Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of Begin Again. To say that I was excited when I received it would be a big understatement.

Having been a huge fan of Emma Lord since Tweet Cute, I was (as stated above) very excited to get the opportunity to read and review her latest novel, Begin Again. The novel is a slight departure from the high school main characters of Lord's previous books and instead features Andie, a mid-year freshman transfer at Blue Ridge State. This move from a community college (and commuter student) to a four-year college (while living on campus) is filled with high expectations both personally and academically that, as expected, do not go exactly as planned.

The young adult genre often focuses on the high school experience and I was so happy to see a book that covers freshman year but with the added complexity of being a transfer student. As someone who ended up transferring schools (junior year, not freshman), I could relate to the feeling Andie had of being a new kid in a sea of students that have an established rhythm and friendships. Additionally, I appreciated the inclusion of a long distance relationship as well.

In regards to plot and character development, I think readers who have enjoyed Lord's previous books will find a lot of the same. There is humor. There are mental health issues. There are family issues. And, of course, there is romance. My only complaints in regards to those components of the novel are 1) I think Andie's "nerves" (as they are described in the blurb) and the internal issues she is dealing with aren't overtly stated enough. While I understood what she was dealing with, I really wished there was less, perhaps beating around the bush about it. And 2) some components of her relationship with Connor (specifically the twist towards the end -- which I saw coming from a mile away) I could have lived without. While relationships like theirs do exist, it often felt a bit too melodramatic.

All in all, Begin Again is a great novel that I think captures a lot of the ups and downs that come with starting college. Perfect for fans of Emma Lord (obviously) but also great for anyone who loves a good young adult contemporary novel with a side of romance.

This was such a fun, nostalgic book that zapped me right back to my own freshman year of college. It's technically YA, but without all the campy dialogue that YA books can have. Lord's characters are rich and perfectly flawed for the age they're supposed to be.

A big thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for this eARC from one of my favorite YA authors, Emma Lord.

Andie Rose, transfers to her dream school, Blue Ridge State, mid-Freshman year where her boyfriend currently attends and where her parents met and fell in love. At first she doesn't feel like she fits in and is stretched thin between trying to keep her rocky relationship with her boyfriend alive (he transferred back to the community college so long distance), the ribbons hunts, failing statistics, and feels like she's constantly living in mother's shadows, but as the semester moves forward she slowly starts to find herself, and where she belongs with the help of her new friends. I love Emma Lord's writing and this adorable coming of age story.

What I enjoyed:
1. Bagelopolis - Honestly sounds like the funnest place you could work at on campus. Bagels was also a huge thing at my college campus so totally brought those memories back for me.
2. The Grandmas - The sweet grandma and the bad influence grandma. So cute!
3. The friend group - Shay, Valeria, Milo

What I didn't enjoy:
1. The cheating plots and making that seem okay, and how everyone just expected Milo to be so forgiving of his brother.
2. Closure for Andie and her dad did not come until the end. I wanted more of Andie and her dad.
3. The story around Connor. Why did there need to be a storeline about how horrible Connor is when he was clearly her childhood best friend. They couldn't have just grown a part? Back to point 1 with the cheating.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I missed the train with Emma Lord's first break-out young adult novel, Tweet Cute, but have solidly gotten on board for the last three! Begin Again includes Lord's trademark mix of self-discovery, emotion, romance--and single parented leads ala a Disney Princess.

In this novel, we see lead Andie transfer to a prestigious university both for its excellent psych program, connection to her parents, and to be with her long-time boyfriend who started there the semester before. But when she arrives, it turns out her boyfriend has transferred to the community college she came from! Bit of a pocket watch chain/hair comb situation... Paving her own way, Andie sets her sites on joining the same secret society as her mother and making a space for herself on the campus' anonymous radio station. She, her friends, and her boyfriend all learn more about themselves and each other as the school year progresses.

An enjoyable read through-and-through! This book brought back so many college memories and managed to be both appropriate as a young adult read but without the frivolousness some teen books veer towards. I could see a wide age group reading and enjoying this book--unsurprising given Lord's success in the genre.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars- 8/10

Everything I have ever read from Emma I have adored so I knew I was going to love this one as well, thankfully I was right. Emma has the power of words and of creating beautiful relationships between her characters, not only that she nails their backstories and their development every single time. I cannot wait for what she writes next!

For all the type A people in the world, this ones for you! I absolutely adored Andie, a perfectionist trying to honor her mom’s legacy, who puts all her energy into giving advice and fixing the problems of those around her, often to the detriment of her own relationships and goals. This story explores why it’s sometimes important to throw your preconceived road map for life out the window and forge your own path. Another charmingly cute coming of age story by Emma Lord!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Emma Lord YA novel, and it's clear she understands the formula! This is a sweet YA story about 18-year-old Andie Rose, who transfer from a community college to her dream school Blue Ridge State halfway through her freshman year. Through Andie's POV, Lord nicely captures the excitement and the challenges of early college days. It's also clear that Lord herself is a millennial and not a member of Gen Z based on the pop culture references she chooses for the novel! Thus, this was a nice exercise in nostalgia for me; Lord represents the college experience well—even if it's a particularly innocent one and one where going to class is a rare occurrence. This is a cute novel about the growth that happens in early college days with some sweet friendships and romance, even if the book is a bit too long and some of Andie's light bulbs moments are too tidy.

As I got further and further into Begin Again, I liked it more and more. Our main character Andie is definitely a flawed character. Like, come on. What person would ACTUALLY transfer to her boyfriend’s college and NOT TELL HIM? She wanted to surprise him? Girl, please. Andie’s laser focus on everyone else’s needs above her own was really annoying in the beginning. Of course, we needed this so we could see her growth. As the story progressed, the characters, including Andie’s friend/roommate Shay and her will-they-won’t-they RA Milo became more interesting and nuanced. And somewhere along the way, I stopped rolling my eyes and started rooting for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I. LOVED. THIS. Emma Lord continues to be one of my favorite YA authors right now. Begin Again reminded me of myself during college, and I loved Andie and her friends' relationships with each other. Can't wait to buy this when it comes out!

Emma Lord has become one of my many favorite authors, so when I saw this book is coming out, I knew I had to run to netgalley and request it. I absolutely loved Begin Again, but I had to rate it a four star because cheating was involved, and the cheating trope is not my thing at all. Let me just say, the cover for this book is honestly so cute. If any of you ever have the chance to read this book, I highly recommend doing so. The main characters work at a bakery called Bagelopolis and they came up with the quirkiest bagel combinations, this was definitely some of my favorite moments, but every time it came up, I craved bagels. I love how Emma Lord incorporated some other places, such as Big League Burger from her previous books. Begin Again was such a cute college romance and charming story. I was invested through the whole book, and I couldn't put it down. The epilogue? The sweetest and most adorable epilogue I have read in a book. Okay, but like, can I have any cute bagel shops near me with some quirky names and combinations please? THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND ST. MARTIN'S PRESS AND WEDNESDAY BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK!!!!! "Go make the most out of it, because every day is a chance to begin again". I love how authors find a way to incorporate the title into the story. Begin Again is a story filled with so much love, an amazing group of friends, and starting over again. Andie Rose lost her mom at a young age. Andie always has a plan, transfer from her community college to the hyper competitive, Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self help figure. Andie's parents met and fell in love at Blue Ridge State, but Andie wanted to transfer to Blue Ridge State to continue her mom's legacy. But, as soon as Andie arrives at Blue Ridge State, her plans completely fall of the rails; her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor gets more complicated when Andie realizes Connor transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Andie's roommate, Shay, needs a major, but Andie's track record of being The Fixer doesn't know how to help Shay. Ahhhh, Milo, I loved him so much *chefs kiss*. Milo is a coffee guzzling grump of an R.A. to Andie, but he's always disrupting Andie's ideas about love and relationships. Milo is always sleep deprived, so Andie decides to help him with a different brand of coffee. When Andie arrives she continues the ribbon hunt that was her mom's legacy. Andie also starts to find the power of her voice as the anonymous Squire on the school's pirate radio station, the some one her mom founded years before she passed away. Andie is the person people call in on the radio show when they need advice/help. Milo, Shay, Andie, and Valeria were such an amazing group of friends, I loved how willing they were to help each other out. Valeria was Andie's tutor. All in all, I loved this book so much. My heart absolutely broke for Andie after losing her mom, but I found myself cheering her on and she was continuing her mom's legacy.

this was cute! I thought Andie was a great main character, and I loved all of her friends. I think this is Emma Lord’s most introspective book, and I like to see the ways that she’s changed and grown as an author. this is probably my least favorite of her books (tweet cute 4eva) but there’s still a lot to enjoy about it. she has such a unique, fun voice, and I can’t wait to see what she does next :))

Emma Lord always writes sweet and fun novels, but I think this one might just be her best yet.

This book is for the type A girlies and celebrates them instead of trying to change them. I've never felt so loved for being a list maker. Andie, our protagonist, goes through a lot of personal growth and yet never loses this part of herself and I think that's so important. We can come to big revelations and changes in our lives but we don't lose integral parts of our identity on the way; we don't always need to change ourselves in large ways to grow.

I found the romance to be sweet and the slowest of slow burns, but that reveal was top notch. I was worried things were going to drag with the current boyfriend to ex boyfriend pipeline, but Lord pulled that together in a really satisfying way!

I think if you like:
-grumpy x sunshine
-perfectionist protagonists
-copious Taylor Swift references

then you'll love this book.

As always, thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book. I loved every single character! It was so good. I've been feeling antsy with life in general and this book became a safe haven for me! It was such a great read that tackled relatable issues. I enjoyed how light and sweet this book was. Would definitely recommend!

1 Sentence Summary: Andie Rose transfers to her dream college halfway through freshman year with a plan, but it all starts to fall apart; her long distance boyfriend is growing distant, she’s failing statistics, and her relationship with her dad isn’t so great, but when her RA Milo convinces her to do the school’s undercover radio show with him she might have finally found where she belongs.

My Thoughts: Emma Lord does it again! This was so cute!!! I loved all the characters, especially Milo. He was the most adorable coffee-addicted cinnamon roll ever. And of course it wouldn’t be an Emma Lord book without copious descriptions of delicious food, an appearance of Big League Burger, and an adorable epilogue.

One complaint I had was that even though Andie never cheats on her boyfriend, she also doesn’t break up with him until close to the end. So I felt like I couldn’t really ship her and Milo without feeling a little guilty.

Overall this was a well-written and very cute read with lots of charm and an engaging story!

(P.S. I’m craving bagels now why isn’t there a delicious bagel shop with quirky flavors near me???)

Recommend to: People looking for a cute college romance.

(Warnings: swearing)

📖 The details:
Begin Again by Emma Lord

⏱ Quick summary:
Andie has just transferred to her dream college mid-freshman year, trying to follow in her late mother’s footsteps, juggle a long distance relationship, and meet new friends.

🙋‍♀️ My take:
Such a sweet YA - just what Emma Lord does best. I give this 3.75 ⭐️
Andie and her friends were a joy to follow! She was sweet and her constant need to fix things and solve others problems was so relatable to my younger self (well, minus the radio show!). I so enjoyed the adventures along the way - with her roommate Shay, friend/tutor Valeria, and RA Milo. Parts were predictable and I wanted more details from certain parts (Connor…), but overall a good read. Would recommend for something quick and happy.

➰ Favorite Quote:
“Dancing isn’t a skill, it’s a goddamn right.”

Emma Lord has never disappointed me when it comes to her writing, so if you take one thing from this review: READ THIS BOOK.
I absolutely loved the whole ribbon-scavenger hunt idea. It’s unique and really clever, and I loved loved loved how it played out.
There’s so much to talk about with Milo and Andie’s relationship. I adored their first few meetings, and how Andie was set on making friends despite his rules. His family’s study room is actually genius, and their interactions together made my heart melt. Some might even call him a Knight in Shining Armor…(iykyk).
A fabulous read, and I can’t wait to see what Emma has next in store!

Whenever I feel like I'm in a book slump, I just pick up the newest Emma Lord book and all is suddenly right in the universe.

This book is perfect for fall - with all of the back to school vibes (even if it is set in the spring). But with spring comes the feeling of renewal and that's what Andie is focusing on. With a do-it-all attitude, she's taking her first semester at Blue Ridge State by storm. Between vying for membership in secret societies, trying to solve all of her friends' problems, and joining the university's pirate radio station, she has a LOT going on. (Oh and there's the crush on her RA and her terrible boyfriend, but let's be real... this is a story about Andie)

And don't get me STARTED on Bagelopolis... I want to live in a world that has cookie dough cream cheese. (It probably already exists, but I've never eaten it). This is another gorgeous novel from Emma Lord and I can't wait to snag a physical copy.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I loved this newest novel by Emma Lord! It’s about a young girl named Andie who follows in her parent’s footsteps to college; where she meets best friends, true loves, and grows into a wise and discerning young woman.

I loved her story as she worked through the loss of her mother and how it added distance between her and her father. Grief is such a hard topic to navigate and the author did a great job bringing light to a dark topic.

Unfortunately this book doesn’t come out until January, but you’re going to want to add it to your library holds or preorders!

Thanks to @netgalley @wednesdaybooks for letting me have an advance copy! I loved it!

This story was a heartfelt delight of a journey. Lord perfectly captured the feeling of being in college and trying to find yourself separate from the person you’ve always been at home. Andie’s journey to a place that makes her feel whole was both fun and inspiring.

This was a super cute and quick read! I seriously related to Andie since I went from a relatively small town to a very large university and that initial feeling of self doubt is definitely there for many people in that situation. The only reason I gave it 4 star instead of 5 was because of her substitutes for curse words. I find that a little childish but besides that I loved the book and loved seeing Andie as a person grow.