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lazyydaisy 's review for:
Again, but Better
by Christine Riccio
3.5 stars
I truly did not know what to expect when I started this book. I knew from the premise that it would be about a girl doing study abroad but this book turned out to be so much more than that. And while there were some parts that I feel could've been better or were questionable to me, overall I had a great time reading this debut novel!
Shane is a character that is very relatable because she's someone who wants to do these amazing things but is too scared to actually live her life. It's like when you tell yourself "I'm going to finally do that thing that scares me" but then when the time comes you push it off and say "Um...tomorrow I'll do it!". Which is essentially what Shane's life has always been. She's let her parents dictate who and what she'll be. She hides behind books and music to get lost in so she doesn't have to live her own life but at the start of this book, she is really trying to change things in her life. That's what this book is really about: Shane's journey into finding herself and learning to love and fight for herself and who she is.
I really liked the cast of characters and I appreciated how diverse the secondary characters were. I know a lot of people didn't like this but I liked the references to 2011 because it felt nostalgic to me and yes, maybe it went a little overboard with the references but I liked them nonetheless. I also liked Pilot, the love interest event though I found the romance kind of frustrating and angsty in a way I did not sign up for. But by the end, I was rooting for them (however, I'll admit not as much as I would've hoped).
So why not 5 stars?
Well, first and foremost I really do feel like this book felt like an autobiography about the author and it was disconcerting at times. I don't know much about the author but the things that I do know were spread all over this book. Shane really does feel like the author reincarnated and this felt like it was her (the author's) story being told in a slightly fictions way and it was off putting. I kept trying to imagine them as separate people but I kept finding myself comparing Shane to Christine, which I really did not want to do. But with all the many similarities, it was hard not to do. I think if you've never seen her videos you will perhaps have an easier time reading this but if you know this author through her youtube channel, it will take a little bit to disconnect the author from the protagonist.
I also felt like the writing could've been tightened up a bit at times. Besides the sometimes overuse of media references, sometimes I felt like I was being told things rather than shown it. Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, while I did like the romance I didn't feel as connected to it as I'd hoped. It was angstier than I anticipated but I did find myself invested, at least in the beginning. But then it went to a place that was just confusing for me and I found myself often questioning Pilot's actual feelings for Shane and by the end, I questioned if they should even be together because Shane had worked so hard to try to convince the readers that her life would be better without him that I actually kind of believed her.
Overall, while this isn't a perfect book it wasn't a bad one either. I think it really does read as a debut and I could see this author potentially writing some really amazing books in the future. I look forward to seeing what she publishes next!
Arc given in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I truly did not know what to expect when I started this book. I knew from the premise that it would be about a girl doing study abroad but this book turned out to be so much more than that. And while there were some parts that I feel could've been better or were questionable to me, overall I had a great time reading this debut novel!
Shane is a character that is very relatable because she's someone who wants to do these amazing things but is too scared to actually live her life. It's like when you tell yourself "I'm going to finally do that thing that scares me" but then when the time comes you push it off and say "Um...tomorrow I'll do it!". Which is essentially what Shane's life has always been. She's let her parents dictate who and what she'll be. She hides behind books and music to get lost in so she doesn't have to live her own life but at the start of this book, she is really trying to change things in her life. That's what this book is really about: Shane's journey into finding herself and learning to love and fight for herself and who she is.
I really liked the cast of characters and I appreciated how diverse the secondary characters were. I know a lot of people didn't like this but I liked the references to 2011 because it felt nostalgic to me and yes, maybe it went a little overboard with the references but I liked them nonetheless. I also liked Pilot, the love interest event though I found the romance kind of frustrating and angsty in a way I did not sign up for. But by the end, I was rooting for them (however, I'll admit not as much as I would've hoped).
So why not 5 stars?
Well, first and foremost I really do feel like this book felt like an autobiography about the author and it was disconcerting at times. I don't know much about the author but the things that I do know were spread all over this book. Shane really does feel like the author reincarnated and this felt like it was her (the author's) story being told in a slightly fictions way and it was off putting. I kept trying to imagine them as separate people but I kept finding myself comparing Shane to Christine, which I really did not want to do. But with all the many similarities, it was hard not to do. I think if you've never seen her videos you will perhaps have an easier time reading this but if you know this author through her youtube channel, it will take a little bit to disconnect the author from the protagonist.
I also felt like the writing could've been tightened up a bit at times. Besides the sometimes overuse of media references, sometimes I felt like I was being told things rather than shown it. Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, while I did like the romance I didn't feel as connected to it as I'd hoped. It was angstier than I anticipated but I did find myself invested, at least in the beginning. But then it went to a place that was just confusing for me and I found myself often questioning Pilot's actual feelings for Shane and by the end, I questioned if they should even be together because Shane had worked so hard to try to convince the readers that her life would be better without him that I actually kind of believed her.
Overall, while this isn't a perfect book it wasn't a bad one either. I think it really does read as a debut and I could see this author potentially writing some really amazing books in the future. I look forward to seeing what she publishes next!
Arc given in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!