It is hard to wrap my head around this book and my thoughts. I fell in love with the main character, Shane, and all of her quirks. Add in Pilot and I loved them together. At first I did not understand where this book was headed, but by the end I was so glad to have been a part of the ride. A must read for all of us who wonder...what if?

If Again, But Better hadn’t been my first ARC that I was stoked about, I’m sorry to say I would have DNF’ed pretty close to the beginning. I really wanted to love this book and was hopeful from the start, because I mean who doesn’t love the BookTube queen herself! But unfortunately this ended up falling flat for me in the end.

Here’s what I liked.

The main character Shane is so me! The blond, shy and awkward girl who loves Harry Potter, Lost and Nutella. I’ve never met Christine, but the humor and personality of Shane made me feel like I’ve known her for ages! I was easily able to relate to Shane’s frustrations and struggles.

I always love when authors include some other type of medium in their writing. In this book it was a series of postcards and journal entries. The humor written in these were my favorite part!

Halfway through the book I was pleasantly surprised - I couldn’t put it down! I had no clue there was a time traveling element to the story and that piqued my interest immediately. Unfortunately after that halfway mark, it was beyond boring and was quite the let down! I kept wanting to skip to the end just to see where Shane ended up.
Now onto the not so great aspects.

The movie, book, show and music references were supposed to be funny, but it was done so often that it got annoying very quickly, especially when you don’t know the references at all. It was almost overwhelming at times. I felt like the references were thrown in at random just to confirm that this book was set in 2011. I would have like to see this portrayed in a more creative way.

The grammar wasn’t spectacular, which gave away the fact that this is a debut novel. Most authors grow with time and practice and I’m hopeful that Christine will do the same!

The overall relationship between Shane and Pilot was extremely forced. It took me forever to get invested and I’m still not convinced that I am. This could be because the humor was not my cup of tea, so it didn’t seem like a serious relationship. They’re supposed to be 20 year old college students, but they acted much like 14 year olds.

Overall, I probably would not recommend this book to anyone I know. It was filled with too much fluff and cliches for my taste!

2.5 stars - If you are part of the booktube community, you know who Christine Riccio is and that this is her debut novel she's posted countless videos about. As much as I want to support her, this book was a bit of a mess.

Christine's writing style definitely has potential but is very juvenile. The main character's POV is essentially just a stream of consciousness which barely offers any descriptions. We don't get a description of Shane (our MC) until three chapters into the book and if you're interested in the backgrounds of any characters, you won't learn anything until the last quarter of the story.

For a book featuring adventures in Europe, you'd think it would be rich in atmosphere. (Especially since Christine had the experience of studying abroad herself.) Yet when Shane gets to experience authentic gelato in Rome she doesn't have any thoughts or opinions on the taste, texture, smell, or literally anything. When she experiences Italian ravioli, it's described as "the most delicious ravioli she's ever had." Okay, but what makes it the most delicious? I WANTED TO EXPERIENCE ROME WITH YOU... When they visit Paris, they "had dinner at a French restaurant." Yeah, I figured that you'd be eating french cuisine in Paris, but WHAT DID YOU HAVE AND HOW WAS IT?!

It's a shame that the readers don't even get to experience all of the travel adventures as they take place because half of scenes are cut abruptly short and then written in past tense through journal entries. By doing this, we lack character development and dialogue that could've really helped connect us to this group of friends.

Even more frustrating than the writing style, Christine very clearly wrote herself as the main character. "Shane" is ghostly white with blonde poofy hair, her online alias is FrenchWatermelon19, she is constantly recommending books to others, trying really hard to be quirky, and obsessing over Taylor Swift. Oh, and this is an actual quote:

"[YouTube] is just a platform to jump off. People can discover you there; you can build an audience there; it's a portfolio when you're trying to get a job. It can provide endless possibilities! I spend a lot of time on the internet. I've watched it with my own eyes!"

I typically enjoy when author's mention little fandom references, but this book was over the top. Christine was trying to win over just about every fandom imaginable; Harry Potter, Lost, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, etc. It got to a point where it just didn't feel like this book was speaking for itself anymore.

The second portion of this book went in a completely different magical direction that just didn't feel like it belonged. It made the story predictable, rushed, and pretty corny. At least this was an easy book to get through?

I really wanted to love this book. I really tried, but the writing is just too undeveloped and unsure of itself. There are lots of awkward sentences and ideas that aren't fully described so it makes it hard to paint a clear picture of what's going on. I love that more College YA is being published (and II'm in love with a London exchange story), but the author just didn't get the book to where it needed to be.

This book focuses on Shane and her study abroad journey. The beginning was slow. Shane's character seemed a little flat. There was a possibility of a romantic love interest, but instead of building tension it seemed he was uninterested in Shane. What I wasn't expecting was the magical elements that were added to the book. Not to give too many spoilers, but it was possible for Shane to have another chance to do things more her way. Overall, the writing was a little more juvenile than I was expecting, especially because the story took place in college and beyond. I would not recommend this book to college kids, but maybe to the high school book lovers? It was a sweet story, but there could have been more dynamic character development.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Again, but Better" tells the story of Shane, a girl who has yet to have a boyfriend or a first kiss, even though she is in college. Shane makes it a goal to change her life when she signs up for a study aboard program. Only problem is, Shane told her parents it's a premed program when it's actually a creative writing program. Uh oh! Can you smell trouble? Everything is going great with Shane in London. She meets a great guy, loves her internship, has friends. But then everything falls apart. The perfect guy, Pilot, actually has a girlfriend. I can't believe he didn't say anything! Ugh! Then her parents found out that she lied. Double ugh! Fast forward to the future and Shane decides that she needs a change in her life. With the help of some magic and a cute boy Shane does the same thing again, but better (hence the title).

"Again, but Better" was a really fun read. I related to Shane so much! College was about school to me, not parties or boys. Can I get a redo? This novel is fun and cute to read!

I was very lucky to be sent the eARC of Again, but Better by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press; this was a release I have been highly anticipating.

That being said, let me start out with: I really, really, really wanted to like this book. Christine is one of my favorite Booktubers; her book talks are some of my favorite videos, and my friends and I all discuss her videos and eagerly await each one. Her passion and enthusiasm are evident in all her videos, and this book is no different.

The story follows Shane Primaveri, a girl who studies abroad in London in search of adventure. She feels as if she’s been missing out on the true college experience, and wants to push herself to make new friends and explore new cities. Soon, she runs into a potential romance, which she must quickly learn to deal with. She’s just starting to learn how to juggle her family, her career aspirations, newfound friendships, romantic aspirations, and trying so hard to stay on top of it all.

I loved the premise; it seemed like something I would immediately fall in love with. Sadly, Again, but Better, didn’t live up to my expectations. Initially, the writing was hard for me to get past. One of the things I can’t stand about books is when they are written in the present tense, and this story was entirely in the present tense. For whatever reason, present tense takes me out of the story, and it takes so much more concentration for me to dive into a fictional world. That was my first hurdle.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize some of aspects I dislike about the way certain books are written. I don’t like when there are large portions of the text dedicated to the character getting dressed, or detailed descriptions of outfits characters are wearing. It always takes me out of the story, and actually, makes it harder for me to visualize the character, what they look like, and what they are about to do. For some reason, I hate it. I also dislike when there are too many references to pop culture, especially when they are not well-incorporated, like consistently putting in song lyrics as if they are part of normal dialogue. This book had a lot of that, and it was hard for me to overlook my pet peeves and dive into the story.

Another issue I had was with the characterization. I love Christine, and Shane seemed like a fictional portrayal of herself. However, in book form, I didn’t find it endearing, as I do in real life. In fact, it seemed borderline unrealistic at times: a twenty-year old doesn’t act or think like the character is written. Perhaps, if Shane had been a bit younger, I could’ve found it to be more believable, but at the beginning of the story, it was a bit annoying.

It was also hard for me to get over the names. Shane, I could deal with. Her flatmates, Pilot and Babe, were names that continually took me out of the story every time I came across them. However, I do read Sarah J. Maas, so I guess names shouldn’t be that big of an issue for me.

I also had some problems with the portrayal of the romantic relationship in the book. The potential love interest is Pilot, but you find out very early on that he has a girlfriend. Though it’s clear that Shane is not happy about any prospect of Pilot cheating, their banter and flirtations still continue. Personally, I strongly dislike the cheating trope, particularly how it portrays another person as an obstacle to get to “true love.” It’s overdone, and I’m tired. Also, at least twice in this book, two drunk guys kiss Shane without her consent. This is a little nitpicky, but I would’ve loved a little more discussion on that; I don’t want to see sexual harassment or assault normalized.

To put it frankly, this book was a complete rollercoaster for me. I truly don’t want this review to be all criticism; there were some parts I enjoyed. Though Shane annoyed me at first, as the story progressed, I began to root for her more and more. I began to like her right before the twist (which I won’t spoil), and I particularly liked the emphasis on her finding herself. Whenever I got annoyed at something that Shane did, a couple chapters later, she would realize that herself, and grow from her mistakes.

I think the book also did a really good job of capturing the study abroad experience. In my personal life, studying abroad felt like a do-over of freshmen year of college: you’re thrown into a new city, and become friends with everyone you meet, mainly out of necessity. It did a good job of capturing both that confusion and camaraderie, even though, at times, I found Shane’s inner monologue to be grating and over the top.

The book also emphasized friendship, though not to a huge degree, but I still appreciated it. The relationship between Shane and her flatmates is important to her, and it comes across how they they have each others’ backs, no matter how close they seem, particularly when Shane has trouble with her parents. I liked that there was a strained relationship with her family; it gave her character a bit more depth. I also found Shane’s struggles to follow your passion very relatable. However, at times, the family dynamic seemed to be too over the top, particularly when her cousins make fun of her on her Facebook wall. For me, it’s a little hard to believe your cousins are willing to blast you on the internet like that, especially on such a public forum.

I liked how Shane and Pilot needed to be friends first, even if that was necessary because of Pilot’s aforementioned girlfriend. Though, the banter between the two came across as if you were talking to Christine in real life. Of course, I don’t know her personally, but as one of her viewers and now a reader of this book, there didn’t seem to be a big distinction between fictional Shane and Christine in her videos. At times, I liked I didn’t mind the similarities - it was cute, and established a precedent for Pilot and Shane’s friendship. At other times (going back to my pet peeves), there were too many contemporary references that threw me out of the story altogether.

The twist in this book is what (partially) redeemed it for me. At first, I was unsure if I could finish it. Around halfway through, I was glad I decided to finish it, because it did get slightly better. However, the problems I had with the book and the writing didn’t go away, but…I no longer hated the book. By the ending, the story was less focused on Shane’s love life and more about her personal growth, and that, I could get behind. I still don’t love the book, but I’m glad I read it.

This digital ARC was sent to me by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: May 7, 2019

This was a cute love story. I did enjoy reading it but it wasn't anything new for me. I have read this story and seen these characters before. I am always looking for something a little bit different to draw me in and unfortunately this didn't do it for me.

Again, but Better was one of my most anticipated novels of 2019, so you can imagine how excited I was when my “wish” was granted on Netgalley! While I’d followed Christine’s writing progress on her YouTube channel, I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but this time, I think going into the book blind was the best thing I could have done.

The story follows pre-med student, Shane, who has supposedly done college wrong, and needs a new slate to start over. A semester abroad in London was just what she needed! The cast of secondary characters were so much fun to read about and get to know, Atticus and Babe being my favourites. But of course there was the love interest, Pilot. Shane finds herself navigating between a new country, new friends, and a whole lot of drama.

I refuse to spoil this book for anyone looking forward to reading it, but I can tell you that it spoke to my heart in so many ways. Again, but Better is the story of first loves, but it’s more than that. It’s about meeting expectations we put on ourselves to make other people happy, it’s about the mistakes we make as young adults that we wish we could take back, and it’s about second chances.

It makes you question what you would do if you could do it all over again?

Again, but Better is written with the amount of heart I expected from Christine Riccio, and in my opinion? An excellent debut novel.

A million thank you’s to the publisher and the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Now I shall sit and wait patiently for my pre-order to arrive.

This was amazing! I did not know Christine beforehand and I did not know what the book was about, but I really enjoyed reading Shane's adventures in an upside-down world.

Shane and Pilot are the lead pair in this YA novel about discovering one-self, second chances and love. I did not really like Pilot at first, and the first half seemed kind of slacking, but it all came together really well in the end. The characters are very well-developed, especially the lead character. The romance seemed superficial at first too, but it developed pretty well by the time the characters get together. I loved the travelling and blog-post parts. All-in-all, this has made me want to check out Christine Riccio's booktube and I'm sure it would be great!

Recommended to all YA fans, writers, and readers; this is simply too beautiful ❤

Hello Wednesday Books,

I regret to inform you that I will not be finishing this novel. I was so excited for this book because of the plot, stunning cover, and the author. However, I have decided not to finish this book based on the writing. I just cannot connect with the immaturity of the main character and direction of plot. A lot of the wording in this story is awkward at times and makes me feel a bit uncomfortable when certain things are mentioned. I think that this book would have benefited more through a couple more rounds of editing and feedback. I just cannot continue this novel despite how much I wanted to love and support it. I do wish this work all the best though, and I hope others will enjoy it.

Kind regards,

Brittney

I have mixed feelings on this book. I really struggled with Shane at the beginning of the book. She came across as very immature. Her behavior and emotions were more in line with a 12 year old, rather than a college student. I realize that her characterization was probably intentional in order to show the growth later in the novel and to account for her lack of experience with boys, but it made for difficult reading. It just seemed implausible that a girl who made great grades and was pre-med could act like a boy-crazed 12 year old all the time.

However, after the time jump to 2017, I found Shane more tolerable. She had gained some maturity. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. I wish, however, that more time was spent on her familial relationships rather than her relationship with Pilot. In my opinion, the storyline with her parents and cousins was far more interesting and meaningful than her romantic relationships.

Overall, I think this is a cute read that will appeal to fans of YA romance (with some magic realism thrown in).

I really like Christine Riccio. I think she's an excellent Booktuber--she makes entertaining videos that showcase reading as accessible and enjoyable and I think what she contributes to the Booktube community is so, so valuable.

But I'm not reviewing Christine Riccio. I'm reviewing her debut novel. Again, but Better is frankly disappointing. It's poorly written, with a voice far too juvenile for a character in her college years. I'm the same age as Shane when she decides to study abroad, and the disconnect between us was severe. Shane describes her heart like a puppy running around when there's a visitor at the door. Shane, you're 20, not 12.

There are so many parallels between Shane and Christine that it feels like self-insertion, which is fine for creative writing if it's not meant to be published. Shane shares all the same interests as Christine, from her favorite books to her favorite music. I predicted Shane's favorite song being "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift before she even said it, because I know that's Christine's favorite. As an author, you need to be able to separate yourself from your main character. I don't think this book did that.

There are also an exhausting number of pop culture references. I understand that the book takes place in both 2011 and 2017 and you want to make sure those eras feel different, but there are ways to do that without referencing which book in a series just came out or what new iPhone app there is.

This book also involves cheating. Although it's not completely glossed over, it's still ultimately excused, which I find to be pretty unhealthy.

There are moments where this book shines. There are some lines that are beautiful (leaving a trail of sunshine on the sidewalk) and some moments where the emotional resonance really sings. However, those moments are very few and far in between. I have faith that Christine can write a better book than this. I guess we'll see what she does with her next novel. Maybe she'll do this again, but better.

I was lucky to receive an early edition of this book from NetGalley. I liked that the chapters were short and the topic of studying abroad is fun for someone that works in higher education. However, I didn't think that the story was very original or exciting. I like that Riccio provided a realistic picture of how parents can react to children who want to pursue a creative field, and she didn't try to sugarcoat their reactions to Shane's decision.

However, I sadly found both Shane very cringeworthy. She seemed naive, immature and really annoying at times. Every time she called her love interest Pilot by the nickname "Pies," I cringed. I think that Christine Riccio might have made the main character TOO much like herself (for those of you that watch her YouTube Book Channel, she is very bubbly and silly_. On YouTube/film her personality is funny and light, but it doesn't really come across the same way when you read the story. The main character Shane's personality just comes across as weird and little girl-ish.

I think this book is *fine* but it's nothing that made my heart swoon or a book that I will be thinking about for days. It's a fun, beach read but it didn't live up to what my expectations were.

Absolutely loved this book and everything about. The characters are very relatable and feel more like friends than just characters in a story. The Harry Potter references were an excellent touch and brought the world of literature into the book in a way that was simply beautiful.

I fully plan on buying this book when it comes out so that I can have a physical copy!

I received an eARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because the premise seemed interesting and who doesn't like a story with second chances. I had no idea who Christine was/is which might have helped me enjoy the story, as I had no idea what her background was other than she is a booktuber.

The story begins with Shane receiving a chance to study abroad in the UK. This part of the book is entertaining and I loved living through the characters and their travels. Then comes the time jump, this is where she lost me a bit. There isn't enough character growth to jump ahead that many years. A couple would have been enough but 6/7?! I didn't quite buy it.

The pop culture references are a plenty, sometimes to overpowering, 5 or so in a page or even a chapter wasn't needed. But, to play my own devils advocate, most were entertaining and I did find myself laughing out loud and thinking about on that time period because of them.

All in all it was a cute story and a quick read about second chances and how we could redo things if possible.

I was a bit hesitant going into this one. I am a big fan of Christine, but was not sure how her storytelling would translate into words. I will say it took me a couple chapters to get used to the writing style and in the first half, the pacing is a little weird. But, I LOVED the second half. Seeing the characters grow, change, and be bold was so heartwarming. The banter between the main couple was SPOT on and so much fun to read. I loved seeing them develop as a couple. The friend and family dynamics are interesting and at times heartbreaking to read, but feel so real. There are so many nerdy and bookish references which was so much fun. This was just a cute and fun contemporary and I know I will be rereading this when my copy comes.

I honestly cannot say much more because most of my thoughts are spoilery. I will say I LOVED the second half so much. I teared up a few times and was smiling at my kindle so much.

I would have given this 5 stars, but because of the beginning and because parts of this seemed a little inconsistent/wrapped up too easily I had to take a star off.

From the first page i knew this book was going to be one of my favorites. Shane is a character i can 100% relate too, each regret she had i could feel in the back of my mind as well. i loved the premise of the story, that you can give your self a second chance at rewriting a part of your life for the better. i enjoyed reading this, i loved the little 'twist' in the middle half of the book and can say that i am very excited to read more of what Ms. Riccio has to write!

I've had a hard time coming up with the words for this book because I'm of the mindset "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". I was drawn to this book by the cover as well as reviews of the author herself. The book itself is about a young girl trying to find her way and make radical changes to herself. Things I could totally identify with - and wished I were able to do when I was younger. The beginning of the book completely sucked me in and I loved it. The plot then fast forwards further down her life and that's when it lost me. I'm all for second chances and "what if's" but I didn't identify with the way the book twisted or ended.

After finishing this book, I had the slight feeling that Shane, the main character was based (and not loosely) on the author herself.
Just FYI, Christine Riccio is possibly one of the biggest -and I dare to say BIGGEST- #booktubers on the planet. With a 400 K + follower count on YouTube Christine is the actual book reviewer all of us should strive to be, IMO.
Of course I have other faves (like my peeps from Under the Covers -- go check them out!], but Christine started this YouTube gig like 8 or 9 years ago, when everybody was turning into the Blogger/ WordPress bandwagon. She saw potential on YouTube and nowadays, she’s a phenomenon. To me, she’s a pioneer and will always be that trailblazing mentor that many of us small reviewers should look up to.
It was only logical and smart to dive in and write her own book, hence, Again, But Better.
I don’t want to spoil this, but this was a fun, easy and quick read that IMO, is something every author should strive to achieve, I applaud Christine for the lightness of her phrases. Tagged as a romance book, it does contain elements to categorize it as such, but I do believe this was also focused on Shane and her journey turning into her own individual. College abroad can be a scary thing, even for a young adult who thinks they are ready to take over the word, and Shane is cautious, but also adventurous. I say that her relationship with Pilot is important, but more important is her personal achievements and growth.
Christine, you did FANTASTIC. Hopefully this is one of MANY more dreams that will become true in your life.