I am extremely upset with myself that I did not read Begin Again by Emma Lord sooner, and I am even more upset that I have never read an Emma Lord book before up to this point. She has received so many accolades as a writer, that Emma Lord should have crossed my path at some point in my book-reading journey. Sadly she has not and now I am behind. Begin Again was the perfect mix of growing up and romance that every person reading a YA Fiction desires.

The story follows Andie as she arrives at her dream college after transferring from a community college, only to find that her boyfriend has transferred to her community college to be with her. As sad as she is, this IS still her dream college, and she dives into everything. Obviously, chaos is about to ensue.

Andie is awkward and weird and I love every piece of her. She is so relatable because of her personality that I think every person could find something to relate to. I also really love Milo. His whole demeanor and personality had me hooked at once. I would have loved to be Milo’s friend. The characters in this book are so different, but make up this little band of friends so perfectly that I kind of hope Emma Lord has a group of friends just like them that she based her characters on.

Not only are the characters fun to read, but they have so many levels that we learn as the story goes on, but the plot line in this book is unique. It’s not just about a girl going to college. It’s really about her finding herself and learning that what you have always known doesn’t have to be what you always know. I am a firm believer that college is where you figure yourself out. You make mistakes. You lose friends. You gain friends. You find your passions. Lord perfectly depicted this in book form. The writing is smooth and the story flows seamlessly. I felt angry, happy, sad, stressed, and tired (Milo!) at any given moment in the book right along with the characters. Lord has a style of writing that just draws you in and makes you want to keep reading. I had to know how it ended.

I know YA fiction is supposed to be for teens and early 20’s, but there is nothing better than a really good YA fiction novel. They are the best at making you feel all the feelings. Lord did an outstanding job of bringing me back to my college years and intricately weaving me into this story as if I were there. Stand out job! I cannot wait to read more from her!

"Begin Again" by Emma Lord is a heartwarming journey of self-discovery and resilience, earning a solid four stars. Andie Rose arrives at Blue Ridge State with a well-structured plan for her future, but life has other ideas in store. Her initially rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor takes an unexpected turn when she discovers his transfer to her community college. Andie's roommate Shay presents her with a unique challenge, and the coffee-addicted R.A., Milo, disrupts her notions of love and relationships. As Andie's carefully crafted plans crumble, she discovers the power of her voice as the anonymous Squire on the school's pirate radio station, leading her to question if the best-laid plans are always the right ones.

The strength of this novel lies in its authentic portrayal of a friend group that feels like family. The bonds between Andie and her friends are beautifully depicted, adding depth and heart to the story. Andie's journey of self-discovery, along with her burgeoning romance with Milo, is a refreshing and well-executed narrative that keeps readers engaged.

While "Begin Again" offers a delightful blend of romance and self-empowerment, there are moments when the pacing could be quicker, and certain plot elements might benefit from further exploration. However, these minor quibbles don't overshadow the book's overall charm and its message that sometimes, when life derails your plans, you discover your true self. If you're looking for an unforgettable story of love, resilience, and new beginnings, "Begin Again" is a must-read that will warm your heart and leave you with a sense of hope and inspiration.

Emma Lord always make me laugh out loud. Her banter is spot on perfect and her stories have heart. This was no different.

Andie Rose transfers from her community college to Blue Ridge State (her dream school) mid year of freshman year. Her boyfriend, Connor goes there, and she looks at it as a way to reset their relationship to get it back on track. Little does she know that Connor has transferred back to the community college to be with her. Andie stays and decides to make the most of it - making friends, getting a work-study job, and finding her voice at the college's pirate radio station.

I enjoyed reading this - it was a cute story about finding yourself, finding your community, and beginning again. The characters were enduring and it was a fairly quick read.

Emma Lord's books are always so good: I'm a middle-aged woman, but I devour them like candy! They have such great messages, characters, and plots. In this one, I loved the characters (well except for one who was a jerk); Andie Rose, the MC, along with Milo, Shay, and Valeria are a wonderful group who I enjoyed getting to know and watch grow and mature as the novel went along. While When You Get the Chance and Tweet Cute remains my favorite books by Lord, you can't go wrong picking up this sweet coming-of-age story.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was sweet! Not my favorite from Emma Lord (I think Tweet Cute still holds that title) but exactly the kind of fun, fluffy, entertaining read I've come to expect from her.

Emma lord always knocks it out of the park with her YA room-coms. Even outside of my teens I find them swoonworthy and funny.

Emma Lord is back at it with her signature charm and humor. I was sucked into the campus life and invested in Andie’s search to connect with her mother’s memory. While the romance was cute and fun, her relationships with her dad and grandmothers was the true highlight. My only complaint was the “love triangle” with the boyfriend she clearly won’t end up with but can’t break up with yet. Not my favorite trope, but I did love Andie enough to embrace it for the most part.

Who doesn't love the idea of a secret underground radio? I truly loved this story of a girl trying to find herself in the story of her parents. It's hard to live up to people you treat like myths, which is a lesson we all have to learn eventually. I also loved her friends and the community she builds. It felt like it all just fit.

A cute and fun romance novel that I couldn't get into because it felt like something was missing.

I really enjoyed Tweet Cute, it was so fun and light and filled with charm. Although Begin Again has fun and light, it didn't charm or wow me.

This romance novel is about a young adult Andie who , after a semester at a community college transfers to the four year university that her boyfriend is at. She wants to surprise him by showing up but when she does, she realizes he wanted to surprise her by transferring to her community college. Andie now has to navigate a new environment, classes, roommates and her hot RA. Andie tries to fix things along the way, including trying to get her and Connor reunited.

I liked Andie and Milo(her RA) I was rooting for them and I really liked Shay. However I did feel that Connor and Andie didn't have that strong of a connection, so whenever Andie proclaimed she loved him. I was like "okay...?" I loved that Andie has a group of friends that felt like family.

I recommend this book for casual romance fans and for fans of Emma Lord.

I am still looking forward to reading both past and future books by this author.

Emma Lord has done it again. This book made me laugh, cry, and smile like a fool. Her books have always been able to pull me out of a reading slump, and her newest book, Begin Again, is no exception.

This book is full of college adventures that I wish I could have participated in along with our main character, including ribbon hunting, trivia nights, vampire games, a pirate radio station honoring the new host, a.k.a new Knight, snowball fights, and dreamy bagel combinations.

This story follows Andie, who is navigating her first year in college. 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 house, and once she is there, she realizes that she is on her own for the first time. The wide-open freedom is overwhelming and scary. 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 expected. Her long-term boyfriend, Connor, who attended Blue Ridge his first semester, transferred to Andie's old community college to surprise her while she transferred to Blue Ridge, hoping to surprise him. This sets the stage for Andie's first term. She slowly starts to build her own life and establish independence.

Andie finds a group of friends, passions to pursue, and a super kind boy who shares her interests. Blue Ridge is beginning to feel at home. Connor is trying to maintain his presence in Andie's life, and she has mixed feelings about their relationship status. Then some secrets are revealed, and of course, there's some family drama happening that Andie can no longer ignore. Andie had some trauma in her family. She lost her mother when she was younger, and her father skipped out afterward. 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.

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. The friend group and the found family feel touched me, and the ending was utterly satisfying. I adore the found family trope.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy to read and review. While I knew I would love this story, I had no idea how much I would fall in love with this story.

I have never read an Emma Lord book but this was really cute and full of charm. I love warm YA stories.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Emma Lord has always been one of those immediate purchase authors for me and I was so excited when I got a copy of this book. It's a fun and sweet novel for all the girls who obsessively schedule out their lives and have a detailed plan for just how they are going to achieve their goals. Andie, our protagonist, is exactly that and is determined that she is going to follow in her mother's footsteps at her mother's alma mater. But her plan has been going wrong from the start. First, she didn't get into her mom's college for freshman year, so she's transferring in as a sophomore. Secondly, her relationship with her boyfriend is rocky at best, and as someone who knows how to fix everything, she doesn't quite know how to fix her roommates problems. Plus there is the issue of her R.A. who makes her question everything and her desire to come out on top of a secret quest to join the secret societies in at her school. It's a lot to handle, but in true Type A fashion, Andie has a pretty good idea of just how she's going to get everything to work out.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Begin Again by Emma Lord from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was so excited to receive this that I cleared my schedule so I could start immediately!!! There is truly something special about Emma's writing that will leave you feeling like this book is written just for you! You will finish this book with a smile on your face and your heart filled with love. Do yourself a favor and read this the first chance you get. Thanks, Emma and I can't wait to read book #5!

Andie has her life mapped out, and her mid-semester transfer to Blue Ridge State puts that plan back on track. She is at her parents’ alma mater, able to participate in the ribbon hunt and join a secret society like her mother and reunited with her boyfriend. Except that her boyfriend has transferred back to the hometown community college, she gets off to a very bad start in one of her core classes, and she quickly becomes overwhelmed with all the things she thinks she needs to be doing.

Andie is also a fixer. She likes to help people solve their problems and she often gives good advice. However, she is not so good at taking advice herself, or applying the advice she gives to others to herself. And in her efforts to help, she can take on too much responsibility, and be taken advantage of. However, with the help of her roommate, Shay, the R.A., Milo, and her tutor and new friend, Valeria, Andie will figure out how to begin again and find herself, including escaping from the shadow of her mother and reconnecting with her father. Though not before plenty of things go wrong, and she fears she has ruined everything. The story has plenty of humorous moments, but also plenty of heartfelt moments.

I loved this book, it was so cute. I loved every single character! It was so good. It was such a great read that tackled relatable issues. I enjoyed how light and sweet this book was. Would definitely recommend!

If you like young adult lit you will love this one. Emma Lord is so talented - I don’t read a lot of young adult lit but I will always read anything she writes. This coming of age story will warm your heart.

Did this book catch my eye because its title is also the title of a Taylor Swift song? Yes, yes it did. However, now that I’ve 3 out of 4 of Emma Lord’s YA novels she is definitely an auto-read author for me. Starting the year off with this campus novel was perfect timing, as it starts with our main character beginning college, in the Spring semester, at her dream school. I loved the found family aspects of this story and it definitely filled me with nostalgia for my own college days.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advance digital review copy!

Emma Lord just keeps proving herself as one of my favorite authors. I read this book going into my final year of undergrad, and as someone whose first year of college was totally disrupted by a global pandemic, I really felt for Andie as her plan to get her freshman year back on track just kept getting upended. This. book perfectly captured both the joy and the struggles of striking out on your own for the first time. Also, like all of Lord's books, it left me hungering for sadly fictional food.

I continue to adore Emma Lord’s YA novels. Begin Again is a sweet, slow burn romance. I loved the depictions of friendship in this novel too. I think Emma Lord is a great author for both the target demographic and also adult romance readers, especially those who typically prefer closed door romance.