This was an engaging story with wonderful characters and good twist to make it interesting and different. I liked this book from beginning to end. The story was different and the writing style was a breeze to read. Dialogue felt real and so did characters.

Thank you, Macmillan, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LIKE A BOY. HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND WHO ISN’T ME, AND IT’S THE WORST.

When Christine revealed via BookTube that she was working on a novel, I was very excited. She’s a very funny and witty person, so her work must be the same, right? There’s usually a lot of skepticism when online celebs publish books, but Christine’s debut won’t make you feel that way because it’s undeniably and irrevocably her that you can’t help but wonder if it’s her pseudo-autobiography. Still, since Again, but Better is a work of fiction, everyone should deem all similarities to real people/events as coincidences. Harhar.

Shane, also known as French Watermelon Nineteen on the web, is not pleased with her social life, which is practically inexistent. At 20 years old, she has no friends in college. Also, as an aspiring author studying medicine, she feels alienated from herself. Yearning for a clean slate, she “convinces” her parents to send her to the UK for a creative writing program. There, Shane grabs the opportunity to reinvent her personality from super introverted to extremely bubbly and outgoing. She immediately befriends her roommates and even manages to pique the interest of a boy named Pilot Penn. (Yes, that wasn’t a typo error.) A lot of “traveling” ensues, particularly in the second half of the book.

Initially, I wasn’t sure about my rating, so I gave myself a week to evaluate my thoughts. Now, I am confident enough not to recant my three stars. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The characters had remarkable names, the humor was great, and the plot twist was such a game changer, especially for a contemporary novel. I don’t want to cause discord in the BookTube community, but Again, but Better is probably more hype-worthy than Zenith. #FriendshipOver, anyone? LOL

Note: spoilers ahead

However, as much as I like Christine and her very relatable, bookish qualities in the form of Shane, I can’t disregard how her book sugarcoats the consequences of cheating. In retrospect, ABB doesn’t necessarily promote cheating. Shane herself berated herself for liking a taken boy. But if you put the spotlight on Pilot, you’ll realize that as cute as he is, he can be such a jerk. He kept on flirting with Shane during their European adventures even though he had a girlfriend (Amy) waiting for him back in America. Then, when he realized that he liked Shane more, he attempted to break up through voicemail. To be fair, unlike many YA stories, ABB didn’t portray Girlfriend #1 as catty or despicable. Er, but she didn’t have any backstory. She was just a plot device, a mere hindrance to Shane and Pilot’s budding romance. Does the absence of girl hate negate all the cheating? Hmm…

(end of spoilers)

Gleaning from the book’s title, I also disliked the repetitive tone of the narrative. It was like watching a modern slice-of-life anime, but the same events just happened again and again. And it wasn’t always for the better. Shane would wake up, attend class, go to the kitchen to write something, flirt with Pilot in a historical site, blah blah blah. Some chapters were helplessly formulaic. The climax was especially monotonous, and I almost had a reading slump because of it.

The final issue that I had was Shane’s shaky relationship with her parents. I understood that she didn’t want them to control her life or future career. I would’ve been angry if my Papa and Mama had forced me to be a doctor instead of the editor that I am today. Still, did Shane have to resort to such drastic measures? Her actions resulted in so much pain and distrust. It practically ruined their familial bond. So what if Shane had a fantastical means to do things differently?

In light of my conservative sentiments, I obviously have more negative things to say than positive ones. Regardless, this novel doesn’t deserve a lower rating. Objectively speaking, it’s satisfactory. In addition to its bookish MC, I’m sure that many readers will resonate with its delineation of anxiety disorder (Shane had some panic attacks) and gender positivity. These topics are prevalent today, so I guess the author is good at keeping up with the times.



Overall, Again, but Better screams Christine. Funny, nerdy, and vibrant. It’s a genuine product of Christine’s wacky imagination. Even though it’s not a perfect debut, it achieves Christine’s goal to make her readers happy. If only it were less like Anna and the French Kiss…

I appreciate the opportunity from NetGalley and the publisher to read an advance copy of Again, But Better in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading Again, But Better because the idea of getting a redo on life experiences would be amazing. The book felt a little slow during part one, but picked up during part two. At the end, I still didn't feel like I knew the characters very well, but I anticipate many teenage readers will enjoy the book.

I wish I could say that I loved this book but unfortunately I did not. I didnt like the cheating aspect, and to be honest I felt that there were some things that were mentioned once that seemed to have a pretty big impact and then werent referenced again at all. Shane was the literal depiction of Christine, having watched her on Youtube for over 5 years. I will probably read other works she comes out with, this just disappointed me.

I got this book as an ARC through NEtGalley. I really liked the concept of this book and I was totally thrown for a loop with what happened after the coffee shop elevator. I was not expecting that. When I first started reading the book (based on the description) I just thought that trip was her doing college better. I liked the relationship between Pilot and Shane. I can relate to Shane, except for the whole Taylor Swift thing. I got the message that life can be balanced. Things don't have to be one way or the other, all or nothing, me or us. I really liked that, Lamppost. I will be recommending this book on my Library's website. www.lickingcountylibrary.org

Overall, I thought that this was a fun debut. Riccio really internalizes the character of Shane and makes her feel like a real person as she goes through her ups and downs through life. Her journey and mission were also fun to look at even though there were some rather childish moments in the book for the narrator to be technically of age.

Shane's college experience so far has been... subpar. Because of her shy demeanour and inability to make friends, she visits home every weekend and spends most of her days with her nose buried in a book. Shane decides to study abroad in London to broaden her horizons and start over. Make friends. Be outgoing. Talk to the people around her. Travel more. It's like she's starting over her life.

When Shane gets to London, she gets off to a rocky start, but she makes friends with the people in her flat. Slowly, she gets to know them and comes out of her shell.

Firstly, the writing wasn't bad. It wasn't amazing or amazing. It was just alright. If I'm being honest, the writing standard feels like something I'd write, so I was perfectly fine with it. There's definitely room for improvement, but it didn't feel like I was reading a fanfiction (like certain other YouTubers cough Zoella cough). However, there were certain aspects of the writing that I found frustrating. Whenever a new character was introduced, they were described in the same method: their hair colour/style, eye colour, and skin tone. Also, there were a significant amount of popular culture references and some hit the mark, but others were plain cringeworthy. Nonetheless, I found the inserts of blog posts and diary entries to be a nice addition to the novel because it allowed us to connect with the main character more.

The plot was promising in the beginning but took a turn for the worse halfway through. If the entire book was the first half, I would've rated it about 4 stars. I loved the concept of a girl coming out of her shell and allowing herself to try college "again, but better". It was such a wonderful and relatable concept, but it, unfortunately, took a strange turn and followed Anna and the French Kiss too closely. I found the last part of the book bizarre and boring, where it took great convincing to continue with the story. 

Romance took the forefront in this story, which I wasn't a fan of. I didn't like the way they interacted with each other. It felt like an amalgamation of every other couple in Young Adult literature. There were points in the novel where their connection was intense, then they would break up and it would essentially disappear. Towards the end, I wasn't even convinced that they even liked each other since Pilot fell off the face of the earth and wasn't mentioned at all. If the romance was subtle and didn't influence Shane's story so much, I would've enjoyed this a lot more. 

Shane was a fun character to follow, even with her many faults. I really connected to her intense shyness at the beginning of the novel and thought I'd get to explore someone similar to me for the remainder. However, she took a turn for the worse when she met Pilot. Shane at the beginning of the novel is shy and awkward. She can't find the courage within her to engage in conversations with the people around her. Without spoiling anything, she's a changed individual at the end of the novel. The only time I disliked her development was when she was around Pilot.

On an unrelated note: I hate the other character's names. Pilot? Babe? Atticus? Does she have some kind of aversion to normal names?

Again, But Better is a novel that promises you it'll be good at the beginning, but never follows through. The writing is simple and crowded with juvenile popular culture references. The romance is cheesy, with some scenes being difficult to read, and adapted from numerous other couples in Young Adult literature. This book's saving point is the development of the main character and the admirable quality her journey has. If not for her, I wouldn't have enjoyed this novel as much.

This book was cute. And it was well written, mostly. I enjoyed the characterizations, I could really imagine Shane and Pilot. There was enough in the book to keep me reading, and I'd read another book by this author. However, I will say that the names of the characters in the book kind of irritated me (just an opinion) and the parts with the parents were a bit over the top and cringe-y. This book is very over the top with pop culture references, which mostly I got, but I don't see it aging well. Anyway, if it sounds like I was only so-so about this one, you'd be right. But it was entertaining while I read it.

This book brought me right back to my study abroad days in England... the setting of the Karlston was so similar to the program I attended, it was like a step back in time. The author makes sure we know we're in 2011 with many references to the technology and pop culture. I enjoyed this book; it was a quick read and filled me with nostalgia. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who studied aboard, especially in London. I only gave this three stars because I found the 2011 references to be a bit much. There were so many, it made the book felt dated, already. I wasn't expecting the time travel bit. We moved from 2017 back to 2011 so quickly that I didn't get a good sense of the characters in the more present time. The story felt rushed at places, which left me feeling like I couldn't fully invest in the characters or root for the love story.

The premise was interesting, however the main character wasn't very relateable or likable. A lot of the plot seemed all to similar to Anna and the French Kiss to be considered original.

This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be. I really liked the underlying story/idea, but the execution was not appealing to me at all. There was way too much description for me, it felt like the author assumed I'd never left my house before. Everything was described in almost extreme detail, and not only would I rather leave some things for my imagination to fill in, but it also made the story drag on and on. I feel like the book could have been quite a bit shorter if the description of everything was cut back, and the story might have flowed better/moved quicker. I also could have done without the constant pop culture references. A few interesting references are always nice to catch, but it just felt like overload to have them popping up as often as they did.

I did like most of the characters, though some felt more well-developed than others. Shane's parents were my least favourite characters, not only because they seemed like terrible people, but also because I didn't feel like I understood why she internally tried to justify their actions. It felt like some sort of background was missing, because from what the reader can see, they don't have any redeeming qualities, which made it hard to sympathize with or even just understand Shane's feelings about them.

I'm still on the fence about how I feel about the story taking place in two parts. It felt like things were winding down towards a satisfying ending, and then Part Two started. Without getting into spoilers, I will say that I understand the idea behind the two parts, I just didn't feel like they really worked together as well as they could have. Some of the events that develop into the beginning of Part Two felt like they came out of nowhere, and it almost felt like Part One and Part Two could have been separate books. I just don't know if the overlap in styles/elements was solid enough to really connect both parts. Part Two was less of a twist/surprise, and more of a source of confusion. I just didn't really buy into the shift in the story at that point.

The Epilogue was (by far) my least favourite part. After the story was told in two parts, I really didn't need or want an epilogue, and it just wasn't that good. It felt like too much information was crammed into a few pages, none of it really added to the story, and the characters felt like they'd lost the personalities that had developed throughout the story, and instead had just become whatever was necessary to create the unnecessary epilogue.

Overall, I liked the general story, most of the characters, and the setting, but I feel like the final product as a whole didn't come together in the best way.

I really enjoyed this book! I was such a bookworm and so shy in college that I wish I could have had a do-over! I identified so much with the main character because I'm still so socially awkward...

In all this book was sweet, funny, and a little sad- a complete coming of age story. It's a great book if you're looking for something light-hearted and enjoyable!


literarylovebooks.com

What do you do when you have basically messed up your life because you are awkward? Apparently, you go to a different country and try again. Shane was painfully awkward and I get that some people are this way, but it was hard to read. I just wanted to shake her and point out how she made things harder on herself. I feel like it would have been a better read for me if I could have related to her more.

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. From the book blurb,  I was expecting a different novel. Awkward girl who can't fit in, which is what I wanted but this is more of the girl like the stereotypical hair down glasses off pretty.
However, ignoring the expectation created by the book blurb, this book was interesting. I was not expecting the twist in the story. For the most part I enjoyed the story.

I had never heard of a Booktuber before snagging this book.

There were things that were done super well:
--this plot had a lot going on (including some magical elements) and this text was long and I didn't feel lost.
--there were parts that felt really believable
--I can see how this is someone who loves Disney, books (especially Harry Potter) that was incorporated well

My main complaint besides this likely just not being the perfect fit for me character-wise was that I didn't believe the romance/ didn't find the romance compelling. Stepping back I can see the author moves (I am not a writer so I'm sure I'm simplifying this!) where two of the love interests have multiple flirtatious conversations or interactions that bring them closer together... that was there. But it just didn't feel substantial enough for the feelings that developed... I think compelling really was the right word.

All that being said, I am really impressed by this being a debut novel, like I said there was a ton going on and this was definitely a hefty project/plot to take on for a first novel.

I can see folks loving this so I might be in the minority. For me personally, likely 2 stars, but taking into account what was done well, I'll say 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This premise of this book got me hooked because I have had a similar experience in college. I did not feel like being premed was what I wanted, but it was what my parents wanted me to do. Although I did not study abroad, I did change my major without my parents knowing. When they found out, it was not as an extreme reaction as Shane's parents did. I also did not make many friends but have made more once I found a major that I felt more passionate about.
I was hoping for more of the backstory before Shane left for London because that was the part that I thought I would connect with the most. The rest of the book was mostly a romance with some surprises thrown in. I did enjoy the building of friendships throughout the story and I wish that I was able to build friendships like that. Some of the events that happened seemed a little too unrealistic for me, but then again, I am not one to branch out of my world of reality. This book definitely made me think about studying abroad and I wish that I could do college over again, but I have lived throughout it.
There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed and I liked that I was able to relate to some of the characters, but there were a few things that I did not quite enjoy as much as I hoped I would have.

This book explorers the regret most of us have and the "what if" many of us wonder about. I liked that it had many of the "firsts" of a YA book, but also a more adult perspective.
I found myself thinking and it when I wasn't reading and eager to get back to it. Highly recommended and I'll buy a copy for my high school classroom.

A quick and easy read, it didn't draw me in quite as much as I'd hoped though. I do love books with travel and it was quirky, Shane was an interesting character!

I was given an e-arc in exchange for a honest review for Netgally
Wow, what can I say, this was really good. It has Christine written all over the pages. Going into this I did try my hardest to remove myself from it being written by Christine, but I can't fault it. I will say that i was hesitant with the plot twist at first I really hated it, but it grew on me.

The Characters are what made this book so great, it was funny, sad, light heartened. The pop culture references were spot on. I will say I think there was a little bit to many pop culture references and that could have been done down a little. But other then that it was written well and it was a very easy read.

I enjoyed this so much and now all I wanted to do is go traveling thanks to this book. For a first novel Christine did a stella job. I know how hard she worked on it.

4.5 stars!!

I enjoyed this so much!! I have visited Christine Riccio's YouTube Channel occasionally over the years and I always loved her bubbly personality and her effortless ability to entertain. I knew she had been working on a book for ages, so when I saw this was available for preview- I could not wait to get my hands on it.

I loved this book! If I wouldn't have been in the middle of finishing another book at the time I started reading this, I would not have been able to put it down. The pacing of the book moved along fabulously. The plot was unexpected and different!! The characters were awesome and as much as I tried not to think of Christine while reading this- I couldn't help it. She is all over this book especially the main Character Shane. I could not help but picture her as Shane. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing- in the book writing world, but for me, it was kind of nice. I could relate to her character so much. I am pretty sure avid YA readers out there will also be able to relate to her as well. It didn't change my mind about the book at all.

All the references in Again But Better, are just a book lovers dream. I really don't want to compare her writing style to anyone because Riccio really put her own mark on this one. But- If you like books by Stephanie Perkins - I have no doubt you will like this one. The writing- as a debut was great. I'm really proud of her -can a BookTube follower be proud?? I don't know but … I AM! She did it and she did it well. She's an inspiration and I wish her all the luck in her future! Go read this!! Its totally binge worthy :)
**Thank you Netgalley for providing this advanced reader copy for preview :)**