Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Emma Lord wins again with another great YA coming of age novel. In this book, Andie finally gets her chance to join boyfriend Conner at Blue Ridge State, her parents alma mater. Only to hear that Conner transferred back home to the community college that Andie was attending. While following her mother’s footsteps in provider advice over the campus airwaves, she makes a life on campus searching for the ribbons that would determine the secret society she will spend her college life being a member.

Her RA Milo and roommate Shay are there to help Andie along the way. The book gave me a Pitch Perfect vibe, less the singing. It was an enjoyable read and audiobook. It’s a slow burn of young adult romance, but great story of forgiveness of a parent and seeing the great things right in front of you.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #beginagain #emmalord #smpinfluencers

Begin Again
Author: Emma Lord

eARC & Book Review
Pub Date: January 24, 2023

Andie Rose has a plan. In an effort to surprise her boyfriend, she transfers to Blue Ridge State to be closer to him. BRS is a super competitive, rigorous college where she plans to major in psychology.

Only problem? She gets to campus, moves in, and finds out Connor has also transferred! Right back to the local community college that Andie had been attending. Being the go-getter that she is, Andie decides to stick it out at Blue Ridge State, no matter if Connor is there or not.

At Blue Ridge, she’s roommates with bookstagrammer Shay, a girl who is struggling to decide on a major. But that’s okay! Andie has got a plan to help her decide on one. Her RA, Milo, is a coffee fiend who really could use the break from caffeine. But that’s also okay! Andie has got a plan to wean him off of it. Known as The Fixer, Andie is determined to help her friends out, and, in the process, maybe learn that not all matters can and should be fixed.
Things with Connor are rocky, Milo is disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships, and it seems Shay may never find a major.

On campus though, Andie begins to find her voice, becoming “The Squire” on the pirate radio station her deceased mother founded when she was a student at BRS. As she begins to give anonymous advice to her peers, Andie comes to realize that sometimes things aren’t going to go to plan, but it may be for the best that way.
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This is an adorable, heartwarming, Just Kiss Already! YA novel that is all about finding your voice, new beginnings, and having friends that are practically family.

I really connected with the novel on some aspects. The moving off to college, being in a long distance relationship as a freshman, and having to make all new friends really hit home for me. Much like Andie, freshman year was a time to really evaluate the people in my life (like the boyfriend lol).

Begin Again was an easy read that also featured really impactful and sweet moments that had me not wanting to put it down. It was a romance that featured so much more than romance. Andie’s story had love and loss, friendships and family — all aspects that will have you reflecting on your own life and college years. As my sister heads off to college this fall, I might just have to have her read this book when it releases!

The one small thing that put me off was Andie’s continued use of food-related “swear” words. It was okay at first, but the more they were used, the older and more childish it got. I understand that it was supposed to be funny, but it just wasn’t for me! Other than that, this book was great!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I found this book to be a cute pleasing read. The pacing I felt sometime dragged a little too long for the plot but over all I was left with a good feeling after completing. The realness of the emotions and fun activities of the book pulled you in. I wanted to experience college in this way! This felt a breath of fresh air compared to other books with college as the main setting. I'm happy we got the see not just the main characters growth but also her found families growth as well. This author does a great job of conveying emotion and personal growth with a strong dash of inspiring thoughts. Which is a great component for YA. I'm thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy!

Once again Emma Lord writes yet another YA novel that I love. In fact, next to Tweet Cute, this might be one of my favorites that she's written so far. Maybe it's the college setting, but this one had the romance and banter and tension between Andie and Milo. Maybe I just really love bagels (it hurts my soul none of the restaurants she comes up with are real). But either way, the story of Andie working to find her own path while dealing with the loss of her mother and all the typical challenges of being a college student really resonated with me. 10/10 would always recommend.

I remember reading this authors very first book and loving it so I was very excited for this arc from netgalley and Wednesday books.

Andie transfers schools to be with her boyfriend and follow in her mom’s footsteps at the college but it doesn’t exactly go as planned.

I expected hilarity but this book actually hit me in my feels. Overall I thought Begin Again was filled with big emotions and serious topics that I didn’t expect going in. I ended up crying over the parts where Andie was talking with her dad. I adored Milo from the first introductions and I loved the supporting characters so much.

A great read that left me feeling delightfully happy at the end.

Goodness, these book definitely made me more emotional than I expected.

As I’ve come to realize from this author I can always expect to finish the book with a smile on my face, even if it caused me some heartache along the way.

Even though this is a YA book, most of the characters are in their 1st and 2nd years of college.

This book is so much about self discovery and realizations that the things you always told your self would happen, don’t alway happen. I loved the connection of the title to the characters, it is perfection.

This book has a lot to unpack and touches on the grief of losing a parent. The writing in this book was so good, the amount of anxiety it gave me in regards to the exams -whew!

Overall an excellent YA read!

A coming-of-age YA book about starting over, grief and forging a new path.
🎧
Andie Rose has it all planned out: she was accepted as a mid-year transfer freshman to her dream university and is ready to surprise her childhood sweetheart who already goes to Blue Ridge State, but when she gets there it turns out he transferred to community college to be closer to her. Now Andie is stuck riding out the semester without her boyfriend at her side. What happens next has her coming into her own while making new friends, chasing after her mom’s legacy as a favored alum, working at a bagel place and helping out at the campus’s underground pirate radio station her mom created. Andie struggles to keep her new life afloat while also holding on to her old life back home.
🎧
I simply adored Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute and You Have a Match, but was disappointed in When You Get A Chance. My hopes were high for this one: I liked it, but didn’t love it. It definitely falls into the new adult category for the age of the characters, but is written as a YA book and honestly I didn’t even start to care about the main character until mid-way through. I loved the representation of lgbtq & BIPOC characters, but the romance was a bit lacking for me. It had a lot of plot lines going on as well. For me it feels like Lord is focusing more on trauma, loss and parental relationships than the romance aspect in her last two titles so if that’s your thing, you’ll really enjoy this one. Great audiobook though through Netgalley! It’s a 3.5 ⭐️ for me and releases January 24.

CW: grief, death of a parent (off page), cancer, parental abandonment, cheating, alcohol

It's become a tradition to start the year with an Emma Lord book. I didn't love this one quite as much as all the others, but it was a good read! I liked the concept of chasing ribbons and the "Knight" radio station. I also liked both Andie and Milo and their dynamic.

I just wasn't that impressed with Begin Again:( I was really excited for it since I love Lord's Tweet Cute so much, but it kind of fell short for me.

- The plot was kind of all over the place, and I was never sure what I was supposed to expect to happen next.
- Andie was quite irritating. She was so avoidant of her own problems that it started to really irk me. She had no business being in other people's business, and she knew and recognized this yet did nothing to stop.
- There was zero chemistry between Milo and Andie. Absolutely none. The whole time I wanted Andie to reconnect with Connor because he at least seemed interested in her and her wellbeing. Ugh.

However,, even with those negatives, I was cracking up the entire read! Lord is a master at hilarious one-liners!

Emma Lord is wriggling her way to the top of my must read authors list. She has the ability to capture a readers heart as soon as she puts words to paper.
The characters are relatable - being able to imagine myself as a main character in a contemporary novel is a must for me, and Andie was that kids of character for me. I was with her every step of the way. Milo is sleep deprived and groggy most of the time - I can definitely relate to that. The friendship that forms between Andie and Milo is honest and so natural. I’m having trouble putting my thoughts into words.
Shay and Val are great side characters. Their friendship with Milo and Andie is so much fun. These people are everything that you could want in a close group of friends.
The story offers a amount of conflict as well - from long distance relationships, the loss of a family member to death, betrayal and absence. The topics were handled with caution and realistically - no magical fixes.
This a great story for anyone who has lost someone, is away from home, or just needs a warm hug. I loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me the opportunity to read a digital arc of this book. The opinions expressed are my own honest opinions.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Emma Lord, and the publisher of this book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Andie Rose has finally been able to transfer over to Blue Ridge State from her community college. She will be able to join her boyfriend and collect these mysterious ribbons that her mom always talked about before she passed away. Things get rocky though when she finds out her boyfriend Connor transferred to the community college that she was attending. Andie tries to make the best of it though as she tries to help her roommate Shay find a major and help her R.A. Milo not be so addicted to coffee!
Something else Andie loves is giving advice and helping others, so when she finds herself as the anonymous Squire on the school's pirate themed show giving advice. This is the same show that her mom founded when she was at Blue Ridge State.
Will Andie be able to work though not being with her boyfriend and feel confident in her gift of giving advice? Will her friendship with Milo develop to more than just friends? Will she be able to help Shay find a major?

This book was cute and I absolutely LOVED it. It is my favorite Emma Lord book so far! Andie, Milo, and Shay are such loveable and relatable characters. I look forward to buying a copy for my bookshelf.

I LOVE

An Emma Lord book never fails to deliver on charming characters with incredible journeys of personal growth. Begin Again is no exception.

“Like— getting a new start doesn’t mean you have to wipe the slate clean. Just pick up the pieces. Begin again.”

WHAT I LOVED:
- College setting. This school just seemed so cool, from the different buildings/areas to the traditions they have.
- Both MCs. Andie was such a great characters. Even though I didn't relate much to her, I so appreciated her personal journey/growth. And Milo. Oh, sweet Milo. Loved him to bits.
- Great set of side characters. Found family 🧡
- Trivia nights
- Scavenger/ribbon hunts.
- Big League Burger milkshakes (IYKYK 😉)

I definitely recommend adding this sweet coming-of-age story to your list.

Another great read from Emma Lord! The book starts with an epic miscommunication between Andie & Connor that led them each to transfer to each other's previous college. The start the semester with plans to reunite the following fall, but as the weeks go by, new relationships develop, friendships grow, and betrayals come to light.

While this does not supplant Tweet Cute as my favorite novel by this author, this is a close second! This is a fun and engaging New Adult read that many will be able to connect with.

I very much enjoyed this book. It had a unique story with a twist I honestly only saw half of it coming. It had true Emma Lord charm. I enjoyed the use of the epilogue showing where the characters are now. I liked the close look at goals and dreams and how they can change and take on different shapes as time goes on.

My first read of 2023 and it surprised me in the best of ways.

Begin Again by Emma Lord is a total delight. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, it’s romantic. This book made me abandon my heavier read for the last couple of days because I just wanted to spend time with Andie, Milo, Shay, and Valeria.

Andie is a wonderful protagonist.
Milo is a book boyfriend for the ages.
Shay and Valeria are the friends you dream of meeting when you go to university/college.
Sassy grandmas make an appearance and add so much charm. (Add them to our list @hsumanityreads @a.uniquely.portable.magic)

Amidst all the fun, this book does what great YA should do. It tackles the things that make being a young adult so difficult, confusing, daunting, and scary. Begin Again addresses loss of a parent, academic stress, long distance relationships, strained family relationships, etc.

I really loved every second I spent reading this book. I can’t wait to add a copy to my classroom library.

*I’d be shocked if someone doesn’t jump on the rights to make a movie because it would be an excellent teen romcom.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the e-arc and @macmillan.audio for the alc, both through @netgalley - I started by alternating between the two but I preferred the print for this one and eventually stuck with that!

#bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #recommended #recommendedreading #emmalord #beginagain #arc #stmartinspress #yabooks #yacontemporary #yafictionlover #netgalley

Well, this was a cute book! It did take me a little bit to fully connect to the characters and the story, but once I did, I thought it was really great. Andie reminded me of a young Leslie Knope and I kind of loved it. I did get a little frustrated with her meddling at times, BUT I understood why she did it so much. I loved her found family with Milo, Shay and Valeria. They were such a great group of friends who supported each other, but also held each other accountable. Milo specifically was just perfect. I loved him so much. I also like how the book dealt with grief and resentment with family members. The look at college life was really interesting as well. There was a twist that I definitely should have seen coming, but I didn’t and it was a good one! I legitimately gasped. The ending was really well done, wrapping up everything nicely, but not too cheesy. Overall, this was a fun and sweet YA/new adult read and I really liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Andie Rose always has a plan. Her current plan involves transferring from her local community college to her dream school, Blue Ridge State, to surprise her boyfriend who is attending there. But, when she arrives, her plans start to fall apart. After befriending her roommate, her tutor, and her cute RA, she realizes her plans falling apart could be the opportunity she needs to begin again.

This was my first book by Emma Lord, but her other books have been on my TBR forever. I’m not sure how this compares to her other books but I enjoyed it. The friend group and interactions reminded me a bit of The Sex Lives of College Girls (but definitely not on the same level of spiciness), which I love. The magic of college and the friendships you can make there came across so strongly through Emma Lord’s writing in this novel. Milo is one of my favorite book boyfriends now, I mean he has dark curly hair and green eyes so how could you not love him? I also loved all of the side characters, especially Andie’s badass grandmas. There were a lot of different stories going on at once in this book but they meshed fairly well together. Some of the logistics for some of the storylines were a bit muddled to me and I felt like some things wrapped up too easily. YA can be hit or miss for me, but overall I liked this one.

CW: parental death, grief, abandonment, infidelity

Begin Again was a cozy, fantastic book I could not put down! I’ve been getting more into YA lately & this book is an amazing piece to add to the genre. It’s an amazing coming of age/finding yourself story, plus a hint of romance which makes it *chefs kiss*!!

Andie Rose is amazing, and I want her to be my best friend! She’s caring, helpful, and driven, and although I can see pieces of myself in her, I want her to be an actual person so I can be friends with her. The connections she makes throughout the book are lovely, and my favourite one is the connection she makes with herself.

I could talk about this book for ages, but to sum it up, Begin Again is amazing & I recommend it 110%! Also, I love that the title is also a Taylor Swift song!

****Publishing January 24, 2023***


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A hopeful and heartfelt story that is highly entertaining! One that will keep you wanting to know whats next for Andie!

Andie Rose’s life was full of new beginnings. The first being when her mom died and both her grandmas moved in to help her Dad raise her. The second being when she transferred to Blue Ridge State, her dream school. This was the college her mother attended and had made a big impact, so wanted to follow her in her footsteps.

When Andie’s Mom dies in high school, she feels like people are walking on egg shells around her, so she decides to start up an anonymous advice column in her highschool newspaper which is a huge success. This carries over to college when she does this for the school radio station, her mom had founded. But is it what its all cracked up to be? Can she find her way?

I love how this author weaves important topics such as: grieving a parent’s death, new beginnings, transitioning from high school to college, the ups and down of college, and navigating love and friendships in this highly entertaining YA novel! A great book for high school book clubs or those students who are about to embark on college!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, I was provided an ARC of Begin Again by Emma Lord via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After falling deep in love with YA romance in 2021, I found myself moving away from the genre in 2022. However, stories like Begin Again remind me why I love the genre so much and I am excited to dive back into it in 2023.

“You know you don’t owe anyone your help, right? Like, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

“Sometimes your friends will need help. And sometimes you’ll need it. But that doesn’t mean that we have to solve everything for each other.”

As an enneagram two, I can’t even begin to explain the tears I shed as I read through this book and saw bits and pieces of myself in Andie. Her growth throughout the story was outstanding and the group of friends she surrounded herself with was the perfect kind of found family.

And Milo. Sweet, sweet Milo. I loved watching Andie settle into her feelings for him, though I wish we would have ditched Connor earlier in the story so we could have had a few more JUST KISS ALREADY moments between them!

All in all, this is a touching coming-of-age story and another reminder that Emma Lord is a gem who should be protected at all costs.