If you like the author, then you will like this book, otherwise you will despise every second of it. It really isn't my thing and I should have known better trying to read it. Sorry.

As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew that I would completely relate to the main character Shane. She was shy, a little socially awkward and was trying to keep her real passion under wraps from her parents.

Unfortunately that’s as far as the positives go.

I didn’t enjoy the way the book was written overall. It was hard to follow the plot since it kept swapping and changing and then it threw in magic. As much as I love fantasy and YA novels involving magic, it just didn’t click with me.

To be honest, it was almost like a physical copy of a fanfiction. Don’t get me wrong...I love fanfiction but not when it comes to an actual novel. I don’t know if that was the intention but it just didn’t work.

i wanted to love this book so much but I never did. I felt like it was lacking in plot, creativity with the characters, and there was an extreme amount of tropes. The amount of cheating was disgusting and made so many characters unlikeable to the point I hated them. There was so much girl on girl hate, I felt so disappointed because I expected better and thought YA was pasted that toxic trope.
The lack of creativity was what I found the most disengaging. The amount of parallels between the main character and the author was... odd to me. I don't know a lot about Christine about I recognized enough from when I used to watch her YouTube videos to know that the main character is extraordinary like the author and the lack of creativity in the main character just made her boring.
I also thought the main character's "relationship" with Pilot was so cringeworthy and I got so much second hand embarrassment while reading.
Overall, definitely not the book for me. I went in with high hopes but I left super disappointed with a lot of the author's choices. I do look forward to seeing what else Christine writes in the future, I'm still rooting for her and hope she has much success.

This had some flaws but overall I really enjoyed it. The romance was cute and the drama had me on the edge of my seat!

I enjoyed this one a lot. It was fun and cute. I didn't love the girl hate aspect that seemed to be prominent in this book but the follow through made me still enjoy the book. I enjoyed the writing style, and I would read more from Riccio.

I am not familiar with Christine Riccio, her youtube channel or blog. What drew me to the book was the synopsis and because I'd seen it a lot on different blogs I admire and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. The idea of re-inventing yourself in college is incredibly relatable. 

I did connect with Shane quite a bit. She felt like a person I would know, especially in the 2011 section. I saw a lot of myself in her and her want to recreate herself and become someone better than she was before her trip to England. 

There is a twist in this book, and I thought it was well done and I thought it was a cool twist and way to show character growth. Given the chance how would you change your early twenties? How would you deal with situations you know are coming? How can one change, move the direction of your whole life?

One thing I would have liked a little more of in this book was descriptions of the places they travel-- especially in the second half of the book. Shane is working for a travel magazine, I felt like there should have been a little bit more description of travel. There felt like there were a few places where things could have been expanded to give the reader a more emotional connection or pull the reader into these beautiful European cities and it felt like it stopped just short.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and will probably pick up Riccio's future books. Again, but Better reads a bit like a YA book from 2011. This isn't a criticism,  it doesn't read as dated, I liked that about it. There was the YA trope of characters with odd names which I'm glad we've grown out of. Something about how the book feels like a 2011 book reminded me why I fell in love with YA books to start. This was a fun book. I greatly enjoyed it.

I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since Christine announced that she was writing a novel! So when I saw the ARC available for request on NetGalley, I sent my request faster than lightning to get my hands on it. Luckily, I was able to get an ARC in exchange for an honest review, though it took me a few months to get around to reading the book.

Like I have said before, I am always apprehensive going into fiction by a YouTuber. But I keep my mind open for pleasant surprises because I don’t want to be a huge downer on myself. This book definitely surprised me — I had no clue just how much I was going to relate to the main character, Shane.

Full disclosure, I may or may not have gone to BU because I knew Christine went to college there. And I also studied abroad in London for a semester, so the experiences and dorm layouts that are described in this book are super duper similar to what I did during my semester abroad. I know that this obviously means that I am going to relate to this main character more than maybe some people will, and it certainly made the book even more enjoyable for me.

The idea of doing college wrong is so relatable for me it’s almost uncanny. It’s safe to say I wasn’t nearly as adventurous in London as even Shane is in this novel, so I understand the feeling that you’re not doing college right when it seems like everyone else is doing it “better” than you somehow.

Shane is in an increasingly tough spot because she’s been chasing ideals set by her parents while ignoring what she really wants to do. Her character develops throughout this semester abroad and she realizes that it may not be worth it to do what her family wants when what she actually wants to do could be so much more fulfilling. Once she realizes this, and takes the riens, Riccio illustrates just how much different things can be when you make just a slightly different decision.

I have been watching Christine on youtube for many years and I was over the moon excited when she said that she was releasing a book. While this wasn't the best book that I've ever read, I loved how clear Christine's book shown through.

I really enjoyed this book and had a lot of fun while reading it.

I truly connected with Shane, I think because I have a lot of the same insecurities and need to please. I celebrated with her and commiserated with her in turn on her adventures abroad. And I admire her desire to find herself and not accept the life that was planned out for her by default.

Babe and Atticus were also pretty awesome characters. I felt they were both dynamic, awesome friends, and truly supportive of Shane in times of need. Sahra is not as developed as the rest of the flat-mates and doesn't seem to be involved in as much of the story line as the others.

Leo, Shane's cousin, is a minor character, but one that I feel is pivotal to the story line. As the book progresses, I find Leo to become a beautifully layered character.

Shane's parents, I do not like, and I'll leave it at that.

The other pivotal character, Pilot, I have mixed feelings about. Yes, the story is told from Shane's point-of-view, so we aren't able to see into Pilot's mind and can only go off of her impressions. I guess, my feelings about him as a character are based a lot on her feelings about him at any given time. Except in one instance where I was on his side, but I don't want to spoil anything.

All in all, I felt this was a great read and really enjoyed it. I mean, who wouldn't want a second chance.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley and the publisher {St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books} in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was just okay. The writing style took some getting used to and I didn't really care for the main character. I didn't really care what happened to her.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Again, but Better

Author Christine Riccio

Description from Amazon

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.

Initial Thoughts

Ok, this is probably going to be the longest review I have ever written. So, brace yourselves, my avid readers. I have had this book in my NetGalley queue for over six months. I read a bad review of it back in May and just tossed it behind the stove (the back-burner was too close). This book was pushed so far back, it fell in the gap between the stove and the wall, effectively not to be found until I decided to get a new oven. But, last night, something magical happened, and I discovered that Scribd, my beloved PDF app, has audiobooks. $9.99 a month for all the e-books and audiobooks my little bookworm heart could want. I was instantly sold. And, I stumbled upon Again, but Better while I was browsing. I also discovered that the narrator for the audiobook was the very same narrator from the Royal Bastards series (an audio series that I literally couldn’t stop gushing over how perfect the narration was). So, I thought it was time to knock this book off my NetGalley list.

Why I Loved It

Have you ever read a book that just resonated so strongly with you? You were reading the words and it was as if someone was narrating your own life story? That was me and this book. The story opens in 2011 with Shane, a college student, in the wrong major, studying all the time, lonelier than lonely, and regretting everything. I’ve been there. In 2011, I was considering dropping out of college. I was in engineering school, I hated everything, I stopped going to class altogether, and really just didn’t care if everything went to shit. How much worse could it really get? (In hindsight, it could have gotten a lot worse.) Christine Riccio narrated a foreword mentioning that this was the book she wished she had when she was in college. I couldn’t agree more. This was the book I wish I had when I was in college. But, I actually got it at a better time, I read it at 27. There are no do-overs in life but if Shane’s story taught me anything, it was that it’s never too late to change.

Shane’s awkwardness and obsession with reading and writing are just more reasons I felt so connected to her. I loved all of the references to YA novels and pop culture and this book felt like it was written for me. In some ways, the story was cheesy and far-fetched, but all the same, it was a story that needed to be told. The relationships, issues, and feelings were so realistic. The romance was cheesy at times, but I loved the story all the same.

If I Could Go Back

If I could change one thing from 2011, I’d tell my past self to be more adventurous (and to write more). I spent too many years shying away from other people and life is too short to be afraid. Unlike Shane, I didn’t need a spirit guide to convince me to change my major. In the Fall of 2012, I had declared a new major and was much happier for it.

Final Thoughts

This book hit home for me in so many ways. I’ve never felt more connected to a character than when I read Shane’s story. This book taught me some valuable lessons, one of which being, don’t let other reviewers shape your opinion of books. I probably shouldn’t say that, being that I am a book reviewer. But, it’s so true. If you think you’re interested in something, don’t let someone else change your mind.

Bottom line, GO READ THIS BOOK.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Summer in the Elevator by Kelsey Sutton – if you liked this coming of age story, definitely check out Summer’s story in this novella by Kelsey Sutton.
The Last Note by Grace McGinty – if you enjoyed the contemporary vibes, dual time line, and just a pinch of fantasy, check out this story by Grace McGinty.

The first half of this book was a bit of a struggle to get through, more so in regards to the pacing, but I enjoyed the characters enough to push through that since I was interested in seeing how the story would play out. The plot wasn't necessarily what I anticipated but nonetheless I did like it. The second half of the story is the truth gem of this book. It was a lot stronger than the first half, which can especially be seen in the writing itself. In the end, it was an overall okay read.


eARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I didn't enjoy this book. I tried reading the ARC, but when I couldn't get into it I waited for the audiobook release, which I still couldn't enjoy. I think this is solely an issue with me not being the intended audience. Usually I can still enjoy books that I'm not the intended audience. To me, the narrator was unlikable and made the whole book hard to read.

I really couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. The main character is so not someone I would like to hang around with for 373 pages.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for review!

I was so excited to get an eARC of Again, But Better. I couldn't wait to see what all of the years of hard work from Christine ended up being within the pages of this book. But unfortunately, I had to DNF it. This was a case of self-insertion in a pretty extreme way and it was really hard to separate the main character, Shane, from the author. The writing was also pretty immature feeling, and it was difficult to get through more than a paragraph at a time because the way that the main character spoke just did not feel like she was a college student but rather a 14-year-old constantly fangirling and throwing out obscure references to things that she loved. I couldn't get through much of this book before I had to resign myself to putting it down. It may not be for me, but I can see how other readers may enjoy it, and I hope that someone else enjoys it more than I did.

The book is about Shane, a young American introverted so she decides to follow her dream and as the title says to start again and better, she decides to go to study in London for a semester, things start very well there, she meets her roommates and other roommates - among them a pilot, also an American boy with whom she has a connection - with whom she begins a beautiful friendship and spends a few weeks super fun and the best, of course it was too good for her to be true and there comes a time when all of their planes are in danger.
The story has a super unexpected twist that will make you get too excited about the story.
It is a very beautiful story and in certain characteristics of the protagonist you can identify yourself, Pilot is a super cute boy (with some flaws but understandable) all the characters are fun with those who want to have a friendship.
I really liked it, it was just what I needed, a very nice story with unexpected twists and love,

I just could not get into this book. The premise was so promising, but the way it was executed to me was not something I enjoyed.

I did not enjoy this book at all. It was all over the place and the author tried to hard to be unique. It failed in my opinion. I really wanted to enjoy this, but I had to put in down and wasn't able to finish it.

I got a copy of this book from #Netgalley. The book was very fun and easy to get through. The main character Shane got the chance to remake herself into the person she’d always wished she was and a chance to redo her mistakes. She got the chance to travel and explore. She also learned who she was and what she wanted out of life. This book is for anyone who is looking for a light, easy, whimsical read.

AGAIN, BUT BETTER was super, super cute.

I'm a sucker for travel novels, I'm a time travel aficionado, and guess what? This book had BOTH!

The romance was adorable, I shipped it from the very beginning; the friendships were fantastic; the plot was brilliant; it truly was a great novel!

I especially loved all the fandom references throughout - as a lifelong SHADOWHUNTER CHRONICLES and The Beatles fan, seeing the little references scattered throughout filled me with so much joy! They were little easter eggs that didn't detract from the novel itself at all, so thank you, Ms Riccio, for including them!

This truly was a light, fun read - I read it as part of a Teen Book Club I co-ran this summer, and it was a perfect book club, summer-y read! A definite recommendation to anyone looking for a fun contemporary romp.