first volumes of new series lately and this one was no different. Our main character Suehiro was adorable and relatable. I can understand wanting to fade to the background hiding behind a book. I’ve been doing it for years!

Takasago never hesitated to tell Suehiro where they stood. We love a male lead who doesn’t beat around the bush. The things he did for her really made me happy that he cared for her. I hope in the next volume we get more special moments between them!

I’m pretty sure that they are building up to have a certain someone as another love interest and I'm hoping that I'm wrong. Not just because I don't like love triangles, but I don’t want anything messing up the relationship between Takasago and Suehiro.

I enjoyed this and I’m super excited for the next volume!

Ironically, I don't like contemporary books or movies. I don't like romance books/movies, and I don't like slice of life.

Unless it's manga or anime.

I am literally a puddle from the pure sweetness from this story. As a fellow bookworm introvert, I relate to Suehiro so much, and I can't deny how much this story reminded me of me meeting my (now) husband for the first time and what our early dating life was like.

Suehiro is a super insecure girl who really needs a push to make her open up. That push is Takasago, a popular boy who was dared to ask her out as a prank and then dump her....except things don't go according to his friends' plans when he honestly asks her out and wants to spend time with her.

Suehiro has a favorite book that is kind of like her lifeline through school, and when Takasago shows interest in it, she begins to open up to him. It's just such a sweet story about these two teens and all of her dreams and how, deep down, it seems Takasago is just as lonely as she is. I cannot wait for volume two.