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abbypeekreads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was my favorite book by Emma Lord yet! Something about this story truly touched my heart so deeply, and I know that if I had been able to read this as a college freshman it would’ve hit me even harder. She absolutely nailed what this stage of life is like—that tumultuous time when you’re just starting to figure out who you are as an adult and feeling all the growing pains that comes with all that self discovery. And, as always, the romance was so sweet and heartwarming, complete with a grump/sunshine trope that I always seem to live for. Can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you’re looking for upper-YA/New Adult vibes and, of course, plenty of tasty food references on every page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
words_with_wendy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Cancer, Alcohol, and Car accident
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Taylor Swift songs: “Jump Then Fall (TV)”
This was overall a pretty cute coming of age YA Romcom!! If you want a very clean, heartwarming, quick/easy to read Romcom, Emma Lord is for you. It was pretty much in between the other two Emma Lord books I’ve read, with “You have a Match” being my favorite and “Tweet Cute” being my least favorite (with this one in the middle). This one did have some good character development and dealing with past trauma/healing (trigger warning but not spoiler: grief from parent’s death). It was nice to see Andie grow as a character, learning who she wanted to be instead of who everyone expected her to be, as well as what things and/or people were helping or harming her. Also, the romance and friends/found family in this book were super sweet and heart warming. I really liked all of the main characters and their dynamic as a group.
The ages of the characters was slightly older than the other books (in this one, they were 18-20, or freshman and sophomores in college rather than 16-18) but the maturity or content level stayed the same. Emma Lord’s books are definitely better suited for a younger audience, probably 12+. At some points, it could be a bit cringey and juvenile to me (as a 20 year old). For example, the main character “cussing” by saying her favorite foods as her own different form of exploitive. However, since it is suited for a younger audience, this choice makes sense. I think Emma Lord is on the better side of YA romcoms, because while she makes a Romcom suitable for a younger audience, she still adds a lot of depth and growth to her characters and plots. While there are other YA authors that I think suit my age ratings and preferences more, Emma Lord is still an enjoyable author to read, and I will continue to read her books.
The only thing I didn’t really like was that this book was kind of advertised as a Swiftie book, but there was one mention of Taylor at like 88%, so I feel a little disappointed about that.
Age rating: 12+ (slight language, but no s*xual content)
This was overall a pretty cute coming of age YA Romcom!! If you want a very clean, heartwarming, quick/easy to read Romcom, Emma Lord is for you. It was pretty much in between the other two Emma Lord books I’ve read, with “You have a Match” being my favorite and “Tweet Cute” being my least favorite (with this one in the middle). This one did have some good character development and dealing with past trauma/healing (trigger warning but not spoiler: grief from parent’s death). It was nice to see Andie grow as a character, learning who she wanted to be instead of who everyone expected her to be, as well as what things and/or people were helping or harming her. Also, the romance and friends/found family in this book were super sweet and heart warming. I really liked all of the main characters and their dynamic as a group.
The ages of the characters was slightly older than the other books (in this one, they were 18-20, or freshman and sophomores in college rather than 16-18) but the maturity or content level stayed the same. Emma Lord’s books are definitely better suited for a younger audience, probably 12+. At some points, it could be a bit cringey and juvenile to me (as a 20 year old). For example, the main character “cussing” by saying her favorite foods as her own different form of exploitive. However, since it is suited for a younger audience, this choice makes sense. I think Emma Lord is on the better side of YA romcoms, because while she makes a Romcom suitable for a younger audience, she still adds a lot of depth and growth to her characters and plots. While there are other YA authors that I think suit my age ratings and preferences more, Emma Lord is still an enjoyable author to read, and I will continue to read her books.
The only thing I didn’t really like was that this book was kind of advertised as a Swiftie book, but there was one mention of Taylor at like 88%, so I feel a little disappointed about that.
Age rating: 12+ (slight language, but no s*xual content)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cursing
theespressoedition's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Cursing
patricktreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Begin Again was absolutely the adorable New Adult rom com that I hoped it would be. While at first the Main character annoyed me, the rest of the main ensemble really pulled me into the semester. It wasn't super intense, and pieces were predictable, but the story over all just felt good which is something that is needed especially in winter months. I also think the narrator really did their job pulling you into the storm.
I don't know that I would read it again right away, but it has potential to be a cozy reread in the future.
I don't know that I would read it again right away, but it has potential to be a cozy reread in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Grief
jennastopreading's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest feedback!
Emma Lord is back at it again with a cutesy, feel good YA romance that will make the adult readers that pick it up wish that they were back at a younger time in their life (me, I'm the adult reader I'm referring to). Set in the winter/spring semester of the main character, Andie's, freshman year of college, this story was full of heart, challenges, and for me, all of the university nostalgia.
Andie is a "fixer" for everyone in her life - always trying to take her friends problems and help them solve it in a methodical, logical way. She loves big and wears her heart on her sleeve, so much so that while in high school, she wrote a very popular advice column for the school newspaper. When she struggles with her grades her sophomore year of high school due to her using all her free time to help her boyfriend succeed, she doesn't get into Blue Ridge State, both of her parents alma mater and the school she's pictured herself going to her entire life.
After a semester of pulling her grades up at the local junior college, she transfers to Blue Ridge State, where her boyfriend Connor has been since the previous fall. She keeps the transfer a secret so she can surprise him - only to find out that he transferred to the junior college to be with her. Amidst the chaos of her joining a new school, dealing with the challenging academics, and trying her best to connect with the place her parents met, Andie is pulled into helping solve the problems of all of her new friends that she makes - again, letting herself slip through the cracks, starting a domino effect of so many things in Andie's life seemingly falling apart.
I really enjoyed the college setting of this book. It felt cozy and full of life and the feeling of figuring out just who you are in those early university years. Milo, Shay, and Val are the lifelong friends that everyone hopes to make when they're 18. The entire book really captures the ups and downs of what early college is truly like - challenging, fun, and full of life lessons.
While I enjoyed the setting and the supporting characters greatly, I found myself a bit bothered by Andie. She felt extremely naive and at times, aloof. For someone who loves to give others advice (and seemingly GOOD advice), she really could've used some "get your life together" instructions for herself. The book being written in first person made it a bit challenging for me to really get away from her traits that irritated me, but all in all, the storyline was strong enough that I kept on going and eventually finished. And I'm not mad that I did!
I think this book will land really well along the YA audience that it is targeted at, and is a sweet, inspiring story of a girl really figuring out who she is in the big world outside of her small town she grew up in.
Emma Lord is back at it again with a cutesy, feel good YA romance that will make the adult readers that pick it up wish that they were back at a younger time in their life (me, I'm the adult reader I'm referring to). Set in the winter/spring semester of the main character, Andie's, freshman year of college, this story was full of heart, challenges, and for me, all of the university nostalgia.
Andie is a "fixer" for everyone in her life - always trying to take her friends problems and help them solve it in a methodical, logical way. She loves big and wears her heart on her sleeve, so much so that while in high school, she wrote a very popular advice column for the school newspaper. When she struggles with her grades her sophomore year of high school due to her using all her free time to help her boyfriend succeed, she doesn't get into Blue Ridge State, both of her parents alma mater and the school she's pictured herself going to her entire life.
After a semester of pulling her grades up at the local junior college, she transfers to Blue Ridge State, where her boyfriend Connor has been since the previous fall. She keeps the transfer a secret so she can surprise him - only to find out that he transferred to the junior college to be with her. Amidst the chaos of her joining a new school, dealing with the challenging academics, and trying her best to connect with the place her parents met, Andie is pulled into helping solve the problems of all of her new friends that she makes - again, letting herself slip through the cracks, starting a domino effect of so many things in Andie's life seemingly falling apart.
I really enjoyed the college setting of this book. It felt cozy and full of life and the feeling of figuring out just who you are in those early university years. Milo, Shay, and Val are the lifelong friends that everyone hopes to make when they're 18. The entire book really captures the ups and downs of what early college is truly like - challenging, fun, and full of life lessons.
While I enjoyed the setting and the supporting characters greatly, I found myself a bit bothered by Andie. She felt extremely naive and at times, aloof. For someone who loves to give others advice (and seemingly GOOD advice), she really could've used some "get your life together" instructions for herself. The book being written in first person made it a bit challenging for me to really get away from her traits that irritated me, but all in all, the storyline was strong enough that I kept on going and eventually finished. And I'm not mad that I did!
I think this book will land really well along the YA audience that it is targeted at, and is a sweet, inspiring story of a girl really figuring out who she is in the big world outside of her small town she grew up in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, and Grief
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