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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: Cancer, Cursing, Car accident, and Alcohol
readingwithtrey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Andie Rose has dreamed of attending her mom’s alma mater, Blue Ridge State, basically her entire life. Her plan to attend gets derailed when she doesn’t get accepted but her boyfriend does. She makes a plan to work hard at the local community college in order to transfer after the first semester. She succeeds and it looks like plans are back on track. That is, until she arrives at Blue Ridge State and discovers a huge wrench has been thrown in her plan.
First, can we talk about cover 🌸💕😍. This might be the prettiest hardcover I’ve ever seen! It’s now on display on my bookshelf.
Next, to my review. This was a cute, wholesome YA romance that really made me nostalgic for my college days. I laughed out loud so many times and really appreciated the character growth.
One thing I also really liked was how the author handled the unnecessary stress and pressure so many students put on themselves. (I myself was guilty of it.) While it’s definitely always okay to want to succeed and do a good job, I think so many people forget that it’s also okay to make mistakes, especially in your 20s. A lot of the time, you learn more from the things you get wrong than the things you get right.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Abandonment
aqtbenz's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, and Abandonment
littledeerbythecreek's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Toxic relationship
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: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
mishale1's review against another edition
hopeful
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? No
3.5
So, I have to start by owning up to confusing this with another book. I was in the mood for something light and happy. I remember seeing a picture of a book on Instagram that someone had called “liquid sunshine” or something like that and I thought it was this book. Now I’m realizing it was most likely You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum. So, that’s my fault. And if that affected my enjoyment of this book then I feel guilty for that. I always enjoy Emma Lord’s books. I enjoyed this one too but it was a lot heavier than I was in the mood for.
Andie has always dreamed of going to a particular college. It’s where her parents met and fell in love.
Her mom actually started a secret society on campus that’s continued ever since.
Andie lost her mom when she was only 11 and she has always dreamed of going to her college and getting into her secret society.
It takes her till her second semester of freshman year but she finally gets in. As an added bonus, her boyfriend goes to college there too. Their long distance relationship is about to end because they’ll be reunited.
But when she shows up, her boyfriend isn’t there. He actually transferred to Andie’s college. He planned to surprise her. And of course, she had planned to surprise him by showing up at his college.
So, now they are back to square one.
Andie is turning his mission into the top priority in her life and her grades are massively suffering and she has no time to go home to see her boyfriend.
Being away from her boyfriend and her family really forces Andie to reevaluate what she wants for herself.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!
Andie has always dreamed of going to a particular college. It’s where her parents met and fell in love.
Her mom actually started a secret society on campus that’s continued ever since.
Andie lost her mom when she was only 11 and she has always dreamed of going to her college and getting into her secret society.
It takes her till her second semester of freshman year but she finally gets in. As an added bonus, her boyfriend goes to college there too. Their long distance relationship is about to end because they’ll be reunited.
But when she shows up, her boyfriend isn’t there. He actually transferred to Andie’s college. He planned to surprise her. And of course, she had planned to surprise him by showing up at his college.
So, now they are back to square one.
Andie is turning his mission into the top priority in her life and her grades are massively suffering and she has no time to go home to see her boyfriend.
Being away from her boyfriend and her family really forces Andie to reevaluate what she wants for herself.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Abandonment
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: Infidelity and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
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: Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gaslighting and Alcohol
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, Grief, and Abandonment
rowanhill's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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 YA romance has everything I love in a cozy read and left me reminiscing on my own college experience. While this is a story about relationships and found family at its heart, the characters struggle with loss, family rifts, and uncertainty about the future. These heavier topics are so lovingly woven into the story and give more depth to the characters than I expected. Like many YA romances, this one is a slow burn but cleverly avoids going too deep into the usual tropes. If you are looking for something to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, this is the perfect read for you!
Andie Rose has done the impossible: transferring from a community college in her small hometown to the prestigious Blue Ridge State mid-semester. She knows it will be a tough adjustment, but Andie’s boyfriend Connor will be there to help. That is, until she discovers that Connor transferred to her old school to be with her! But Connor isn’t the only thing bringing Andie to Blue Ridge State. Andie has dreamed of attending Blue Ridge State and following in her mother’s footsteps since she was very little. Together with her bookish roommate Shay and grumpy RA Milo, Andie sets off to collect enough ribbons for both Connor and herself to earn her a spot in one of the school’s secret societies. She hopes the journey will bring her closer to the mother she lost, but she might find much more along the way.
From Andie’s book obsessed roommate to the pirate radio station Andie becomes part of, there is plenty to make you want to step into this reality. Oh! Did I mention there are bagels? Andie’s experiences in the college dorm and ribbon hunting brought back so many wonderful college memories for me and made it all the more enjoyable. The coziness might just touch the edge of pandering, but I honestly didn’t mind. I was waiting for something to make me smile and this book definitely delivered.
Despite all the warm vibes, it’s the characters that really make this book stand out for me. In addition to their quirky personalities, each character is also struggling with difficult personal issues that affect them in very real ways. I found myself just as invested in each character finding their way as I was in the actual romance. The chemistry between all of the characters (romantic and not) was so on point and made it possible for things to develop in ways I didn’t expect they would.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Abandonment
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