Let me start my saying, I don’t really understand why this book is getting a lot of bad reviews. I really enjoyed it! There was a few issues that I had, and without giving the spoilers away, I will chalk up to it being Riccio’s first book.

The story follows Shane who is on track to become a doctor because that is what her parents want. She wants to be a journalist but her parent’s would never go for it. She lies to them and goes to London to study abroad. There she meets the first real friends she ever had and a boy she falls in love with, Pilot. In 2011 (when the first half of the book takes place) she never told Pilot how she felt about him and that decision has haunted her. Years later, she decides to come clean to him and the two of them land back into the past to relive their time in London and to change the outcomes of their lives.

I thought everything about this story was so cute. Pilot and Shane were adorable and I loved their friendship. I also loved all the references to my favorite books, movies and music of 2011.

I do think the story could have been maybe 100 pages shorter, but overall I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it!

This book took me on an emotional ride! I really connected to Shane and her journey of self-rediscovery. I am also an introvert and felt like I was reading a book about myself which doesn't happen often! I had a little trouble connecting with the romance between Shane and Pilot but that was really it! It was a fun read!

Again, but Better follows Shane as she studies creative writing in a London study abroad creative writing program. The only problem? She’s told her parents it’s pre-Med. the first half of the book shows her initially flourishing and then faltering big time, especially once her parents find out.

After that, the ground hog day traup comes into effect with predictable, yet still fun results.

I did really enjoy this book—I thought there were some timeline jumps that seemed too quick and the first half I just felt like it was too rushed and not fleshed out. I loved the initial story idea and wanted more. I was really hesitant once the “timetravel” started and sort of rolled my eyes. However, I actually thoroughly enjoyed the second half more. I feel like it filled in gaps in the first half that I just wanted more of.

It’s not a deep, meaningful read, but it’s certainly a fun one. I definitely feel like I’ll be re-reading it several times as one of my “guilty pleasure” type reads.

There were also several moments that really hit me hard—Shane’s struggles with feeling like an outsider in her big Italian family could have been right out of my own journals.

And the magical moments with Harry Potter are so impactful for me.

Overal, content wise I’d give it 3*, but for the sheer fun of it it’s definitely 4.5*

I didn't particularly enjoy Again, But Better. I think that the book had so much of Riccio's voice that it was hard for me to differentiate her from Shane. I could tell the story she was trying to convey but I don't think she executed it well. The parts about traveling are the parts of the story I truly enjoyed. However, the rest of it just seemed lacking. The allusions to 2011 in the story were quite unnecessary and took away from the plot. I also think the character names were quite strange like Pilot and . This book had me on the edge of my seat from cringe, not excitement.

You can really feel the author in this book. I really think that was intended as it was written based off of her own experiences in London as a study abroad student. Knowing how the author is on her own youtube channels the characters personality feels more authentic than it would be had I not watched her in the past. Meaning, the character can be a bit over the top at the time and unrealistic and this would normally annoy me but knowing that this charter is based off of the author I find it more more believable.

I really feel strongly that the the first half of the book should have made up a smaller portion of the book. I wanted more of the second half and how it all worked out. The first half drug on and on while the last part was way too fast.

Over all it was an enjoyable book and I would recommend it to those that read this genre.

I adore contemporary books. Truly I do. When I saw this was about a girl who does college “all wrong” and wants to study abroad to reinvent herself, I was in!

My main issue with this was the writing. It felt very choppy and awkward. I thought it could have been tightened up a lot. This story also suffered a lot when it came to showing vs. telling. This book takes place in two years: 2011 and 2017. The 2011 media references were brutal. The author made sure you’d never forget that you were reading a story that takes place in 2011.

There’s a genre twist halfway through the novel. Which wouldn’t have been bad, if I’d known it was coming. I thought the title was referencing Shane’s second chance at college while abroad. Instead we get some “magical realism” thrown in halfway through and we just have to go with it. It was jarring.

The romance was also pretty mediocre. I’m a huge romance fan, and I’ll be honest, it doesn’t take a lot for me to root for a couple as long as I see some connection. However, when it came to Shane and Pilot, I wasn’t 100% convinced of their relationship. There was a point where Shane was convincing herself she was better off without Pilot, and I agreed.

I also don’t think these characters are particularly likable. They aren’t unlikable (because that would be great!) they are just very… bland, I guess. Shane’s main personality trait is “quirky”. She’s very socially awkward XD and clumsy. And Pilot, well, he’s a straight up cheating douche bag. I should have known by just looking at his name.

While I give an author props for adding diversity into there book, it was very forced here. Like she was doing it to meet a quota. Every diverse character could have been white and nothing would have changed. Also, while I don’t subscribe to the author’s YouTube channel, I have seen a few of her videos. And yeah, Shane is very much Christine. They are both the exact same person, they even look the same. Which isn’t necessarily horrible, it was just kind of odd and very wish fulfillment-y.

Overall, I wasn’t a fan of this one.

Hi, don't mind me I'm just going to go cry for the rest of the night.
I had high hopes going into this and sadly those expectations were not met.

I felt the writing was juvenile and at times cringey. The refernces to pop culture I enjoyed but I think they could have been written better and it didn't read well or integrate well into the story.

The relationship between Pilot (I love to hate that name so much) and Shane is poorly developed and I hate the fact that Shane falls madly in love with him five seconds after knowhing him and then continues to pine so hard for him for the next 6 years that she tracks him down and they go back in time. Pilot himself just lacked entirely, he had no personality whatsoever outside of the noneexistant relationship.

The story didn't make sense. When I first heard the synopsis I originally thought it was going to have time travelling aspects and so, although it wasnt done as I thought i was excited when this time travel aspect kicked in mid way through but the reasons for it make no sense. I feel like the plot would have benefited and had more of an impact if that had never happened no matter how cool the concept.

I feel like overall this book tried too hard and it pains me to say that because i enjoy the author and i cant imagine what it must be like to have so many people waiting on you to publish your first book, the whole experience must have been daunting but it really did give off a "trying too hard" feel.

Overall i enjoyed my experience of reading this for all the wrong reasons, i just really wished Pilot and his relationship with Shane had been developed so much more and even that could have bettered the time travel aspect.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.* 

As soon as I read the synopsis of Again, but Better, I wanted to read it! I love stories about people who do study abroad, and anything set in London makes me super nostalgic, so even better! I am finding myself more drawn to contemporary lately, and this book certainly didn't disappoint. 

First, I want to say that I related to and saw myself in Shane so much, almost to an uncomfortable degree (Christine Riccio, did you camp out in my head while creating this character??) She is very unsure of herself, awkward to an excruciating degree, has to force herself to act outgoing...she really hit all of the points that I dislike about myself. However...she is also brave, kind, fun, caring, and talented. I found her to be very well rounded, which can be hard to find in YA contemporaries, so I greatly appreciated this. 

I enjoyed the side characters. I love Pilot and Babe so much! They were both so fun. I did wish that we got to know Sahra and Atticus a little better, but that is a minor critique. Her parents made me mad in the best way possible, and her work colleagues were awesome. 

*Mild potential spoiler alert ahead!* 

I will say, the first half of the book made me a little frustrated because Shane kept making so many stupid decisions and I just wanted her to FIX IT!!! But, when she got to go back and do it again...but better , it made me absolutely fly through the rest of the book. I loved how she made different decisions, but also kept a bunch of things the same. It was nice to see that she had the perspective of knowing that she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her friendship with Babe. I thoroughly enjoyed her second journey.

*Mild potential spoiler over!*

The reasons why I docked a star were that I felt like the first half was a little bit too slow. It seemed like a pacing issue, since I realize that you absolutely needed the first half to set up the second. Also, personally, I found the names of the characters to be a little crazy. It was a bit off-putting for me. I got used to them eventually, but for a bit at the beginning every time a new character was introduced, my reaction was, "Really? That's the name she decided on?" Personal preference only! 

Overall, I thought this book was so much fun! It really captured the college experience and explored that fantasy that everyone has of potentially getting to go back and do everything again, but better!

My Rating: 


I gave Again, but Better 4 STARS!

Again, but Better is an amazing and adorable story. It’s about a girl named Shane, who lies to her parents saying that she is traveling abroad to do a pre-med program that is in London for the summer. What she is really doing, though, is a writing program because her passion has always been blogging. While Shane is in London, she decides she needs to make friends, pursue boys, and find some adventure to make up for her college mistakes.

This heartwarming story is funny and made me cry all in one sitting. I loved Shane’s inner monologue and I loved all of her comedic quips. The characters felt real and were bubbling with personality .The pacing was perfect and I didn’t expect the fantastical element that was sprinkled into it. The story is real and all about doing what you want to do and being the real you.

This book is everything, go buy it immediately!

I am a bit puzzled about this book. It had parts I loved and adored and it had parts which I didn't. I struggled with the writing and pacing, but I really liked the plot twists and whole atmosphere of this book. It had it's flaws, but it was also funny and heartwarming and I enjoyed reading it.

Unfortunately, this was not for me. The writing was more juvenile than I expected and littered with incessant references-- ones that were distracting to the story. There were a lot of new author mistakes in here, including lots of dialogue tags and over written descriptions. She doesn't play music-- music leaks out of her computer speakers, etc. It was written in what was supposed to be a conversational tone, but I think was also more distracting than anything else. The romance between Shane and Pilot wasn't great. Shane's internal monologue felt manic and everything about the emotional cheating and Shane's behavior toward Pilot was uncomfortable and not at all romantic. The cheating and verbal abuse were glossed over and normalized. It was thankfully a fast paced read.

The execution of this book was lacking for me unfortunately. I saw the twist coming a mile away (It's literally the title?) but I thought that was an interesting element that I haven't seen done too many times before.
The writing was fine, although this book seemed to suffer from that thing where new writers try to use as many synonyms as possible for "said" and once I noticed I couldn't unnotice it.

Shane as a character was okay, but at times she was just so... cringe-y? Which I feel bad saying because as many other reviewers have pointed out Shane is a self insert of Christine and it's really hard not to notice that. I don't really want to penalize the book for that though as I'm sure many authors do similar things, but we just don't realize because we haven't spent years watching them on YouTube. The other characters were fine (other than their names, I mean... Babe? Come on) and I would've really liked to get to know them more.

The romance in this book was completely cringe-y, I could NOT get behind it. Every time Shane said "Pies" I gagged. She gave him a (terrible) nickname within .5 seconds of meeting him which read as super awkward to me. This romance also had major Anna & The French Kiss vibes with all the emotional cheating going on.

There was about 5% of the book towards the end where Shane wasn't focused on the romance and was really focusing on her friendships and writing. That was the best part of the book for me. If the rest had been written like that I might've given it 4 stars. But overall too many things about the book were just made me cringe and I rolled my eyes so many times they might be permanently stuck.

Let me preface this review by letting it be known that I had absolutely no idea who Christine was prior to hearing about this book. I read the synopsis and it sounded like something I would be interesting in. I won’t get into too many specifics about the book because I’m not here to be spoilery in the least. What I will say is that the book is told in two parts. I did not really feel an attachment to any of the characters although I did like Shane well enough. I liked the diversity within the book as well has how social anxiety was handled. It was an ok read and I would check out more from Christine in the future.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A positive and nicely written book by one of the most famous BookTubers out there.

This story centers around a girl named Shane, who has had her life completely predictated by her parents’ wants and aspirations for her. Her parents want her to study medicine and to one day become a doctor, while all Shane wants to do is read and write. Yet, she somehow manages to be able to study abroad to the UK, where she will also be able to intern as a writer for a travel magazine and, most importantly, escape her parents’ expectations.

The book is also told in two parts; the first part being set in 2011 where Shane is 20, and the next part set in 2017 where Shane is 26. But the book starts out in 2011 and we soon follow Shane during her oversea travels, and we soon meet all of her flat mates, most of which who have ridiculous names; Babe, Atticus, Sahra, and Pilot Penn. Yeah, you read that last one right. But Shane is making sure that she is going to make the most of these three months of freedom, while trying to make friendships and connections that will last her entire life.

This books just reads so personal. Like, I would even go as far as to say that I would feel comfortable as classifying this as semi-autobiographical. But instead of me being interested in the story, it really took me out of it because it felt so much like Christine and, in turn, felt so damn invasive. There are numerous pop culture references that felt cute when we were first introduced to them but got a bit repetitive over time. But where the book completely lost me is how MUCH it truly felt as if Shane was Christine in a parallel universe. Too many inside jokes and nicknames to make you NOT unsee it. From studying abroad, to being open about not making many friends in college, to *gasp* Shane’s blog name being French Watermelon, to the constant Lost references, to the endless Cassandra Clare and Shadowhunter references, to Harry Potter galore, while the character of Shane also just has a personality and the same mannerisms as Christine. This just feels so semi-autobiographical. I promise, you won’t be able to not see it. And maybe that will completely make the reading experience for you, and I truly hope it does, but it really pulled me out of the story constantly.

My biggest problem with this book was the "light" cheating and even eventual cheating (a kiss). This was truly the reason that I could never love this book or ever feel anything for the characters. Plus, the character that is getting cheated on is always villainized to look like a bad girl, when she has every right to feel threatened.

What I loved about this book is how effortlessly it reminded me to stop being constantly afraid and begin living my life for me, for my own dreams, eccentricities, and passions. It reminded that there is so much more to live for than what we experience at this time, this moment, this month. There was a magical element that surrounded the story, but I don't want to give too much away due to obvious spoilers.

All in all, even though I couldn't completely connect to this book, I felt that Christine has got so much potential for the future and I believe I want to give a chance to her future works. This book wasn't badly written at all, I guess it just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much for providing me with an ARC, NetGalley!

I wouldn't consider this a book to pick up if you are seeking out traveling books but I did really enjoy that aspect of the book. This book is great for those who went to college not looking to drink or party (like me, I never wanted to do those.things, I would rather stay home with a friend or a good book). It deals with anxiety and fear that comes with doing a new thing. I was always asking what is going to happen next? I generally didn't know and that was wonderful. I absolutely LOVED all of the Lost references that were in this book!! Lost is my favorite Tv show of all time, so seeing someone else love it as much as I do made this reading experiences so much better! Overall I really enjoyed this book and will most likely be rereading it again in the future.

Again, But Better is a book about second chances and discovering who you truly are meant to be. Shane wants a do-over on her current life. She is going to school for a major she doesn't feel passionate about and questioning whether or not she truly has any friends. Shane decides to study abroad where she meets Pilot, and he temporarily changes how she feels about everything...until his girlfriend shows up. Years later, Shane and Pilot are granted the opportunity to rekindle what they felt years before and make different choices than they did the first time. Again, But Better was a sweet romance that had me believing in second chances and never giving up on finding your one and only.

I enjoyed this cute college romance story.

It defines reads like a first novel. There is room for growth but that is to be expected.

The self insert is very high with this book so I always pictured Christine as Shane. The references to geek culture were very frequent. I’m certain scenes they were amusing and brought a smile but they often were snuck into dialogue that didn’t need it.

The couple is super cute in this book. The first half has an element of a cheating element although full length m cheating never occurs it is still not my favorite plot point in romance books. However, in the second half of the book featuring time travel the romance was adorable and I was shipping them so hard.

I’m excited to read whatever Christine writes next.

I was sent an e ave from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m not 100% sure on this one. I’m a sucker for these instalove plots. However, I don’t like the way certain aspects were handled. Over all though I must admit that I really enjoyed it. Was it the best thing I’ve ever read.. no. However, it was really entertaining and surprised me at points.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy of Again, but Better by Christine Riccio. I can't wait to start this book.

This story takes place over two periods of time. The main character Shane in 2011 (at 20 years old) and Shane in 2017 (at 26 years old).

This novel begins in 2011 with Shane traveling abroad. Shane’s parents have determined many of the decisions in her life up to this point including wanting her to study medicine to become a doctor. Shane has a passion for literature and is wanting to come into her own person. Some how she has found herself taking a trip abroad to study in the United Kingdom, where she is able to intern for a travel magazine. While there Shane wants to change from the meek girl with few college friends to becoming an outgoing socialite who makes new friends easily.

Shane’s character very much feels like the author Christine. Babe’s character very much feels like Christine’s real life best friend Natasha. I get that this is Christine’s first book and authors generally pull from real life experiences but with Christine being a public YouTube figure and having much of her life exposed it made this very clear. There were many references to Lost, Harry Potter, and Cassandra Clare/Shadowhunters.

However, with all that said I still really enjoyed the writing style and its ability to keep you into the story. It was very fast paced. I would definitely read the next book she publishes.

(2.5 stars)
I was very skeptical going into Again, But Better because I broke a huge rule and read some other reviews from people that really did not enjoy this book. I was just very curious what other people were saying about a book written by a very popular “BookTuber” (for those of you that don’t know what that is, it’s a person with a YouTube channel that talks about books). I found that I agreed with a lot of the more negative things that were being said, but somehow I still enjoyed the book. Once I got through the first few chapters, I really was invested and wanted to see the brook through to its end.
This book was almost 3 stars for me, but just couldn’t quite get there. Here’s why:
Absolutely cringeworthy dialogue most of the time (unrealistic, not funny, etc.)
Everything about this books screams that it’s the first book Christine has ever written. Helpful hint: the first book you ever write probably shouldn’t get published. You need a lot more practice.
Unsatisfying ending. Way too happily ever after for me and unrealistic/wishful thinking.
This books seems like it’s supposed to be realistic, but then some magical elements are incorporated that just seem out of place and don’t make sense.
Now, I did say I enjoyed the book. And I did, despite the previous list of complaints. I found the main character to be extremely annoying in the beginning (which was a huge reason I almost put it down forever because I can’t read a book about a MC that I don’t like), but she showed a lot of growth throughout the book and by the end, I actually liked her and respected her. I also think it can be difficult to write character growth in a realistic way and I think Christine was able to do that.
I think the biggest reason I did end up enjoying it somewhat was because I just really liked the plotline. The idea of getting to do things again, but better is something we all sometimes think about. Watching Shane, the MC, make different choices and go through different challenges was really entertaining.