Scan barcode
reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, and Cancer
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
shawnbakergibson's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am a huge fan of Emma Lord's writing—her voice is fun, quippy, and upbeat. In particular, Tweet Cute and When You Get the Chance were standout reads, making Emma Lord an auto-read author. I was excited to see this new release featured a (slightly) older main character and set at college, as I've been reading less and less YA. Unfortunately, while this wasn't a total miss for me, there were a lot of elements that just didn't click.
My biggest issue with the book was the sheer number of storylines and themes this book attempted to include—radio broadcast, college life/extracurricular activities, academic pressure, family relationships, friend dynamics, romantic relationships, workstudy, career path decisions, and sooooo much moooore. And because of that, the things I was excited to read about—the fun stuff—seemed to happen off-page between chapters. Perhaps this was supposed to mimic Andie's (our main character) struggle to keep up in the college environment, but it just left me exhausted from trying to be invested in all the different pieces.
So, alas, it wasn't a hit for me, but I'm still a big fan of Emma Lord's work and can't wait to read her next release.
My biggest issue with the book was the sheer number of storylines and themes this book attempted to include—radio broadcast, college life/extracurricular activities, academic pressure, family relationships, friend dynamics, romantic relationships, workstudy, career path decisions, and sooooo much moooore. And because of that, the things I was excited to read about—the fun stuff—seemed to happen off-page between chapters. Perhaps this was supposed to mimic Andie's (our main character) struggle to keep up in the college environment, but it just left me exhausted from trying to be invested in all the different pieces.
So, alas, it wasn't a hit for me, but I'm still a big fan of Emma Lord's work and can't wait to read her next release.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
dianaschmidty's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.0
“‘Anything worth doing starts with a mess.’”
“‘I’m usually a total cynic, so—she’s basically the whole reason I believe in love again.’
‘Yeah. For what it’s worth—me too.’”
This book was really cute! To avoid spoiling anything, I’ll just say that I absolutely loved watching not only the main relationship develop, but also the friends’ relationship!
This book juggled both Andie’s lasting grief and her feelings of worth with her developing romance and friendships! I think anyone who has lost a piece of their heart can find themselves in Andie’s journey.
I also really wish that my college had the bizarre and fun traditions of Blue Ridge State!
Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Emma Lord for providing me access to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Infidelity
Moderate: Classism, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This enjoyably heartwarming, coming of age YA was just what I needed after reading so many suspenseful and emotionally intense books back to back.
Emma Lord’s newest contemporary romance follows college student Andie Rose who, after transferring to her dream college (the super competitive Blue Ridge State) is finally on track to make her decades long plans (to follow in her mum’s footsteps, major in psychology and become the iconic self-help figure she’s always dreamt of being) come true.
But as soon as she arrives, all of Andie’s plans go completely off the rails: her boyfriend is a no show, her schedule is worryingly full and the cute RA, Milo might just upend everything she thought she knew about love and friendships. With her dreams looking increasingly unlikely, Andie soon learns that best laid plans she’s pinned all her hopes on…might not necessarily be the right ones for her.
It was such an adorably sweet read with an amazing, slow burn romance and early 00s teen rom-com/ Taylor Swift vibes that I couldn’t get enough of.
It does delve into themes such as grief, love and (as the title suggests) new beginnings, which were at times incredibly emotional in scope, and yet, I still wasn’t expecting my first foray into Emma Lord’s work to be soo satisfyingly soothing—especially given the deeper themes and emotions explored (and which had me tearing up on more than one occasion.)
I really liked Andie, our cinnamon roll protagonist and sole POV throughout the book. She’s such a ray of optimism, hope and general selflessness, always trying to solve everyone else’s problems despite her own struggles. (I mean, she uses the names of her fave foods instead of swear words, how could you not love her!)
And my love for her is probably why I loved Milo (Andie’s RA, friend and love interest) soo much, as he manages to get through to her in a way no one else does. Dealing with issues and grief of his own, I really enjoyed their interactions which felt so wonderfully (and emotionally) intimate. And, as a sucker for slow burn romances, I adored that delicious will-they-won’t-they tension that builds between them.
The supporting cast of characters were also really entertaining and adorable—especially Blue Ridge’s resident bookstagrammer Shay, who definitely helps to bring Andi out of her shell, as does Valeria (fellow student,statistics tutor and budding novelist.)
Overall, an incredibly heartfelt YA romance that will definitely appeal to anyone who loves rom-coms, coming of age YA or the found friendship trope.
Also, a huge thank you to Macmillan Kids UK for the finished copy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
brokenbodybitch's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
This ended up being a beautiful story with such a sweet ending. There was a chunk in the middle that I was getting worried I wasn’t going to end up liking this book but it was so cute.
I want to deck Connor and I don’t care that he is fictional that kid deserves reality to be knocked into him because dear lord is he a dick…I was getting so annoyed by the levels she was going for him but I loved their moment of reckoning and I think the way the plot blooms after that scene was near perfect.
The front half of the book had a decent balance of her story and the romance but I think it leaned into the romance a bit more (nothing wrong with that but I felt like the second half was a bit better) whereas the second half you really get to see Andie’s story shine; you get to see more about her late mom and the relationship between her dad and her within this post mom stage of their lives and I LOVE the way the author highlighted the love of friendships throughout this book.
All in this book is a fairly light and sweet read but it has heavy overtones of learning how to come into your own, the love of friendships, the love of lost ones, coping with the loss of a parent and learning how to live for yourself while honouring the legacy left for you.
I want to deck Connor and I don’t care that he is fictional that kid deserves reality to be knocked into him because dear lord is he a dick…I was getting so annoyed by the levels she was going for him but I loved their moment of reckoning and I think the way the plot blooms after that scene was near perfect.
The front half of the book had a decent balance of her story and the romance but I think it leaned into the romance a bit more (nothing wrong with that but I felt like the second half was a bit better) whereas the second half you really get to see Andie’s story shine; you get to see more about her late mom and the relationship between her dad and her within this post mom stage of their lives and I LOVE the way the author highlighted the love of friendships throughout this book.
All in this book is a fairly light and sweet read but it has heavy overtones of learning how to come into your own, the love of friendships, the love of lost ones, coping with the loss of a parent and learning how to live for yourself while honouring the legacy left for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Gaslighting
kimmykelly's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
More...