This book is adorable... it reminded me so much of being 18 and the main character basically lived out my high school / collegiate fantasy of studying abroad in London. I absolutely loved Christine Riccio's voice, and I think this is a great debut. I can't wait to get more from this author!

3.75 stars. Recieved this proof to read from Netgalley! So who here hasn't wished they changed something in their past? What they went to college for, wish they told their crush how they felt, wish they had more friends? Shane did all of that and more. Unlike the rest of us, she did have a fairy godmother of sorts to give her the chance to change her life. I enjoyed this light. Easy read. I may have not gone to college overseas, but I always wondered what would have happened if 1 thing in my life changed. I wouldn't change my life for the world, but it was fun to see how 1 change can change your whole life.

I live for these books that are filled with little pop culture references. It always feels kind of like an Easter egg hunt, while reading! I also really appreciated the representation of social anxiety. YA books about the first years in Uni seem to be getting more and more popular and I am such a big fan. I think the biggest thing to take away from this read: is the importance of staying true to yourself. There was all this pressure and conditional love put on Shane, where she felt like she had to succeed, and I really enjoyed her story arc of learning to live the life she wants to live. **on that note – maybe a bit of a content warning for abusive parental relationships?**
And – slight spoiler – but not really because it was in the synopsis. This is another one along with Opposite of Always and An Absolutely Remarkable thing, where it reads as a contemporary because it IS a contemporary … but it introduces a touch of fantasy to keep things interesting.

What can I say about this book?

The story follows Shane's year studying abroad, which was her last ditch effort to have a fresh start from the world she knew and the friends she didn't have. Anyone who has been following Christine's youtube channel would easily find the correlation between Shane's college experiences and those that Christine has shared with the internet.

Honestly, it's difficult to compose my thoughts about this novel because I've been following Christine's booktube adventure for years now. It has been a wild ride and I've watched every single one of her writing updates. That being said, it feels a little disloyal to say anything critical about this story when I know how hard she has worked on it however, the truth of the matter is that this is a solid three star read for me.

The beginning of the book follows Shane as she expresses her goals for the future and establishes a reason for her "quest." This part was so disorienting to me because the writing style reminded me of trying to get on my bicycle after spending a decade away from it. The writing style was a little jilted, and the similiarities to her actual youtube channel were too distracting for me. I couldn't stop hearing everything in her voice, but thinking that she sounded more eloquent in her videos- which doesn't really make sense because you spend much more time thinking about how you compose a written response than you would in a vlog style video.

She seemed to have reached her stride around page 100, which was when this 2 star read became a three in my opinion. Once she reached the pinnacle of conflict and the conflict was about the growth of the actual character, rather than the relationships, I was sold. I was taken for a loop and the suspense and tension build up made everything else so worthwhile, though I do think the exposition lasted a little too long. The first section of the book could have been cut 50 pages and I wouldn't have missed it at all. There was definitely no reason for this book to be longer than like 275 pages.

The male protagonist was a little flat until the end, but I truly enjoyed the latter half of the book. You could definitely tell when she started to feel more comfortable with writing and I loved the imagery she began to include and the dialogue. I thought it was endearing- though also very distracting- to have an allusion to her biggest writer pet peeve (those of you who follow PolandBananas will know exactly what I'm talking about).

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of hers and doesn't mind a little soul searching story that is written with low text complexity. There are plenty of pop culture references and youtube references to keep the die-hard fans of hers happy and "in on the joke." Based on the writing at the end of the book, I can honestly say that I am very excited to see what she comes up with for her sophomore novel.

**Full disclosure, I kindly received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, though this comment is a little unnecessary because I did pre-order a copy the minute it was announced.

This book was so nice! it reminded me of me when I was dorming in college. This is a book I would totally recommend.

2.5/5 stars.

Again, But Better follows Shane Primavera, who has had her life completely figured out since she was a kid. She's premed to please her parents, but all she wants to do is read and write. She applies to study abroad for a semester in the UK where she journals and blogs about her adventures abroad. She manages to escape her parents' expectations and solidifies her love for writing as she becomes an intern for a travel magazine. 

The book is split into two parts: It's first set in 2011 where Shane is 20, and the next part is set in 2017 when Shane is 26. The book is a mix between Fangirl and About Time. That sounds like an interesting combination, right? 

The thing is the writing was really clunky. The majority of the book was telling and not showing. What's insane to me is that Shane was studying abroad in the UK, she was travelling to a new country and city each weekend, and yet we didn't really get to see any of that. Instead, we got a quick recap of it from Shane's diary entries or her blog post. 

A lot of the writing was awkward and cringy as well. The majority of this book is set in 2011, which is fun, but Riccio really tried to sell it. There's some kind of pop culture reference to that time in almost every paragraph. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't read this without thinking Shane was Christine the whole time. They have the same personality, they talk the same, and they have the exact same interests. It strikes me as odd that Riccio didn't take this time to craft a character that's completely unique. It's kind of lazy that she self-inserted herself into the story. 

One thing I did enjoy about this book was the plot twist. It was fun and a little hokey. And I gave this book an extra half bubble tea because I didn't call that ending. I was so sure I knew where it was going as all time travel stories end the same. 

I also think Riccio did a great job writing about anxiety. The scene where she loses her purse in Rome was spot on to what I know myself and others have experienced. You could see Shane's thought process and her anxiety escalating, which was extremely accurate for someone who experiences anxiety. 

In the end, this book was a miss. The pacing and the writing didn't work for me. It struggled with trying to be too quirky and that overshadowed the story, which could have been great. The romance is also based on emotional cheating, which I found to be unnecessary. Pilot and Shane could have pursued their relationship in a healthier way. And the drama didn't have to be so manufactured. 

Books by YouTubers often receive a lot of backlash and I can understand where it comes from. But you can tell Riccio loves to write and put effort into her debut novel. I think with more practice, she could become better at it. She's clearly got great ideas. It's just the execution that needs a little more work.

Honestly, I was pretty excited for Again, but Better—the main character, Shane, is the same age as I am (a junior in college) and is studying abroad in London (I love London!). Overall, though, the book had me cringing. Shane is a bit...too relatable. Her actions and hobbies were overwhelmingly basic, which is fine, but the story was told so plainly that the plot became increasingly obvious after every chapter. I liked the characters, but there needed to be more interactions that were meaningful. Some information was ~revealed~ about characters, but it wasn't really followed up with and just kind of seemed to be unnecessarily there.

SPOILERS------------------------------------------------------------------------
In my opinion, Shane didn't really do it better the second time. Sure, she got what she wanted: she's a successful author and ends up married to Penn, but she didn't really learn from her mistakes. I think that there needed to be more...meat? action? something? the first time Shane did her semester abroad. It was short and pitiful, which I understand, of course; the whole point is that she's not having a good time. BUT. It went by too quickly for us to truly feel sorry for her. From our point of view, she instantly made a close-knit group of friends, has a killer internship, and is in London. During her lonely spring break week, her experiences are summed up in a single sentence. We needed to feel how lonely Shane actually was for us to feel for her.

Anyway, the magic? Huh? That part was never fully explained and just felt super random. Also, I feel like things could go so awry if two people time-travelled and restarted the last 6 years of their lives...

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This read is a story about second chances and discovering who you are.

Shane is for sure going to be a relatable character for a lot of people. I think that this read will inspire a lot of people to go out and live their best lives.

I love how hopeful this book is. It shows how hopeless Shane feels but it also shows how she overcomes those feelings and I think that is a very good message for readers.

Shane finds that courage and determination can conquer anything and the book shows that in a nostalgic bittersweet way in a story about new beginnings.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

More like 3.5 stars but I erred on the higher end. I’m a bit conflicted with this book because it was an easy, light read. Definitely felt like a Y a novel so if that is the genre then perfect, but if it is not, it misses the mark. The first half was fun as the reader explores Europe as a self professed college hermit. The second half, though, felt a little far-fetched and unnecessary. I don’t think this novel lived up to its hype but if you’re looking for light and fluffy then by all means read this book.

I requested this out of curiosity more than anything. I know Christine by name only. I’ve never watched her videos and I don’t follow her on social media. I have seen her as a moderator before, but that’s about the extent of my contact.

I liked Shane and Pilot well enough. The first half of the book was a bit of a struggle. Shane’s POV was really rough and definitely didn’t sound like a 20 year old. I never quite settled into caring about these characters, but I was intrigued.

Plot wise, it wasn’t what I expected and I sort of liked that. The second half of the book felt stronger. The writing wasn’t as disjointed, the inner monologue wasn’t as young sounding. There is a lot of push and pull, a lot of repetitive word choices and phrases, and a good portion of clichés.

Overall, I liked the idea, but was also sort of bored. There seem to be loads of nods to Christine herself in this story and I wonder if I would have liked it more if I were a fan.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**

Utterly sweet, cute, and funny. I loved Shane's character, she one of the top three main characters who I relate to the most and I wish I could just hug her. I loved the story but the little magic element was a surprise to me, I was not expecting that.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the personalities of the characters. I'm sure a lot of readers who are "lost" will be able to relate to Shane.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shane is unhappy with her college experience. She’s pretty much friendless, and she hates her major. However, her parents won’t support her if she changes her major so she concocts a plan to start over by studying abroad in London with a creative program track and internship at a travel magazine.

On the first day there, she meets Pilot, and she’s immediately smitten with him. There’s a problem though; he has a girlfriend. However, he may be interested in her too.

However, trying to start over is hard when the past cannot be changed. Or can it?

I struggled with this book. First, I question why it’s classified as YA when the main character is 20 from the beginning. However, because that has no merit on the overall writing quality, I gave that a pass.

The writing quality, however, was rough. Throughout the first half of the book, set in 2011, I questioned what the point was. Shane writes, goes off to other countries seemingly every weekend, and pines after a guy who doesn’t want to break up with his girlfriend. The writing drags, and some of the descriptions just feel forced and get in the way of the story itself. It almost reads like it’s someone’s first draft, and it was painful to read at times.

The second half of the story provides a unique twist, but at that point, the writing had already lost me. It felt like the first half dragged on too long, and most readers will give up there before the story actually becomes interesting.

This book is separated into two very distinct parts. I enjoyed the first part fine and when it transitioned to the second part I was caught off guard and annoyed. However, I quickly grew to love the second part of this book. Pilot and Shane are amazing characters and I loved everything about them, There was so much depth added to their characters in the second part of the book. I was all in for them and loved how everything came together in the end. Such by a unique spin on a classic fiction romance.

I absolutely loved Again, but Better. This debut novel is full of laughter, heart and enough quirkiness to wonder if it was written about young me. The story follows foreign exchange student Shane and her semester abroad in Europe. Her parents thought she was on her way to being premed, but Shane has other ideas with what she wants to do with her life. After having to go into a field she never wanted to be in, losing a crush that could have been more and having a hard time adjusting to the life she lives now years later. Shane gets a do over and charts a path for the life she's always wanted.

If I am being honest, I really struggled with this review-- more than I thought I would considering I am not an avid or regular polandbananasbooks watcher! Even so, how do you evaluate the writing of someone whose videos you've watched on and off throughout the years? I do not think it possible to write this review without acknowledging that her years on booktube have basically made it impossible for me to do as Barthes would urge me to and completely separate the work from its author. So, in addition to my usual discussion about what I loved, what can be improved and why or why not I think this might be a book for you (the people reading this), I'll also be including a short discussion on Death of the Author and the Self-Insert character. I think both of these are worth talking about in relation to this book, my review and how I believe other people will review it.

Best Parts of the Book
Again but Better is a fast read. I read it in roughly two days and flew through the pages. I started the book expecting a fast, light-read contemporary and it delivered for the most part. Shane's struggles will also resonate with a lot of readers, I think. Shane sets off to London for a better college experience, yes, but also to do the things she's been afraid to do. I remember the experience of my first study abroad-- the thrill of being able to start fresh with new people, and to reshape the bad habits I had developed or do away with my insecurities. It's more challenging than writing out a list and seeing her stumble through on her way to being better, to having the courage to face her choices and re-direct her life from doing what she should to what she wants is something I think a lot of folks in their late teens early 20s will relate to. A lot of people talk about the mistakes the characters made-- but I honestly could see a twenty year old doing those things. In fact, some of the people I knew at that age did those things, made those mistakes (including me).

Beyond that, I think Christine added a pretty nifty element I don't see often in these types of contemporaries. I picked it up expecting a standard contemporary with some relationship angst, unusual names and family or friend drama. I was pleasantly surprised when one specific part of the plot was introduced and I appreciated that Christine didn't do what so many contemporaries do and equate finding oneself with finding someone to love you.

Where it could improve
I think Christine Riccio has started with a great base here and I'm excited to see how she'll build upon it. One area I'd love to see her grow in is her dialogue and descriptions. The arc I received had some of the better known mistakes of new writers: too large a variety of dialogue tags (splurted, I think I was used at one point), overly repetitive mannerisms (what the fudge is used frequently) and a tendency to group descriptions together (especially clothes) where they could be threaded in.

I also think there were a few opportunities to weave in hints and show what the secondary characters are struggling with (that maybe Shane missed until later) rather than tell us-- though I acknowledge that's more tricky through a first person narrative. Still, there were a couple I'd marked off when reading, so I'd love to see her take better advantage of those opportunities in future books!

Generally, I understood character motivations and relationships, though there was one important moment, in the latter half of the book, that I questioned. I think either the connection between Shane and another character needed to be made stronger in the first half or the mechanism Riccio used to get them together should have been different. I will acknowledge the second half of the book must have been tricky to write. Some of the hints were maybe a little too blatant (though some said they missed them so maybe that's a me thing). Moreover, when she finally executed I had moments where I wished to see other parts of the world to which she only dedicated a few sentences

[spoiler- which will be hidden on good reads] A teeny tiny thing but-- I was surprised that the array of objects Pilot gave Shane at the end didn't include a lamppost. I thought for sure it would!

You'll like it if…
1. You want a lighter read/contemporary
2. Silly and fun humor. There were a few lines with some puns or kind of absurd humor that made me crack a smile. There's a bit of dry humor as well, in smaller doses.
3. Imperfect characters who still get a happy ending. There are definitely moments where the characters stumble, they're selfish, they're manipulative, they're dishonest. Their realization of these flaws are scattered throughout but not all of them are a major focus.
4. You're cool with characters who feel younger and might sometimes be a little 'immature'

You won't like it if…
1. You love polished or lyrical prose and are bothered by more 'realistic' dialogue with ticks like 'um' or 'uh' or phrases like "what the fudge" (that one personally really got me)
2. You'll be distracted by some of the similarities between the main character and the author (see my discussion below)
3. You need to stick it out for a while to see the character begin to really grow and have realizations. Shane has a few smack you in your face epiphanies and works to change her behavior afterward, but she needs to stumble around for a while first.
4. You're not a fan of heavy pop-culture references. I'll be honest, I didn't get some of them.
5. A snarky love interest who does some questionable things in his relationship. That is to say, you don't have to approve of both the love interests or their choices to like the story.
6. I think it will rub a lot of people the wrong way that she's also exceptionally good at the things she doesn't love


Death of the author and the self-insert:
Here's the part I struggled most with. A lot of reviews have pointed out that Shane is a self-insert. I don't think they're necessarily wrong-- there are a lot of similarities between Shane and Christine. They enjoy similar things, the look similar, and have similar mannerisms. I'd also say her in real life booktube best friend is inserted into the story, too. Can I be completely honest? A lot of folks have been saying they don't like it because it shows a lack of creativity, but a part of me wants to defend her a little b it.

I suspect that authors insert more of themselves in different ways into characters and their stories than we expect. They just have the advantage of not being a fairly well known public figure beforehand. Death of the author isn't super achievable for her. It is impossible for large swathes of readers to separate the text from the author's intentions because she has such a huge online presence! We can't evaluate it without comparing it to her in someway and that kind of sucks a little bit for her, but I think it's also an opportunity for her in her next book to try writing someone much different.

I will concede that I wish she hadn't made Shane quite so similar to herself in superficialities at the very least since I spent parts of the book wondering if she wanted us to see her in a certain way or if I was reading about her, not about this character she'd created. It pulled me out of the story more than once or twice-- at one point Shane gives a speech about the power of YouTube that felt like an especially egregious moment Christine inserted her thoughts or self. Still, people have said the only reason it's getting published is because she's a well-known booktuber; that the quality of the writing doesn't merit the publishing. First, let's not knock the effort it takes to build an audience. Second, regardless of the merit of the writing it's hard to say this is the only reason it got published. I have read books of lesser or equal quality written by little known debut authors. Now, do I think there was an expectation around the book due to her being involved so publicly as a reader over the years? Yes. I don't think there's anyway around it completely, but I hope that making people aware of how their expectations and knowledge of Christine might affect them going in might help.

*This arc was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

I will be posting a short video discussion on this in the next few weeks, and will be including it in my wrap up video as well.

4.5 ⭐ omg this book was ADORABLE!!! I've been reading a lot of psychological thrillers lately, so it was nice to read a book that I didn't have to think about too much. I loved all of the characters! I was not expecting the middle twist, but now the title makes sense. I think we can all think of a time in our lives we'd love the chance to go back to for a do-over.

Like every other person on this planet, I was interested in reading this book because the author is one of the biggest booktubers out there & as a fellow booktuber I had to check this out. I was pleasantly suprise. This book follows the story of Shane, an American student who does exchange program to London. She meets a boy, of course, and along with her article writing for a magazine, she travels a lot around Europe and that was my favorite aspect of the book. A certain part of the relationship that she developed with the boy turned me completely off but the rest of the book was extremely engaging and it will be a sweet summer contemporary for teens to read soon. I recommend this if you are looking for a book that deals with academia, your parents pressure to be perfect and follow THEIR dreams & a travel YA full of twists and turns.

I'll just say it up front: I LOVED THIS BOOK! The first half of the book was so much fun to read! I loved how relatable Shane was as a character. Pilot will also go down as one of my favorite characters to date. I mean SWOON! The travel element of the book also added so much to it! The second half of the book had me a little skeptical at first, to be honest. I was nervous it would turn into one of those "and then I woke up" stories, but it didn't! Yay! One thing I also want to point out is how much I admire the author. You can tell inside the novel how much excitement and love was put into it! Overall, I would totally recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Enjoy!

I think this is more like a 2.5 star for me. I’m honestly so sad because I was hoping to really love this book but it just wasn’t for me unfortunately. There were parts I thought were really cute and sweet and fun but overall there was something that just didn’t click with me. I really loved the development of the connection between Shane and her cousin Leo as well as the general friendships and travel adventures throughout Europe with Shane, Babe, and Sahra. BUT the cheating elements of the main romantic relationship and the horrible dynamics between Shane and her parents made me so uncomfortable and it was hard to move past that.

You’re just trying to follow your dreams. There’s nothing wrong with that.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for supplying me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think I can speak for a huge majority of students and admit that college can be incredibly weird and strange at times. So much so, in fact, that you almost wish you had a time turner at your disposal so you can fix absolutely everything that went wrong. In Again, But Better, our characters feel almost exactly the same.

I think I can also speak for a lot of YA readers that are in the college-age range (what is it with me thinking that as an singular individual, I can think for huge populations of people??) and confess that it can sometimes be beyond hard to relate to YA characters that are still in high school, and their biggest problem is who they’re taking to the senior prom. That said, when I first heard Christine talk about what Again, But Better would be about, I was instantly excited. Finally, a book about someone (near) my age that would probably be going through the same things I went through. But, I’m sad to report, that I was let down with this book.

Synopsis: Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane’s made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that?

Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time’s a ticking, and she needs a change—there’s nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She’s going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure!

Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart.

Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination, one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic—the possibilities are endless.

Okay, let’s start with the good; despite the book not living up to its hype for me personally, there are definitely some highlights.

I like being their perfect daughter.

Technically speaking, I really loved what Shane was doing for the YA world. Here we are, being introduced to a 20-year-old college student that feels beyond lost; has no idea what she want to do with her life, whether she follows her own dreams or her parents; she has trouble making friends at school due to social anxieties; and she hasn’t been kissed. I love YA books as much as the next person, but it can get exhausting when these 16-year-olds know exactly who they are, who they want to be, and, on top of it, how to save the world. Shane was a breath of fresh air. I for one would have loved to meet a fictional character exactly like Shane while I was still in college because her personality and experiences normalized a lot of what I was experiencing and what I saw my friends going through.

And it’s no surprise that Christine got Shane’s study-abroad friend group just right, considering she studied abroad herself. Even though I didn’t fly across the world, I did move to New York on my own for a summer graduate program where I knew absolutely no one; it’s a strange feeling, finding yourself in a strange city where you have no idea if you need to go Uptown or Downtown for your classes (I’m geographically challenged and still have no idea which way I went for class).

Being forced into an uncomfortable situation like studying abroad or moving to a new city for school is this strange experience where you almost become an entirely different person. You’re surrounded by people in the exact same situation you’re in, and you’re all pursuing the same (or similar) things. At least from my experience, this uncomfortablity made you become close to quite a few people very quickly. I was in New York for just over two months, but I met some of my best friends, and I am pretty sure that they all knew my whole life story within two days of meeting me. So, in that way, I could relate to Shane because, at her “normal” college, she was being held back because of her social anxieties, but then, in England, she’s forced to get to know these people she’s going to be spending her time with.

I also just love reading about and living vicariously through characters that travel to anyplace in Europe because I’ve always wanted to go.

I just want to be normal.

There is no normal.

While I did understand what Shane was doing in the whole grand scheme of things, I wasn’t the biggest fan of any of these characters. To me, they all felt very surface level—I would’ve loved to learn more about what makes them tick: their likes, their dislikes, their favorite weird food combinations, their lives at school, their favorite animal, etc,. It was almost as if the characters only existed when Shane needed them to; they weren’t real people outside of her world.

Along that same vein, I wanted to go through their experiences with them. A majority of the book was set up to read like “we did this, then this, then this,” and then we’re plunged into a scene with the characters and dialogue; you’re told that they visited historical places in Rome, but you never got the chance to go with them. Stories can be told in so many different ways, and I know that an author will occasionally pick telling over showing for stylistic reasons, but I really love being right there with the characters. Again, But Better follows Shane as she finds herself, and I just wish I was able to go on that journey with her.

And, as a smaller note, the dialogue also fell a little flat for me. There were times were it felt so forced that it was like the characters didn’t believe what was coming out of their mouths—almost as if these people were trying to be too relatable for their audience. I even had troubles distinguishing a difference in 20-year-old Shane’s voice and 26-year-old Shane’s voice; it was almost as if she didn’t change.

‘Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.’

I know what you’re probably thinking. “Wow, okay. Lauren is really going off about this book.” And trust me, I really, really wanted to love it, but I just couldn’t. I think it’s so incredible that Christine was able to write a book and got it published, seeing as how much it was her dream to become an author. Writing a book is something to be proud of (even if it’s still sitting in your old, tattered notebook or filed away on your laptop somewhere (I’m talking to you, dear aspiring author)). This just wasn’t a story for me. I was also reminded of Never, Never by Colleen Hoover while reading this, which I didn’t enjoy either (even in the height of my CoHo obsession) so it honestly might just be me.


Overall: 3 flip phones out of 5.