I tried and tried to get into this story. When he book grabs me, it usually takes me a day to finish it. But I struggled with AGAIN AGAIN for a month and I decide to quit. I liked its originality, its various narratives from the same character, but I failed to see its point (which may be answered at the end?) and its grew tiring on me. So sorry I can’t finish it; I was a huge fan of WE WERE LIARS. I’ll keep on reading Lockhart’s stories, hoping this one just wasn’t for me.

i wish I could have read the entire book, but the formatting of text messages made it difficult to read. What I did read seemed entertaining. I gave the book 2.5 stars (rounded to 3). If we do get a copy in our library, I'll pick it up to see what I missed.

Strike two! This is my second book by this author and I did not care for it. Maybe I should have started with the book that everyone seems to love (We were liars) and then maybe not read any other book by this author. I love YA books and multiverse but this one was definitely not for me. I didn’t like the main character and I hated Jack. Definitely not book boyfriend material. The other book I read by this author (Genuine Fraud) was also not my cup of tea.
>>>SPOILER<<<
At one point there is an incident that leads to animal cruelty (someone hurts a dog because of an attack) in the book and I really couldn’t even read it. No, just no! The whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way. I’ve read a few reviews and no one mentions this specific scene in the book so I don't know, maybe I read it wrong or maybe I'm too sensitive. >>>END OF SPOILER<<<
I also found the story to be a little boring at times. Many times I didn’t even like the alternative to something that was happening so I just didn’t find it entertaining or interesting.
Not my cup of tea. Would not recommend.

This book didn't work for me. I liked the premise of the story but it didn't connect with me and I was unable to finish the book.

It took me a little bit to get my footing with this book. Basically, as a scene unfolds, there are other possible outcomes that appear in bold (at least, they’re bold in the ARC). So you read a scene as it plays out several different possible ways. Then the text goes back to normal and you read on.

At first, I found it a little confusing. In a way, that made the story reflect Adelaide herself– because she’s definitely confused and kind of going in circles at the beginning of the story.

The more I read, the more I liked the style of storytelling and the characters in the book. I especially liked Adelaide’s relationship with her brother, Toby. It felt so raw and aching and yet like there was so much potential for joy there. The way they spoke about their parents felt so real in terms of sibling relationships.

I feel like AGAIN AGAIN delivered a thing that drew me to E. Lockhart’s writing in the first place (She also wrote WE WERE LIARS, which I LOVED!). It’s like she has this uncanny ability to peel back the outer layers and cut straight to the core of emotions and grief and sort of reinvent the experience of reading a book. I wouldn’t want every book to be told in this way, but I feel like it really worked for this particular book with this particular family. All in all, I am so glad I read it, and would definitely recommend it to others.

When I finished reading this book, the very first thing I wanted was to make someone else read it so I would have someone to discuss it with. I genuinely believe this is Lockhart's best, most innovative book. I reached the end and realized I didn't know which version of events had actually happened. I was expecting something like Groundhog Day, repeating events until you get it "right". The kind of story we see often. This book, instead, gives us several versions of events, some subtly different, others vastly so. Each variation affects the rest of the narrative. And as we read the different versions we begin to see the difference between the happiest version and the one we most want, the one that feels most realistic. It's also noteworthy that most of the variations end less than perfectly There is no perfection, just experience that inform Adelaide's future choices, that open her up to other possibilities. As I finished the book I was asking which version of reality actually happened. And then I realized that it didn't matter. That the questions it prompted me to ask were the point. A must read and an excellent selection for book clubs.

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy!

This book didn’t work well for me. Some of it was technical issues - this is an ARC I know so some formatting things happening here will likely be cleaned up. But it was not easy to follow in this version. It just switched and switched and switched “realities” and it was like what’s true. I know, I know unreliable characters are totally Vogue right now but this didn’t feel like that. It felt just confusing and not intriguing or mysterious and we will find out what’s real together as the character. The end story I think was real maybe and that was nicer. Easy to follow and it felt true to addiction recovery and being a family member of an addict.

So I did like how it felt super real and I liked Adelaide but it was confusing. As I said it really was likely a bad formatting issue but made it way less enjoyable to read because of those issues.

I have tired and tired to get thru this book and have made it only half way in a month. I did like the format of alternate events in bold (I liked it many even better than books that have alternate timeline chapters) but this book just couldn't hook me. I loved her previous book, We Were Liars, but it kept things moving much more than this one. Slow is just not the right book for me right now.

Adelaide’s younger brother Toby’s illness has torn the family apart; Dad has taken a job teaching at a boarding school where Adelaide now attends, while Mom stays in the family home to help sort things out with Toby. Different fonts guide the reader through Adelaide’s junior year as it might have played out in multiple universes where she struggles to form healthy relationships with guys while processing the grief and change forced on her by her brother’s addiction. All is not perfect in the multiverse where Adelaide is able to reestablish a relationship with Toby, but that’s the place where she can engage with her schoolwork, form a vision for her future, and manage a romantic relationship with resilience.

The details of the story are spare, but are enough to bring each character vividly to life, down to the dogs Adelaide walks to earn some extra money. Beautiful writing. E-ARC from NetGalley.

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.‏

In Again Again, E. Lockhart is inventive in the way she tells the story of Adelaide Buchwald and her life. Lockhart asks if you could redo some events or moments in your life, would you? Again Again shows for every opportunity you did not take; there is a different one that you did. It reminded me of the old saying, "When one door closes, another opens."

I found the synopsis misleading in that it did not match the energy of the book. The story is a nicely paced story about a teenage girl with ups and downs. The synopsis sounded as if it was describing an adventure movie.

I had difficulty getting into the story, but once I realized Lockhart's intent, I found it flowed well. Again Again is a charming story that is not a new one. However, how Lockart reveals the story is what makes this a good read.

Again Again is marketed as a romance. While there is some teenage angst, it is more of a book of Adelaide trying to live an as-happy/normal-as-a-teenager-can-be life and deal with complex emotions, happy, grief, fear, anger, love, etc.

Also, be sure to read Emily Lockhart's We Were Liars.
‏
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/12/20.

E. Lockhart is known for YA books with twists and turns, and her newest offering, Again Again, starts right away with an interesting premise: one girl, Adelaide Buchwald, lives her life in parallel worlds. Adelaide has just been dumped by her boyfriend, and struggling to relate with her recovering younger brother. At first, this seemed a bit like the movie Sliding Doors: girl meets boy, girl meets boy in an alternate universe, they connect, they don't connect, things go astray. I have to be honest, this part wasn't terribly interesting to me.

What I did like was the alternate universe in which everything is turned on its head. Adelaide has a chance to reflect on why she needs relationships to buoy her self esteem. Her complicated feelings toward her brother surfaces (I loved this part, it felt so true and honest. Very, very good stuff). There is also some thoughtful commentary on how teenage boys are idealized. This is Lockhart, however, so of course Adelaide plunges back into dating. This reiteration, thankfully, is healthier for everyone involved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I had high hopes for this book after reading we were liars, which i literally read in a matter of a few hours.
This book did not deliver.

I am conflicted!!

On the one side, this book is not 'technically' a bad book. E. Lockhart is a wonderful storyteller. The story itself is also told in a fantastically creative way.

On the other hand, I didn't actually enjoy the book. I wasn't satisfied. I wasn't as involved as I would have liked. I like to get lost in a story, and I simply couldn't do that here.

All of that said, I do think this is an extremely interesting novel. Especially seeing the repetition of events happening in all the different possibilities.

Despite what the cover implies, this is not so much a romance novel, as it is a book about love. Love for yourself, for your family, for all the people that hurt you. If anything, the romantic aspect of the story was my least favorite part. I much preferred to see the family relations, especially between Adelaide and her brother, Toby.

I enjoyed the way the book dealt with grief and loss. And I liked the fact that the loss is not related to death. It is the loss of a person that while they remain physically here, is lost to you in all other ways. Seeing how Toby's struggles with addiction and seeing how his family has fallen apart due to it was both interesting and heartbreaking.

Overall, I thought the book to be well written and interesting, and yet, almost contradicting myself, I didn't fully enjoy it how I would have liked. I sill prefer E. Lockhart's We Were Liars. I also think this is the kind of book that a lot of people might not enjoy if you aren't familiar with, and interesting in, the author's style of writing.

It is a bit intriguing, the time play, but didn't really draw me in in the first 5o pages as I still was not really sure what the repetitive device was about. I needed a bit more to hook me into continuing.

I did not finish this book. I thought it was going to be promising in the beginning but it didn’t turn out to be that way. I thought it was confusing in a way and meandered.

E. Lockhart’s way with words is among the best in YA, and Again, Again is no exception.

Unfortunately, this book is a letdown compared to her previous work in terms of plot.

Genuine Fraud and We Were Liars are two of the most unique and structurally clever works in YA. That’s what I’ve come to expect from Lockhart, and sadly, I didn’t get that in this book.

There’s nothing going on in this book that we haven’t seen before. Self esteem issues, bland romance, and (one of my least favorite plot lines) relative with addiction issues. These are all topics we’ve seen in many YA novels, and they’re not presented in a unique or moving way here.

Once I realized this wasn’t going to pack the singular punch of Fraud or Liars, I had hoped it would at least be a snappy, fun offering akin to The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (especially because this book uses the same setting).

There are elements of that sort of humor and cleverness in this book, but they’re few and far between.

I always enjoy Lockhart’s clever turns of phrase, but this book felt uninspired. I was bored and unmoved by both the plot and Adelaide herself. Hoping Lockhart’s next book will get back to the unique, compelling stuff we’re used to reading from her.

While YA is not normally a genre I go for, I saw this and knew immediately I had to read it.

One reason being that E. Lockhart wrote one of my all time favorites, We Were Liars. (Have you read it? 👍🏼 so good.)

The other was the description. A story told in multiverse. Sold!

This is a contemporary coming of age tale about Adelaide, a young girl dealing with heartbreak, new found love and a brother's struggle with addiction.

Although it takes a bit to get into the flip flopping of alternate realities, it does make the reader think about the what if’s in life. It most definitely brings to light all the variables of our choices; how every action has a reaction and how one choice, like a set of dominoes, can change everything.

Captivating and fun..another YA favorite for sure!

Thank you #netgalley for the eARC read in exchange for an honest review.
#againagain Publish date: 6.2.20

3.5 stars?? I'm having a hard time rating Again Again. I'm a fan of E. Lockhart, especially of We Were Liars, but her latest book didn't capture my attention like I hoped it would.

I did enjoy the setup and plot of the story. I like Adelaide and her family. I like her friends. But, I found the alternate versions somewhat confusing. I do think I would have enjoyed it if I'd read it in print form as opposed to an eARC. I was also reading it mostly at night with a black background which made the different and bold fonts that delineated the alternate versions harder to detect.

This is a quick read, but I didn't find myself wanting to pick it up much. Once I reached the halfway point of the book, I enjoyed it more. The story picked up and I felt more comfortable with the alternate story lines and the characters. The best part of the book is the relationship between Adelaide and her brother, Toby. I even found myself teary-eyed a few times. I do think this one deserves attention, and I hope everyone else has a better experience than I did.

This is the story of Adelaide, a high school girl whose boyfriend broke up with her unexpectedly, leaving her alone for the summer walking dogs in the town where she attends boarding school. She has a brother that she misses greatly, who is dealing with drug addiction and living with their mom in Baltimore, Adelaide is needy and seems lost without a boyfriend, Those are the facts of the story--but there is no typical linear plot line here. The story unfolds in one way, then the reader is given alternate ways the story might have played out. She meets a new boy, they start a relationship. Or she meets a new boy, but he's not interested in her. They walk dogs together. Or maybe a dog attacks her. The author plays with alternate universes where any scenario is possible, and perhaps all of these alternate events happen in a parallel world. In the last portion of the book everything is turned upside down and we get a longer alternate story for Adelaide. The strong point of this book is Adelaide's relationship with her brother and the pain of addiction. For me all the parallel universes were interesting, but had the effect of making me not invested in the characters as much as I wanted to be. I know there are teens who will love the mind-bending storytelling and who will relate to Adelaide and her insecurities and her search for connection. I would recommend this book for high school students who like to be surprised.

Three and a half stars! Definitely recommend going into this one without reading too much about it.
Thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press and E. Lockhart for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I really liked this book. It is quite different from other books by E. Lockhart that I have read. This almost read as a bunch of short stories about the same character going through different scenarios. It is hard to explain thoroughly in words but I am found wondering about each character and what story actually occurred.