1.5 stars

Unfortunately, this is not a good book. Usually when I give low reviews, it's a "it's not you it's me" situation, but that's not the case for Better Together.

The first (and worst) was the replacement swear words Siri used throughout the book. It was not cute, it was annoying. I never got used to it and always caused me to trip over sentences and take me out of the reading experience since I had to keep translating in my head. The extremely short chapters were distracting and lazy writing. I understand Riccio wanted to continuously switch perspectives between the sisters, but it would have been much better executed if it was simply written in third person and switched within chapters. Speaking of chapters, the chapter titles were juvenile and constantly outlining the time of day felt, once again, lazy. It's super simple to explain these concepts through the text, but Riccio used these chapter headers as a crutch to get out of writing the progression of time. I was also disappointed at the end that Siri and Jamie's letters to their mother wasn't written in full as well as Jamie's comedy set, as these would have really shown the character growth, but instead they were brushed over and paraphrased.

In terms of the use of magical realism, it wasn't necessary and, in my opinion, took away from the story. As other reviews have mentioned, it is continuously explained that Siri and Jamie could pass off as twins so why the "hologram magic"? When Terry told Jamie that the Retreat magically appeared out of thin air, I realised there was no reason to even be confused because Riccio was doing whatever she wanted with magic for plot connivence.

One last tiny gripe that I personally have was all the Game of Thrones references. I understand that is what their parents bonded over, but it was a bit much. Also, when Grier is speaking to Siri in the car on the way to Vegas about how he and Mara met, he claims that "they were waiting for book four to come out" which would have been between 2000 and 2005. Jamie later claims that her birthday is September 10, 1999, before book three came out. Considering the fact that GoT is such a big part of this story, it would have ben nice to have the facts straight, but that's me being super nit picky.

I'm giving this an extra half star because I really loved Dawn and the fact that Riccio made the attempt to make this book more diverse with a little bit of Pakistani, Filipino, and sapphic rep.

Overall, I think I won't read any more from Riccio going forward. I will continue to watch her Youtube videos, but her books are not worth my time.

I was so sad to have so much trouble getting into this book. I was hoping to love it after loving Again, But Better.

Jamie: an eccentric, aspiring stand-up comedienne living with her dad in LA, and battling growing anxiety while on stage.

Siri: an over-stressed ballerina trying to make it to Broadway like her mother, while nursing a life-altering back injury.

Re-Discover Yourself Retreat: a middle of nowhere retreat in Colorado that both girls sign up for to figure where to go next in life.

The Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday in this YA novel of two sisters who have not seen each other in fourteen years. Jamie and Siri unknowingly sign up for the same retreat in Colorado when everything they have been working for their entire lives suddenly seems out of reach. They bump into each other, literally, and start trying to rekindle their sistership that was ripped away from them when they were young children.

Jamie and Siri reconnect and decide to switch places to get a chance to confront the parent they have not seen in over a decade. But while they are devising their plot to confront their parents, they encounter a burst of magic. Suddenly, the girls are not only switching places, but they are switching bodies as well. What will happen when they encounter the other parent? Will they get answers to the questions they have had for over a decade? Why did they split up? Why did they split the girls up? What will they say when they realize the girls have switched places?

This book had an interesting premise, though not necessarily original. The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday have both been done so many times, it was pretty predictable with what was going to happen. The characters were different and original which made this story somewhat unique. Maybe being too familiar with both The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, I am not the intended target audience for this book because I found the majority to be quite boring. I didn’t really think anything important to the story happened until the retreat, and even then, it was slow going to get to a point where I was invested in the story.

I thought both Jamie and Siri were obnoxious, spoiled, and annoying. Everything that happened to them throughout the story painted them as a victim instead of someone just going through life’s ups and downs. I got super annoyed with the “poor me, I’m the victim” theme quickly.

I really did not like either one of the girls until they switched places and started to see how other people saw the other sister. Confusing? Yeah, it was reading about it too. Siri was in Jamie’s body and the chapter was entitled “Siri” since it was from her point of view, but everyone was calling her Jamie. I had a really hard time trying to remember which sister I was reading about.

I also thought that Jamie’s comedy routine was seeeerrriooussslllyyyy lacking. Like, it either made little sense or she was bashing someone or dropping the F-bomb. It wasn’t funny. It’s not really something that impresses me, it actually kind of turns me off to the story. Occasional F-bomb, okay, whatever. This was too much, in my opinion, especially for a YA book.

When the girls finally got to the point of bringing their parents together, it started to get better. I guess it started a little before that, but the meet-up was where I was really interested in the story. There was a little, and I mean little, twist at the end that was kind of a surprise that I think helped add to the ending.

Overall, I guess I liked this book enough. I think there were some things that could have been done way better. But I guess for a YA Parent Trap/Freaky Friday mashup, this was decent. I think there may be a pretty specific audience for this book. I’d recommend it to older YA readers, and anyone who likes The Parent Trap and/or Freaky Friday and the predictability that comes along with it. 3 stars, I was hoping for something a little bit better.

This book is pitched as Freaky Friday meets Parent Trap, which immediately intrigued me. Then, I started this book and just couldn't put it down. Told in alternating viewpoints between two sisters, there's aspiring comic Jamie and ballerina Siri who live on opposite coasts and just meet for the first time thanks to meddling accomplices and a bit of magic. The two estranged sisters meet at a wellness retreat in Colorado, where they each discover that the sister they haven't seen in 14 years is there too. After a rocky time and grudges aplenty, they decide to switch places with a dash of glittery magic.

This was such a fun read from the get-go, giving me similar vibes to "You Have a Match" by
Emma Lord, yet still very much its own thing. It uses fun and authentic language that pulls me into both girls' worlds. It's just so light and fun, and it is easy and quick to get sucked in and just keep reading.

DNF at ~10% - I thought about coming back to this one but judging by other reviews, I'm not missing much. The writing in this is just painful; the author is trying to make her characters quirky but it's falling flat for me. I found her first book to be meh, but I think I'm officially done.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! I loved Again but Better and was super excited when I found out that Christine was writing another book. I loved the Parent Trap and Freaky Friday aspects of it and how Christine put he down twist on the stories. And OH MY GOODNESS THE CONNECTIONS TO AGAIN BUT BETTER!!! When I tell you I screamed when I read all of the little snippets I am not exaggerating. I loved getting to see the relationship between Jamie and Siri grow throughout book and seeing them grow as individuals. I just really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!!

I unfortunately decided not to finish this book at 50%. I love Christine Riccio and have been following her for years. I love that she has successfully moved from noon reviews to writing her own books and I had high hopes for her sophomore novel. I wanted to read this book and was so excited to receive the ARC, but this book did not work for me.

Better Together promised to be a combination of Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, two movies I love. But unfortunately, this mashup has not worked well for me while reading this book. None of the characters felt real to me--every character is a caricature of one major personality trait rather than multidimensional. The plot sounded like so much fun, but the execution requires the reader to remove all sense of disbelief before the touch of magic happens. I think this book would have been good if it had focused on only a Parent Trap or Freaky Friday plot, but the combination did not work for me.

I know Christine has heavily edited the first part of the book after the ARC was released so I hope that the final copy will be an improvement. Unfortunately, at halfway through, I don't have the desire to continue reading this book between the character and ploissues. It was a hard decision to DNF this book and I'm so thankful for the ARC. I will continue to support Christine and hope her third novel will be more successful with me.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This book was a DNF for me. It started out pretty okay but then suddenly it was a disaster and I couldn't bring myself to care about the story or root for any characters.

Jamie and Siri were separated by their parent's divorce when they were six and four. Jamie grew up with their dad and Siri grew up with their mom. Since then, they haven't been in contact with each other.

Siri has always wanted to be a ballet dancer alongside her mom on Broadway, but her dreams are cut short when a back injury ends her career. Jamie is a stand-up comedian but she can't get over her stage fear.

The two girls end up together at a camp where they cross paths. Jamie recognizes Siri but Siri doesn't recognize Jamie. After a series of unfortunate incidents, the two girls decide to switch places to try and meet their other parent for the first time in years, hence The Parent Trap plan.

Star Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5)

I was very excited to read this because I love The Parent Trap. Because I love it so much, I’m sad to say this book didn’t quite meet my expectations. Some parts of it dragged on too much like dialogue I thought was unnecessary. I also felt Siri and Jamie seemed too similar at some times like they were the same person.

What I did like though, was the relationships between Jamie and Zarar. They made such a cute couple and I was rooting for them to be together throughout the book.

Overall, Better Together was a creative book based on The Parent Trap. Although it wasn't the book for me, I will give the author's books another try because I felt that this book had potential that it just didn't quite reach.

**Review will be posted closer to publication date**

This book was just bad. I was disappointed in her first attempt, but it was readable. This was just kind of a mess? And it's upsetting because I feel like this would have never been published if she wasn't who she is, or was, in the book world. The writing is all over the place, and just overall really bad, like REALLY bad. The characters are annoying and ridiculous. Side note, does she think it's cute to name people after every day items? Siri, Pilot Penn (from her last book)? I don't get the joke. I won't be taking a second look if she puts anything else out. I really don't think writing is her calling.

BETTER TOGETHER is the Freaky Friday/Parent Trap mashup that this generation deserves. The plot is fast-paced, cute, and makes me long to already know the story. My only thing is that Siri's character felt a little too-goody-shoes, but hey, that is my opinion. Pick it up if you miss watching Lindsey Lohan movies from your childhood.

⭐⭐.5
Awww Christina Riccio!! I was introduced to her when I watched her fun book review videos. Totally entertaining plus I would usually agree with her reviews.

This story is about Jamie and Siri who meet at a ‘Rediscover yourself Retreat in Colorado’.
Jamie is an aspiring standup comic who has stage fright! Siri is a ballerina recovering from a serious injury that may change the course of her career.

Oh No… I am so so sad! This did not work for me. I know I wasn’t the target audience but I love this adorable author. I so enjoyed her book reviews.
I am ready to need move on ~ anxious for the next story!!
I am positive the next story will be great. I am NOT giving up on this talented gal!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Wednesday Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 1, 2021

** I was given a free ARC of this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! LOOK AWAY! SPOILERS!

I don't rate a lot of books one star reads. Typically if I can get through the thing, I leave it two stars just because. I've never DNF'd a book, and this one almost broke me. I read Christine's first book, enjoyed it, and I believe it garnered four stars from me. I see a lot of people saying that while this book wasn't good, it showed skill improvement from her first novel, and that doesn't ring true for me.

I can't put my finger on what it is that the author does to the English language here that makes the book virtually unreadable. There's nothing here to propel you into the story, to erase the words, and make you feel like you're watching a movie. Not once did I forget I was reading. Every page was exhausting.

It feels like the author really couldn't shake her debut's reviews from her head while she was writing this, as things seem pointedly against every problem people had with her first novel. For starters we have LGBTQ rep, a very small dash of diversity, no noticeable self-inserts, and the relationships while shoe-horned in did not spawn from scandal or cheating so there's that. The characters even point out their own entitlement and privilege, laugh at that part of themselves, and then proceed to be entitled and make use of their privilege. So that got a little chuckle out of me.

If you thought Shane's parents were horrible, buckle up. Christine is two for two now with the horrible parent rep and I'm honestly concerned for her.

I don't really know what to say here. This book would not have been published without her following. Any other new or seasoned writer would have been turned away with this. I can't imagine who would like it. I can't imagine who this is for, other than the author herself. Nothing about this book wants to work, but they keep trying anyway.

This experience has been enough that I won't reach for any more of her novels, free or otherwise. It just isn't worth it.

So... this book was kind of a mess. The dialog, the characters, the plot. All of it was just not good.
Jamie and Siri are both the most insufferable characters I've read in a while.
I enjoyed Riccio's first book, it had its problems, but it was fine. The characters, for the most part, could pass as real people.
Jamie and Siri are separated at a young age, 6 and 4, and haven't seen each other since. Siri stayed with their mother and Jamie went with their father, and their mother took Siri to therapy and was somehow able to get the therapist to go along with convincing Siri that Jamie was an imaginary friend and to forget that she existed. Not sure how the mother was able to find a therapist to go along with this and remain in the same state that her kids were born in. It just... didn't really make sense.

Jamie, the older of the sisters, wants to be a stand-up comedian, I don't know if was meant to be part of her character to not be funny in the slightest, or if was just a failed attempt to be funny in general.

Siri is equally annoying. She doesn't swear, which could work under normal circumstances, but in place of swears, she says things like "intercourse yourself" and "excrement"... and it sounded very childish. And for a character who is supposed to be in their early 20's, it didn't work.

The characters are both in their early 20's but they both behave like they are at the oldest 14. Where Siri doesn't swear at all, Jamie finds a way to swear every time she opens her mouth. But it wasn't in a way with how people who do swear that often talk. It was, again, a little childish. Like a kid who swears behind their parent's back. It just seemed that it was something put in to show how <i>different</i> they are. Nothing about these characters came across as something that was natural, everything felt very forced.

I skim read the latter half of this book because the dialog was so painful to read.

I really liked this book. I originally started it and couldn't get into it, but then I decided to try again and I'm glad I did. This book was cute and funny. It made me laugh out loud and made me tear up. I really liked both Jamie and Siri and was able to fid parts of myself in both of them which helped me like the book even more. I also appreciated that both Jamie and Siri ages were on the older (college aged) side of young adult because as an older reader myself I was able to connect with them and their problems easier than that of the the high school aged YA character. I also enjoyed the side characters especially Dawn and Zarar. Overall an entertaining and heartwarming read.

I think I sadly have to say that Christine's books just aren't for me which is so sad because I'm a huge fan of hers!
I read Again, but Better and I enjoyed the first half, but the second half or so really lost me. I was so excited to give her writing another chance with Better Together but this was unfortunately another disappointment.
I'm a huge fan of The Parent Trap and I loved that the premise of this book was reminiscent of that storyline. The execution just fell flat for me.
I found Siri to be an aggravating character and she never grew on me throughout the story. There were some points where the girls were acting and talking so similarly that I was having trouble differentiating who was who. The story dragged a lot through unnecessarily lengthy descriptions and a lack of character depth. I really wanted to like this one and I was so hopeful for the idea. I think this had so much potential. At least the cover is pretty!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC of Better Together by Christine Riccio in exchange for an honest review.

The book is being advertised as The Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday and that is what i kept thinking as I was reading. While I loved both of those movies, this book missed the mark for me. Jamie and her younger sister Siri were separated when their parents divorced when they were 6 and 4. Jamie remembers Siri but Siri was told that Jamie was an imaginary friend (WTAF? What kind of parent would do that). Both parents decided to keep a kid and not see the other child (once again, who would do that) and both grandparents apparent sat by quietly and allowed this to happen. I don’t know about anyone else but my parents certainly don’t sit by quietly when they think I’m making a mistake and my mistakes are nothing compared to never seeing my child again!

Jamie and Siri run into each other at a retreat in Colorado (coincidence?) and chaos ensues. They decide to switch places (parent trap) to get to know the other parent and try to get them to meet back up all together 5 days later after confronting them since both are angry with the parent they don’t love with. But then, they are bewitched by a spell which causes them to look like the other to everyone.

Both characters grow and change but this book just wasn’t something i looked forward to reading everyday.

#BetterTogether #ChristineRiccio #NetGalley #ARC #ContemporaryFiction #Fiction #AdultFiction #ChickLit #Retreat #Family #Sisters #NewYork #Colorado #LosAngeles

DNF at 18% This book just did not click with me. Both of the main characters just annoyed me beyond belief. There were certain things about the plot that bothered me. I really wanted to enjoy this book because I loved the movie "Parent Trap", as a child, as well as, the movie "Freaky Friday". Overall, I just could not get into this book no matter how hard I tried.

I was super excited when I got approved for this book. Again, But Better was a top favorite of mine last year. Unfortunately Better Together didn't have the same amount of magic as Again, But Better. The story is Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday. The characters are polar opposites, but very one-dimensional which made it hard to keep myself interested in the story. Siri (the name alone bugged me just because) doesn't curse. Excrement and intercourse are consistently used in lieu of cursing. I felt that there were way more clever ways to get the point across that she didn't curse rather than just using these two words constantly.