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!

I adored this. I don’t read much YA contemporary anymore because I’m just no longer the audience, but Emma Lord are something magical. This is a beautiful, poignant, sweet, hilarious, fun, and tear-inducing coming-of-age story about very little going according to plan, yet ending up exactly where you’re meant to be.

This definitely made me nostalgic for my own college days, the newfound freedom, trying new things, making new friends, finding yourself, and living in the moment while planning for the rest of your life. The way this book portrays first love and first heartbreak, Andie’s efforts to live up to her mother’s legacy, and her hesitation to mend her relationship with her father brought all the tears. But there were plenty of things to smile and laugh about as well!

And the found family! Andie’s friends had such cool hobbies and interests (ahem, bookstagram and writing fantasy). And I absolutely swooned for the very slow building romance (note: while the romance is adorable, I would not classify Begin Again in the romance genre).

This is very much an Emma Lord book, meaning if you’ve loved her books in the past, you will love this, but if her previous books were not for you, this will probably not be for you either. But I am here for the frosting and sparkles and bagels and pop culture references and headstrong, naive characters who learn from their mistakes!

The Taylor Swift song of the same name played on repeat in my head while reading/listening to Begin Again - especially since there were plenty of TSwift references!
In Begin Again, Andie is the girl with a Plan. Yes, that is capitalized for a reason. Planning and fixing are her two favorite things to do, so it makes sense she’s going to major in Psychology. When she doesn’t get into her 1st choice college (but her high school boyfriend does), she goes to the local community college and re-applies to the school as a transfer, getting admitted mid-year. When she arrives, she knows exactly how she’s going to befriend her peers and surprise Connor. But as soon as she arrives on campus, there are a number of things that don’t work out as expected.
I loved following Andie’s trajectory. I thought it was entirely relatable, not just for YA readers but for adults, too. I think everyone has to Begin Again multiple times in their lives - moving, new jobs, meeting new people, etc. I also loved the end result of the ribbon scavenger hunt. I did guess the main conflict pretty early on, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book (and it made me feel super smart!)
I will be recommending this one to my high school students and making sure our school library has a physical copy. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Looking back, Emma Lord’s When You Get the Chance was one of my top YA reads for 2022, so I’m not surprised this one is already in the running for 2023. I need to read Tweet Cute to finish her backlist - I’m committing to doing that this year!

Emma Lord is back with another cute YA contemporary romance! I flew through this one and stayed up way too late to finish it. I have read all of Emma Lord's books, and this one might be my favorite one yet!

Andie transfers to Blue Ridge State midway through her freshman year to surprise her boyfriend. Except when she gets there she finds out that her boyfriend has actually transferred to Andie's old school to surprise her. So now Andie is all alone in a new college, where she finds herself surrounded by a new group of friends, a chance to figure out who she is and what she really wants for herself, and maybe even a new love interest as well!

While a lot of YA books focus on high school, this one felt fresh and interesting with the focus on the first year of college. I thought the characters in this story were so lovable and adorable. I loved Milo, and Andie's friend group was just the best. I know as a 42 year old that I am way older than the target audience, but I still found this story to be relatable and engaging. Warm, cozy, charming and sweet are the adjectives that come to mind! I liked this one a lot!

Starting over, campus romance, set in my home state, written by a trusted author? Yes, please and thank you! Meet Andie Rose. She’s an unheard of mid-year transfer student to her dream university. She’s got a long term plan, big dreams. But first she’s got to locate her longtime boyfriend on campus and surprise him. There’s just one problem, he’s transferred to her school! While this sounds romantic as we get to know more about their relationship dynamic…maybe not. Enter a spoiler in Andie’s RA. While she feels torn in her feelings he serves more as a mirror for Andie to examine her existing relationships.
This is my favorite Emma Lord book. The book is set at a fictional university in Virginia, where I’m originally from. The school shares similarities to several Virginia universities, a mashup. It was such a fun read with all the Easter eggs, like a trip home. It made me very hungry for my all time favorite bagel shop! The secret societies was very on-brand, but I loved how the author took a different twist on membership! I was rooting for Andie from the start and loved her arc. I felt her growth was so satisfying. She gets self determination and romance, she finds her own path.
I recommend for fans of Emma Lord’s previous books, YA campus settings, LGBTQ inclusion, and feel good romance.
Thank you to Wednesday Books, Emma Lord, and Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

Liked it, it had good characters and I liked the nod too Bookstagraming. I liked the characters and how the main character gor them all to come together. She had a fix it attitude and I liked that about her.

The pacing did slow down sometimes for me but I still liked the message of the story. This seemed like it was in between young adult and new adult. I wasn't able to tell where the setting took place state wise or if it was a four year college or two. It's not a huge deal but it was a consistent question I had wondered. I had assumed it was a four year college because of being transferred and then the dorm lives.

It still was an interesting plot and I did like the ending. I did see the love triangle storyline coming though, that was a big easy to spot for me early on.

All in all it was a good cute read, definitely would be helpful for any high school student to read because I liked all the choices and thoughts main character had for trying to come up with majors for her roommate.

This is the first book from Lord I have not throughly enjoyed. Despite the college setting, Andie seemed immature and more focused on everyone else, except herself. I also disliked some of the romantic aspects, but won't reveal more to save spoilers. I found the friendships and minor characters engaging, so it was not a complete miss. I remain a fan of Lord and hope her next book is more inline with my tastes.

I love Emma Lord's books so much, and this was no exception. Andie transfers to her dream college halfway through her freshman year. However, nothing goes according to plan. Her boyfriend has left and returned to the hometown community college she transferred from. And she's struggling to keep all of her academic, work, and social obligations balanced.

This book feels so relatable. I may be an adult, but there was so much in this that I needed to read. I found myself nodding and highlighting and going back to re-read portions. We get wisdom from a number of the characters Andie interacts with, as she tries to determine her own path forward.

It made me so nostalgic for the college experience. From the campus grounds to the off-campus food, college radio station, and trivia nights, it was such fun to read. I especially enjoyed the mini subplot about writing and Andie's bookstagrammer roommate.

This book had the perfect balance of light and heavy and was beautifully written.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

Emma Lord and I have a special relationship. It's like she sees me, she gets me, she channels what interests me into her stories. Every time I pick up one of her books, my heart is filled to the brim with love. Okay, I'm not delusional. I know we don't actually have a special relationship, but I definitely connect with her stories in a remarkable way; one that stands out to me amongst the many books I read.

For her latest release, Begin Again, I'll be honest, I didn't read the synopsis. I don't really care what it is about, if her name is on the cover, I'm picking it up. I went into this blind and was absolutely delighted with how this story began to unfold. Something completely wild happens in our protagonist's life right off the bat. I was shocked and laughed, is this what this book is about?

This story follows Andie, who is navigating her first year post-high school. After spending her first semester at a local community college, remaining at home with her grandmothers, Andie has recently transferred to the college of her dreams. Blue Ridge State is 2-hours from Andie's home and once she is there, she quickly realizes that she is on her own for the very first time. Honestly, the wide-open freedom is jarring and a bit overwhelming.

Andie is a girl who always has a plan and right from the start her plans for her time at Blue Ridge don't go as she anticipated. Her long-term boyfriend, Connor, who attended Blue Ridge first semester actually transferred to Andie's old community college to surprise her. She transferred to Blue Ridge with the hopes of surprising him. Huge whoopsie!

That enormous flub really sets the stage for Andie's first term. She's sort of thrown for a loop, but she isn't someone who gives in easily. She slowly starts to build her own life; establish her independence. Andie finds a group of friends, passions to pursue and a boy who is super kind and shares her interests. Blue Ridge is beginning to feel like home.

Life isn't always smooth sailing though, as we all know and before too long the stress-monster is rearing his ugly head. Connor is trying to maintain his presence in Andie's life and she has mixed feelings about the status of their relationship. Then some startling secrets are revealed and of course, there's some family drama happening that Andie can no longer ignore.

It's a lot for her to try to navigate successfully. She's sort of torn between the person she was and the person she has the potential to become. I became super invested in Andie's life and all the issues swirling around her.

This story is set in that pivotal time of life when you are transitioning from high school, living with your family, to adulthood, living on your own. It's that sweet spot where the building blocks of your future really begin to solidify.

Andie had some trauma in her family. She lost her mother when she was younger and her father skipped out a bit after that. It was a very impactful experience in her life. As you would expect, Andie brings that into college with her. Her relationship with her father is still strained, even though he is making an effort, she's not entirely sure she's ready to forgive him just yet.

I love how Lord's stories always include the complexity of family life. Families are just that, they're complicated. Even the ones that appear perfect, there's always something there; some issue or issues that can be explored. Andie being on her own for the first time was also so compelling. She was on quite a journey of self-discovery, even if she was the last one to realize it.

Emma Lord brings so much love to her stories. You can tell she writes with care. She cares about her characters and how the issues are presented. While the stories overall have a feel-good tone, there are always deeper meanings and connections to be made.

I connected particularly well with this story. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but I developed such empathy for Andie. Additionally, the friend group, the found family feel, really touched me and the ending was completely satisfying.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. While I figured I would love this story, I had no idea how much I would LOVE this story. I cannot wait to see what Emma Lord gifts us with next!!

Begin Again is a completely enjoyable, breath of fresh air in the Young Adult genre. The way Emma Lord crafted Andie's journey and the challenges she faced when her "Plan A" went out the window, reminds all that while life isn't always perfect there is always another way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this book.

Begin Again was a sweet, slow moving, coming of age (yet in college) young adult novel. For those of you who want to know the heat level in the romance, this was definitely on the tepid side. It really was more a self-discovery novel with a side of romance. I enjoyed the pace and all of the diverse characters. If you’re in the mood for a slow moving story that is heavy on the sweet, this might be the book for you!

I really liked this book! It has great characters, a cute story and is a quick feel-good read. After reading this book I added more Emma Lord books to my to-be-read list!

I liked reading Andie Roses plan and then seeing how much different real life turns out to be. There is a twist in the middle with her boyfriend that I didn't see coming, but changes the storyline for the better in so many ways!

This book is such a fun rom-com and definitely worth the read. I hope they make a movie out of this book because I would definitely watch it!

This is the third book I read by Emma Lord and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed Begin Again - it was the perfect first read of the year. I really appreciate how each of her books takes on a different topic while making the characters really relatable. I feel for the characters in this book and would love to see a sequel to know more of what happens with Andie and Milo as they continue to grow together. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC.

I was providing both the audio and digital arc of this book via Netgalley. Thank you to Macmillan Young Listeners and Wednesday Books for allowing me the chance to review this book. As always all opinions are my own. I swapped back and forth between the print and audio version of the book and enjoyed both.

Georgina Sadler did a great job with the narration. She gave each character their own voice, which I always appreciate in a book with lots of characters. Andie has a semi-large friend group here and the narrator does a good job making sure they each have a distinct accent or voice so you know who is speaking during dialogue.

Despite this being set in a college environment this is very much a coming of age story. I'll admit I struggled in the beginning with the immaturity of the characters, then I remembered they are freshman in college and thought back to my freshman year and realized I was being a bit harsh with my expectations. The characters were doing exactly what 18-20 years old college students do in college. They are discovering new friends, figuring out life, and discovering who they are and who they want to be. I actually think the author did a good job making the characters relatable to a younger audience.

This follows Andie as she begins her second semester of college. She has recently from community college to Blue Ridge, which happens to be the place where her parents went. She has big plans, and wants to learn more about her mom as she participates in activities her mom founded when she went to school there. Andie wants to be a self-help guru, and her psychology major and natural tendency to fix everyone's problems seem to be a good fit for her plans. Andie does admit that she's a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to dealing with her own problems as she'd rather help others fix their issues than deal with her own. I felt that her 'fixer' tendencies were a bit over the top at times, but it is critical to her character growth arc and she has to stumble a few times along the way until she finds her own path. I loved the side characters and felt they were well developed. I really enjoyed getting to know Andie's friend group who become her found family. They aren't afraid to tell her what she needs to hear, even when she doesn't want to hear it. I really appreciated seeing them all grow and find their way. I was initially worried that Andie was making all of her choices for the wrong reasons, but I was pleasantly surprised as she slowly started to come out of her shell and started to do things for herself not for the shoes she was trying to fill.

This was a really cute YA coming of age with a little romance and a little comedy. I think this will be perfect for a younger audience as it addresses a lot of topics teens and college age students face.

I will read absolutely anything Emma Lord writes, and this may be my favorite yet. This is a coming of age story about Andi. Its about her friendships and relationships and finding herself. And of course there is a cute, grumpy R.A. involved so that makes it even more fun to read. I loved Andi and Milo both and absolutely loved their slow burn romance. This was a great read.

4 1/2 stars

A new Emma Lord book....I'm there. Her young adult romances are fresh and sweet with original storylines. Begin Again was another fun addition to her book collection.

Main character, Andie Rose is always looking to help "fix" things and people. When she arrives at Blue Ridge State after being delayed a semester, she is looking forward to surprising her boyfriend. Except the surprise is on her when she finds out he's transferred out of BRS and back to the community college in their hometown. With all her carefully made plans thrown in a tailspin, Andie has to rebuild her plan. Fortunately, she makes friends easily and is quickly pulled into the "fold" at the college with many different friends. However, she has a close knit friend group that functions somewhat like a family.

Andie's initial goal for being at Blue Ridge State was to follow in the footsteps of her beloved mother who passed away years ago. The sentimentality she feels has her chasing things that might have been her mother's dreams but may or may not truly be Andie's. It's a long road of discovery for her to find out who she really is when there are other people putting their own expectations on her, like her boyfriend, Connor. In addition, it's made even tougher when Andie puts tough expectations on herself to be "everything" to everyone. She's setting herself up for failure on all fronts. Fortunately, she has good friends and a dreamy RA/friend named Milo to help her work through it all. This truly is a lovely book of self discovery, coming to terms with loss and deciding how to move forward.

AUDIOBOOK: In addition to reading the ebook, I also received an early release of the audiobook. The narration was spot on and really helped me to immerse myself in the storyline. Andie is a complex character and the narrator captures her emotions well. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I voluntarily chose to read and listen to each of these and review them. The opinions contained within are my own.

I quite liked Begin Again. Andie Rose was a likeable lead for this sweet friends-to-lovers story. She has dreamed of attending the college where her mom went and started a pirate radio show for most of her life, and she can't wait to join her boyfriend Connor there when she transfers in at mid-year. They have been having a tough time with the long distance thing, and she is certain that everything will be perfect again once she shows up on his doorstep to surprise him. Unfortunately, Connor has done the same thing - transferred mid-year to the community college that Andie had been attending.

Andie has her life planned down to the minute, it seems, and Connor's transfer is the beginning of the unraveling of all of her plans... Will she be able to get things back on track? Will she roll with the punches and shift to a new set of plans? And what's with her RA Milo's seafoam green eyes? He seems to be everywhere.

The personal development of the characters, along with their back stories, help to make Andie and her friends engaging and interesting. I wanted to know what would happen between them, how things would turn out, whether Andie would stay rigidly devoted to her life goals or be flexible and allow for modifications on the way.

A story of love and starting over, Begin Again is a satisfying, lovely read. I would read it again, and I would absolutely recommend it to others.

*I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this story of Andie's start at her dream college and the learning more about herself and her dreams. Emma Lord writes characters and relatable situations which draws the reader in right from the start! Reading this story, brought me back to my first year at college and the complexities that came with it. Andie's friends throughout this story as those that you want rooting for and supporting each other! This book was such a heartwarming read! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

It’s only the first day of school, and Andie Rose’s perfectly curated plan has already gone awry.

In Emma Lord’s “Begin Again,” Andie transfers from her local community college to the uber-competitive Blue Ridge State — her dream school that happens to be the same school her boyfriend, Connor, attends — only to find out Connor has transferred to her community college. Her bookish roommate, Shay, needs a to declare a major and Andie needs help passing statistics. To top it all off, Andie finds herself in a unique position giving people advice on her school’s pirate radio show — the same one her mother founded when she went to Blue Ridge.

Then there’s Milo, Andie’s overly-exhausted and over-caffeinated resident advisor, who throws her for a loop. As Andie deals with her strained relationship with Connor, her and Milo’s friendship continues to grow; they bond over the loss of a parent and their love for bagels. Both Milo and Andie are extremely family-oriented: Milo’s siblings make frequent appearances, as do Andie’s two grandmothers who raised her, which allows for the perfect balance of platonic and romantic relationships needed in a YA novel.


With a long-distance relationship hanging by a thread, a new job and advice to give, Andie learns that her usual fix-it attitude can’t fix everything in her new life at college.

“Begin Again” is a delightful and comforting read. As her fourth YA novel, Lord’s writing is consistently heartfelt and filled with delicious descriptions of food. This is her first novel to focus on college-aged characters, which is refreshing, if not relatable to everyone. Lord delicately discusses college finances and the issues surrounding financial aid that the characters confront. Milo’s passion for the lack of work-study jobs available to students at Blue Ridge is admirable. Though it’s a fictional university, Blue Ridge’s situation certainly reflects the struggling state of financial aid programs at schools across the country.

The characters in “Begin Again” are charming, especially Andie and Milo, who go through their own self-growth journeys. As a first-year transfer student at a super competitive state school, Andie feels inadequate compared to her peers, something many college students can relate to since feelings of insecurity and imposter syndrome are common in college students. Andie faces the same struggle of paying the high costs of college tuition that most students encounter, while also balancing an overwhelming academic workload with working at the local bagel shop like many working-class college students.

Fans of NPR and podcasts will appreciate the radio show aspect of “Begin Again.” The secret show on campus called “The Knights’ Watch” is where students get all the dirt on Blue Ridge. Andie faces anonymity and early mornings as the show’s “Squire” doing what she does best: helping people with their problems (while simultaneously ignoring her own). As she grapples with her mother’s legacy on the show, Andie creates a legacy for herself by creating the life she always wanted, with the support of her family and new friends at college.

Andie’s college experience won’t be everyone’s experience, but it’s still entertaining to read. With a slow-burn romance, a lovable friend group and an overarching theme of starting over woven throughout the story, “Begin Again” is the perfect book to read in the new year.

I've loved Emma Lord's books in the past and was thrilled when I got the chance to read this ARC. Unfortunately, I don't think this one was for me. I had a hard time taking the whole ribbon hunt seriously, and we spend so much time inside of Andie's head that all of the plot "twists" were shockingly predictable. Every time a question arose in the story about something, I guessed with complete accuracy the answer several chapters before that answer came to fruition. It made for a very boring read. The book fell into tired tropes, which left me taken aback. Emma Lord's books are anything but run-of-the-mill, yet that's exactly what this book was. Had her name not been on the cover, I wouldn't have known she'd written it.

Some of the writing definitely sparkled; the comic moments made me smile and even chuckle at times, and Emma Lord does a fantastic job of getting to the heart of her characters. She'll always get five stars from me on that part of her writing, but for this book overall I can't give her more than three.