Begin Again was a very cute and sweet coming of age story with some romance. I loved the dynamic between the main character Andie and the new friends she makes along the way. This definitely brought back memories of my own first year in college, not so much in that the situation was similar, but more in a general sense of what that first year felt like. I loved how the relationship with Milo and Andie evolved. I also loved that the whole book was not just about the romance. There was so much more to it, with Andie trying to find herself, work on her relationship with her dad, figure out how her relationship with Connor fit into everything (or didn't) and how to balance everything into a life of her own. There is depth to the characters in this book, and they all had their own struggles and worries. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes good coming of age stories, grumpy sunshine tropes, and just very sweet stories in general.

This book was so sweet! I loved Andie and her journey made me feel so many emotions. I love found family stories, and the found family in this story was such a nice connection to read about. I also really enjoyed the Night’s Watch radio station/secret society angle; such a cool way to weave in college life with family history.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A coming-of-age story that was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. Andie Rose has transferred from her small-town community college to Blue Ridge State, where both of her parents attended university. Her boyfriend, Connor, also attends and she hopes that the transfer can repair their relationship. Until she gets there and finds out that Connor has transferred to the small-town community college to surprise her.

Emma Lord’s books never fail to be just so cute. This one was no exception and I loved the characters, Bagelopolis and the Knight’s Watch.

Truthfully, I forgot about Connor most of this book, which I wasn’t sad about. I was rooting so hard for Andie and Milo! I also fell totally in love with this story and Andie’s grandmas who raised her. They were amazing! I also learned that thundersnow is a real thing that happens.

Emma Lord is an excellent author, who has made me believe in YA again. I've thoroughly enjoyed her previous books, but this one was almost a miss for me. I read the first 15% or so and put it down for a while, because it really wasn't working for me and I was struggling to care about the characters and what was happening. I switched to the audio and ended up really enjoying it.

I will say that the first maybe 40% was a little slow and boring, but the rest of the book was some really sweet messages and storylines. I loved the discovering and the understanding a lot of the characters went through.

“I want to love and be loved without ever having to wonder if it’s conditional.” This is probably the most beautiful quote I've read in a really long time. It resonated with me so deeply and really made me fall in love with this book, the characters and the story.

Did this remind anyone else of a college-aged Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks? No? Just me?

Frankie—sorry—Andie is an expert at a few things: school, bagels, breaking caffeine addictions, and giving advice.

That’s the only place the book derails for me. I don’t understand advice columnists? Skepticism aside (just tell me WHY I should trust you. WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS??), this was a cute read.

Think Fangirl, but with a radio station instead of fanfiction. If the book had been set in the ‘90s (or anytime pre-iPods, honestly) the premise of a famous college radio show could have been more believable, but still. Very cute for a typical YA romance.

Tropey. Filled with Unrealistic Weather Occurrences©️, Unacknowledged Pining, Unrealistic College Experiences a la Gilmore Girls, and Anti-Coffee Propaganda.

3.5/5 stars. Cute. Would recommend to my teen students who are itching for a new romance read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read (and listen!) to this one early. Genuinely a fun time 💜

I wanted to like this, but I just couldn't get into it. I have a weird thing with Emma's book where I've liked every other one by her. This one just so happens to be the one that I didn't like.

After working hard, Andie Rose finally transfers into the competitive Blue Ridge State. As she pulls up to surprise her boyfriend, she discovers that he has transferred out of Blue Ridge and to her community college, to be with her. Suddenly, Andie Rose, the fix it all girl, the planner, is stumped. Now she has to navigate through new experiences and balance new responsibilities.

This book was adorable. Andie Rose is the perfect college student. She transfers to her dream college to live out her parent's legacy. It is very rare to see an extrovert as a main character in a contemporary romance, at least with the books I read. Andie's fix it all personality really carries the book and drives the plot. You can see how she hyper focuses on everyone else's problems and uses it to put off hers.
Her love interest, her RA, Milo is a caffeine addicted realist. He delivered the perfect "man written by women" personality. From the get-go, he was absolutely loveable, and it was great to see the romance build-up between him and Andie.
This was such a fun and light read. Loved the story-weaving and the development that Andie went through the entirety of the book.

Andie has a plan. Attend the school her parent's did, join the same society as her mother, and continue her relationship with her high school boyfriend, Connor. But most of those are derailed. First of all, she arrives to find out her boyfriend transferred out of the school. But Andie is a problem-solver and she will make it work. She decides to help her roommate find a major, collect enough society "ribbons" for herself and Connor, and assist her RA, Milo in bringing down the caffeine levels.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are quirky and so likeable. I really enjoyed following this journey. The twists and turns were fairly predictable, but I didn't mind one bit, as it was such a fun ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Begin Again follows Andie, a mid-year freshman transfer at the ultra-competitive Blue Ridge State, freshly arrived and already off the rails of her immaculate 5-year Life PlanTM. As things go awry with her long-term boyfriend (she transferred here, he transferred back), she hunts for the paths her late mother left on this very college campus so many years ago. She never meant to fall into her footsteps so directly though…

What I Liked:
- The characters!! Milo, Shay, Valeria & Andie — I loved them all!!! (Okay, mostly Milo, but still.) I don’t know how she does it, but Emma writes the best characters. Or I could just have a very similar sense of humor to her and thereby find all her characters wholesome and hilarious.
- I did love the setting of Blue Ridge State. The college campus vibe was very nostalgic for me. Although my school didn’t have a chicken coop, arboreum, or Bagelopolis.
- The radio show plot is really fun! After this and The Ex Talk, I really need to pick up more romances with radio hosts.
- All of the Taylor Swift references, whether hidden or not-so-hidden, were fun for me to stumble upon. I love that Emma Lord is a swiftie too lol.
- Emma has a sweet tooth and loves all things foodie and cute, and it come through in every book. AND I’M NOT COMPLAINING!! I actually could have used more sweets in this one. The disaster patry confections always make me gravitate to my own kitchen to whip up something tasty as well.

What I Didn’t Like:
- No notes! But I did get second-hand stressed from all of Andie’s antics…

Recap:
So basically if you would like to read a wholesome, slightly deranged, fluffy masterpiece filled with Eternal Darkness and couture bagel matchups, Begin Again is for you! I honestly can’t recommend Emma Lord’s writing enough. I feel like she has mastered the balance between cotton candy fun and realistic behavior/problems.

4.5/5 stars

Sadly this was a book that I just couldn't get into, I tried several times before concluding that this particular story wasn't for me - I was mostly just struggling to connect to the characters.

I have throughly enjoy Emma Lords previous books and will continue to pick up her books in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press and Wednesday Books for this opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I've read all of Emma Lord's books and I've enjoyed each and every one. Begin Again was no exception. I will say I guessed the twist/conflict in the story early on, but I still found the ending so satisfying. I adored these characters!

Andie Rose is transferring to her dream school in the middle of her freshman year and she couldn't be more excited. She wants to be there for so many reasons, but one is to join her boyfriend Connor. Who she finds out transferred to their community college to be with her. Oye ve. Now she's on her own ready to make a go at the college experience she always wanted.

I think this is her best book yet. this book was riveting, heart-wrenching, slow-burning goodness. the food descriptions weren't necessarily for me

This cute young adult novel is told from the perspective of college freshman Andie, who transfers mid-year to the college her parents attended and where her boyfriend currently goes, hoping to surprise him - only to find out he has transferred to the community college she just transferred out of. The book takes place over the next few months as Andie settles in, makes friends, and tries to figure herself out.

I loved Emma Lord’s When You Get the Chance, but this one was just not quite as special for me. It was very predictable, and definitely felt extremely on the young side of YA despite featuring a college age character. It was a cute one though, and I enjoyed the characters.

3.75 stars

What a cute coming-of-age story (those are always my favorites). Emma Lord writes YA stories that are full of such warmth and love that it feels like a big hug.

I loved the college atmosphere of this one, making new friends and figuring out classes. Dorm-living and roommates! Andie spends her days finding herself through trying new hobbies, meeting new people, and facing new challenges, just what college should be!

Unfortunately, I think this could have used a bit more grown-up angst. Even though this is technically YA, the characters are adults and figuring out life for themselves for the first time, I think the story was almost too sweet.

Beyond that, I loved all the relationships in this book and I can't wait for more from Emma Lord!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

How do you go from feeling like you FINALLY have it all...to then having to start over from nothing?  How do you even find the strength?  Andie Rose has struggled to pull herself up and bust her butt to get from community college to Blue Ridge State - where her parents went (and fell in love), and where her boyfriend is currently in school.  But the moment Andie arrives, everything just goes WRONG.  How do you make the best out of, well...the worst?

I'm a huge fan of Emma Lord...and she did not disappoint.  I LOVED these characters and loved their chemistry.  I loved the radio station backstory and how tough Andie was to shrug off the disappointment of how things were supposed to be and move on to how things SHOULD be.  Fantastic read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Lord does it again - this book reminds me more of Tweet Cute (her debut and my favorite) than her other 2 books, in that it is classically sweet however there are some deep themes layered in. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a YA book - this book is set during the MC's freshman year with a few older students sprinkled in - and the slow burn romance comes second (maybe even third!) to Andie's self discovery / journey with grief and dives in to her developing relationship with her friends. The way the author discusses grief between two characters who have suffered enormous loss was very authentic and struck me as more genuine than in most books. Overall, if you enjoy YA you will enjoy this book.

#netgalleyarc This was a fun, end of school vacation read. This book follows the classic romance novel recipe but thankfully is limited in the amount of cheese factor. The characters are likable, believable and not annoying.

DNF at 35%. This is definitely a case of wrong reader and not about the book. I am going to second what my friend Katy wrote in her review and say I think this would be great for younger teens who are looking forward to college. As I am definitely not that demographic, this wasn’t as great a fit for me and that’s totally fair. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I absolutely love Emma Lord’s books, but this one was too hard to get into. I started the book three times and had to push hard to get through. I liked the start of Andie and Connor’s story, but ending up at different schools soured it for me. I loved that Andie felt connected to her late mother — but the rest of the story dragged for me. It was cringey and the problems seemed too juvenile for people in college.

Andie Rose has a detailed 5 year plan and is on a mission to help everyone in her orbit live their best lives. In fact, that very plan ends with her becoming a self-help mogul. But in order to do that, Andie has to navigate her way through a mid-year college transfer, a long distance boyfriend and a strained relationship with her father. In learning to trust her eclectic support system of family and friends, Andie realizes she must first resolve her own issues before can dispense advice to others. Emma Lord has created a realistic and relatable heroine in Andie and following her journey through her freshman year is both amusing and heartwarming.