Loved this book!! So many taylor swift references and the characters were so cute. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that I discovered the plot twist right at the beginning

I really think Emma Lord is the queen of the found family trope. Genuinely.

I loved this book. It was so funny but also so raw and real in a way that made me emotional, and the characters were so strong and well thought out. They came alive, even the "smaller" characters like Milo's family or Andie's grandmothers. And the main characters were just so bright and real, their motivations were clear and I really was rooting for them and for everything to work out for them.

There was also this really fun thing that I did not expect to enjoy - the slow burn of the romance in this book. It's definitely not at the forefront of the book, the romance is more of a secondary plot that still somehow managed to be perfect and draw me in and make them feel absolutely perfect together. I'm usually not much of a slow burn girlie (get right into the spice, please!) but it worked here. The story really took time to develop the characters as individuals and as part of their surroundings, and I absolutely loved it.

The found family trope in this book was so strong. I've read a couple of other books by Emma Lord, and I've found that nobody really hooks me with this trope the way she does. I just find myself completely wrapped up in the characters and their interactions, and how they came together to become this well functioning, caring, cohesive unit.

I really don't think there's anything else to say other than, if this book looks at all interesting to you, pick it up. You'll love it.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Begin Again
by Emma Lord
Pub Date: 24 Jan 2023

Emma Lord is the perfect author to take you back to your younger high school/college days. Andie is a late transfer to her dream college where her father and deceased mother both attended. Andie has plans! Mainly trying to follow her mother's path and get into the secret society like her. As well as surprising her hometown boyfriend who is already attending the college.

This story is about Andie finding out who she is and what she wants out of life. It is a story of healing and bridging family separations. There is plenty of cute, sweetness and fun hijinks among the angst. I enjoyed the new relationships Andie establishes and the grandmothers were a hoot! The only thing that bothered me (SPOILER!!) is Andie's father...I am all for forgiveness, but I wish Andie would have voiced very LOUDLY how her dad abandoned her. The fact that he now is coming back into her life with a girlfriend who has a child and he can play daddy to just irked me beyond belief. Andie had too many conversations in her head about her feelings and not enough of letting go of her emotions to her father. Yeah, he had reasons, but...grrr! I wish there was more groveling on his part with true understanding of the damage he did. I think the situation was tidied up to cleanly to feel real.

3.5 stars

Emma Lord does it again!!! I absolutely loved the previous two YA books I snagged by her and I think this one may be my new favorite. Although, as my friend's hubby pointed out to me the title Tweet Cute is unbeatable- I tend to agree.

Begin Again kicks off with Andie finally making it to the college of her dreams, Blue Ridge State after spending her first semester at her local community college. Described as a hyper competitive environment, Andie knows she needs to hit the ground running to make friends and find her place in the school both of her parents attended.

Content Warning: I should warn you, this book covers in depth Andie grief over the loss of her mom. I think Lord did a wonderful job covering the topic with sensitivity and I enjoyed the ways Andie attempted to follow in her mom's footsteps to feel closer to her.

Things go awry when Andie gets there only to discover her boyfriend has transferred back to their community college to be with her. Their grand gestures have royally backfired and I'm here for it!

Andie's got a moody, sleep-deprived male RA, and a supportive roommate. As Andie seeks to collect ribbons to be part of secret societies, she finds herself making her own way and loving college in ways she never anticipated.

I read this and instantly wanted to go out dancing with my college friends. This book created a great deal of nostalgia for me and reminded me so much of many fond memories I have from my college days! Sigh, I really do miss college! Definitely recommend picking this one up!

I loved this story of Andie. Struggled with the grief of the loss of her mom she finally gets to attend college where her mom found her way. She’s so excited to see her boyfriend only to find out he transferred away. Knowing she needs to fix things, Andie works to put things back together willing things to go her way.

Andie was such a fun character that really came into her own. I loved watch her realize what’s important in life and that she doesn’t need to fix anything. Emma Lord is the queen of YA and I will forever read anything she writes!

I love all of Emma Lord's book and this one was no exception. They are always such a joy to read. What makes this book are the characters. You can' t help forming a connection with them and really rooting for them. One of the best parts of the book was the character development. Watching Andie grow was very nice. The book was heartfelt and genuine and I loved it. Definitely recommend this one.

This was such a sweet book. Emma Lord knows how to write complicated relationships and emotions so well. I loved that this was set in college. I think we need more YA like that. Andie was an interesting character and I really enjoyed her journey. I also audibly gasped at about 70% in (iykyk) so this was either fabulous or I’m dumb, possibly both. But I highly recommend reading this one when it comes out.

I had a hard time getting into this one and ultimately DNF it. I don’t typically read YA so it could definitely just be me not being accustomed to the genre but I found myself not really interested in what was happening with the characters. The writing itself was solid; I just couldn’t get into the plot.

Emma Lord hits it out of the park again, readers! If I didn't know it by now, she is definitely an auto-buy author AND one of my favorite YA contemporary authors of all time.

THE PLOT:

Andie transfers to Blue Ridge, her college of choice all along, and decides to surprise her boyfriend who is currently a student there only to find out he's transferred to her old college hoping to do the same. Now at different colleges, Andie must reevaluate and focus while doing the long-distance thing with Conner. Shay, her dormmate is a bookstagrammer (a girl dear to my heart!) and has had trouble choosing a major, and Milo, the coffee-addict RA (resident advisor) becomes her close friends. In the midst of this upheaval, Andie has to balance the loss of her mother and her estranged father and his new life.

THE CHARACTERS:

Andie was instantly likable and I connected with her straight away. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her mother but soon realizes she must pave her own way. Shay and her bookstagram stole my heart. Milo was definitely Jessie Bradford from Bring it On in my head and nobody can change my mind. He's a grump (me) with a penchant for coffee (also me). I could not have asked for a better romantic interest.

THE STRENGTHS:

The romance was definitely one of this book's strengths. It's a slow burn and it's sweet as pie.

The writing was also descriptive and clear, and there were no plot holes to be seen.

THE WEAKNESS:

I don't know if you could call this a weakness, but I did see the major plot twists/points ahead of time. The thing is, it didn't take away from the experience. I loved every moment of reading this book.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

This is my favorite Emma Lord book so far. I cannot wait to own a copy for myself.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-galley.

Begin Again, by Emma Lord, is a cute YA novel. The characters are easy to connect with and the story flows from situation to situation. It is about relationships and dreams, set mostly on and around a college campus. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Lord does it again. This may quite possibly be my favorite novel of hers. I adored the characters, and it was such a fun light read.

What started as a sweet read that I would pick up every once in a while turned into something I couldn’t put down.

Andie is attending a new college mid-semester, wanting to surprise her boyfriend. This is where her deceased mom went to school as well, so getting to go here is doubly exciting for her.

What follows next is a fun ride with new friends and a discovery of who Andie is and what she wants.

At first, I was worried that this book would be too “sappy sweet” for me, but as the book progressed, and Andie, too, it became more mature. I loved Andie, her RA Milo, and her Dad. Honestly, though, I think the author could have had something with the grandmothers. Maybe another book featuring them?

Definitely a great, uplifting read.

I needed this book in college. What a wonderful depiction of the balance between new and old friendships during such a coming of age time. Learning what parts of you you want to hold on to, and what new parts to explore. The emotional depth felt like I was right in the middle of the turmoil all over again. A beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to begin again. **My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was another great YA novel from Emma Lord! I would definitely recommend checking it out!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley & St Martins Press for the e-copy of Begin Again. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me. I made it to almost 40%, but I had to put it down. I was very bored and it was not holding my interest.

Begin Again by Emma Lord is the book for you if you like:
💜 Sweet YA contemporary romance/women’s fiction
💜 Books filled with self-discovery, growth, and healing
💜 Ride or die friends who support each other and learn together
💜 College stories that include, but are not limited to, excessive bagel consumption, pirate radio, and secret societies
Overall, this book was a wonderful read filled with heart and friendship that I enjoyed.
(Note: does contain language).

Emma Lord just writes fun and the sweetest stories! The friend group is everything and the semi grumpy/sunshine trope just makes you smile with every interaction. I truly did not even see the little twist coming, I loved everything about this.

This was cute, sweet, and angsty. It perfectly captured the excitement and anxiety of going away to college for the first time. I was a fan of the love story, really enjoyed all the quirky friends, but still felt like this one dragged on.

So, I have to start by owning up to confusing this with another book. I was in the mood for something light and happy. I remember seeing a picture of a book on Instagram that someone had called “liquid sunshine” or something like that and I thought it was this book. Now I’m realizing it was most likely You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum. So, that’s my fault. And if that affected my enjoyment of this book then I feel guilty for that. I always enjoy Emma Lord’s books. I enjoyed this one too but it was a lot heavier than I was in the mood for.

Andie has always dreamed of going to a particular college. It’s where her parents met and fell in love.
Her mom actually started a secret society on campus that’s continued ever since.
Andie lost her mom when she was only 11 and she has always dreamed of going to her college and getting into her secret society.

It takes her till her second semester of freshman year but she finally gets in. As an added bonus, her boyfriend goes to college there too. Their long distance relationship is about to end because they’ll be reunited.
But when she shows up, her boyfriend isn’t there. He actually transferred to Andie’s college. He planned to surprise her. And of course, she had planned to surprise him by showing up at his college.
So, now they are back to square one.

Andie is turning his mission into the top priority in her life and her grades are massively suffering and she has no time to go home to see her boyfriend.

Being away from her boyfriend and her family really forces Andie to reevaluate what she wants for herself.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

This was such a fun YA coming of age just starting college type story! It's full of those funny college experiences and completely heartfelt! I like the side characters - they're fun and quirky. There was some depth to the story I wasn't expecting and I truly enjoyed reading this!! I need to go read Emma's backlist now!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the review copy!