A semester abroad in London is 20 year old Shane's chance to fix her college mistakes. Binging Netflix, remaining friendless and unkissed, Shane is unsatisfied with her choices in life. London is her chance to push herself out of her bubble. A redo. But the reality of turning around her life is a difficult and complicated journey. One that will take all her will, some personal growth and a dash of magic.

Again, but Better is Christine all over from the moment it begins. Told in very personal first person, present tense, the plot follows Shane in 2011 as she goes to London on a semester abroad and spans through years of her life journey. All of it giving a sense of nostalgia and reminding me of myself in my teenage years.

The book is told in a slice of life style following Shane day to day through school, work etc on a loop and it could be a little mundane at times. Some parts of the book I really just wanted to flip past until something new happened, though, I think, Christine did well spicing things up and keeping things relatively tight. Another minor downside I saw with the plot was its sometimes obviously formulaic nature. There were times where it was blatant that something was being set up and I found myself guessing the why's and resulting events before it was played out in the book.

Just when you start to feel deflated in the plot Christine utilizes a well used time skip. Things are fresh as we catch up with Shane again, and though she's still thinking about Pilot in 2017 and still not following her dreams of writing, she has evolved somewhat from the 20 year old we first met at the beginning of the book. And then the time travel. God was it cathartic to see Shane regain that lost time and opportunity, that chance at her lost love and lost dreams.

The magic/fantastical element felt a bit, you know, so this is here and works, whatever, onto the romance! But its not really about the magic,so I sort of forgive the lack of details there.

The themes of self discovery, first love and self love were discussed with an authentic quality and progressed through the growth of characters. I could really feel for Shane through her struggle of figuring out what she could do with her life and struggling to give her passion of writing any legitimacy in the eyes of her parents who expect her to have a stable career and future. Her social anxiety and self doubt a running theme for most people. I appreciated that despite the magical redo, there was no quick fix. Everything she wanted to accomplish took work and continuing to push herself out there, and we see that, even if it didn't all result in immediate success.

Shane (and I almost wrote Christine) is funny, insecure, naive, a little dramatic and a dash clumsy though in a way that resonated as endearing and relatable. Pilot is charming though he has some legitimate faults. The romance is sweet, warm, a little goofy (in a good way). I was quite convinced and taken with their chemistry.

I had no major qualms with the slight/but not really/but definite emotional cheating. Relationships and people are complicated, these things happen and I am the last person that's going to berate an author for not creating picture perfect characters who either only make palatable mistakes or are made to be positive role models and influences rather than just fictional characters who in ways reflect us and the sometimes shitty choices we make.

Besides which I found Shane to be a positive influence anyway, if that's what you're looking for in a book. I was surprised by her growth and her ability to think of herself and her own life, needs, aspirations and relationships outside of her romance with Pilot. That feels sad to say but YA characters can be a little overly involved in their romances. It was a wonderfully surprising growth in the character that emphasized living life first for yourself.

I will say though that personally I found Pilot a little difficult to like at points. Some of his actions toward Shane and his girlfriend felt cold, a little cowardly and a little indecisive. Still, 16 year old me would be into Pilot. 28 year old me was put off.

The rest of the characters were interesting and a diverse group (perhaps for the sake of being diverse) but since so much of the plot does end up being romance and Shane's issues with herself and her parents, we don't see them develop or too much of them at all.

For a debut I felt like the book was decently written. I was prepared for and dreading disappointment but I, well, wasn't. There was an authenticity and bright, engaging feel to the whole book that screamed Christine, and if you're a fan of Christine that's a plus. The ending is positive and fluffy and feel-good. Everything wraps up nicely, and I was left contented and entertained. While there were some minor hindrances for me on the way to that end, ( I have to mention the over-stuffing of pop culture references that felt a little 'how many of Christine's favorite books, shows, musicians and authors can we mention in every chapter?') I have to hand it to her, the girl can write a decent book. I am already anticipating her future works and improvements.

I have received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

- 3/5 A charming slice of life with a dash of magic.

✵ Thank you to St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book for review! Release date: May 7, 2019 ✵

This book was really a rollercoaster. I mean this both emotionally and plot-wise. I was elated, frustrated, depressed, disappointed, and surprised all over the course of this book. 

I missed a key part of the synopsis that a hint of magic would be involved... so I was quite shocked when the story took a 180 halfway through.

While I did overall enjoy this book, there were some things about it that irked me, and some things about it that I liked, but I could see others not liking.

Let's start with the aspects that I liked, but I could see others disliking:

✵ Shane's voice was very juvenile for a 20 year old. I didn't mind this because I'm only 16 so her voice seemed more reflective of someone my age. I could relate to it, but I could totally see how actual 20 year olds found it annoying or immature.
✵ Her "crush" on Pilot was very obsessive and all-consuming. I didn't really mind this because I have definitely seen people fall for someone in this way, but the fact that it's not healthy probably bothered some other readers. However, I do think that Christine did a good job of recognizing how an obsessive crush or relationship is bad through Shane's decision to leave him because of her obsession. While they do end up together in the end, it is only after she and him decide to make things less all-consuming.

Aspect I disliked:

✵ Her parents constant verbal abuse was glossed over. Sure, she talked about how it hurt her, but her friends were relatively unconcerned by it. Even Shane herself just decided to "deal with it," which I don't think is a healthy message to be spreading.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I loved the message it provided about following what you truly want and not simply what you think you should achieve. I was thoroughly entertained, and I would definitely be interested in reading her future books.

I feel like I have to put out a disclaimer saying that I didn’t go into this book expecting or hoping to hate it. I was planning on supporting a fellow Booktuber, because I think it’s great that Booktubers and book bloggers are getting book deals after they’ve worked so hard on their writing. Unfortunately, Again, But Better didn’t work out for me, and I’m gonna explain why.

First of all, I did read an ARC of this and not the final version, which might explain some things, but I have to say that I feel like the book needed a lot of polishing. The writing was incredibly clumsy, and it drew me out of the story (which I wasn’t particularly enjoying, but more on that in a bit). Some examples from the uncorrected proof are:

“It doesn’t look too strange because the purse is really small, but it does look a little strange.”


“I’m going to have to take it off when I know it’s dark”


“I finally caught sight of him walking into the kitchen through the bedroom window.”

My issues with the writing weren’t helped by the fact that there was a lot of telling instead of showing. There was a lot of “we did this, and then they decided to this, and they want to do this later”.

And oh my god, while I’m talking about the writing, I also have to mention the names. The character names in this book were a joke. The love interest was called Pilot Penn, and their friends were called Babe Lozenge (a Lozenge is something you take when you’re sick) and Atticus. I was rolling my eyes so hard.

Shane, the main character, had a lot of potential for growth. Yes, she is a self-insert. Massively. She has the same blonde hair as Christine, the same quirky personality, a similar Italian surname, the same kind of username… I’m not sure what the author or the publisher were thinking when they let the character have a blog called FrenchWatermelon19. They must have known that readers generally don’t like self inserts, right?

I would have loved Shane to have been developed more, but instead she was exactly the same in 2017 as she was in 2011 (there’s a time jump halfway through the book). She didn’t grow up at all, and she was still obsessed with a guy (Pilot) that she knew for a couple of months six years previously and who she hadn’t spoken to since. The obsession was weird and uncomfortable, and I did hope that the author was going to show that that’s, well, not a good way to go about things, but she didn’t. It made me kind of angry, since Pilot had a girlfriend the entire time Shane knew him, and when Shane went to find him in 2017, he had been with said girlfriend for six years. And Shane didn’t care.

Shane also supposedly had social anxiety, but I wasn’t a massive fan of how that was handled as it just seemed to switch on and off whenever the plot called for it. It wasn’t handled well, and in my opinion Shane was mostly just awkward and quirky and shy rather than suffering from anxiety.

Another thing that really got to me was Shane’s abusive father, and how that wasn’t mentioned or addressed. The guy is very controlling, and there’s a scene in the first third of the book where he visits Shane in the UK and gets angry with her in a public restaurant in front of all her friends. He ends up belittling her, talking down at her, and then destroying her mobile phone. Destroying someone’s things like that isn’t good parenting, and in my opinion it counts as abuse. I’m really disappointed that it was portrayed as normal, and not spoken about again.

Those are pretty much all my thoughts on this book. I realise I spoke about it very negatively, but I didn’t want to give it just one star because I feel like it had some potential, and I didn’t outright hate it. I think I would probably check out more of Riccio’s work later to see if her writing improves (and if she stops inserting herself into her stories!), because there was definitely some potential there. It’s just Again, But Better wasn’t executed very well and it ended up being full of things that I absolutely hate, like cheating and abusive parents.

Christine did a great job for a first novel! It was a unique story line that I was not expecting. It was a bit confusing at some points, but overall it was so fun! Looking forward to more books from Christine m!

**I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.**

The past couple of weeks I've heard a lot of buzz around this book because it's written by a pretty popular booktuber from what I've heard. I think I'm one of the few who hasn't heard of or watched Christine Riccio but I decided to pick this book up anyways because I was intrigued. Going into this book I was expecting a cute fluffy romcom that might be kind of similar to Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. While both take place in Europe and include really cute couples that's where the similarities end. 

Again, but Better had a lot of really good things about it. I think the thing I liked the most about the book was the cute cheesy scenes between Pilot and Shane. Some may say that it was a bit much, but in my opinion, it was just the right amount of cheesiness. I also really loved all of the traveling that Shane does throughout the story, but that could be because I was just jealous of her ahaha. I also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style but it didn't affect the story too much.

I will say I wasn't always a huge fan of the characters. I found them to be a bit annoying at times, especially Shane. I really loved some of the characters at times though like Babe, but I wish we had been able to get more of a feel of her as a character. Throughout the story we also see Shane talk about how she wants to make friends while she is studying abroad and while we are told she has made friends and we see them from time to time we really don't get to delve into who they are. The story is definitely focused on Shane and Pilot which is unfortunate.  

The main reason I only gave this book a three-star rating is that once I reached the halfway point I thought the story was at a good point to end. <spoiler>While the idea of time travel was definitely unique and not something I was expecting I also just didn't like it in this story. I'm not sure if that's because of how it was written or if it's just not the right type of story for it, but either way, I wasn't a fan and wish it had been skipped entirely. I think had the time travel been skipped and the first and last part of the book had just been smooshed together I would have enjoyed this book a lot better and more than likely would have given it a much better rating.</spoiler>

All that being said I did enjoy the book and would recommend this book if you're a fan of cheesy, fluffy books.

2.5 stars

"Again, but Better" is not a bad book at all, but it feels incredibly young to me. 
The writing, the choices the characters make and the way they behave and how the adults -especially the parents - are portrayed... it all reminded me a lot of a middle grade book targeted towards the age groups around 10 years old. That age where the kid starts to feel older then they actually are, think they are smarter then they are and as if they understand the entire world, relationships and overall everything around them so much better than both the children and the adults around them. But because they are 'only' around 10 years old, they don't have the strength, ways to voice and ways to back up what they think or might be saying or how they are behaving. If that made any sense. I hope it did. 

Lets try again in shorter: 
For me this book felt like a child in this strange age between clear childhood, that lets you voice your wants and choices but they are still clearly controlled and watched, and still steps away from actually understanding what being responsible and actually behaving like an adult and live with your own choices. 

I am guessing that it mostly reminded me of that since the main character in this book behaves incredibly childish in... well basically everything she does. 
Instead of behaving like the.. what? 20 year old? she is supposed to be, and talking with her parents about wanting a break for the summer from an incredible stressful and hardworking academic school year, she lies to them and in my eyes behaves as if she is in the right because he parents pushed her to choose pre-med as an academic course choice. 

For me that is not young adult behaviour. That is childish and actually also rather stupid and short sighted. 

And I might have understood the need for the lying if she would have made better choices and decisions after that, but the book just continued on in this way that she would be completely reckless in her decision making, overly spontaneous, completely childish in the way of seeing something she wants and just deciding that she has to have it, consequences be damed... 

in short this book was not that great for me. 

It wasn't a bad one, let me say that again. 

But for me its targeted towards the wrong age group. 
its not YA, its clearly for younger readers that want to see someone do what they want because they want to consequences be what they might be but at least they experienced their wishes... Which for me is middle grade. 

So if you want a book that has the type of characters described, horrendous portrays of parents that behave equally as childish as the main character and a bit of a too American view of Europe? 
Great! Go right ahead, you will enjoy this book!

If you want an entertaining, fun and great feeling YA contemporary that takes you on a trip, gives you the feeling of meeting friends and like minded people and shows you a little view into a bit of a different lifestyle? 
If you need mature twenty year old characters that understand actions of consequences, want parents to be actual adults in their reactions and at least a bit of an actual visible and relatable character growth?
Yeah... sorry, no. 
This is not the one for that. 

Decide for yourself if this book is for you or not.

I was very excited to receive an e-book ARC of Again, But Better via Netgalley. Christine was one of the first "Booktubers" I stumbled across on Youtube, helping me discover lots of great book friends, recommendations, reviews, and new favourite reads. It's hard to review a book from a person you've followed for a few years. I like Christine, she seems like a very kind person, and I want her to do well. One of the ways for me to possibly help her is by providing an authentic book review, free from bias. The following is an honest review of her new Contemporary Romance book set to be released on May 7, 2019.
› Setting and Plot
Again, but Better begins in 2011 with twenty-year-old Shane leaving NYC on an airplane destined for London, England, leaving pre-med to study Literature and Creative Writing. She feels like her first college experience didn't go according to plan, so she's heading overseas to study abroad and get a do-over. This time she plans on doing better at making close friends, kicking ass at her internship, travel, have adventures, start writing a novel, and finally kissing a boy. Much of the story takes place in The Karlston, a flat where Shane and fellow students are staying while attending London University. Her roommates are Sahra and Babe. They share a kitchen and common room with Atticus and Pilot. Again, but Better is a light story about Shane having adventures and learning how to open her mind and heart.

  › Characters
- Shane: female protagonist. She's shy, awkward, clumsy, and unsure of herself. Her parents want her to become a doctor, but Shane wants to be a writer.
- Sahra: intelligent, motivated, and friendly. She's studying law.
- Babe: enthusiastic, positive thinking, friendly.
- Atticus: gay theater major (stereotypical, insert eye roll here).
- Pilot: studying finance, but really wants to do music. Shane has a crush on him, but he has a girlfriend.

 › Likes
- I liked how Shane's voice in 2011 felt different from her character in 2017.
- Traveling to different cities was fun, and I loved the Karlston setting.
- the magical/fantasy element

 ›  Dislikes
- Had an immature feeling for a New Adult book.
- I didn't like the ending
- There were too many references to Harry Potter, Shadowhunters, Lost, and other movies, songs, etc from 2011.
- How many chairs need to fall over?
- No one calls out her father for his verbal abuse.
- Ridiculous character names: Pilot? Babe?
- Cheating, and the person who got cheated on made into some kind of villain when it wasn't her fault at all.

 › Final Thoughts
I really wanted to love this book because I adore Christine. I know how long she's been working on this novel, but I can't hide my disappointment. I will say it is a FUN and QUICK read with great setting and good pacing. Keep in mind, I did read an ARC copy, so there are details that may be different in the final copy. Again, but Better fell short for me, however, I'm really excited to see what Riccio writes next!

I'd say curling up with this book is an experience not dissimilar to watching that romcom that Netflix just added to your recommended list. It's lighthearted, fun and a nice easy read. It wasn't without its flaws, but is definitely a contemporary novel with an audience.

The writing at times did feel quite clunky to read. The phrasing is wordy in places and at times I couldn't help but feel that it was trying too hard. It was definitely readable though and this didn't put me off enough to stop reading it... especially considering how I finished it off in one day.

Shane is a very high energy kind of character. She is based on the author, which is made very obvious throughout the novel, but in an exaggerated kind of way. She's energetic, creative, dorky, easy-going and comes across as a bit of a caricature version of Riccio. I'm not sure if this contributed to the awkward vibes I got from the writing, but it's worth mentioning.

The focus of the story is not only the romance, but the development of Shane's character throughout the novel. This worked really well. She does noticeably mature a lot and grow into someone a lot more readable, which makes me think that if there were a sequel to this novel, I'd be inclined to read it. I must admit that I wasn't a massive fan of some aspects of the ending, but won't talk about it too much.

The pacing was wonderful and made this book very difficult to put down. The suspense was clearly crafted carefully and there was just enough mystery woven consistently throughout the story to keep you on your toes. I finished it with aching eyes at about 3am and regret nothing. It ended up being a really exciting story. I loved the twist and the touch of magic that I wasn't really expecting. It's the kind of thing that makes you daydream while you read it and by the end I was pretty invested in the whole thing.

Overall, I really liked this book. The story was wonderful, but I felt a little distanced at times by the unnatural phrasing. Once I got past that though it was cute, relaxing and fun. I think, especially considering how this is a debut novel, I would definitely read Riccio's next book as I'd love to see what else her imagination has in store.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’ve been around the bookish pockets of the internet, then it’s highly likely you’ll have heard about popular booktuber, Christine Riccio, or PolandBananasBooks. If you’re a fan of Christine’s videos, then you’ll also know she’s been working on a book since at least 2016 which is now finally at the end of the publishing road. It’s titled Again, but Better and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC. 

Who, What, Where?
Shane’s been doing college all wrong – she’s studying a major she has no passion for, has made zero friends, and her love-life is non-existent. In the hopes of changing things up, she applies for a semester abroad creative writing program in London and an internship at a prominent travel magazine. To ensure she makes the most of the experience, Shane sets herself a list of goals – kick ass at her internship, start a novel, kiss a boy, make friends, and have adventures. However, when reality begins to set in, things quickly start to fall apart. But what if, with the help of a little magic, Shane had the chance for a do-over?

Bogged Down or Too Blunt
Having watched a few snippets of Christine’s book writing videos, I know that the first draft of Again, but Better was around 120,000 words. I couldn’t understand how this could possibly be until I actually read the ARC.

Now, this is a book that would have needed A LOT of editing.

Why? There’s just so much unnecessary detail. Being able to vividly visualise scenes is great, but there’s a point where it becomes information overload. Do I really need to know every detail about every street, building, corner, and shop on Shane’s journey to the supermarket? No. You’re writing a novel, not a London guide book.

On the flip side, the chapter ends have the opposite problem. While a lot of the story feels almost gushy, the chapters always seem to end in abrupt (but not cliff-hanger-y) ways. It’s almost as though you’d expect it to be the middle of a scene rather than the end. Because of this, they felt a little jarring and anti-climactic, impacting the flow of the novel for me.

Didn’t You Realise, it’s 2011
A large chunk of ABB is set in 2011. This is fine but, for some reason, the book feels the need to remind us repeatedly. If I’d been doing shots for 2011 references, I’d have been on the floor. Shane playing Angry Birds. Shot. Avril Lavigne’s ‘What the Hell?’ plays. Shot. Now it’s Rihanna’s ‘Who’s That Chick?’. Double shot. Shane is re-reading City of Glass for City of Fallen Angels. SHOOOOOTTTTT. Luckily for my liver, the name dropping does calm down in the second half. Even better, Christine stops trying to casually (or awkwardly) integrate the references. Instead, she even manages to turn them into a fun part of the time travel experience.

Christine, is That You?
As someone who isn’t a PolandBananasBooks fan, after I while, even I started to notice that ABB’s MC, Shane has…er…well, a lot in common with Christine. Visually, they’re both white, blonde girls with slim builds who like their eyeliner. Both have Italian families, social anxiety, and dream of being published authors. Christine’s username is PolandBananas20 while Shane’s blog is FrenchWatermelon19. They like the same books and music, name their laptops, and speak in the same generally excitable, “quirky” way. I get that authors are encouraged to write what they know, but when your MC is basically you, it does mean that your writing starts sounding a lot like wish fulfilment. As a result, there were parts of this that ended up feeling just a little bit cringy – especially the happily ever after ending.

A Re-Do on Boring
Plot-wise, I enjoyed the second half of ABB more than the first. The way the book is set out is: Shane does London take 1#, short intermission in the present before BAM time travel twist, then Shane does London take 2#. The problem with take 1# is that much of it feels like an extended prologue – laying down the groundwork for parts of take 2#. While there were a couple of moments where things picked up, most of the time I found myself bored. There are a lot of mundane conversations, quite a bit of repetition, and lengthy sections involving Shane recounting uninteresting details of her day-to-day life in her notebook.

The beginning of take 2# is where things picked up. The humour was better, the writing smoother, and the plot showed more direction. Then, to my frustration, (a) it slowed down again and (b) the characters returned to making frustrating decisions. *groans*.

A Bit of Positivity
At this point, I feel like I’m crapping all over a young author’s debut novel. So, with that in mind here are a few of the things I liked about ABB:

- The book does have some genuinely funny elements e.g. Shane’s war with the flat’s dining chairs and her recount of the way she spent her spring break. Basically me.
- Despite having issues with them as separate characters, I did root for Shane and her love interest, Pilot, to end up together. They have some nice interactions, especially in take 2#.
- While the ending was rushed, unrealistic and corny, I couldn’t help finding it very cute. Stupid swoony heart, you’re supposed to be a cynic! Must be the magic of Taylor Swift.
-  *spoiler* There’s a really lovely moment during take 2# in which Shane helps out her cousin who is struggling with coming out. Super sweet.
- I’m sure there will be people out there who can relate to Shane’s anxiety issues, and she does have a couple of panic attacks during the novel.
_________________________________
While I hate to say it, I wasn’t much of a fan of this one and probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t a big Christine viewer (because it has her written all over it). Again, but Better has its brighter moments, but unfortunately, they’re often overshadowed by the novel’s lower points.

2.5 STARS

*** ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I’m should preface this by saying that I’ve been a fan of Christine for a number of years. She is still a favourite of mine to watch on Booktube and will most likely continue to be a favourite. That being said, I found this book mind-numbing, annoying, and it read like a Wattpad self-insert fanfiction. 

~ spoilers ~

Let’s start with the blatant self-insert Christine that is our main character, Shane. Shane is an extremely awkward young adult who is trying to follow her dream of being a writer by lying to her parents about going to pre-med school in the UK and going into a writing program instead there instead. She loves Harry Potter, Lost, The Hunger Games, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Taylor Swift, The Beatles and so on. She has names for her computer, notebook(s), and other items. Her username of choice is FrenchWatermelon19. 

If any of that sounds familiar, that’s because this character is Christine, right down to the username (Christine’s username is, and has always been, PolandBananas20). The only differences between the two is their names (though, both are Italian names), the fact that Christine is from New Jersey and Shane is from New York, and Christine has not gone to university in the UK for writing while lying to her parents that she’s there for pre-med school and fallen in love with a guy named Pilot Penn. 

As a reader, I want to learn about a character. I want to see how they are unique, and how I can relate to them. It is so obvious that Shane is Christine, and that took away from my reading experience because I just kept on saying “Really… really???” Girl didn’t even TRY.

I found myself not caring about ANY of the characters throughout the entire text. Pilot (Pies, as he is nicknamed in the book and… just no… stop it, get some help) seemed like an NPC that existed for Shane to obsess over to the extent that she outwardly says something along the lines of “stalker-mode activated”. At one point, Shane inwardly exclaimed “THIS IS ROMANCE!” when she and Pilot were touching shoulders playing Angry Birds. If she were joking, it would be a funny moment, but this chick was serious and went out of her way to maintain shoulder contact with the NPC. Oh, and Pilot has a girlfriend the whole way through until the last little bit, by the way. My face hurts from cringing. 

I think Christine tried too hard to make Shane “relatable” and “a nerd of 2011”. At first, the references to Harry Potter, Lost, etc. were fun, and it helped me get to know Shane a bit better (this was before I figured out that Christine wrote this fantasy self-insert fanfiction and I astral projected myself to another plane of existence to scream). But then it just kept going… and going… and going… and soon Christine would write references with no context, like a personal inside joke the character had with herself that the reader was not in on. Of course, knowing Christine would help the reader get these personal inside jokes because I’ve watched Christine chuckle about them in her own videos. 

Sidebar, never put the following dialogue into a published piece of work:

“Doot doot doot doot doot doot doot.”
I sing along quietly.

Just say that your character was singing along to a song, reading this made me cringe so hard I could’ve popped a vein in my neck.

Of course, there is some plot to this book. The main conflict is that Shane’s parents find out that she is not in a pre-med program and force her to go back home. We get a 6-year time skip and one day Shane and Pilot both walk into an elevator and are transported back to the UK in 2011. So, Shane takes it upon herself to make Pilot fall in love with her, fully knowing that he is still with his girlfriend at this time, and Pilot - being the NPC he is - goes along with it and tells his girlfriend that he wants a “break”, and eventually dumps her for Shane. 

Also, can we talk about how Shane’s dad being verbally abusive is never addressed… ever? He makes her feel like shit, she cries about it, and then we never touch on the subject ever again. Surely there was a reason Christine put that scene in the book for a reason? No? Oh… okay then…

Overall, I was disappointed with this book. Perhaps I hyped it up too much in my head. What I think Christine was going for with this book was something similar to Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl (if it was a self-insert fanfiction), which is a book that many booknerds love and cherish. Christine wanted to provide her viewers something similar, and while she did try to, she ultimately failed at doing so. Fangirl’s Cath is relatable for many reasons Christine wanted Shane to be relatable, from being “nerdy”, to being into different fandoms, to being a writer, to being someone who suffers from social anxiety. However, Christine did not succeed. Perhaps this book was trying to be too many things at once, and Christine was under pressure to live up to her own expectations and fantasies.

Honestly, the only reason I didn’t give up and walk into the ocean was because my mama didn’t raise no quitter.

I really really really wanted to like this book. I am SO happy for Christine and I know she put so much work in this book. I read 40% of it and I don't think I can continue. Right off the bat, the shear amount of pop culture references started to grate on my nerves. Usually, I don't mind a few here and there but explaining the brand of cell phone (LG Voyager, in case you were wondering) was just excessive. It feel like she was name dropping brands or something. The character names felt like they were all trying too hard. Each one was more hipster than the next. Atticus? Okay, MAYBE some parents love To Kill a Mockingbird. Fine. Pilot? Weirder still but okay. Sahra? But pronounced Sarah? come on. BABE?! Are you serious? Each name pulled me more and more out of the plot until I was totally distracted. At one point, I got the impression that Sahra was possibly Asian but the way Shane described her wasn't in a favorable light and then I was distracted for a few pages while I tried to figure out if that was the case or not. The obsession the main character has with Pilot is really offputting as well. I expected her to back off when she found out that Pilot had a girlfriend but if anything, she's just even more obsessed with what Pilot is doing at all hours of the day. The main character seems to totally disregard a relationship that someone is in. Finally, there are places in which every single minute of a morning is described and it becomes tedious trying to get from point A to point B. I do appreciate that this could be evidence of Shane's anxiety because it did read that way to me at certain times. Finally, because we know Christine so well through her youtube channel, the self-insert is abundantly evident but this honestly doesn't bother me. I hope that through writing the book, Christine was able to revisit her own experiences.

Normally, I would not rate a book that I DNF because the ending could have an influence on the rating, but for the purposes of Netgalley, I have to include a rating. This rating reflects ONLY the first 40% of the book.

Today, my review is going to be a little different than normal. I had the pleasure of buddy reading this book with my friend Debby @ alwaysbooking. My review will be comprised of 5 questions we both answered about Again, but Better. You can check out her review here.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

1. What was your favorite thing about this book?
Oh, boy. This is a hard question to answer without giving too much away. The second half of the book was my favorite part of it. It's not because I loved it. There was just this period of truths that were important. Without those truths, I would have hated this book. Those truths were my favorite things about it. I guess I did have one other favorite thing. I loved the banter between Shane and Pilot. It was quirky, but cool.

2. Who of all the characters mentioned in the book was your favorite?
I honestly don't think I had a favorite character. There were a few small moments of liking certain ones. Atticus and Babe both seemed like good friends. They had that going for them. Pilot made some decisions early on that I ended up thinking were super smart, but will probably make other readers mad. Wait! Let's go with Shane's cousin, Leo. He can be my favorite. (Which says A LOT, if you end up reading this book.)

3. Cover love or no cover love?
I think the cover fits the book. It's unique. I wouldn't say it calls to me specifically, but I like it.

4. Did you find the character developed well throughout the book or were you left wanting more?
Oh, geez... Shane was a freaking mess. She was obsessive and self-centered. She was supposed to be like 19 or 20, but acted more like a 16 year old. Which, I have to stop now and mention that this book is categorized as YA/Teen. I'm thinking that's because the topics seem to be pretty juvenile at first. I don't know that I agree with this, though. The characters are college age, so it should be NA. It doesn't feel or read like a NA book, though. I would probably just throw it in the general fiction category. It's doesn't even read like a true contemporary romance.

Anyways... Back to the actual question. Shane let a possible relationship with a guy take over her life in only the way a teenager can, but it was super weird because there wasn't much to build that obsession on. She basically decided to make him her life after minutes of meeting him. I didn't like Shane and honestly didn't care if she got the guy or not. Well, actually, I didn't want her to get him. I just wanted to give her a good shake and tell her figure her stuff out. It wasn't until almost the end of the book that I felt Shane's character truly developed. Something gave her that shake I wanted to, and then I found myself saying, "FINALLY!"

So... Yes, there was character development. It came in fits and spurts. I think I was happy with it at the end. Honestly, I didn't find myself wanting more at the end. I was just happy it was over. Brutal, I know. Sorry.

5. Would you attempt another book by this author, seeing as it was her debut book?
That's a tough question. I want to say yes, that I would give this author another chance because it was her first novel and I didn't think the writing was horrible or anything. The reality is that I probably wouldn't unless the blurb was something I felt incredibly drawn to or I read reviews by trusted blogger friends that said it was a must read.

And that's it for my review. If you have any other questions for me about this book, leave them in the comments section.

Again, but Better focuses on Shane, who’s entire life has pretty much been mapped out by her parents wants and aspirations for her. They have her on the fast track to becoming an aspiring doctor. But all Shane really wants to do is read and write and has aspirations of her own to becoming an author; but she doesn’t want to let her parents down. Shane ends up being able to study abroad in London as a part of a writing program and becomes an intern at a travel magazine and for once in her life, she can get away from her parents overbearing expectations.

This novel is also told in two different parts. The first being in 2011, during Shane’s study abroad program in London when she’s 20. The second part being in 2017, when Shane is 26 and trying to get a start into her career.  I for one, really enjoyed this because we got to see Shane at two completely different points in her life. It was great to see how she evolved, changed and grew in that time period as well.

Shane is awkward, she’s quirky and she’s relatable. But at times, I did feel like she was a little ‘too Christine’. If you’re familiar with Christine from her videos and her channels, then you’ll easily pick up on the similarities between the two of them. And I’m sure plenty of reviewers will hate that for whichever reasons; but I didn’t actually mind it too much. And as the story developed Shane quickly came into herself and the similarities between her and Christine escaped my mind.

I love love love, how even though there is a romance in this book and this is a romance book. It is still first and foremost a story about finding yourself and learning to live your life for yourself. Not for other people. It’s about becoming comfortable in your own skin, doing things that may scare you and just being happy with your own choices. This is a concept that even I have a hard time learning and living with; but it’s something that everyone needs to know. So I was happy to see it in writing.

Something else that I’m sure would probably annoy others; but what I really loved was all the references to some of Christine’s favorite tv shows and books. I was living for the Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments references sprinkled throughout this novel. It was fun.

I think I’m going to end this by talking about the relationship in this book. Because yes while it was cute as hell and I found myself smiling like an idiot most times. A big part of it didn’t sit well with me. Shane and Pilot, (yes as in a tv show’s first episode) were totally adorable together. And I loved how they were friends first and it developed into more. Their banter was A+; especially when it dipped into flirty banter. I just love these two together. But I also feel guilt about that because of the grey-area cheating in this book. That is just a huge problem and doesn’t sit well with me and I can’t exactly be okay with their relationship because of how it started.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book and I’m excited to eventually read the finished copy and see if anything is different. While, this book does have his faults, you can tell just how much hard work Christine put into it and I’m excited to see future works from her.

3.25-3.5⭐️

I really liked the beginning of this book. I liked all of the characters and the comical situations that Shane got herself into. The second half of the book fell flat to me. There were way too many references to Harry Potter; it became annoying.

This was a cute, okay read. Probably perfect as a summer read.

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
#netgalley

I just finished Again, but Better by Christine Riccio and it gets 5 stars! I have a hard time with the YA genre, because I find they usually try to be edgy and end up coming out ridiculously over-the-top and cheesy. I found this one to be so relatable. It was so nice that it wasn’t trying to force sex, drugs and partying down my throat and try to normalize these behaviors like I find other YA books do—which I don’t think is good for teens to be reading. I found the main character, Shane to be completely relatable. I am going to miss her and wish she was a real blogger “for realsies” so I could keep tabs on her and her life. 
I found the way this was written, heavy on dialogue, lots of postcards, blog posts and journal entries to move quickly and smoothly and I truly enjoyed it. I found the way Shane communicated to be super endearing and I was rooting her on the whole way through. 
Trigger warning: There is some partying, (but legal), an almost sex-scene and some cussing.

Unfortunately, this book isn't for me.  I made it 10% through on my kindle.  I found the writing to be good, but the characters really got on my nerves.  The main character, Shane, was awkward almost to a painful point.  I also didn't like some of the names the author chose, like Pilot Penn.  The more I was reading, the more I was not liking it.  And based on some other reviews I've read about the book, it seems like these things don't improve.  Therefore, I'm going to put the book aside.  Thank you for the chance to read this book.

I liked the idea of Again, But Better. However, I had a hard time feeling invested in the characters and plot. The characters fell flat for me, causing me to skim over some parts. I did love the descriptions of the study abroad setting and hearing about the Shane's travels! I enjoyed reading the second half of the book more than the beginning. I would have liked for some parts of the plot to be more developed, like her relationship with her parents and Leo. Overall, this was an okay read for me. I would recommend it to fans of Christine Riccio's Youtube book reviews.

Overall, I did enjoy my time reading Again, But Better. The writing is engaging, heartfelt, and compulsively easy to read. The story spans several years of the main character's life, allowing us to follow her growth and maturity. It's exactly the college kind of YA that so many readers have been waiting for. It explores the beautiful landscapes and history of so many famous European cities, adding this wanderlust quality to the novel. 

However, my main issue with this book is the self-insertion. Lots more authors than we realize probably include bits and pieces of themselves in their stories and characters. However because we know Christine so well from what she shows on her YouTube channel and what she chooses to share online, I could not not see Christine as the main character. Shane did not exist separately from Christine in my mind. The likes, dislikes, interests, family dynamics, character backstory, mannerisms are all things that are glaringly Christine if you are a longtime viewer of her content. I think this is something that will improve with time as grows and matures as a writer. I just found it incredibly distracting, and it really pulled me out of the story. 

Similarly, there were so many pop culture references to drive home that this story happens in 2011. I don't usually mind pop culture references because I usually find them to be fun little Easter eggs for the reader. But all the references were to things that Christine is also a fan of (Lost, Twilight, Cassandra Clare, Harry Potter, Taylor Swift) that it really just drove home for me that the main character was Christine. Maybe if Shane had different interests than the author it wouldn't have been so cumbersome to the story. 

I was also very, very uncomfortable with a particular scene involving Shane, her parents, and her flatmates in a restaurant. The behavior in this scene was absolutely horrendous, and never once did the narrative call out this behavior as verbally abusive or unacceptable. It caused me to resent any further growth or development in these characters' relationships with one another because, frankly, I would not root for anyone to engage with someone who treats them like Shane was treated here.

I definitely plan to check out any future works from Christine though because I did really enjoy her writing style and the story itself. I am immensely proud of her accomplishment here and the hard work that has gone into this book. A regular Joe picking this up at a bookstore, having never heard of Christine before, could most definitely enjoy this more.

I tried a few times to get into this book, but this wasnt for me. I ended up dnfing it. I tried so hard to like it bc I watch Christine on you tube but this was not for me.

If you could do things differently – with the knowledge you have now – would you change your past?

Shane is not happy with how her college experience is turning out so she decides to apply for a study abroad program and try something different! She will be bolder – she will follow her dreams of being a writer and she will kiss a boy she likes. Things don’t go as planned and she is left feeling worse than when she started. I don’t feel like I can say any more without giving away major spoilers.

One thing I loved is that it is filled with fun pop culture references and other little gems from 2011 that will any bookie or fandom lovers will appreciate. It takes place in the UK but also New York and Paris and Rome so it has lots of fun worldly and travel references. There are so many fun pieces of this story that it truly feels like a coming of age rom-com that I would love to see on the big screen!

The author of this book, Christine, is also a Book-Tuber that I subscribe to and quite enjoy. I found that I had trouble separating the character of Shane with the Youtube persona of Christine! Not that it is a bad thing! Shane (and Christine) would definitely be a fun person to hang around!

Violence: None

Sex: Yes – this is a book about young college students, it isn’t graphic but it is present.

Substance – minor drinking

Language: Coarse language is present.

I would categorize this book as a new adult book vs a young adult book primarily because they are in college vs being in high school. It is appropriate for ages 16 plus.

I received this ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.