Begin Again....and a second chance for author Lord. After DNFing her You Have a Match, I was curious to try her again and see if the YHAM was just not my style or if Lord was just not my type of writer. Begin Again was a big improvement over YHAM. A likeable, albeit somewhat lost and grief bound, student transfers to her parents' alma mater only to find her long-term boyfriend/best friend has just transferred out. Thus starts a journey towards independence, coming to terms with the loss of a parent, and finding your way when you have a fresh start. Overall, I enjoyed the book and was happy with the growth of the heroine and the ending of this story. If you enjoy stories about coming to terms with loss, navigating new circumstances, getting outside your comfort zone, and realizing who you are meant to be...this is for you.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. #emmalord #beginagain

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This wasn't bad!

Things I liked: The setting is one that doesn't come up very often and showing Andie's journey as she starts school was lovely. I loved the portrayal of finding new friends in school, and especially loved that those friends were well-drawn and developed.

Things I didn't like so much: The relationship between Andie and her boyfriend and how that turned out. A lot about the whole scavenger hunt premise.

Thing I thought I would dislike and then ended up being like "oh wow that actually makes sense now": Andie's fixation with fixing things.

Overall, this was a pretty light and cute ride. I don't think I enjoyed this as much as Tweet Cute or When You Get the Chance, but it was still enjoyable. 3/5.

Emma Lord's newest release is another coming of age win. Our heroine Andie is a mid-year freshman transfer to her parents Alma Mater: Blue Ridge State University. Her late mother was the founder of a secret radio show The Knight's Watch that Andie has always resonated with as a journalist in her high schools paper. As soon as she arrives she's thrust into a group of friends, including Milo, her RA who is also maybe part of the Knight's Watch... Andie's high school sweetheart also goes to Blue Ridge but she sees herself maybe growing out of this relationship.

Overall this book was sweet, heartwarming and charming. The biggest downside for me was that it could've been 100 pages shorter in my opinion and (almost worse) the main character uses a substitute for curse words which made me cringe every single time.

G-rated, chick lit, college drama

Andie is an 18-year-old college freshman who has managed a highly unusual feat—being allowed to transfer in the middle of her freshman year from a local community college to a highly competitive university, Blue Ridge State. She has three main reasons for working so hard to achieve that goal. First of all, her beloved mother (who died of cancer years ago) attended this university, was a Big Woman on Campus, and Andie longs to follow in her footsteps. Second, her parents met and fell in love there. Third, her boyfriend Connor, whom she has been dating for over two years, is a freshman there.

Unfortunately, both Connor and Andie have failed to communicate with each other some huge changes in their circumstances, Andie that she has gotten into Blue Ridge, and Connor that he has dropped out of Blue Ridge and returned home. Our first introduction to Connor is when he makes it plain he expects Andie to sacrifice her collegiate dreams and come home to him. Rather than confronting Connor and telling him that’s never going to happen, Andie gently encourages him to come back to Blue Ridge next fall.

The first person that Andie meets at Blue Ridge is the Resident Assistant (RA) of her dorm, Milo, a 19-year-old sophomore, who is perpetually sleep deprived and hooked on extremely strong coffee in order to keep himself awake. The second person she meets is Shay, her beautiful, lesbian, African-American roommate. Through Shay, who has an extremely outgoing personality (and is a classic, “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”), introverted Andie begins to enjoy social experiences she never imagined having in her provincial hometown. Within the context of her growing friendship with Milo, Andie also begins a voyage of self-discovery as to who she really is and what she really wants out of life.

After reading EL’s first three books, I assumed her author “brand” would continue to be YA fiction based on popular, comedy films. Her first book, Tweet Cute (TC), is an adorable, romantic-comedy homage to You’ve Got Mail. Her second book, You Have a Match (YHAM), is a chick-lit, family drama with sporadic moments of humor, which is based on The Parent Trap. Her third book, When You Get the Chance (WYGTC), is a delightful, chick-lit comedy based on Mamma Mia! This novel, her fourth book, Begin Again (BA), unlike the previous three, is not based on a movie, and it is light drama throughout, with no humor. Similar to EL’s second and third novels, this book can also be categorized as chick lit, and kudos to the publisher for being honest by not advertising it as a romance. In chick lit, the main focus of the story is on the heroine’s coming-of-age journey across the course of the novel in search of an authentic, personal identity. She achieves this by casting off all the faulty preconceptions foisted on her by various sources, such as parental figures, close friends, her community of origin, or her religious affiliation, as to what she “should” make of herself, personally and professionally. To the degree there is a romance subplot in chick lit, an idealized romantic partner serves as a type of symbolic reward for the hard work the heroine has done to grow and mature over the course of the novel. Any romantic relationships she has had prior to that growth are with one or more narcissistically immature males (in hetero chick lit), who symbolize all that the heroine has previously settled for in her unenlightened state.

Something else that is different in this novel from EL’s first three is that it contains strong elements of the YA “problem” novel. Authors such as Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Eulberg specialize in this artistic choice, in which stylized, professional-insight-therapy-session type of internal monologue and external dialogue is substituted for the thoughts and speech of recognizable, real-world teenagers. In particular, in virtually all of the conversations between Andie and Milo, either she is “fixing” him by offering him psychological advice, or he is fixing Andie, by doing likewise to her.

Though all of the main characters in this book are college students who are 18 or 19 years old, the only PG element of this novel is the occasional F-bomb delivered by all of the other main characters besides Andie—whose expletives consist of cutesy euphemisms. There are no drunken frat parties and no promiscuity. In fact, there is no sex at all and barely any kissing. Every main character in this novel is presented as if they are asexual. The most noticeable example is Andie’s relationship with Connor. They have been dating for over two years and frequently proclaim their love to each other, but during their few on-stage scenes together, they interact in a completely platonic manner. There is not a single line of dialogue or stray thought in Andie’s head that makes any reference whatsoever to this situation as the bizarre anomaly it is for two, normal, healthy, non-religious teenagers—even though this would be a logical reason for any young couple to question whether this might be an issue for them as long-term partners who plan to eventually marry. I am not personally a fan of the typically extremely raunchy college romances of the New Adult romance genre, which abound with “manwhore” heroes and incessant, crude sex scenes. But this college-age novel goes unrealistically far in a dead-opposite, asexual direction.

As a huge fan of the romance genre, with it’s Prime Directive of, “no cheating,” I cringe uncomfortably when I run across a romance plot, such as occurs in this novel, in which the main romantic conflict keeping the two people apart is the fact that the heroine has a boyfriend. Regrettably, this is what keeps Andie and Milo from moving beyond friendship to romance for 75% of the novel. At least it is obvious in this story from the very beginning that Connor is an immature, not-too-bright, narcissistic user, who is not worthy of Andie’s devotion, and her alternative choice, Milo, is practically Mr. Perfect. However, it does bother me that the definition for “cheating” employed in this book is defined differently for Andie than it is for Connor. The fact that this word is mentioned multiple times within this story indicates that EL is clearly conscious of it as a romance-genre taboo. But given that both Andie and Connor are presented as sexual eunuchs, the only kind of cheating available to them is emotional cheating—which they both do. On the other hand, is it truly “cheating,” in the classic sense that the romance genre would define it, when the only type of romantic relationship any of the characters in this novel (even the gay ones) have with each other is taking turns acting as each other’s therapist? Or in the case of Connor, expecting any romantic partner in his life to be his surrogate Mommy?

The part of this novel that focuses on Andie’s statistics class made zero sense to me, as someone who myself majored in sociology as an undergrad and did graduate work in counseling psychology. Andie plans to major in psychology and get a masters in clinical psychology—with dual career goals of being a practicing therapist while writing a syndicated advice column. If she were planning to major in the hard sciences, yes, she might be required to take a statistics class that heavily focuses on advanced math. But for any of the social sciences, including psychology, the relevant course she would take—and it would not be her freshman year—would consist of a superficial, descriptive survey of various forms of sociological research methodology. Even if one could accept that Andie would reasonably be in a math-heavy stats class at all, it still makes no sense that any tenured professor would: (a) teach an intro class to freshmen (such classes are taught by teaching assistants, who are graduate students working on a masters or Ph.D.), or, (2) force her students to take a major test, which counts heavily toward their final grade, on the very first day of the semester. None of that would ever happen in the real world!

I also found it inconsistent that, due to the fact that we are informed in Andie’s thoughts early in the story that she is a serious student, who has worked hard to get good grades, and has a strong desire to succeed at Blue Ridge State, that the author presents her as spending virtually all her time on extracurricular activities and socializing with her new buddies. In fact, the only class we hear about at all—and in excruciating detail—is her statistics class.

Overall, the tone of this novel is most similar to YHAM. And readers who found that novel to be the most enjoyable of EL’s novels will very likely greatly enjoy this novel, too. Fans of TC (including myself, who found it a 5-star read) may find that this book does not replicate that particular type of peak experience. Fans of WYGTC (also including myself, who rated it 5 stars as well), who enjoy truly funny chick lit comedy with a dynamic heroine, may also discover that this novel does not reproduce that kind of entertainment high either.

Judging this book in comparison to YHAM, I would give it 4 stars. Judging it in comparison to TC or WYGTC, I would give it 3 stars. Judging it in comparison to most novels by Sarah Dessen or Elizabeth Eulberg, in the style described above, I would rate this book as 4 stars. Splitting the difference, I rate this novel 3.6 stars, and I’m rounding it to 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Another amazing book by Ms. Emma Lord! I couldnt put this book down. Andie is a riviting charactee who i found myself rooting for time and time again! This is the perfect YA book full of character growth, drama and amazing peer relationships. I know this book will be flying off of my shelf soon in my classroom. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and can’t wait to purchase multiple copies for small groups in my classroom. Thank you net galley and publisher for the advanced read.

Andie shows up at the college of her dreams as a college transfer to surprise her high school sweetheart.....only to find out that he was back at her previous college. She quickly finds out that academically, she may be in over her head, her boyfriend's family is not a supportive as they seem, and not everyone welcomes their problems being fixed (at first). Andie grows throughout the year and deals with some very real issues she never dealt with regarding her mom's legacy and her dad leaving her in the care of her grandmothers while he worked. Luckily, she realizes who has truly prioritized her and what choosing what's best for herself really means.

Loved this new book from Emma Lord. It was such a good coming of age story. Even though some of the things that happened could have been easily predicted (the RA, the high school sweetheart), I enjoyed the way that Andie Rose's story was told. She was an extremely likeable and relatable character. The secondary characters that Andie meets, her roommate, Shay (a bookstagrammer-how current), Milo's extensive family, and her statistics tutor form a little family for her and are very charming. You are rooting for Andie throughout the whole ending and happy that she realizes her happily ever after could happen, even though it wasn't exactly according to her original plan.

I adored this book. I'm now craving a bagel, and I blame Ms. Emma Lord. This story was masterfully written and the relationships in the book are immaculate. Andie is so relatable in her struggles and figuring out who she wants to be. Shay is my icon I love her, and Milo is amazingly awesome. Such a brilliant cast of characters and the premise with the university traditions was well executed. So worth the read when it comes out!

<i>Begin Again</i> is another work of pure delight from Emma Lord that contains bagels, vividly delicious cream cheese flavors, and the heartwarming bundle of joy that comes with reading anythinf written by Emma!

It's a romantic coming-of-age story that follows our dear Andie Rose as she navigates her first semester at Blue Ridge State after transferring from her community college. Blue Ridge State means a lot to Andie. It's the school where her parents met and the place where she can finally grasp onto more ribbons of her mom's past. However, it's nothing like how she planned, and we all know how harsh it is when everything you expected crumbles into pieces, and not the delicious crumble of caramel-stuff peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Andie finally learns to face her fears while trying to fix the undecided major anxiety of her roommate Shay, the fear-procrastination of writing for her tutor Valeria, the caffeine addiction of her RA Milo, her long distance relationship with Connor, and her avoidance of her dad.

If I gotta be honest though, this is the first Emma Lord book that had me dropping tears. I literally fell apart when Andie fell apart. As much as Andie wanted to help everyone else, I wanted her to help herself first and to put as much of care for herself as she does for her loved ones. She grows so much from the beginning to the end, finding herself and allowing herself to just be who she is, without anything holding her back. It's always wonderful to read something like this.

I think that everyday should be a new chance for us to begin again, and there's no better way to start that than picking up this book ;)

I love Emma Lord’s previous YA works, so I was super excited for this new book! And disappointed I was not! I loved everything about this book. The characters were lovable and relatable, and MC Andie was kinda just as much of a mess as you would expect a college freshman to be! She had a lot to overcome in this book and it was great seeing her grow into herself! I loved that she discovered her worth and her passion throughout the book! It was a perfect coming of age story. i loved that the secondary characters played such a big role in the book and weren’t just plot devices to keep the main character's story moving along. They were fleshed out and had interesting backgrounds as well. I am also in loveeee with Milo! He was such a cute love interest and I was very into the forbidden RA romance. He was so supportive of Andie and had such a soft spot for her from the beginning! I did see the big conflict at the end coming, but that didn’t make it any less impactful. I also liked that the conflict wasn’t overly drawn out. Everything was wrapped up very nicely and left me in such a giddy mood!
Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord, and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC edition of the book!!

A sweet coming of age story for Young Adults, New Adults, and Adult Adults alike. This story combines what I consider to be Emma Lord’s signature blend of psychology, relationships, and personal growth. Andie, Milo, Shay, and Valeria are all fascinating full-bodied characters that I could totally imagine bumping into out here in the real world. I was deeply invested in their development and where they would end up by the end of the book. I love how Lord builds up found families in her books and the journeys her characters take are complex and rich. No one gets their happy ending without putting in a lot of work and growth. Plus the happy endings are not always the expected ones. Will happily continue to read anything Emma Lord writes.

Andie Rose has a plan. Transfer to Blue Ridge State, reconnect with her high school boyfriend, and join a secret society just like her mom. But even for the ultimate planner, things don't go the way Andie thinks they will in the new romantic comedy from Emma Lord. Readers will be left cheering for Andie to find her way in a new place while connecting with her past and looking to her future.

i was so incredibly and unbelivably lucky to receive an arc of emma lord’s new novel in exchange for an honest review and i couldn’t be happier! i adore emma lord so much and i was so happy that i was able to read this book early!

“begin again” follows andie rose as she transfers to her dream college mid-year and all of the chaos that comes with this change. as soon as she arrives and tries to surprise her boyfriend, he reveals that he transferred to her community college back home to be closer to her. her roommate needs to decide on a major by the end of the semester and has no clue where to begin. her RA, milo, has a serious coffee addiction and a newfound belief that love is dead. they make the perfect found family 🤩🥰

this book is an incredible coming-of-age story. emma lord knows how to write love and heartbreak and grief so well. i know i say this a lot, but i really saw myself in andie and it was both powerful and a little bit of a reality check. (i did mention this book in therapy, so ms. lord, please let me know where i can send my therapy bill. thank youuu!) andie grows a lot in this book and it made me laugh, cry, cheer, and everything in between. i cannot recommend it enough!

thank you again to netgalley and wednesday books for this arc!! “begin again” will be out january 24, 2023!!

Emma Lord just keeps knocking them out of the park. I didn’t realize this one would be New Adult, as her last three have all been YA, but I actually loved the departure for her.

Although not quite as “fun” as her others, this book was really great. Even though I didn’t have much in common with the main character, I immediately empathized with her and rooted for her so deeply. This may have also been the first Emma Lord book that brought me to tears but in a good way.

Even though I’m a huge fan of the romance genre, I loved that the romance in this book was there to support the main plot without being the main plot. This was a coming-of-age story (albeit a slightly older age than we usually think of for this trope) that was all about the main character finding herself while trying to connect with her deceased mother. Beautiful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, yet still fun and funny.

Part of the beauty of YA (and I guess NA, too) is the nostalgia it gives the reader. While reading this book, I was immediately brought back to my college self. I highly recommend this book for anyone who feels disconnected from the younger, more idealistic version of themselves or anyone who’s currently at the age of the characters in the story.

Emma Lord is one of my auto-buy authors, so as soon as Begin Again was announced, I put it in my calendar to get my hands on!

Following in the footsteps of her mother, freshman transfer student Andie starts classes at her dream college — the same school where her mom and dad met years before. Her goal? Simple. To join one of the school’s secret organizations. With the help of her newfound friends - quirky RA Milo, bookworm roommate Shay, and generous tutor Val - Andie learns that all of the planning in the world can’t account for all that life has to offer.

Right off the bat, it’s easy to tell that Andie is headstrong and determined. She is a planner and puts everything into seeing those plans through. She’s a fairly enjoyable main character, but I think where Lord’s writing shines in Begin Again is in the secondary characters. Each of them bring such personality into the story, and I found myself invested in all of them almost as much as Andie. Would Shay find a major that suited her before it was too late? Would Milo ever address the tension with his brother? Would we get resolution about Val’s a-hole ex? What is Professor Hutchison’s deal? These were the questions that would have kept me reading, even if Andie had been taken out of the equation completely.

Overall, an enjoyable read with characters you will instantly fall in love with. Of course, they have their flaws, but very relatable to the YA audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this story. It told alot about college and ithe journey to start a nee lide. Great to see that the book was not full of smut and cursing. I will be recommending this book in my book club.

Thanks Netgalley for the read and review

4 STARS

I fully admit, I will generally read anything by Emma Lord, and Begin Again is no exception.

I enjoyed the more mature tone of this book. The struggles the characters go through ring true to the college experience, and are not presented in a juvenile manner.

The slow build of the relationship between Milo and Andie was excellent. Their friendship developed quite naturally, and even though the reader expected romance between them, it was nice to see a storyline in which the male and female protagonists could develop a solid friendship without immediate or contrived romance.

The truth of Connor's situation, however, did feel slightly contrived, and the catalyst for his ultimate breakup with Andie was obvious to readers several chapters earlier.

As a whole it was a fun read, and fans of Emma Lord should not be disappointed.

My first Emma Lord book, but certainly not the last.

As a fixer myself, I could relate to Andie's MO of avoidance. This felt real as a character trait. Thus the story earned a spot above most.

It also touched upon complicated relationships and hills we climb over to reach a healthy state.

Made me miss the chaos of college life. Almost an adult yet not exactly there.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Begin Again by Emma Lord
Standalone
Contemporary Young Adult
Publication Date: January 24, 2023

Andie transfers mid-freshman year to Blue Ridge State not just to be closer to her boyfriend, but because it brings her closer to her deceased mother, a former Blue Ridge State alumni. Things are complicated when Andie learns that Connor transferred to her local community college. Andie is a fixer and when faced with her own issues she decides she would rather deal with someone else's' problems, including her roommate, Shay, and her RA, Milo, With the help of Milo and Shay, Andie begins to find her own voice and the power to tackle what she has been avoiding for years.

Emma Lord does it again. She’s crafted a warm little YA contemporary story about a chaotic and charming young woman, that judging by my Instagram stalking of Lord’s page, seems like a small chunk of Andie is based on her as with all her characters. They all tend to have this chaotic energy and yet they are entirely distinct and so are the familial problems they face.

The dialogue is charming and witty (and okay a little cheesy when Andie shouts out her favourite weird food combinations instead of swearing which eventually does kind of become charming in itself I promise!). The book takes on some heavy topics and yet they are presented in a light and heartwarming way that never diminishes their significance.

Also, can we make Blue Ridge State a real thing? If so, can I re-do my university experience at it because I feel like I was gypped. My experience wasn’t nearly this wholesome and fun.

This is my third Emma Lord book and I can say with certainty that it will not be my last.

TW: Death of Parent, Parental Emotional Neglect, Cheating

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Ahhh Emma did such a good job with this book, the friend group was so well written and kept you wanting to read the next page onto the next! So see myself rereading this one in the near future

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!
So it goes…. Andie Rose transfers from community college to Blue Ridge State to further her degree in psychology and one day write a great self-help book. Her plans are thrown sideways with various obstacles and found family along the way.
I enjoyed getting to know Andie and friends. Her journey of self-discovery to find a place in this world is one we know all to well, as we have likely faced similar battles. Emma Lord delivers her usual wit and charm, as well as her love of sweets in this story. I recommend this one to fans of Jess Mariano and Taylor Swift. Jump, then fall into this story that will leave you tied together with a smile.