I really like Christine Riccio. I think she's an excellent Booktuber--she makes entertaining videos that showcase reading as accessible and enjoyable and I think what she contributes to the Booktube community is so, so valuable.

But I'm not reviewing Christine Riccio. I'm reviewing her debut novel. Again, but Better is frankly disappointing. It's poorly written, with a voice far too juvenile for a character in her college years. I'm the same age as Shane when she decides to study abroad, and the disconnect between us was severe. Shane describes her heart like a puppy running around when there's a visitor at the door. Shane, you're 20, not 12.

There are so many parallels between Shane and Christine that it feels like self-insertion, which is fine for creative writing if it's not meant to be published. Shane shares all the same interests as Christine, from her favorite books to her favorite music. I predicted Shane's favorite song being "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift before she even said it, because I know that's Christine's favorite. As an author, you need to be able to separate yourself from your main character. I don't think this book did that.

There are also an exhausting number of pop culture references. I understand that the book takes place in both 2011 and 2017 and you want to make sure those eras feel different, but there are ways to do that without referencing which book in a series just came out or what new iPhone app there is.

This book also involves cheating. Although it's not completely glossed over, it's still ultimately excused, which I find to be pretty unhealthy.

There are moments where this book shines. There are some lines that are beautiful (leaving a trail of sunshine on the sidewalk) and some moments where the emotional resonance really sings. However, those moments are very few and far in between. I have faith that Christine can write a better book than this. I guess we'll see what she does with her next novel. Maybe she'll do this again, but better.

I was lucky to receive an early edition of this book from NetGalley. I liked that the chapters were short and the topic of studying abroad is fun for someone that works in higher education. However, I didn't think that the story was very original or exciting. I like that Riccio provided a realistic picture of how parents can react to children who want to pursue a creative field, and she didn't try to sugarcoat their reactions to Shane's decision.

However, I sadly found both Shane very cringeworthy. She seemed naive, immature and really annoying at times. Every time she called her love interest Pilot by the nickname "Pies," I cringed. I think that Christine Riccio might have made the main character TOO much like herself (for those of you that watch her YouTube Book Channel, she is very bubbly and silly_. On YouTube/film her personality is funny and light, but it doesn't really come across the same way when you read the story. The main character Shane's personality just comes across as weird and little girl-ish.

I think this book is *fine* but it's nothing that made my heart swoon or a book that I will be thinking about for days. It's a fun, beach read but it didn't live up to what my expectations were.

Absolutely loved this book and everything about. The characters are very relatable and feel more like friends than just characters in a story. The Harry Potter references were an excellent touch and brought the world of literature into the book in a way that was simply beautiful.

I fully plan on buying this book when it comes out so that I can have a physical copy!

I received an eARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because the premise seemed interesting and who doesn't like a story with second chances. I had no idea who Christine was/is which might have helped me enjoy the story, as I had no idea what her background was other than she is a booktuber.

The story begins with Shane receiving a chance to study abroad in the UK. This part of the book is entertaining and I loved living through the characters and their travels. Then comes the time jump, this is where she lost me a bit. There isn't enough character growth to jump ahead that many years. A couple would have been enough but 6/7?! I didn't quite buy it.

The pop culture references are a plenty, sometimes to overpowering, 5 or so in a page or even a chapter wasn't needed. But, to play my own devils advocate, most were entertaining and I did find myself laughing out loud and thinking about on that time period because of them.

All in all it was a cute story and a quick read about second chances and how we could redo things if possible.

I was a bit hesitant going into this one. I am a big fan of Christine, but was not sure how her storytelling would translate into words. I will say it took me a couple chapters to get used to the writing style and in the first half, the pacing is a little weird. But, I LOVED the second half. Seeing the characters grow, change, and be bold was so heartwarming. The banter between the main couple was SPOT on and so much fun to read. I loved seeing them develop as a couple. The friend and family dynamics are interesting and at times heartbreaking to read, but feel so real. There are so many nerdy and bookish references which was so much fun. This was just a cute and fun contemporary and I know I will be rereading this when my copy comes.

I honestly cannot say much more because most of my thoughts are spoilery. I will say I LOVED the second half so much. I teared up a few times and was smiling at my kindle so much.

I would have given this 5 stars, but because of the beginning and because parts of this seemed a little inconsistent/wrapped up too easily I had to take a star off.

From the first page i knew this book was going to be one of my favorites. Shane is a character i can 100% relate too, each regret she had i could feel in the back of my mind as well. i loved the premise of the story, that you can give your self a second chance at rewriting a part of your life for the better. i enjoyed reading this, i loved the little 'twist' in the middle half of the book and can say that i am very excited to read more of what Ms. Riccio has to write!

I've had a hard time coming up with the words for this book because I'm of the mindset "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". I was drawn to this book by the cover as well as reviews of the author herself. The book itself is about a young girl trying to find her way and make radical changes to herself. Things I could totally identify with - and wished I were able to do when I was younger. The beginning of the book completely sucked me in and I loved it. The plot then fast forwards further down her life and that's when it lost me. I'm all for second chances and "what if's" but I didn't identify with the way the book twisted or ended.

After finishing this book, I had the slight feeling that Shane, the main character was based (and not loosely) on the author herself.
Just FYI, Christine Riccio is possibly one of the biggest -and I dare to say BIGGEST- #booktubers on the planet. With a 400 K + follower count on YouTube Christine is the actual book reviewer all of us should strive to be, IMO.
Of course I have other faves (like my peeps from Under the Covers -- go check them out!], but Christine started this YouTube gig like 8 or 9 years ago, when everybody was turning into the Blogger/ WordPress bandwagon. She saw potential on YouTube and nowadays, she’s a phenomenon. To me, she’s a pioneer and will always be that trailblazing mentor that many of us small reviewers should look up to.
It was only logical and smart to dive in and write her own book, hence, Again, But Better.
I don’t want to spoil this, but this was a fun, easy and quick read that IMO, is something every author should strive to achieve, I applaud Christine for the lightness of her phrases. Tagged as a romance book, it does contain elements to categorize it as such, but I do believe this was also focused on Shane and her journey turning into her own individual. College abroad can be a scary thing, even for a young adult who thinks they are ready to take over the word, and Shane is cautious, but also adventurous. I say that her relationship with Pilot is important, but more important is her personal achievements and growth.
Christine, you did FANTASTIC. Hopefully this is one of MANY more dreams that will become true in your life.

Oh boy. Where to begin.

I don't mind Christine Riccio. I've watched her Booktube videos and I think she can be very funny sometimes. I wanted to read this because I was curious to see how someone who is forced to be critical about the books she reviews would write a book of her own. She can be insightful sometimes, so I hoped that Riccio would learn from other author's mistakes and publish a good debut.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Let's start with the things I liked: "Again, But Better" has a great setting. Stories in Europe are great, and I love being able to live vicariously through the characters since I've never been able to experience any of these great locations. Riccio infuses lots of fun, nerdy things and makes references to shows, movies, books: Lost, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Vampire Academy, etc. Some of the dialogue was also very clever and sharp, and I appreciated some of the banter between characters, particularly Shane and Pilot.

Which brings me to things I didn't like. You see I mentioned a character named "Pilot" above? That's his actual, given name. One of Shane's roommates is named Babe. Again, not a nickname. And there wasn't even a cool story as to why they had these strange, unique names? Oh, and then there was the guy that Babe had a crush on, "Chad", who's your stereotypical jerk who says "yo" a lot.

While I did enjoy some of the dialogue and banter, there were other parts that felt clunky and awkward. Some of Riccio's phrasing was weird to me and didn't make for a flowing, easy read. I had to reread a few paragraphs to understand what exactly was being said.

I'm not even going to get into the odd subplot with the spirit guide? This didn't add to the story and frankly, made this book so much more cringe-y.

I feel I would have liked this book more had the characters acted their age. These were supposed to be college students studying abroad in Europe, but they read like 14 year old brats. I hoped this would feel less like YA given the age of the characters, yet there was really no change in the way they spoke or acted.

I do hope that Riccio takes some of the criticism of her debut novel and uses that to improve, because I'd love to see her succeed. "Again, But Better" just wasn't imaginative or polished enough.

An e-copy of this book was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This was such a great debut novel! I love Christine's writing and easy flow narrative - this read quickly and smoothly. The main character was beyond relatable and I think so many girls and young women will be able to see themselves in her. I will say however that the romance wasn't my favorite, as it did somewhat normalize cheating. It's real life and happens often, so I see why the author may have included it, but personally i can't support a romance that begun like that.
Overall, it was super fun and enjoyable, and would totally recommend it to friends and family of the young adult age range - especially anyone going into university or going abroad for study!

Ok! So the cover incredible, the author, hilarious, the synopsis misleading. The little blurb on the back of the book that provides some insight on what the book is about made it sound incredible but I thought the book fell a little short of that.
I feel like because the book was written by a girl obsessed with books like the rest of us that she included too many references to other books such as Harry Potter and shadowhunters, the story was kind of all over the place and somethings were left out and I felt it was kind of messy.
I did enjoy parts of it, however the parts I didn’t enjoy outweigh the ones I did I like

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this digital ARC.

The premise of Again, But Better is great. It’s not completely original but it’s fun and could have been an enjoyable light read. The execution, however, missed the mark. The unlikeable characters, the pacing, and the odd style of writing made this a difficult read. I rarely give books two stars but alas, here we are. The good news is that at about 15% then 20% then 30% in, I was certain I would abandon it, but I did manage to finish, albeit, it took me a REALLY long while to do so. It rarely takes me more than a week to read a book, but I just kept losing interest.

The pacing and story structure made it such a slog to read. While studying abroad *is* interesting and exciting, every chapter fell into a monotonous routine. It took more than half the book for the major plot twist to appear, and then I had to relive the whole first half of the book all over again with characters I just didn’t care enough about.

Another area that was frustrating as a reader was the hyper focus on the time period. There’s something about a sense of timelessness that I appreciate as a reader. This book couldn’t go a page without the constant reminder in some kind of pop culture reference that the year was 2011. It pulled me away from the story and distracted me. It felt like a very novice move.

My biggest issue always boils down to whether I like the main characters or not, and I not only couldn’t connect with Shane, but I really just didn’t like her. This may seem minor, but lord have mercy, Shane has more run-ins with falling, toppling, clashing, flipping, clanging chairs than anyone on the planet, so much so that it becomes a running theme and she actually says in one scene, “Evil chairs are out to get me, falling every five seconds.” And in another scene, “I can’t win with these stupid-ass chairs. Even when I get up carefully, it’s like it doesn’t matter, they still flip over just to piss me off.” In my lifetime, I’ve never met a person to have such difficulty sitting and standing up, especially one who eventually becomes a doctor on one timeline.

Overall, this book attempts to be a YA rom-com but is riddled with so much cutesy, cliched, time-stamped monotony, I just couldn’t fall into the story.

Listen, I don't know much about Christine Riccio but let me just say...this book needed a LOT of work. There was so many parts where I stopped reading because the sentence was just so bad and/or it was cliche. I didn't enjoy this book as I expected. I liked the concept of the book but it wasn't the best written.

DNF at 27%

I tried. I really tried. And I’m sorry but this book was a mess.

When I requested the eARC of this book it was because I thought it sounded interesting. But it’s painfully obvious this is coming from an inexperienced author.

The way I can explain the writing is with these four words: choppy, clumsy, sloppy and clunky. There’s really no other way to explain it. It’s rough and poorly edited.

The main character, Shane, is meant to be 20 years old, but she reads like she’s 15 <i>at most</i>.

I do know that some people have really enjoyed this, so if you feel like you might want to pick it up, then I recommend you read a sample of it beforehand. I only made it to chapter 3 when I started feeling like this was a chore to read.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 stars

"It's weird how we have to get a little older to realize that people are just people. it should be obvious, but it's not"

Again, but Better really captured my heart in a way that I did not expect it would. On the surface, it is a sweet contemporary story about a shy, creative and enthusiastic premed graduate named Shane Primaveri who gets a second chance to follow her heart. However, I believe the depth of this book goes so much deeper than that. For me personally, this comes from the fact that I have probably never read a book with a character who was able to capture all of my inner insecurities the way Shane did. I could literally feel all of the emotions she was feeling during her turmoils and all of her inner monologues mirrored so many of my own. Not only relatable, Shane was also just an all-around likeable character with a great sense of humor. She was not afraid of getting emotionally invested in things, even if it might have taken her courage a little longer to catch up. And yes, I am fully aware that Shane Primaveri is basically Christine Riccio emulating herself through her protagonist, but honestly, who cares? While some people may feel like Shane's personality is semi-invasive of Christine's life, I actually feel like it added an additional layer of realism to her personality and the plot.

What I particularly loved about this novel was just how memorable all of the other characters were as well. Along with having some of the strangest names, Pilot, Babe, Atticus and Sahra all had distinct personalities and little quirks which made them all very unique. Moreover, the banter and genuine warm friendship between them was really awesome and had be smiling a lot.

Something I also really liked was how immersed I felt as I was reading Again, but Better. Although not knowing much about London, I felt like I was actually there. The way Shane described herself as an american tourist coming to Europe for the first time ever (not finding enough variations of red sauce in the supermarket, being told to watch out for muggers who cut bags open, etc.) was beyond hilarious. I'm not certain if Christine was describing her own experience of visiting Europe through this story but it certainly felt very realistic.

"There are all these kinds of horror stories about how thieves in Europe carry knives and run around chopping off women's purses - the purses fall off their arms, the thief catches it, and runs. It's been recommended to me by American society (mostly my aunts, uncles, and parents) that I wear a cross-body purse to make chopping it off more difficult."

The romance between Shane and Pilot also had exactly the right amount of buildup. You could tell that their friendship was genuine and their conversations were really cute and heartwarming. Being someone who doesn't really take too well to insta-love (a common occurrence in contemporary books in my opinion), I was pleased that the connection between the two of them didn't feel forced at all but flowed naturally from both of their personalities and conversations. Moreover, Shane's inner conversations with herself were just super relatable when looking back upon my own crushes and self-consciousness around them when I was younger.

The only thing that I could complain about with this book was that I found the time "in between" Shane's two visits to London a tad unrealistic. We are told that about six years have passed since coming back from her trip and Shane was still super infatuated with Pilot and sought him out. While I'm not an expert on the matter, I find it a tiny bit strange to believe that an adult woman would still be hung up over a crush that she had over six years ago. However, since this interlude between the two times (before the "Again" happens) was semi-necessary for the plot to progress and continued smoothly into what happened after, I'm willing to overlook it. Especially because Shane and Pilot are just super cute together.

Overall, I think this book was a cute read which I would definitely recommend anyone who enjoys contemporary novels and a sweet, genuine romance to read.

I was apprehensive going into my reading of this book. I am often skeptical that the written work of a popular YouTuber/Booktuber will actually reflect the support and hype they receive from their many followers. I will admit that I am one of Christine’s forever followers. Like so many other book-lovers, Polandbananasbooks was the very first YouTube/BookTube channel I ever subscribed to, back in 2014. I tried to stay as objective and unbiased as possible when reading this, especially given that it’s an ARC.

My warning to existing fans of Christine’s that read Again, But Better, is that you will likely be unable to separate the main character (Shane) from the author (Christine). You will read this book with her voice in your head. It is completely understandable for this to happen to the reader; the levels of meta happening in this book are off the charts. I mean, Shane’s blog name is FrenchWatermelon19. Shane’s looks, career aspirations, favorite books, movies, and music are all direct reflections of the author’s. The similarities are unfiltered and obvious.

My biggest issue with this book is that parts of Shane’s personality were less fleshed out than they should/could have been. Not enough time was dedicated to her relationship with Leo, her flatmates, or her anxieties. They are talked about in the beginning when Shane first arrives at London, but then never gone into detail after that. And maybe this is because Shane overcomes her anxieties in her journey of growth, but that was never made clear. I can’t help but feel that a part of the reason I knew so much about Shane, despite not actually being shown anything, is because I am familiar with the author.

I was also not a fan of the way I was hit over the head with references. I would rather get to know a character through their thoughts, actions, and conversations than with references to pop culture. These allusions were so specific to the author and her actual likes & lifestyle, I feel like readers who randomly pick this book up and don’t know her from YouTube will be either confused, irritated, or underwhelmed; and that is the main problem with this novel. Fortunately, I understood all of the references, and they definitely gave me a laugh.

My favorite aspect of this book was the actual coming of age part. In particular, Shane coming to terms with being an individual and finding her happiness, and the repercussions she faces with her parents as a result. Shane basically has to gain some courage and work hard in the face of uncertainty; maybe even harder because of that uncertainty. This was encouraging and definitely a lesson that young readers need to be exposed to: check in with yourself and pursue what makes you happy. Work hard at what you want because you want it. Do not be afraid to love your “nerdy” stuff unabashedly.

There were parts where it felt like she got me individually. For example, there is a line where Shane says, “I expel the giant breath I’ve been very aware of holding the past thirty seconds.” I immediately started cackling and showed that to my husband, because he knows that one of my biggest pet peeves in books is the cliche “I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding” line. It really seemed like she was totally calling out those authors who use it! It was glorious.

There were certain story elements that came out of left field for me, but in a good way! It kept the book surprising and kept me turning the pages. The “big twist” was an incredibly creative way to move the plot and Shane forward. I would tell you more, but… spoilers!

I had such a fun time reading this. It didn’t drag in any way, the writing was accessible (if a bit immature and cutesy) and I was invested in Shane’s well-being. I loved that that she wasn’t in high school, it made her coming of age story different from that of other YA novels. Shane’s actual adventures were also super fun, and I felt like I was living vicariously through her. I haven’t had the opportunity to travel much due to some life circumstances, so this made me long to be her age again so I could see more of the world too.

Overall this was a quirky, unique, and binge-worthy read that was simply adorable. I can’t wait to see more from Christine, as I’m sure she will write a book soon again, but better (see what I did there?? Do you see??).

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book was literally what I've expected, sadly.
I didn't even know who Christine Riccio was until I googled her name.

That's beside the point though. I found major issues in the writing style. I didn't connect with that nor the characters.
Honestly, I didn't care for this book at all unfortunately since I couldn't wait to end it =(

Oh boy there is a lot of things wrong with this novel.
First of all, it is completely self-insert. We have this main character, Shane, who is socially inept and wants to be a writer with an Italian name and a quirky handle online (FrenchWatermelon19). I am extremely not impressed by this, because when critics and reviewers and editors say "write what you know" they do not mean this. Christine Riccio is an avid reader, as evident by her own youtube channel, she should know better.
The writing style is also severely underdeveloped. She writes like she talks - very stream of consciousness, with a lot of redundant anecdotes about pop culture and references to books and tv shows. It dates the book so much, and it makes it basically unreadable say 20 years in the future. At least the grammar is good.

Plotwise she has written Anna and the French kiss except in London, with a touch of magical realism, and I am not a fan at all. This is not an original idea, the characters have no personality and the plot is basically "quirky girl goes to London and falls in lust with the first guy she sees". Literally, he is the first guy she sees through a window. This is not how good writing works. This is not how plot works. They go on to have these adventures in foreign countries (Italy and France), but we don't really get a sense of the cultures either. Saying you're at the Eiffel Tower doesn't make it Paris.

I don't know. I was not impressed. I dnf'ed it at about 50% because things were getting next level ridiculous.

This book being by a "Youtuber" should have been my first clue. It reads 100% like YA and the main character doesn't read like a college student, but the most immature high schooler I can think of. Not only does she name her laptop, write hokey little "never been kissed" lists in her journal and have sophisticated innermost thoughts like "my sometimes blue eyes flash gray today," but the premise and cover BOTH pointed to a much more mature book. The premise sounded really interesting to me and I'm disappointed, ultimately.

I would say this is a 3.75/5 for me. I think it was a bit of a slow start. However, it did pick up and we did have a twist which was unexpected but reminded me too much of an abc family Christmas movie (before it became free form). Even though the dialogue was quirky and a bit awkward sometimes I enjoyed it and I also enjoyed just how relatable shane’s life is