I enjoyed this story, but the characters fell a bit flat for me. I also feel that it was a little predictable. I wanted to love this, but I believe there is more room to grow for this story. 3/5 stars

I don’t read many YA/NAs anymore but I will always pick up something Emma Lord has written. Her way with words and understanding our current generation without making it cringe to read about is so unique.

2.75 ⭐️

This is a generous rounding up to 3 ⭐️. It took me so long to get through this book and it felt tedious many times. This story follows Andie, a transfer to a university that her parents attended and her mother left quite a legacy at. As soon as she arrives she quickly discovers that her boyfriend Connor has actually transferred to the university she just came from. Andie now has to navigate this, make friends, succeed in her difficult classes, get a job and try to collect ribbons for a secret campus club.

What I didn’t like:
-This is a well written story, it’s by no means a “bad book”, I think the author has just never captured the sweetness and fun of Tweet Cute in another story. This is not a lighthearted read, most of it is Andie’s internal dialogue of dealing with grief, rekindling her relationship with her father, questioning her relationship with Connor and hiding her feelings for Milo, while also dealing with her need to constantly solve problems and be pretty much perfect.
-This could’ve been 100 pages shorter. There was honestly just way too much happening in this story that each element was lacking. I needed more friendship with Shay and Val and way more of Andie and Milo and way less of everything else. It felt like all the other topics were brought up here and there but never flushed out enough to be seamless. Andie never mentions any other classes, she’s barely at work, so I don’t know how she has the time for the Knight Watch, her friends and the ribbons.
-I absolutely hated the cheesy food curses. It made an already juvenile feeling story feel so silly and cheesy and drove me nuts
-I didn’t mind Andie as a character but she was my least favourite out of her, Milo, Shay and Val. Her internal dialogue was fine but so repetitive and I think the author wrote a lot of lines, especially about Milo comparing him and the feelings towards him as really deep things that just didn’t match anything.
-Andie’s feelings for Milo at the end were nice but just don’t add up. Milo conveniently popped up allllll the time. But there wasn’t enough of them just hanging out and chatting for feelings to be that strong at the end.
-This put me into a slump and felt so tedious to read, by the end I was so happy it was over. It was just too cheesy and too long.

What I liked:
-The side characters, as mentioned, were well written with good storylines of their own. Milo was a complete sweetheart.
-I liked the little twist at the end with the relationship, didn’t see that coming.
-I liked Andie’s growth, the relationship with her Dad developing, but really she just needed to go to therapy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Emma Lord and have loved all her previous books, and was really looking forward to her first college-set YA. And by and large, I did enjoy this book. It has all of Lord's signature charm and sharp writing, and a romance that made me smile. However, this is probably my least favorite of Lord's books, even if I still liked a lot of it. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly I didn't like, but I think ultimately the book is a bit overstuffed with the more serious plotlines, which doesn't allow the great characters to shine as much as I'd like. Lord's books also always veer sweet but this is the first time I found things to be a bit saccharine (I hated the way the main character subbed in her favorite foods instead using swear words, for instance). All in all, I'd say the balance of things I'd previously enjoyed in Lord's books was just slightly off here. That said, this was still a 4-star read, and I still think Lord is one of the best YA authors out there.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I truly love YA novels and I have loved Emma's work in the past. I had a hard time getting into this novel though. The concept is great, and it may have been poor timing on my part. I just found the MC was not connecting with me personally, so the story just seemed to drag the first half of the book which I feel affected my overall feelings for the book. The ending was cute and I loved the found family vibe.

I really enjoyed this sweet coming of age/romcom. The characters had depth and I didn't see the twist with Connor coming! Milo was dreamy and I loved his and Andie's grumpy/sunshine chemistry. And the Taylor Swift references? Perfection!

Thanks to Wednesday books and NetGalley for the copy to review.

This is just the kind of light, low-stakes YA romance I was looking for. I enjoyed the slow burn friends-to-lovers and all of Andie’s friends. I got Veronica Mars vibes for the ribbon hunt for some reason, even though this wasn’t a mystery. I’m not sure why but there we are. I did find some of it a bit too twee and cutesy, but this is a nice choice if you’re looking for a breezy read.

Andie Rose, has always known her path in life. She will attend the college her parents met and fell in love, graduate with a degree in psychology, marry her high school sweetheart, and publish an autobiography. However, Andie’s inability to put her needs above others, leaves her struggling to make it through one semester. With the help of some new friends she begins to acclimate to a demanding academic and extracurricular schedule. Will everything Andie thought she wanted come to fruition or is it ultimately what is holding her back?

This was a true four star read. The following are things I loved and/or stood out to me:

Andie is a community college transfer student. As someone who attended community college before going to a university, I loved the representation. Community college is often overlooked or portrayed in a negative light.

Andie lost her mother to cancer at a young age. This book illustrates the importance of found family. When her father’s grief was too much for him, Andie’s grandmothers stepped in to help raise her. In the same way, living on campus extended Andie’s family with the addition of new friends and mentors.

While this is a book that features love, it focuses primarily on friendship. During this time in a young person’s life, their friendships are instrumental in helping them discover who they are as an individual. It was wonderful to watch Andie find her way in the world while still honoring her mother’s legacy.

This was such a sweet story! With graduations around the corner I would highly recommend gifting this to a high school or community college graduate. It would make for the perfect gift as they embark on their journey to adulthood.

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

There's something so comforting about reading Emma Lord's books, and I'm so happy that this book was no exception!

Begin Again is filled with lovable but flawed characters, a slow-burn but absolutely adorable romance, and the found family trope. It brought back a lot of memories of being in college and trying to navigate who you are and what you want to do with your life, while also balancing a difficult home life.

Andie is an easy character to love and relate to; she's trying to follow in her mom's footsteps, who she lost at a young age, by finding and joining the secret society she was part of and joining the Knight's Watch, the university's underground radio show. She's juggling her classes, learning more about her mom, and navigating her difficult relationship with her father, who left her to be raised by her two grandmothers for most of her life after her mother died. She's also a fiercely loyal friend and a "fixer," determined to provide help to anyone in her path who needs it.

Emma Lord does a great job of balancing light moments with serious ones, and this book, like her others, is filled with heart.

In all, I would definitely recommend picking up Begin Again!

Content warnings: mentions of death of a parent, cheating, grief, underage drinking.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Lord never disappoints! Both my 16yo daughter and myself thoroughly enjoy this author and we recommend Emma Lord widely. Thank you Netgalley for the advance e-copies.

Emma Lord has created a marvellously funny rom-com again! I absolutely loved Andie and Milo, especially how they complimented and understood each other. The friend dynamic between the four main characters was written really nicely and the reveal with Andie’s boyfriend was handled super well. I would’ve wanted a bit more at the end of the book of Andie and Milo discussing things, but all in all I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for what Lord will come up with next!

A fun fourth installment from Emma Lord! I really enjoyed her first three books. Begin Again is in the New Adult category, as the characters are freshmen in college. It did take me about 25-30% into the novel to become invested.

I read less YA contemporary these days, but I’m always game to check out something new from Emma Lord since I’ve generally enjoyed all her books. Begin Again is no exception; though it’s not as beloved to me as her debut or sophomore novel, I appreciated how Lord chose to write a story about a character in her first year of college who is trying to figure things out — whether that means facing her fears, working out what she wants or trying something new. My freshman year of college was a somewhat similar journey (albeit to a lower degree), so I found that (and in particular, main character Andie’s personal emotional ups and downs) relatable.

There are some parts of the novel that felt underdeveloped (more telling than showing to me, especially her relationship with Connor, for instance), but since the whole point is to focus in on Andie’s personal growth, I could forgive it for the most part. Lord still managed to get me in my feels (there were definitely one or two chapters that made me emotional closer to the end), and I did wind up liking this one more than I thought I would when I read the first few chapters.

Cute, coming of age book that has potential, but missed the mark a little for me. Emma Lord is an amazing author but tbh is may be a first of hers I will not recommend.

Critical thoughts:
I don’t like how Andie replaces cuss words with other random words, it seems annoying and it also seems childish. She sometimes seems like a middle schooler rather than a college student. I also believe Emma Lord completely missed the mark on portraying college life correctly. Professors do not care what you are doing or if you are late. If they do not want you there, they lock the doors. They are there to be paid not to lecture you about time management (unless you’re taking a time management class ofc)

I was really, really impressed with this! I thought it was everything you could want out of a coming of age college set story. It had twists I didn’t see coming, which I GREATLY appreciated. It had a dead mom, which I did not know, but it was comforting by the end, thankfully. I enjoyed it a lot!

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

An absolutely delightful and charming YA book about finding yourself, your passions and building community.

Andie has just transferred to Blue Ridge State ( her deceased mothers alma mater) after completing a semester of community college. Andie is determined to follow in her mothers footsteps to feel close to her but Andie is unknowingly weighed down by a less than present boyfriend and the pressure put on her by both him and his family.

This book perfectly encapsulates the wide-eyed joy of being a college freshman and finding your people. It also accurately portrayed the struggles and hardships that one goes through during those years. There was also a joyous side of whimsy with ribbon scavenger hunts and secret broadcasters that made this novel even more fun to read!

I really, really enjoyed this one!

4 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A sweet and enjoyable YA book with romance but also, even more significantly, themes of coming of age, closure, understanding yourself and pursuing your goals/dreams. It was a slow start but it did pick up and got exciting mid way. Definitely a good read for anyone in high school or early years of college.

I really liked Begin Again by Emma Lord. Full of lovable and relatable characters, it reinforces the idea it’s ok NOT to have everything figured out. I can totally relate to the main character, Andie, who likes to have a plan and stick to that plan. She’s also a “fixer” (sometimes to the detriment of what’s best for her). This results in a variety of hilarious albeit cringeworthy experiences as a mid year freshman transfer at her parents’ alma mater. Throughout the semester Andie She struggles to figure out how to make a space for herself instead of constantly worrying about what’s best for everyone else or that she’s not living up to the legacy of her mom who passed away when Andie was a preteen. I love the messages of forging your own path and that every day is an opportunity to Begin Again.

Thank you Wednesday Books for my copy of Begin Again! All thoughts are my own.

If you’re a fan of YA that takes the next step to transition it’s characters to college, this is the book for you. I thought this book was fun and contained a lot of transitional aspects that young people can relate to. it wasn’t a total winner for me, especially because I felt distant from the main character for most of the book, but I know a lot of other readers enjoyed it.

Synopsis:

What I Liked:

The Friend Group—I often get nostalgic for the good ole days of college and the friend group in this book definitely made me feel that way. I really loved how different everyone was and how fast they became close. That was the magic of college!

Andie’s Internal Discoveries—I wasn’t sure I was going to be Team Andie by the end of the book but her internal discoveries on her journey to finding herself vs just trying to follow in her mom’s footsteps were very satisfying and relatable for the age group.

The College Campus Vibes—Each school has something that makes it unique, and the ribbon challenges were such a fun and distinct aspect.

What Didn’t Work:

Almost Too Much Going On—I did this on audiobook so maybe that’s why I felt this way, but there just seemed to be so much going on. From the transfer mistake ala The Gift of the Magi (or so we thought), Andie’s father’s grief and their strained relationship, the friend group, the radio and ribbons…it was a little too much for me. I wanted things a little bit more streamlined.

Pacing—The above reasons caused the pacing to be totally off for me and that’s probably the most important thing I look for in the books I enjoy.

Character Authenticity: 3/5

Spice Rating: N/A

Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

Grief, cheating, death of a parent, abandonment