This one was a DNF for me (32%). I enjoyed Christine's first book, but I just couldn't get into this one.

Better Together tells the story of sisters Siri and Jamie in a Parent Trap type way. As someone who don't usually delve into sibling stories, I gave this a try because I loved the movie. However, this book ended up so-so, and it probably is because I am not the best audience for this read.

Christine Riccio writes with too many pop culture references for my liking, and there is dialogue that is too cringy for me to read. But - I did approach this book with these things in mind already, which made me lessen my expectations and just enjoy the journey.

Overall, this book was still cute - it delivered a new Parent Trap-ish experience, and I'm sure the author will get better as she writes more books. I'd still be interested to try out her works in the future!

I can see the improvement in the writing from the first book from this author.
My main problems with the book
- the weird cussing? One girl dances around cussing by saying 'intercourse' in place of 'fuck'? But then the other says fuck and shit but adds in flitty ditty blah inbetween. too much
-Jamie is nothing as a character, she doesn't think through anything she does and never apologizes to anyone. Just says "I'm an asshole" as a cop out when people call her out for her shitty behavior.
-if the girls are going to go through the work to make them look like each other why have the magical element that makes them look like each other?

"Better Together" by Christine Riccio is a lighthearted and entertaining story that revolves around the lives of two sisters, Jamie and Siri, who reunite after being separated for over a decade due to their parents' tumultuous divorce. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when the sisters decide to switch places, leading to a series of amusing and heartwarming situations.

The novel's premise is intriguing, and Riccio's writing style effectively captures the essence of the characters' individual struggles and aspirations. The author skillfully weaves the themes of family, love, and self-discovery into the storyline, creating a blend of humor and emotional depth. The exploration of the sisters' relationships with their estranged parents adds a layer of complexity to the plot, allowing readers to empathize with their journey of reconciliation.

One of the highlights of the book is the magical element that inadvertently aids the sisters in their plan to switch lives. This adds a whimsical touch to the narrative, injecting a sense of wonder into the otherwise realistic setting. The alternating perspectives of Jamie and Siri offer readers a chance to delve into the distinct personalities of the characters, providing a well-rounded view of their experiences.

However, "Better Together" has its shortcomings. The plot, while engaging, occasionally veers into predictable territory, and some of the romantic developments feel formulaic. Additionally, the resolution of certain conflicts appears rushed, leaving some loose ends untied.

Despite these drawbacks, the novel succeeds in delivering a heartwarming story of self-discovery, reconciliation, and the enduring bond between sisters. The humor and charm infused into the narrative make it an enjoyable read, particularly for those who appreciate a blend of contemporary fiction and magical realism. While not without its flaws, "Better Together" is a pleasant and light-hearted addition to the genre, earning it a three-star rating.

I was so excited for this book based on the super cute cover and the premise around one of the best movies of my childhood, The Parent Trap! I will say I think my hopes were probably unreasonably high - I enjoyed the book, but just not as much as I was anticipating to. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I was so excited to read a retelling of one of my favorite movies, The Parent Trap. Two twins separated at birth and then coincidentally find each other later on in life, sign me up. I tried to ignore the bad reviews and go into this book with an open mind but alas, I did not enjoy this book. The way the characters talked was clunky and annoyingly immature for their age, this book just felt like a mess. I loved the cover and that's what drew me in at first but I could not stand this book.

This story and the writing were just really not that good. It was hard to get through and I had high hopes that it would get better but it didn't. I wanted to to like it and kept giving it a chance to get better but that was not happening.

I was a bit skeptical since I didn't love the first book by this author. But this was a vast improvement! Her writing style is so engaging and the plot is much more impressive than her debut novel

I loved this book! It was a really nice interpretation of The Parent Trap trope and the main characters were perfect.

The sisters were separated when they were 6 and 4, with Jamie living with their dad in Hollywood and Siri living with their mom in New Jersey. At no time did they see each other over the 14 years they were separated until they bump into each other at the retreat. The problem is, while Jamie knew right away who Siri was; Siri did not remember she had a sister as her mother convinced her that Jamie had been an imaginary friend.

Both sisters are complicated and flawed… just how I love characters!

Siri wears her fears and emotions on her sleeve, she is angry and bitter over both a betrayal from her ex- BFF and ex-boyfriend, and an injury that ends her ballet career. Her relationship with her mother is strained, she has no other friends and no idea what she is going to do with the rest of her life. Learning that not only is Jamie real, but that she has not contacted her in all this time is devastating to her.

Jamie, on the other hand, pretends that she is fine and doesn’t need anyone other than her BFF. She doesn’t do commitment, has a strained relationship with her dad, and has serious self-confidence issues when it comes to her comedy. Really though, she is carrying around so much hurt and insecurity, especially when she learns their mother told Siri she didn’t exist.

The sisters enjoy a rocky time getting to know each other and their opposite parents along the way, as well as falling in love. Nothing goes smoothly, but that’s how life works as well.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. It makes me sad that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did her first book. Both of the main characters had super strong personalities and I think that might have been my issue. They also came across younger than their age to me which is irritating. Overall I would give this a 3 stars.

I adore Christine Ricco. I read Again But Better and enjoyed it. And I don't even usually enjoy magical realism. But I could not get into this book. It was so wordy, which seems contrite. But it made me sad that I couldn't get into Better Together. Will try again someday.

So, obviously, it's been a bit since I read this book.
But my feelings haven't changed.
I went into this book extremely apprehensive. I saw a LOT of bad reviews and expected to be disappointed by it.
However... I wasn't. I was pleasantly surprised by how great this book was.

I think a lot of people pre-judge Christine's books because they're written by Christine. I think that a lot of people go into them WANTING to hate them. And of course, you're going to hate something if you go into it not wanting to like it. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Christine's books are fun. They make you laugh. They make you feel good. They're not deep; they don't make you question everything or make you see the world differently. But.. who wants to read that all the time? Sometimes we just need something lighthearted and fun and sometimes straight-up wacky!

Speaking of straight, this book is not! I went into this book not knowing about the sapphic main characters, and let me tell you, when some Things Happened I was downright screaming in my friend Sydney's texts.

Another thing I enjoyed. I haven't read a lot of books with messy divorces. Most of the time it's like "my parents just don't talk" or "my dad lives in this country and my mom lives in this country and I live with this one so I don't speak with the other due to distance." This book has parents that actively hate each other and talk bad about each other, therefore making the child see the other in a bad light. As a child of an extremely messy divorce, I appreciated the flashbacks full of fighting, anger, and stress.

This book isn't a self-insert for Christine like ABB was, but you can definitely feel the pain from her parent's divorce in this. It's obvious that Christine knows what she's talking about.

Anyway! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am overjoyed that I can in good conscience give this a 5-star rating on Goodreads.
Long story short, don't judge a book by its author or their popularity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I had a great time with her first book, and with this one following 2 perspectives, Jamie and Siri, of sisters who really don't know each other. I've never seen the Parent Trap, but the magic to make them look like each other, I couldn't wait to see how the story unfolded from there!

I watch YouTube a lot. And Christine from polandbanaansBooks is someone whose channel I follow, and I have since just before Again But Better. So I was watching all the video's that she was releasing as she was writing this book, editing it, most if not all of the publicly shown process of publication. I didn't know the story yet, but I knew the story of the book, so that was just a great part of reading this book!

This is the story of two sisters, who are having quarter life crisis. Siri is a ballerina, but she got an injury that means that she won't be able to dance professionally. Jamie wants to be a stand up comedian, but she has stage fright. That they switch lives, get a chance to live in each other's shoes, maybe explore different things that they could want to do in the future, was such a great read!

Watching the relationships develop for each sister, they were so cute, and I enjoyed them so much! And they added something really great to this coming of age story. Because this book was also about family, and about growing up, and I had a really great time reading it!

I had a great time reading this book, and I can't wait for the next book from Christine Riccio!

So this one is tough to rate. I think the story was cute, and some of the characters I liked. However, some of the character traits that these characters had were obnoxious. The fake swearing quirk Siri had was overdone and really pulled me out of the story every time. Jaime's aversion to romance was also mentioned way too much within the story, making it come off as super offputting. The romances were okay, but a little insta-lovey for me, especially the sapphic one, The storyline was fun, but a little too close to the parent trap. I also wish that the magic was explained at least a little bit.

I think this story had a lot of potential, but I finished it a little disappointed with the execution.

I wanted so badly to love this one. I enjoyed the premise and the characters, but something stood in my way of finishing it and enjoying it fully and I'm not sure exactly what it was.

I didn't *love* it, but it was a fun, easy read! I loved the duality of the twins and the journey into how each of them handles the switch. The magical realism was an interesting factor that felt a little jarring in the moment, but overall enjoyable.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I DNF'd it around 25%. While I really enjoyed Christine's previous work, this book did not connect for me

Unfortunately this parent trap trapped itself in between a rock and a hard place. This book was not fun and lost its footing way too early. The charaters felt very 2 dimensional and it left much to be desired.

I apologize but I was not able to finish this book. I was in a different headspace at the time of requesting / recieving this book and the time I got it.