I was super excited when I got approved for this book. Again, But Better was a top favorite of mine last year. Unfortunately Better Together didn't have the same amount of magic as Again, But Better. The story is Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday. The characters are polar opposites, but very one-dimensional which made it hard to keep myself interested in the story. Siri (the name alone bugged me just because) doesn't curse. Excrement and intercourse are consistently used in lieu of cursing. I felt that there were way more clever ways to get the point across that she didn't curse rather than just using these two words constantly.

Better Together, inspired by The Parent Trap, is a book that I was very excited to read. I knew going in that I would need to suspend my disbelief to an extent (because, lets face it, even if your kids are identical twins - which these sisters are not - what kind of parent doesn't recognise that the teenager they've brought home isn't the same one they dropped off at Camp?) but even then, I found some of this book a little difficult to get behind.

Jaime and Siri were both pretty annoying characters, and I didn't really care about either of them. The parents were awful (so actually, maybe they wouldn't recognise their own children? Not that it mattered given they had a strange "magical" disguise). There was an obligatory love interest for each girl, and again I wasn't totally convinced that this was the right book for there to be such a focus on romance - I wasn't it to be more about the family. In the end though, I didn't really care whether they were reunited or stayed separated, which I don't think was the intention!

I made it to the end of the book, but it was a struggle to get there. I don't think it was a book for me!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Christine Riccio’s Better Together is a fun and lighthearted romp with serious undertones.

East Coast based Siri is recovering from a back injury, a professional ballerina facing a life without dance. Dance is her go to way to process life, and without it she’s floundering in a sea of anger and isolation.

Jamie, a comedian in LA, is reliving the worst moment of her career over and over, retreating further and further into herself.

Siri’s mother and Jamie’s father both send them to a retreat in Colorado, where they run smack into each other- and their past. Jamie is shocked to find her long absent little sister right in front of her, while Siri thinks she’s going delusional and seeing her childhood imaginary friend again.

As Siri and Jamie work to figure out what the heck is going on, they uncover deception, trauma, and lies that have permeated their lives and had a lasting effect on both of their psyches.

This novel takes a look at what happens when The Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday. The magical realism aspect is established well and the rules of their world are easy to digest. The writing is well paced and humorous, while the tougher topics are covered with gentleness.

I loved the diversity of the characters. All the characters are well developed and unique, and the cameo of characters from Riccio’s first novel make me want to pick that one up as well. At the beginning of the novel, I had a hard time liking either protagonist; Siri seemed sulky and annoying while Jamie was a bit egotistical and frustrating in her own right. But as the novel wore on, I came to understand why these women had developed these traits and enjoyed watching them learn and grow into better people.

As a big movie fan, I liked the meshing together of various family bonding style tropes to help the character’s achieve their goal, but I also appreciated knowing it was coming before I began reading. The magical realism aspect is fairly limited to the one plot point, and both sisters seem to have a hard time remembering they don’t look like themselves (which left me a bit bewildered and wondering how much they look alike when they aren’t magicked into looking like one another!).

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this novel so I could write this review!

Better Together will be available June 1, 2021.

I adored Christine's first book, but this one had me even more on the edge of my seat. Prepare your heart for drama, wit, humor, and a sister relationship unlike any other. Christine just gets the YA voice and I felt like I was a teen all over again.

A retreat that brings together two long lost sisters who decide to parent trap their parents and live 5 days in the other sister’s life.

Siri is going on a retreat to help rehabilitate her after she damaged her back and ruined any chance of getting back into her dream of being a ballerina.

Jamie is going on a retreat after a horrible comedy set incident that haunts her.

Both girls run into each other and find out that they share more than just similar looks, but parents who have never mentioned the other sister. Jamie comes up with the plan for the girls to switch places and live in each other’s lives and then get their parents to meet up. Things start to get out of hand when they don’t exactly communicate or know each other and start pretending to be the other sister.

The overall story was okay but I found the characters to be a bit immature and dramatic. Jamie constantly got on my nerves and the fact that both sisters decided to go along with this plan but are horrible with communicating with each other was annoying. The writing was okay I just didn’t find myself as invested in the story as i had hoped. I did like Siri as a character, she honestly was the more likable sibling. Overall an okay read, it just had so much potential from the premise but I just did not get hooked.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Cute story, definitely an easy read. The premise is very Parent Trap-y and could have been executed a bit better. I didn’t mind the dialogue but it was a little too young for me. I left it with a happy feeling, but I don’t know if I’d ever reread it.

I thought I would enjoy this more than I did, I truly enjoy the whole parent trap theme. Unfortunately that was the best thing about the book. The characters are unempathetic, the plot contrived and predictable, and one of the characters using other words in place of cuss words is distracting and stupid.

Better Together:

1 star

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been watching Christine Riccio’s videos for years so I thought I’d give her new book a try. Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy this book. The writing is terrible! Honestly the writing is so bad and the characters so unrealistic that it made the story laughable. I really don’t understand how this book is getting published in its current state.

These characters are 18 and twenty and they are so immature! The writing and the characters are over dramatic and ridiculous. One of the main characters, Siri, uses words like “Excrement” “underworld” and “Intercourse” in place of swear words. I think this was meant to be a unique character trait, but the fake swear words interfered with the flow of the writing and kept pulling me out of the story. Frankly, young people just don’t talk like this and if you want to use swear words just use them or leave them out entirely.

Also all the main characters in this book are insane! The two sisters Siri and Jaime say and do so many things that make no sense. And their parents are both toxic and horrible, especially their mom.

I did like the setting of the camp for people who need to “re-discover” themselves. It gave me summer camp vibes which was fun.

Back to the bad writing, in the beginning there is a lot of telling instead of showing and there are odd little time jumps that are super abrupt. The plot and dialogue is super illogical too. Things aren't explained well so the overall story doesn’t make much sense. Logic simply isn’t there. I really wanted to like Christine Riccio's work, but this was just badly written.

I read Christine's first book and I found it really relatable. The second book did not disappoint. I loved the plot and characters.

This was bad. Bad dialogue, bad jokes, bad rip off. Don’t waste your time, just watch The Parent Trap.

I really liked this book. I found it very unputdownable. I wanted to read it all yesterday, but sadly had to go to sleep so I could function today.

Some of it was silly and far fetched, but the whole situation was a terrible one and the sisters are trying to make the best of it and find their way back to each other.

I guess having a dysfunctional family really helped me to like this book and root for everyone involved really. I cried a little, but overall it’s an enjoyable experience and I love when I don’t want to put a book down.

Things I liked:
- The setting of the Rediscover Yourself retreat and all the activities there were so fun to read
- The meet cute between the two sisters was hilarious
- The Freaky Friday twist was funny
- How the sisters dealt with their parents' mistakes
- Absolutely loved the sisters' relationship development
- Dawn and Siri's relationship was cute

Things I didn't like:
- wasn't a big fan of Zarar, he was too creepy and why does he fall in love with Jamie in like two seconds and doesn't shut up about it?
- The sisters didn't share much about each other before deciding to switch places (for example Siri didn't even know that Jamie was pursuing stand up? Why didn't they discuss this before switching?)
- the writing choice of using words like "intercourse" and "excrement" instead of swear words was very weird to read

DNF. I just could not get into this one at all--unlikeable characters and storyline was a mess. I was really expecting better after the author's first book. I would read something from her again, but this just wasn't it. Needs heavy revision.

I was intrigued by a "twisted" version of The Parent Trap, and Better Together by Christine Riccio did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed the two sisters, James and Siri, especially as they learned to navigate their new realities. Riccio touches on a variety of issues including divorce, sexuality, mental health, commitment issues, and family.

James and Siri meet at a retreat which they are both attending to try and figure out what they should do with their lives after extraordinary disappointments. They come with a plan to pass themselves off as each other to their parents, but their plans go awry with the help of some magic. Both James and Siri end up learning more about themselves (and each other!) than they ever anticipated, and they aren't sure the outcome is what they expected.

I feel the growth and change both sisters experienced is so important, including the changes they experienced with their parents and family dynamic as a whole. I will definitely be purchasing this for my library and recommending to my students.

I have 2 confessions to make. First, I read this entirely for the cover - I love it so much and think it's so well done. Second, I didn't love this story at first and was starting to wonder if I would at all. At the 25 and 50% marks on my kindle, I was really wondering what I'd gotten myself in to. The story was a bit silly, the characters were not terribly likable, I was confused and just not enjoying it.

Then it happened - that moment where it all starts to click. The girls became a little more realistic because they were having to rise to challenges. Then, they had to start dealing with their own personal failures and struggles and anger and hurt. When they had the trip finally all in line, I was actually nervous about how this would all play out.

So if you start this and worry you won't like it, stick with it. It's worth it to. I really ended up enjoying this one.

<i>An e-ARC was provided to me by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday, sprinkled with a lot of glitter and feelings.

This story took me be surprise! It follows Jamie, struggling comedian from LA who locks everyone out emotionally and Siri, who’s entire life in NYC has revolved around dance, until she’s injured and Can no longer do so. Both go off to a retreat in Colorado “to find themselves”, and instead find each other, sisters. Except Jamie knew Siri existed and Siri thought Jamie was her imaginary friend.

In the beginning I thought Jamie was really abrasive and I found myself wanting to protect Siri, but slowly I learned more about Jamie and came to laugh with her character. It feels real parent trapy in the beginning but the second half of the book has so many emotions and self discovery and mental health aspects woven into it.
This book normalizes
Therapy
Needing/asking for help
Family dysfunction
Internal struggles
Chronic pain
No life plan

This was so enjoyable and such a fun surprise to have all these added, deeper qualities to it.

Thank you netgalley and Wednesday Books for this advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to an ARC. I went into this book really wanting to enjoy it. This is the first book I've read by Christine Riccio who I've been subscribed to on YouTube for years, so I was very excited to read it. The Parent Trap mixed with Freaky Friday? Sign me up!

While the idea behind this book was what pulled me in, I just couldn’t get past the dialogue which I found to be very unrealistic and over the top. I have never heard anybody speak the way these girls do in real life. The most obvious example of this is the way Siri absolutely refuses to swear. It is probably supposed to help differentiate between the two girl’s voices and add humor but it just feels fake.

Another big downfall to this book is the constant pop culture references. I don’t mind when there are a few scattered throughout a book but for some reason in this case they feel forced. Timothée Chalamet even ends up making an appearance. There are also many references to things that only people older than 20 would get. For example, movies like The Ring, Grease, and the show Full House are media that the younger generation probably hasn’t watched, or at least I know my younger Gen Z sister hasn’t. Obviously, I'm not generalizing this entire age group but this book is targeted towards them and the constant references make it feel a bit disconnected.

Like I said in the beginning, I really wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately, I can only give it 2/5 stars.

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley. Jamie and Siri are sisters who were separated due to their parent’s divorce. They meet when older at a retreat in Colorado and agree to trade places. As they live each other’s lives they discover a thing or two about them selves.

i've read "again, but better" and while that one wasn't great, this one is just plain awful. it was painful to read and i cringed so many times.

siri and jamie (who are named after jamie and cersei lannister - a really poor choice imo, because who would name their kids after THAT pair of siblings) are both very flat, annoying characters. jaime especially is so bitter over everything, which just gets tiring after a while. siri's choice to not swear and instead using phrases like "excrement", "what the underworld", "intercourse this" and "are you intercoursing me" made me want to snap my own neck. and then there's jamie, who uses very unusual swear words (like "mother fucker balls basket"). they're both trying so hard to be quirky and it lands flat. it doesn't even land, to be honest. it's so cringy how hard this book tries.

this book would have worked just fine with only one POV, because the two characters had the same voice. the only difference was the swearing/not swearing thing. that's it.

she went for a retelling of "parent trap", made one of the sisters older and then chose glitter magic to fix the fact that they're not identical. as one does when they need to fix a plot. i would have been alright with that had the magic been executed right, but it's literally just glitter? they touched their skin and glitter comes off??? jamie SNEEZED in the love interest's face and suddenly he can see her and not siri??? how did anyone think that was a good idea.

one of the love interests literally walked around bumping into girls because he was trying to create a meet-cute to tell his grandkids about. that's not creepy at all. not AT ALL. not one red flag was raised. he also instantly falls in love with jamie, which made this whole romance feel less genuine.

i expected a lot more considering this is a second novel, but it was disappointing.

thank you to netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

A big thank you to NetGalley for sending me a free electronic arc of this book!

My rating: 6/10 stars

At the heart of it, Better Together is a really heart-touching sweet story about sisterhood and the healing of past family trauma, which I enjoyed.

I will say that as I began to work my way through the first couple of chapters, I initially didn’t think that I was going to enjoy this book very much. I was concerned that the book was going to be full of cliches and that the characters would end up being quite one-dimensional, but I ended up being quite wrong about that, which made me very happy! Also, this was finally a book where I understood (almost) all of the pop-culture references, so yay!

Siri and Jamie are by far the best part of this novel. The two sisters are incredibly fleshed out characters in regards to their own strengths, inner demons and paths that they are on, and they are both very multi-dimensional. While Siri struggles with finding her own exceptionality outside of her dancing, and feeling like she can’t measure up, Jamie is battling a voice that is telling her that she is failing at everything, and doesn’t allow herself to feel any emotions.

There were some aspects of this book that I thought were a bit strange, such as Siri’s inability to swear, and using words like “excrement” or “intercourse”. Although I do totally understand that Siri’s not a character that likes to swear, I had a hard time believing that those would be the replacement words of choice. Although I will say that eventually they kind of grew on me, and I just chuckled when they came up by the end of the story. Also, Jamie’s unnecessary and spontaneous vomiting really grossed me out, nuff said.

Siri and her love interest, Dawn were just the absolute cutest, in my opinion and I shipped them very much. I wasn't quite as invested in Jamie and Zarar's relationship, but they were also mildly sweet together.

I also really enjoyed how the book’s ending was rounded off. At the end both Siri and Jamie write letters to each other and their family members as part of their therapy together. I really felt like they did a great job of mirroring the pent-up hurt that they both felt, and the sadness that they were both transforming into growing in their relationships and forgiving past wounds. I thought that where they both ended up at the end was really quite perfect: it wasn’t too book-ending sappy, but it accurately reflected the healing that had already taken place, as well as the work that was still ahead of them in terms of reconciling their family.

Also, I really loved seeing Shane and Pilot again from Again but Better. I thought that was a really sweet easter egg, and kind of explains the weird magic-transformation thing that went on if both stories take place in the same universe.