Scan barcode
A review by themermaddie
Begin Again by Emma Lord
4.0
another winner from emma lord! once again ruling the ya coming of age genre, i loved this cozy little story about finding where home is, meeting new friends, and complicated family relationships.
i really liked all the family relationships in this book, family members in the periphery of the characters' lives making them feel more grounded and rounded. i liked andie and her dad's relationship a lot, i liked the slow reconciliation as well as the acknowledgement of the years long resentment from the hurtful ways they each processed their grief over andie's mother's death. this applies to milo and his huge family's relationships to grief and betrayal too, and i Loved how milo's family folded andie into them so easily.
andie and milo's relationship is easily the standout star of the book. their banter is funny and easy, and also genuinely so believable with the ways they slowly warm and open up to each other. i'm a sucker for grumpy characters and milo does it so well, especially bc he's at least as funny as he is grumpy. i liked how they brought out the best in each other.
the reason this isn't 5 stars is because it's a little cheesier and more predictable than emma lord's usual stuff. all her books are at least a little bit cheesy, but it was just especially noticeable in this one. it would've been a little bit insufferable if it weren't for the heart and charm of emma lord's writing.
i really liked all the family relationships in this book, family members in the periphery of the characters' lives making them feel more grounded and rounded. i liked andie and her dad's relationship a lot, i liked the slow reconciliation as well as the acknowledgement of the years long resentment from the hurtful ways they each processed their grief over andie's mother's death. this applies to milo and his huge family's relationships to grief and betrayal too, and i Loved how milo's family folded andie into them so easily.
andie and milo's relationship is easily the standout star of the book. their banter is funny and easy, and also genuinely so believable with the ways they slowly warm and open up to each other. i'm a sucker for grumpy characters and milo does it so well, especially bc he's at least as funny as he is grumpy. i liked how they brought out the best in each other.
the reason this isn't 5 stars is because it's a little cheesier and more predictable than emma lord's usual stuff. all her books are at least a little bit cheesy, but it was just especially noticeable in this one. it would've been a little bit insufferable if it weren't for the heart and charm of emma lord's writing.