Excellent realistic love story with an alternate history twist. Forgive me if this review is a little spoilery.

I love e. lockhart for always trying something new in her writing; her latest books have all had unique narrative devices or twists to them. (Genuine Fraud--a book written backwards! Whoa!) This book is no exception and for the most part it works well, but you have to be willing to stick it out to Part IV in the story, and I don't know how many teen readers will be that patient. I couldn't give it 5 stars because I was annoyed by the repetitive nature of the alternate history scenes leading up to Part IV (where everything then came together). It was almost like reading a book where the author saved all of her rough drafts of certain scenes and kept them in the finished book--it was supposed to show different versions of the same scene as if they took place in alternate universes, or as if they were the main character's imaginings of how she wished she had reacted, a common thing for insecure teens--but it just annoyed me! I would have preferred longer chapters if you're doing it that way, as I've seen done in several other YA novels that have the alternate universe conceit; having only one paragraph rewritten two or three times in a row, with slight changes in dialogue or action, and indicated as alternate universes by a different typeface, made me want to just skip those scenes so that I could see the "real" story unfold. Maybe I'm a lazy reader, I don't know. But when I got to the last part of the book, I really liked it--maybe because it finally did away with the multiple universes thing. In any case, it's a sweet romance and also a good book about coping with depression and the addictions of a loved one.

I didn't love this. The alternating time-lines felt off and I absolutely hated the random pieces of verse all over the place. It made it an overall confusing experience that I personally don't have the brainpower for right now. The premise sounded great but I feel like the execution could have been a lot better.

Lockhart tackles some intense topics in this text, but continues to bring her accurate, sensitive view of teen girls' interior lives, with an interesting speculative element as we've come to expect from her recent novels!

When I saw E. Lockhart had a new book coming out, it went straight to the top of my to read list! I loved We Were Liars, and boarding school books always catch my eye, so I thought this would be a good match! And who doesn’t love a book with dogs on the cover?

Well, apparently me. Maybe is was just the format of the ARC, but it was really hard for me to keep track of which reality was the real story. Each time one a scene played out differently, I kept trying to connect with a retake of an earlier scene, and I’m not sure if I was supposed to. Boarding school didn’t really play a big role in the plot, besides giving a reason why Adelaide’s family lived separately. We saw some school life in flashbacks, but since most of the novel takes place during the summer, the scene really could have been set anywhere. It also was confusing to me that so many people left their dogs behind for a whole summer.

I couldn’t tell if this book was meant to be a love story. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of Adelaide with any of the guys, but it was hard to keep track of who I liked least since in some realities some of them seemed fine, while others showed each of the boys behaving badly. I also didn’t really love the last version prominently featuring a character that was barely mentioned in the rest of the book.

There were some things I liked! The dogs were cute, and I really enjoyed the relationship between Adelaide and Toby. For some reason, the jumping around between what could have happened between them didn’t bother me as much. This was definitely not my favorite E. Lockhart book, and will not ever be a re-read for me, but it won’t stop me from checking out future books by this author.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. First of all, I loved E. Lockhart’s book We Were Liars. But this one was so confusing to me! I could relate to Adelaide’s struggle as she navigated teen relationships, but I felt like the end section was way more enjoyable than the first 3/4 of the book. I’m still not sure was purpose Jack served.

Again Again
By: E. Lockhart
Random House Children's
Delacorte Press
Romance/Teen and YA
Publish Date 2 June 2020
#AgainAgain
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I have to be honest at first I almost DNF'd this book. I was at 10% and thought oh no what I am reading. I just put it down for the rest of the day to give myself sometime to think about it.
The next day I picked it up and read another 15% and said it really isn't that bad. I just needed to get my head wrapped around the style of the writing she used.
After that I read it fairly quick.
This book is about a young lady who is going into her senior year of high school at a private school. She has a lot going on in her life and she is struggling on how to coop.
She goes through different situations on a certain subject or position she is in. This is where I was having issues but I had to remind myself that we all do this to a point.
She is dealing with her brother being an addict and a break-up and being on academic probation. Because her brother is an addict her parents are living apart so he can get the help he needs.
After getting use to the way the story was told I ended up really enjoying it.
I liked how it ended because it cleared up somethings and it shows she made progress with her situations. She ended up growing up a lot and finally telling people how she really felt and not holding it inside.
I recommend that you read this book. I gave it 4 stars.

Unfortunately I declared this one a DNF at 54%. I never felt the urge to pick this one up so because of that I decided to stop reading.

I felt like nothing really ever happened. There were some tough topics presented such as the need to fit in and addiction.

I realize that reading a finished copy will probably have neater typesetting than the galley, but I found the transitions between regular text, text messages, and "rewind" sections abrupt at times. We had to slog through lots of teenage dating angst before reaching the heart of the book. I did purchase a copy for my library.

I was a big fan of E. Lockhart when I was younger. This book was cute but I didn't feel really close to the characters. Lockhart is great at telling stories, and she did ok here, but I don't think I'm gonna remember this book in a few weeks.

I was disappointed in this one, despite my historical love of Lockhart's work. We Were Liars was an instant classic of the twisty teen drama, but this one doesn't live up to the legacy.

Such an amazing story with a great cast of characters, and amazing connection and relationships forming throughout the story. I loved this book so much.

Adelaide Buchwald, the main character of Again Again, shows us the many variations of how life can play out. Her story isn’t normal, as scenes get replayed over with different variations. Throughout this book, she struggles with a recent breakup, and a messed up relationship with her brother in rehab. It’s a book that makes you think, as nothing is what it seems.

Over the course of this novel, we see things, but feel a different way. This book is something so much more than words on paper, it’s the feeling that the author puts into the story that makes us think. That’s the best part about it. With Adelaide, we don’t really understand what’s going on at the start, but we see variations of how her life plays out. It really makes you think about seeing things in different lights.

With E. Lockhart, her books aren’t just black and white, and we really felt that in this novel. I felt the main character’s struggles from different angles. I liked the blurred lines between reality and ideas. This book is so much deeper than what you see at first glance.

This book isn’t easy to explain, but that’s also the reason you should read it. It’s not as simple as a sentence summary, it’s a book where you can take any of these ideas and set them up to a different meaning. Again Again is definitely very philosophical and is a challenge to understand, but that’s the beauty of it.

Adelaide’s relationships are so fascinating because of the fact there are so many different variations of them. You see different sides of love, loss, and it makes it feel even more real. I have to admit, this book was hard to get into at first, due to its confusing nature. But if you stick with it, you may find it’s worth the read.

Oddly enough, I loved the fact that I didn’t truly understand the characters. Much like in real life, we never can fully figure someone out, even those we think we know. The relationships played out also felt real because it didn’t just deal with the happy ending, but the heartbreaking pain of letting people go.

Overall, Again Again has the ability to open your eyes to things you never truly thought of and is a worthy book read that sticks with you.

This was fun. Don't we all wish there was a way to go back in time and change our reaction to something. This book gives you multiple scenarios based on just such an option. Adelaide is dealing with lots of stress including a recent breakup and her brothers opiate addiction.

Summary: Rising high school senior Adelaide Buchwald grapples with a family catastrophe and romantic upheaval while confronting secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind

If someone asked me to describe Again Again in three words, I'd say it's simple but complicated, and really unique.

I also think it's realistic, but yet also unrealistic because who gets to live their life again and again.
Or maybe there are alternative universes where we get to see what would happen if we made a different choice. I always liked the idea of them.

I love Liars by E. Lockhart. It's one of the best books I read in my entire life, so Again Again was my most anticipated book of 2020.
When I got an invitation to read and review it via Netgalley, I was beyond happy.

Again Again was solid ya contemporary with a splash of difference.
I have never read anything like it, and I love how every alternative version was realistic. There was no sugar coating.

However, it made me confused, and it left me confused to this day, because I still don't know if we followed alternative universes, or just stories in Adelaide's head.

The writing style was good, and the novel was easy to read.

I certainly enjoyed spending my time between pages of Again Again, but Liars was a masterpiece comparing to this story.

Not a fan at all of this book. You have too get too far into the book before the repetition makes sense, and frankly I don't have time for that.
E. Lockhart has so much potential but this book doesn't live up to it.
Sorry.

First of all, that cover is everything! It is so darn cute and it is the reason I wanted to read this book!

Thankfully, the inside was just as good as the outside. This is a real fun, bittersweet story about the choices you make and how one decision can change everything.

I really enjoyed this one!

A story that reminds you that life is full of endless possibilities. It was great seeing the different potential outcomes and fascinating to image how big an impact small decisions could make.

I couldn't connect to Adalaide's character...
Altogether the format was hard for me to follow and I found her to be unlikable.

Unlike anything I’ve read before, Lockhart moves deftly between Adelaide's current reality and the possible alternatives that could result from her behavior. Adelaide is spending the summer dog sitting for teachers at her prestigious private school, recovering from an unexpected breakup, and coping with her younger brother's addiction. When a boy appears unexpectedly and sweeps her off her feet, Adelaide has to decide which universe or reality is the one she truly wants to live in. A very unique read.

Overall, I see a lot of potential in this book. Alternate scenario stories tend to be a little hard to follow, and I did struggle a bit here and there. I feel like if your attention isn't 100% on the book when reading, you will get lost.

I did enjoy how Lockhart explored Toby, the brother. I think the story would have been even stronger with more time spent on him than on the love life honestly.

I didn't necessarily love the book but I also didn't hate it. It can be an enjoyable read and for those more interested in chick-lit, teen love stories they will probably enjoy it more.