I enjoyed reading this book about friendship, love and starting over. Allie "Crystal" is trying to run away from her high society parents and begin a new life. Allie meets Dawn when she first arrives in Woodshill and they become best friends right off the bat. She is having trouble finding a place to live while she attends college in her new town, Woodshill, Oregon. She finally meets Kaden and he allows her to rent a room in his place, but all the rules he gave are a bit much and he has his own baggage and family drama. The roommate arrangement starts off rocky, but then gets better until it gets rocky again. Kaden's friends accept and like Allie and even go the extra mile for her. I don't want to give too much away, but I recommend reading it.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R7VYMSBUT0VTK/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Begin Again by Mona Kasten is the story Allie and Kaden who are both dealing with pain and heartbreak from their past. This is a sweet romance about starting over and finding love in a most unlikely place. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

This is a first read for me by this author. I couldn't put this book down it had me from the start, I just had to finish before bed.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF. It feels way too much like Beautiful Disaster. If I had read this maybe 4 years ago, I probably would've liked it. But as of right now, my reading taste have really changed which is prolly why this book didn't work for me.

AMAZING!! LOVED IT!! Everyone who likes love stories has to read this!!! I already sold the german edition to several costumers and orderd the english edition. Can‘t wait to recommend it!

Great character and storyline development kept my interest from the very first page and kept me totally engaged until the turn of the very last page!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this NA story.

1. The chemistry between the two main characters was just off-the-charts steamy. I live for all that push and pull.

2. The author created such solid back stories for both main characters that it just pushed the story forward more seamlessly. I really couldn't have imagined the story unfolding any differently.

3. Despite the push-and-pull and the stop-and-go in the blossoming love between the two main characters, there was a certain fluidity to the story that lulls you into sinking every single second into this book despite reality knocking on your door. "One more chapter" doesn't just leave you wide awake at 3am, it becomes a mantra until the very end of the book.

Begin Again is a touching, heartfelt story about starting over, dealing with your past, and moving forward. It’s about finding freedom, both physically and emotionally. It’s about friendships, and peace within, and letting go. It’s simply beautiful!

I enjoyed the writing so much. I felt what these characters were going through, the pain, the frustration, the bonds. The peeling back of the layers of both Allie and Kayden was emotional and touching. While Kayden could come across as a jerk at times, there’s so much more to him, and getting to know him and understand him is worth the heartache. Both Allie and Kayden have pain they are working through, and seeing how they help each other open up, learn to trust, and work through it, warms your heart.

The most heartwarming part of this story is the friendships and bonds that are made. I love how they have each other’s backs and getting to see the trust and bonds build. You will fall in love with everyone!

A genuine story that’s real, honest, and emotional that had me captivated from the start. I’m so excited to see Spencer and Dawn are the next book!

I received this book "Begin Again" from Netgalley for my honest review.

This was a good book. Allie is beginning college and needs a place to live. She has looked at a lot of places that were horrible. She finally looks at a place but the guy Kaden is a real jerk. He doesn't want a girl roommate. The story is about Allie and Kaden's relationship as friends. Allie needed a fresh start and she finds it in Oregon with Kaden. Not broken, Just bent.

This is an interesting love story between two people who fit well together. Is it a conventional love story? No...there's an awful lot of negative banter going on between the two main characters, Allie and Kaden, especially at the beginning.

Most of that negative talk is coming from Kaden, aimed at Allie, throughout the story. I had a difficult time empathizing with Kaden because of his mental volatility (ups and downs). We all are a product of what happens in our lives but Kaden's manner towards Allie, too often for me, seemed cruel. Maybe it's their age (this is young college-aged characters who are still figuring themselves out) but some self awareness could go a long way. Do we learn why he behaves like he does? Of course. Is it enough of a reason? Only the reader can decide for themselves.

Allie was the bright spot in this story - although the supporting characters were wonderful too! - and she has her own demons to face. Is some of what Kaden says to her "tough love" that she needs to hear? Maybe so. Could he have delivered it differently? Yes. And I think that's the part I struggled with.

But in the end, it seemed to work for both of them. Love isn't always neat and clean and Kaden and Allie are good examples of that. Do they fit well together? YES!

Thank you NetGalley and Bastei Entertainment for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good! The h/h and the storyline are great! Well written and gripping. I couldn't put it down. The depth of feeling and the realness of it just get to me. I thoroughly loved it!

Steamy, Sexy romance with characters hot enough to jump off the pages. Fast, hot read

I didn’t enjoy this book. I liked their friends Dawn, Spencer, Ethan and Monica more than I liked Allie and Kaden. Kaden runs hot and then freezing cold. He puts up rules that then he himself breaks. Going into her room while she sleeps is not romantic, it’s creepy. He also takes her hiking, and nicknames her Bubbles. He doesn’t want to know her personal drama but he still asks about it and forces her to open up about her problems.

I also didn’t like Allie’s defeatist attitude. Allie has an overbearing mother bordering on dictator and because of that she has never even had pizza. She even cries the first time she eat pizza. One visit from her mom and she relapses back into bad party ways. She fails a class and she thinks she thinks her mother right about her life. It’s like she needs constant attention. She needs someone holding her hand and telling her she is doing a good job or else she starts to freak out and unravel. I also did not feel a real connection between them.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2178027450

Very good book. One of two souls helping to mend the other and maybe finding something more than friendship. I loved Allie's character. She made a lot of hard decisions and redefined who she was, making herself stronger in the process.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

There is so much that I loved about this young adult novel: great writing, thoughtful characters, engaging story.
Two twenty somethings are each striving to live their lives the best they can as they divorce themselves from the pasts that continue to temper their futures. Both Allie and Kaden have developed defense mechanisms for protection from others and keep their secrets safe. Neither is prepared for the force of nature they come to represent to each other and cannot fight.

I was surprised to learn this book is originally a German novel but I had fun reading a translation and unfortunately have to rate it low because the second to last half of the book seemed to be too repetitive for the main characters (who reminded me of characters from a Colleen Hoover novel) and it seemed to be intent on repeating itself for a while. The first half of the book was great and I did enjoy the characters but the dragging of the plot and novel didn’t help.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romance in between Kaden and Allie. Although, Kaden comes off as a jerk throughout the book and I almost didn’t want Allie to give him a chance, he does some fantastic groveling towards the end of the book. Both the characters of Kaden and Allie are complicated and have a dark background story that has affected their lives. The author has woven a lovely story of people who come with a lot of baggage but need to find a way to work through their issues if they ever want a chance to be together. I would highly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next book from the series to be out.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I didn’t know what to think when I started reading this book. To be honest, I thought that this was going to be a college-themed 10 Things I Hate About You. So when I got into reading Begin Again, I was surprised at how much it wasn’t like that. Actually, I was very surprised at how deep this book got. I would have never gotten that from the blurb. Let’s say that some very heavy subjects were discussed.

The book starts off with Allie searching for apartments after moving to Oregon. She is frustrated when she arrives at the last apartment and is told to leave by Kaden White. He doesn’t want a female roommate. After exploding on him, Kaden relents and offers her the apartment. Only thing, there is a set of rules that Allie must follow or she will be thrown out. Allie is thrilled and agrees. Only thing, she isn’t the only one breaking the rules after a couple of months. Allie is falling for Kaden and falling fast. But Allie has secrets that will threaten her relationship with Kaden if they ever come to light. Only thing, Kaden has secrets that surpass Allie’s and he will do anything to keep them from her. When they come to light, will Allie and Kaden’s relationships survive?

I was kind of annoyed with Allie during the first half of the book. She came across, to me, as this sheltered child who never did anything in her life. I mean, she never had store-bought pizza before and cried over it. It got old fast. The author started dropping hints about her and her relationship with her parents. I thought that she was rebelling against them. When it was revealed that her parents never treated her right, I felt bad for her. I then understood the weird reactions to different situations. I also got why Kaden rubbed her the wrong way. But I was floored when her huge secret was revealed. I am not one to surprise at books and I was very surprised at that. It made me forget my annoyance with her and I started to think of her as a very strong woman. Even more so when she stood her ground with Kaden.

Kaden came across as a huge jerk at the beginning of the book. Who would even think to write those rules? But the more he interacted with Allie, the more I could see that he was starting to like her. Then he was breaking the rules to be with her. But he was always so mysterious and there was talk about his issues with depression/suicide. But when his huge secret was revealed, I was floored. I was not expecting what I read. What I also was not expecting was how cruel Kaden was to Allie after she found out. While it was hard to read, I did think that it was necessary for the storyline.

The sex in Begin Again was pretty hot. Once Kaden and Allie did it, they were like bunnies. They did it everywhere. I did like that the author also implied a lot of sex going on. There were only a few sex scenes with the rest being implied. Made for a great read that was.

I thought that the romance in Begin Again was very well written. The author took two very wounded people and made them fall in love with each other. But she didn’t end the book there. Instead, she had them go through the wringer before ending up together. It was Kaden trying to win Allie back that made the book for me.

The end of the book was definitely an HEA. I cried more than Allie did in the book during the ending. I can’t wait to read book 2 to see who is featured next. I also loved the epilogue. It made my heart happy!!

Begin Again was a wonderful read. It had a great plot with characters that grow on you. This is also a New Adult book. With the subject, language, and sex….I wouldn’t recommend for anyone over the age of 19.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Sex, language, and mild violence. There is also talk about rape, suicide and sexual abuse in the book. I would use discretion if letting anyone under the age of 19 read.

I would like to thank Mona Kasten, be-ebooks and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Begin Again.

All opinions stated in this review of Begin Again are mine.

I received no compensation for this review.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**