From the first page of this book, I knew I was going to love it.

First, let's start off with the writing- It reads so much like Christine that you know it's her right off the bat. It was a little eery how similar the quirks in the writing are to Christine's personality in real life. Her voice is so strong and unique, and it really sets her apart.

Christine also uses a variety of allusions to popular tv shows, books, songs, etc. in this book which made me feel super nostalgic. There were, at times, a few too many pop culture references that sort of distracted me from the story, but the majority of them made me smile.

As far as characters, I really loved them. They all felt so different and distinct. The cast was diverse (racial and sexual orientation), and they felt so relatable. The dialogue between them was incredibly real. I truly felt like I was amongst my own group friends when reading this.

Shane is a character I could relate so much to with her clumsiness, socially awkward tendencies, and passion for writing. When I was reading this, I really saw myself for a variety of reasons, and I’ve never felt so understood in a book before. I fell in love with her character, and I wanted to continue to read about her life. She's a blogger (what a coincidence), her parents have very high expectations for her (could this be more relatable?), and she travels abroad to London (the number one place to visit on my bucket list).

When the book was over, I was genuinely so sad to leave her and the rest of this cast.

Pilot was a little bland at first- your typical YA love interest. There were a few times where I really wanted to slap him/shake him/push him down some stairs, but by the end, I loved him. He was just adorable, okay?

As far as the rest of the characters, I really did enjoy them all. I loved Babe and Atticus and Sahra. Chad I could do without, but his character was done really well, too.

There is so much to say about the plot that I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll begin by saying that it was very well developed and had so many elements to it. It began as a very common contemporary novel, which is exactly what I expected. But then things changed completely.

The novel is broken up into two parts- 2011 and 2017.

The first half follows Shane as she goes to London for a semester to travel abroad. The book really tells the story of her finding her true passion but having to deal with the consequences of lying to her parents about it, falling in love, traveling for the first time, and making new friends/experiences. These are all things that I love seeing in a book, but seeing them together? The book was honestly made for me.

It definitely dragged on at a few times, and the story was beginning to get a bit boring.

The second half was the complete opposite of what you would expect, though. I did not see the plot twist coming at all; it completely caught me off guard.

I’m not going to say much more because I don’t want to spoil it. This book was, however, again, but better.

I do want to mention, though, that there is cheating in this book- at first it’s only emotional, but eventually there is one kiss. While this is a downside, it did not deter me completely. It is up to you to decide if you want to proceed knowing this.

Romance, travel, finding yourself, and a hint of magic- this book really has it all, and does it well. Could not recommend it enough.

And as Christine’s debut novel, I think it lived up to its standards. She is only going to grow as a writer from here, and I can not wait to see what else she puts out into the world!

(to be posted on www.jessicacwrites.com on 4.25.19)

***Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review***

You know, it’s crazy how much a book can resonate with you. Appearance wise, a book is simply a collection of words typed upon pages of paper. But, books are so much more than that. Books have the ability to mold themselves into just what the reader needs at that moment. For me, this book was Again, but Better. I wasn’t expecting to connect with this book on such a deep level nor did I expect to love it as much as I did.

Before I started reading this book, I saw a ton of mixed reviews which, I won’t lie, made me leery. I went into this book expecting to give it 3 stars; I thought I would enjoy it but not connect with it. Boy, was I wrong.

Again, but Better is not only a phenomenal debut but an incredibly easy read. This book sneaks up behind you to firmly take hold of your feelings along with your attention until the very last page.

At first glance, this book appears to be about first love. Friends, it is so much more than that. This story is about finding yourself, facing your fears, and choosing the uncertain path over the safe one. It’s about being true to yourself along with your hopes and dreams. Again, but Better is about finding your voice.

Shane is a 20-year-old college student studying pre-med. However, she isn't studying it for herself; her parents forced it upon her. They believe medical school is the best career path for Shane because it will provide her with a stable job. Not only is Shane not passionate about science or medicine, but studying has also taken over her whole entire life. She has no friends, no fun college experiences. This leads her to study abroad in London for a semester. Shane hopes that this time abroad will allow her to accomplish everything she should have the past two years in college. And maybe just maybe, it will help her conquer her fears.

For me, this book hit home. I’m a 21-year-old college student who isn’t 100% certain on my career path. This book made me question myself: what do I want? Who do I want to be? What are my goals?

In conclusion, I recommend everyone give this book a try. It surprised me so it might just surprise you too. Again but Better never failed to make me smile, laugh, cry, cringe, and groan in annoyance. I felt every emotion while reading this book which is the true test of any book.

Again, but Better by Christine Riccio is a YA Contemporary/Romance which I received as an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) from @NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

SYNOPSIS | Shane is a 19 year old American girl studying premed at college, more to please her family than because she is passionate about becoming a doctor. Her true passion is actually writing and she decides to do a study abroad semester in London focusing on creative writing. For Shane, this is the perfect opportunity for a do-over. A chance to reinvent herself, to make new friends and most importantly, to see whether writing is something that she wants to try and do as a career.

MY THOUGHTS | I started reading this before I went to bed and the next thing I know I have finished the book and it is 5am in the morning! Simply put, I flipping loved this. I immediately pre-ordered a signed hardback edition from Barnes & Nobles and I looked up her book tour dates to see if she is coming to Pennsylvania (she is!). As I am originally from England (but moved to America five years ago for a work opportunity) I thoroughly enjoyed the nod to the different cultures (e.g. the references to the US packaging pasta in boxes whereas in the UK pasta is packaged in bags). There was a few moments where I was genuinely chuckling out loud and I was so invested in Shane and Pilot's relationship. Would I recommend this to everyone I know... lamppost (that will make sense if you read the book!).

As always, I was drawn to the pretty cover of this book instantly before reading the synopsis. I don’t even know what it is but I think it’s a very simple and attractive book cover!

First things first, I loved how the book was mostly based in London. Let’s face it, there’s not that many books out there, particularly in YA fic that evolve around London. So reading a first timer’s perspective of London was quite refreshing. Then there was the travelling part which I loved a lot. It did remind me of ‘The Geography of Me and You’ with all the places that Shane goes to. I love to explore and travel so this was right up my street. Another thing I liked were the surprises. Admittedly at first, I wasn’t so into this book. It was very cliché and Shane came across as kind of annoying which was quite off putting. I didn’t think it was going to pick up. But actually there were a few parts where it did take me by surprise and I didn’t see the plot twists coming! But I’m not too sure how I feel about this book. There was a lot going on during the entire plot where I did get confused at times and I felt the ending could have been explored a bit more. There were so many characters but we never saw what happen to most of them at the end!

Overall, ‘Again, but Better’ was a good book. It didn’t really excite me but it was a nice different read!

I think this book would appeal to young adults - with the exception of so many 2000s references. They won’t understand the Lost references and some of the other pop culture references. As far as the story goes, it is light, fun and cute. Teens could relate with the character as she navigates through early adulthood.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for letting me read this arc!! I had high expectations going into this book. But I don’t have any words for how much I love this book. This book blew my expectations out of the water. The start of this book was really good but I wasn’t in love with this book yet. What pushed this book over the edge for me was the last half of this book. Not only did it take me by surprise but it was so awesome. I won’t spoil this book but holy shit. Something else I really loved about this book though because I’ve watched Christine’s videos so much I feel like I know her. So when she mentioned her laptop was called sawyer and her favourite show was lost I was like wait a second. I just loved seeing little bits of Christine in the book if that makes sense.

I love Shane and Pilot. I really do. I wasn’t big on Shane at first but as the book went on not only did she grow as a character but my love grow for her. She toke control of her life and I loved watching her do that!! I also just loved the romance so much. This is the first time in a while I’ve read a contemporary and really rooted for the couple to be together!!

Overall you guys need to read this book when it comes out in May! I absolutely loved it and I will definitely be supporting Christine and going out and buying a copy!! This book is definitely worth all the hype!!!

In many ways Again, But Better took me back to being curled up in bed with Stephanie Perkin’s Anna and the French Kiss, one of my favourite romantic contemporaries. Both books have a European/travelling vibe (which always excites me), explore a path of self-confidence and are centred around an adorable and frustrating romantic story line that’s completely addictive. I found myself rapt up in Shane’s story in Again, But Better from the first page as she travelled from New York to London to complete a university semester abroad, a chance she took to chase the dreams her parents have pulled her away from her whole life. When her own self-doubt gets in the way of her fulfilling her goals (writing, making friends and finding romance), a little magic is what she needs to find her true path and happiness.

When I read the summary for this novel, I wasn’t expecting the story to be quite the romantic comedy it is. There is nothing at all wrong with that, as Shane’s romance with The Guy She Likes was definitely the element of the book that made me keep reading way past my bedtime. The romance was adorable, funny and angsty in all the right ways and I absolutely loved it. Which was really a pleasant surprise, as I thought the book was going to focus more on Shane’s independent journey as she finds confidence in herself and her dream of becoming a writer. Christine Riccio does handle that side of the narrative well and in doing so, she showed me a side of Shane I could relate to in my own experiences at university, struggling to make friends and to keep on track with my writing goals and interests. Shane was a very likeable character that many readers will relate to and while I enjoyed seeing the outcome of her own personal journey, her relationship with The Guy She Likes and the way she was truly herself with him was the highlight of the book for me.

At times, I felt the writing style could’ve done with a bit more attention. The pace sometimes felt rushed and Shane’s monologues sometimes felt too simplistic or meandering. Still, Christine Riccio certainly got her characters right, whether they had small or large roles in the plot, and her inclusion of so many references about Europe and pop culture made me happy. There was a certain touch to her storytelling that felt real to me and, for lack of a better way to describe it, made me feel cosy and warm inside. Even when I wasn’t so sure about the inclusion of magic (which was the type of thing that made me think of Suddenly 30 or something similar), I was completely engrossed in the story the whole time and hoped so much that Shane would finally find her true version of happiness.

My college self relates a lot to Shane. She's socially anxious, she's awkward, she's a bit nerdy, she's not sure who she wants to be, she wouldn't go travelling on her own, the list goes on. We both went to London for school to try and find our way...

I like that the relationships formed in this book seem real and relatable. When you're in a situation like this, you gravitate toward your dorm mates. Shane, Sahra, Babe, Pilot and Atticus (which, I will admit, is a really weird group of names) become fast friends, but they all seem to be enthralled in their studies and their internships like real students would be. Sure, they travel together and rely on each other, but these people are actually there for school, which I appreciate. And they're diverse, which I appreciate.

There is a little bit of a magical event that I didn't see coming, but that really bought this book to another level. It made it stand out from anything else I've read. Sure, it was cheesy and made the story become impossible, but Riccio saves it from becoming completely ridiculous in the way the plot progresses. I also thought there was going to be some borrowing from Jenny Han's <em>To All The Boys I've Loved Before</em>... and I was pleasantly surprised when the plot went in a different direction.

My one bigger issue with the book is Shane's relationship with her parents, and how her parents treat her. In the beginning, when she's describing it, she makes it seem like her parents were just hard on her in wanting her to be a doctor, but as we learn later on, her father is borderline abusive (and her mother doesn't seem to see it either). The way Shane was treated by them—with the climax happening in front of a group of other people, no less, which makes it so much worse—and continued to be treated by them in the future was not okay. And I understand that people are not always treated nicely by their parents, but I didn't like the fact that it wasn't really addressed. Shane merely explained it as them not understanding her, and her friends just wanted to make sure she was okay, but that is emotionally abusive and should have been called out as such.

But despite that shortcoming, the main message of the story, though not totally original these days, was heartwarming. Riccio really wanted to drive home the fact that until you love yourself as you are, you'll never be able to love someone else, no matter how hard you try or how many chances you get. You're your number 1. And that's a moral I can get behind.

4.5 STARS

This review will be posted on my blog, The Modest Reader, on April 29 at 7:00 am.

https://themodestreader.com/2019/04/29/again-but-better/

Quality of Writing: 4/10
Pace: 6/10
Plot Development: 4/10
Characters: 4/10
Enjoyability: 5/10
Insightfulness: 2/10
Ease of Reading: 4/10
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Okay, so I want to begin by saying that nothing in the blurb about this book online prepares you for what it's really about. I thought this book was about a girl who goes to college, doesn't enjoy her experience, and does a do-over during her study abroad. Yeah... that's not quite it.
This book is about a girl who starts a study abroad with goals and doesn't accomplish any of them. Then she feels horrible and lives out the next six years of her life completely unsatisfied until she's given the chance to travel back in time and re-do the experience. Yes, I said travel back in time.
I have a lot of complaints about this book. First of all, all the "magical" moments are just weird. Like, totally unnecessarily awkward and weird. The author has a bad habit of putting acronyms in without saying what they stand for. (Examples: YU, TFIOS, BR) I happen to know what they all stand for, but others might not.
The romance is so... cheesy. It's not realistic in the slightest. The jump forward in time in the middle was jarring, unnecessary and unpredictable. Shane was not mature enough to be twenty, let alone twenty six.
Also, who describes sexual tension as "glitter"? Fire, maybe, but not glitter. I wasn't bored per se, but I was not entertained really. A few lines here and there cannot save a book.

Again, But Better is the highly anticipated novel from booktube Goddess Christine Riccio, aka PolandBananasBooks. I’ve been following Christine’s writing videos since the idea for this book baby was conceived and couldn’t wait to immerse myself into the story. It follows Shane, a pre-med university student in America with a passion for creative writing. After years of always doing what she’s told, she finally acts out and does something so unlike her - she signs up for a study abroad programme in London and convinces her parents it’s for pre-med, rather than creative writing. It’s Shane’s chance to experience something new and discover what she wants to do with her life.

I can already foresee many of the criticisms others may have, such as the insta love, the strange character names: Shane; Pilot; Baby; Atticus and Sahra, and the way that Shane’s housemates were underdeveloped. The writing is clunky in parts and there’s a definite autobiographical nature. We start in 2011, which is a little jarring until the pop culture references jump in, but this is a deliberate choice to follow the same timeline Riccio had in her own study abroad programme in London. Shane also visits the same Beatles store and runs her own blog, FrenchWatermelonNineteen. The parallels are hardly hidden, in fact they’re so in your face I wonder if they’re meant to garner the attention of Christine’s fans and encourage a little clue-looking.

Before I get into the good stuff, there are a couple of frustrating comments Shane makes about life in England which I feel the need to correct. Firstly, Mexican food in Britain is not bad at all. It’s actually amazing and this is a hill I’m willing to die on. Secondly, not all museums are free. I feel like an editor should have caught this because it’s such a huge statement to make. Anyway, those details aside, the portrayal of London captures the bustle and excitement of the city.

The writing was funny, the dialogue vivid and the throwbacks to 2011 were a ball of fun you won’t find in many other books published in 2019. In Part 2, the book veers off in an unexpected direction and offers something that I think will divide readers. I personally loved the second half of the book even more than the first and think it found its feet as it went on. I’ll definitely be reading more from Riccio. While Again, But Better is not perfect, it’s a strong teen travel novel with plenty of humour and romance. And yes, the title makes a lot of sense once you’ve read it...

RATING: ★★★

I went into this book with a lot of high expectations. Not because of who the author is--although Christine is, and always has been, one of my favorite booktubers--but because of the promise of the premise. Essentially, Again, but Better is a book about Shane, a 20-year-old junior in university who spent her first two (two and a half?) years of college in her room with no friends and no typical college experiences. As soon as I read the description for this, my heart fucking soared because Shane's experience sounded just like my own early college experiences and I've never seen someone like this represented in books.

Unfortunately, I don't think the book really lived up to what it meant to. Shane's character development didn't really work for me. What we were promised wasn't actually her arc at all. As soon as Shane arrives in London, she immediately becomes best friends with her roommates and the other people on her hall, without any kind of struggle or conflict besides a few minor awkward moments upon their first meeting and I was hoping for something more than what we were given.

I think if the idea of Shane having no friends and being generally sucky at the whole college thing wasn't such a huge part of the premise, the plot would've worked out better for me. I guess my expectations just got in the way.

Another thing that bothers me is (minor spoiler) the time jump that happens halfway through the book. Shane starts at 20-years-old and then, after the time skip, becomes 26 years old. Not only do I have a problem with that and this book being labeled as YA, I also felt the development as Shane from a young adult to an actual adult didn't feel real to me. She still felt like a young girl, still a little childish and naive, and the jump wasn't believable for me.

I also find myself completely disappointed in how much Shane resembled the author, Christine. Don't get me wrong; I love Christine. I think she's a great person, but there were so many little things about Shane's character that resembled Christine (her username, her love for books and writing, Lost and Taylor Swift, Harry Potter and pasta, to name a few) that made her character feel a little cheap and not like a real person. I couldn't get past the similarities and the construction of Shane's character felt like there wasn't much thought behind it. That being said, I do like the callbacks to Christine, I just wish they had been toned down and that Shane had shined a little brighter than she did.

All that being said, I actually REALLY ENJOYED a good portion of this. I think 90% of the things I enjoyed were the interactions between Shane and the love interest, Pilot. The banter back and forth was cute and even had me laughing out loud once or twice. I did feel like the side characters were undeveloped and I was super disappointed to find out they were all American. In my study abroad program at my school, we have such a mix diverse of students from both European and Asian countries and I wish Christine hadn't played it so safe and stuck to Americans only.

This book wasn't my favorite, but it's something Christine has had in her head for so long, it'd make sense that this extremely personal book would be the first one she would put out. I'm looking forward to when she breaks out of her shell, out of experiences she's familiar with, and brings us something new (and hopefully drastically different). Can't wait to pick up her second book!

tw: minor cheating, non-consensual kiss

I’m going to be honest, this was really hard for me to get through. I was surprised to find out that this was NA because Shane could be compared to an excitable middle schooler. Not that being excited all the time is bad (i’m jealous) but it made it feel so juvenile. The romance felt forced. . .Shane is very dense, Pilot’s mood changes in an instant and is not admirable. I just really think this was not for me. I’m very, very proud of Riccio in all that she’s done, but i have to remain unbiased. I really wanted to enjoy it, but by the end I just lost all interest. The middle of the narrative and magical realism elements made it seem like it would redeem itself, but even the magical realism seemed. . .odd. After the middle it just returned to how it originally was. It was a very cute story with nothing but positive outlooks, but i think it’s not intended for people like me.

This just really didn't work for me. First off, Shane is a 20 year old college student who feels like she's missed out and done college wrong, so she decides to go study abroad doing a creative writing track that she has to lie to her parents about because they want her to stay premed. This is a solid premise, but one big glaring thing stood out to me as I started this: Shane does not sound like a 20 year old, not at all. Sixteen at the most. The writing is so juvenile and just plain cringe-worthy at times. You could argue that this is a YA book. I'm not one to shit on a YA book for being YA. But this book is about a 20 year old, and therefore the character should read like one. I'm sorry, but I just will never be able to read the line "what the fudge" and not feel every muscle in my body cringe. I get that this was trying to be quirky, but there's just a very fine line between good quirky and cringe quirky (see Christina Lauren's books for some good quirky!) and for me, it just didn't work.

I will say though, the writing and story as a whole was a LOT better to me in the second half of the novel, as this is split into two parts, one taking place in 2011 and another in 2017. This might of gotten to a three star if the whole book had been like this. Not to say that the second half was perfect. There were some strange things that just didn't quite ever sit right with me, and definitely still some cheesy parts, but overall a lot better. It took me a few days to get through the first half, but I plowed through the second in one night.

In addition to the juvenile-ness of the writing, I also wanted a whole lot more description. Shane is experiencing so many amazing new things, but in the first half especially, we read about most of these in diary entries that are essentially, "we did this, then we did this" which were just not interesting to read about. I wanted to BE in these places with the characters. Show, don't tell!

One part of the book that I did really enjoy and appreciate though was the anxiety rep. I thought Shane's anxieties were really well written and I was able to relate to them a lot. There's a scene where she loses her purse that especially hit home. The anxiety was rep was probably the best part of the book.

There's also a bit of emotional cheating that goes on in this book. Now, I know a lot of people see cheating and automatically scream PROBLEMATIC! But I do think it's actually an important thing to discuss, because whether we like it or not, cheating is a real thing that humans do. It's shitty, but it happens. I think it's good to have a dialogue surrounding it. However, this just didn't handle it the way I was hoping for. There was some owning up to mistakes, on the male love interests part anyway, but I don't love how things were portrayed with "the other girl." She's not the villain, and she shouldn't even slightly be painted as such.

Lastly, and this is the part I'm dreading most of this review, we have to talk about the self insert here. I don't want to shit on Christine for putting elements of herself in the book. Because let's be real, if this was any other author, we wouldn't know them the way that (most) people will know Christine going into this. When other author's put little quirky things about themselves into the book, we, for the most part, do not realize this. This was the attitude that I tried having going into this. Okay, Shane likes reading, and there's Harry Potter references, that's fine. Okay, Shane has a blog called FrenchWatermelon19, pushing it but okay. Write what you know!

But it just became to much. From talking about the Mortal Instruments, Lost, Taylor Swift, and hell, the part about Youtube especially. Not to mention Shane's physical description is . . well, very Christine. While I do think we should respect the fact that we do know more about her than the average debut author, I think there needed to be more of a distance between character and author here, because it became impossible not to imagine Shane as Christine. And unless you're trying to write a semi-autographical novel, there shouldn't be this many similarities.

Overall, I didn't love this. It was just too much at times. Some things with her family especially was extremely over-dramatic to me. But, it had it's good snippets, too. The anxiety rep, a certain scene in a bathroom. I wouldn't be opposed to trying a book of hers again, because I think there's potential. Here's where I could make a cheesy joke about doing it "Again but Better," but I'll save us all from that and just stop the review here

First of all, congrats to Christine Riccio for getting her book out there! I've been subbed to her on Booktube for the longest time. It takes a lot of bravery and determination to put something you've worked so hard on out there for people to enjoy and judge.

This book just wasn't for me though. It may be the major reading slump I've been in and this just wasn't the "OMG THIS IS IT" book to pull me from it. The main character is very clearly Christine in an alternate world (they have such similar personalities). I had a hard time following the chain of thoughts of the MC often sadly and it felt like there was a lot of tell and not enough show as far as the places the MC was exploring and visiting during her study abroad trip.

I think if I read this at a different time, I might have enjoyed this a bit more but it just wasn't for me right now.
Again though, so much love for the author and proud of her for this big step!

I picked this book up because I've watched many of Christine Riccio's book vlogs and I am astounded by what I've read. There were so many twists and turns, and I was truly surprised, not expecting at all for it to go the way it did. This book made me feel the feels, and wish I too, could do it again, but better like Shane did. Shane is just so real and I can resonate with her on so many levels. This is everything I want in a book and more.

I really enjoyed this book for what it is.
It is a light, fun, romantic read, and we need more of this in YA. I honestly feel that there is so much doom and gloom, deep and meaningful realistic fiction in YA...as well as so much fantasy...so this is great for something different. Very cinematic in its feel, so it works well as a quick read, for those struggling to find the time to read. It's a chic flick in book form...and that's a winner for me.

This book is adorable... it reminded me so much of being 18 and the main character basically lived out my high school / collegiate fantasy of studying abroad in London. I absolutely loved Christine Riccio's voice, and I think this is a great debut. I can't wait to get more from this author!

3.75 stars. Recieved this proof to read from Netgalley! So who here hasn't wished they changed something in their past? What they went to college for, wish they told their crush how they felt, wish they had more friends? Shane did all of that and more. Unlike the rest of us, she did have a fairy godmother of sorts to give her the chance to change her life. I enjoyed this light. Easy read. I may have not gone to college overseas, but I always wondered what would have happened if 1 thing in my life changed. I wouldn't change my life for the world, but it was fun to see how 1 change can change your whole life.

I live for these books that are filled with little pop culture references. It always feels kind of like an Easter egg hunt, while reading! I also really appreciated the representation of social anxiety. YA books about the first years in Uni seem to be getting more and more popular and I am such a big fan. I think the biggest thing to take away from this read: is the importance of staying true to yourself. There was all this pressure and conditional love put on Shane, where she felt like she had to succeed, and I really enjoyed her story arc of learning to live the life she wants to live. **on that note – maybe a bit of a content warning for abusive parental relationships?**
And – slight spoiler – but not really because it was in the synopsis. This is another one along with Opposite of Always and An Absolutely Remarkable thing, where it reads as a contemporary because it IS a contemporary … but it introduces a touch of fantasy to keep things interesting.

What can I say about this book?

The story follows Shane's year studying abroad, which was her last ditch effort to have a fresh start from the world she knew and the friends she didn't have. Anyone who has been following Christine's youtube channel would easily find the correlation between Shane's college experiences and those that Christine has shared with the internet.

Honestly, it's difficult to compose my thoughts about this novel because I've been following Christine's booktube adventure for years now. It has been a wild ride and I've watched every single one of her writing updates. That being said, it feels a little disloyal to say anything critical about this story when I know how hard she has worked on it however, the truth of the matter is that this is a solid three star read for me.

The beginning of the book follows Shane as she expresses her goals for the future and establishes a reason for her "quest." This part was so disorienting to me because the writing style reminded me of trying to get on my bicycle after spending a decade away from it. The writing style was a little jilted, and the similiarities to her actual youtube channel were too distracting for me. I couldn't stop hearing everything in her voice, but thinking that she sounded more eloquent in her videos- which doesn't really make sense because you spend much more time thinking about how you compose a written response than you would in a vlog style video.

She seemed to have reached her stride around page 100, which was when this 2 star read became a three in my opinion. Once she reached the pinnacle of conflict and the conflict was about the growth of the actual character, rather than the relationships, I was sold. I was taken for a loop and the suspense and tension build up made everything else so worthwhile, though I do think the exposition lasted a little too long. The first section of the book could have been cut 50 pages and I wouldn't have missed it at all. There was definitely no reason for this book to be longer than like 275 pages.

The male protagonist was a little flat until the end, but I truly enjoyed the latter half of the book. You could definitely tell when she started to feel more comfortable with writing and I loved the imagery she began to include and the dialogue. I thought it was endearing- though also very distracting- to have an allusion to her biggest writer pet peeve (those of you who follow PolandBananas will know exactly what I'm talking about).

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of hers and doesn't mind a little soul searching story that is written with low text complexity. There are plenty of pop culture references and youtube references to keep the die-hard fans of hers happy and "in on the joke." Based on the writing at the end of the book, I can honestly say that I am very excited to see what she comes up with for her sophomore novel.

**Full disclosure, I kindly received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, though this comment is a little unnecessary because I did pre-order a copy the minute it was announced.