Begin Again is messy in the way only a good book knows how to reflect real life. Things do not always go as planned as Andie finds after not being accepted to her dream school. After successfully transferring from community college, her plans are further derailed when her boyfriend is not on campus for her to surprise him.

Lord successfully tackles so many things with this book including the grieving that never dissipates after losing a parent and trying to find a sense of belonging during a transitional period like the college years. Andie is a complex character who is trying to make the most of an experience she’s been planning most of her life. I was sent back to my undergrad years as Andie struggled with her insecurities including fitting in and being able to fill her mom’s shoes.

Luckily for Andie, she finds kindred spirits in Milo (her RA), Shay (her roommate), and Valeria (her tutor), who are facing similar struggles. All three were developed side characters, especially Milo. It was hard not to love him when he was grumpy but always had time for her.

Pick up Begin Again if you are a fan of
✨️the college experience
✨️realistic fiction
✨️new adult/YA romance

“Getting a new start doesn’t mean you have to wipe the slate clean. Just pick up the pieces. Begin again.”

Though I own several of her books, this one was actually my very first Emma Lord read. Did I enjoy it? That’s quite the understatement! This book was cozy, fun, and charming. I loved Andie’s grandmas and her new friends (especially Milo)! I should also mention that I caught myself humming Taylor Swift’s Begin Again more than once.

I discovered Emma Lord last year, and quickly fell in love with her writing. Her characters are always so loveable, and this story is no different.

This was her first book where the characters are freshmen in college rather than high schoolers. It was a fun change of setting. I enjoyed reading about the unique social culture of the campus, and loved the plot line of the radio broadcast. The author does a great job of bringing in heavy topics that are important for young readers to have access to, and she always includes a diverse set of characters.

Although the characters seem very “PG” compared to many early college experiences, I enjoyed reading about the main character, Andie, navigating a new space and finding her place in it. With the main Andie’s mother dying of cancer when she was young, her trying to make her mom proud (at the college her mom went to) and her life after her mother’s death are main themes of the book. I think Andie’s journey of self-discovery is a bigger theme in the book than romance, but I also loved the romantic interest in the story.

Whenever I pick up an Emma Lord book I can always count on hilarious pop-culture references, insane food descriptions, and a sweet romance. Begin Again, her first novel with college-aged characters did not disappoint. Andie arrives at college, determined to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend and find a connection to her late mother. She discovers almost immediately that Connor has moved back home, but on the bright side, she quickly becomes involved with the underground radio station founded by her mom. This also means spending tons of quality time with her curmudgeonly RA Milo...

While Begin Again was not my favorite Emma Lord book, it has plenty to offer to longtime fans or first-time readers of her work. Andie was an occasionally frustrating, but overall lovely character who experiences a lot of growth throughout the novel. Milo is a great grumpy counterpart to her sunshine energy, and I thoroughly enjoyed their banter throughout the novel!

From Andie’s type-A personality to long distance relationships to finding your true friends… there was so much to relate to in Emma Lord’s newest book. And I loved every moment of it.

Unlike her previous three novels, this one takes place on a college campus, and Lord makes me feel as though I’m going to school with them. I loved the element of adventure that was wrapped up in the secret societies and how much everything tied back to Andie’s mom – her own way of connecting with her.

And Milo… my heart. I loved his humor and his desire to care for people without seeming like the one who takes care of everyone. I loved his family, I hated the pain he’d had to endure, and I loved the friendship he developed with Andie and her roommate.

If you’re looking for a subtle romance with lots of character growth and a fun journey where you can relive college (without the stress of studying yourself), this is the book for you.

Tropes:
- Friends to lovers
- Slow burn romance
- Forced proximity
- Cheating (not by MC)
- Finding your true self

This is another highly enjoyable novel by Emma Lord. Like her previous novels, this one offers a modern, fresh take on a romantic comedy trope.

“𝔾𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤𝕟’𝕥 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕨𝕚𝕡𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕟. 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕚𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕤. 𝔹𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟.”

Consummate planner Andi Rose has it all figured out. Transferring from community college to her parents alma mater of Blue Ridge State, the pieces of her life are finally falling into place.

Then the pieces fall apart.

See, Andi decided not to tell her boyfriend, Connor her plan, preferring to keep her transfer a surprise. However, in an ironic twist, Connor has transferred, too. Now Andi is at his school, he is at hers, and Andi’s best laid plans have…well you know the rest of that one.

Determined to make the best what she hopes will be a temporary situation, Andi revises things. After all, Connor isn’t the only reason she’s chosen Blue Ridge. She hopes to recreate the magic of her deceased mother’s experience, eagerly diving into the time honored tradition of collecting elusive ribbons around campus. But working double time to gather ribbons for both her and the absentee Connor proves to be quite the challenge. Before long, Andi finds herself not so successfully juggling finding ribbons, finding friends, finagling grades, and most importantly, finding herself.

My favorite aspect of Begin Again was the first days of the college experience. I don’t feel like there are enough books that focus on this pinnacle time in one’s life, full of new relationships and responsibilities. Andi is fortunate in that she meets true friends right away. They’ve help her find her own voice, quite literally at the campus radio station. I actually loved Andi’s voice in general, especially when she got frustrated and uttered funny phrases like “flamin hot Doritos!” instead of obscenities. I feel like this added credence to Andi’s character, and a sweetness to the novel on the whole.

Begin Again is the perfect read for fans of starting over and self acceptance.

I thought this was cute, but I think it could have been shorter (there were points where it dragged). My main issue was that Andie was my least favorite character. I just don't think that a "fixer" kind of character is one I enjoy. I fully realize that I am not the target audience for this book, but I cannot help myself for the YA genre.

This was a cute, lighthearted read. I thought the characters were great, Milo was my favorite. While this was not my favorite by Emma Lord, I always enjoy her books.

While I really enjoyed this, it didn’t wow me like When You Get The Chance. That might just be me though. I was definitely in a funk while reading this.

I really liked the characters and the story. The author did a great job setting the scene. I’m always down for a coming of age story. Our MC Andie was likable for the most part, there were times I wanted to shake her for being so naive.

One of my issues with the book is that’s it’s being categorized as romance. I just don’t agree with that at all. The love story doesn’t happen until the very end.

Overall I loved the writing but the book was just okay. The story wasn’t super memorable and a little too slow for me.

If I am honest I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. Just not my jam I guess. I thought the story line was ok but i caught myself bored at times.

Another hit from one of my favorite YA authors! Emma Lord always does an amazing job capturing the older-teen experience. Begin Again takes place during Andie's first year of college, picking up after she successfully transferred to her dream college. Blue Mountain State is a part of her DNA and she's hoping to follow exactly in her mom's footsteps.

As she stresses herself out trying to live up to her own expectations, Andie realizes she may need to find her own path. She gets help from her newly discovered group of friends and also her RA who is becoming a part of her life that she somehow can't live without.

This felt like going straight back to freshman year! Everyone experiences those struggles trying to figure out what you want and who you are after high school, so it was fun reading along as Andie went through the same thing. I loved the radio show piece and how Andie slowly starts gaining confidence in herself throughout the novel.

I really hate that I had to DNF this book. I've always loved Emma Lord, but this book did nothing for me. It took me about 2 months to get about 150 pages in. Andie was super annoying and so focused on her mom and how she lived then living her own life.

Heartfelt, upbeat, a cute crew of characters you want to root for, and lots of positivity fuel this story. The scavenger hunts were fun and realistic - they made me wish I could join in on the fun! Andie's relationships with Shay and Milo came off as genuine and I adored Andie discovering herself more and more throughout the story.

Emma Lord's writing never fails to be super engaging, witty and fun. I have been a super fan since Tweet Cute and while I still think that one is my favorite, this is a close second. I loved all of the fun the characters had from their scavenger hunts to just hanging out. I also really adored the self discovery of it all. Obviously I really enjoyed And and Milo pleasantly surprised me as well. I would definitely say that all YA fans must give this one a go.

Heartwarming read. A nice refresh after reading so many thrillers! A rom com in a book, about coming of age. Very cute and charming!

This book easily takes the title of my favorite Emma Lord book. She manages to capture the angst, insecurity, nervousness, and excitement of college life, planning your future, and mourning the ideas you thought you'd cherish forever perfectly.

The relationships here, both romantic and friend, feel real and organic. Nothing felt forced or awkward or unbelievable. Seeing the characters grow over the course of the book and learn how to navigate life's challenges and blessings felt real and raw. Seeing them deal with sadness, emotions, the feeling of trying to be what you think everyone wants you to be even if it's not what you want felt honest and showed depth and understanding from Emma.

“‘Getting a new start doesn’t mean you have to wipe the slate clean. Just pick up the pieces. Begin again.’”

Eighteen-year-old Andie Rose has already started the second semester of her freshman year in an unprecedented way: she’s the only mid-year transfer to Blue Ridge State, the prestigious school where her parents met. So it only makes sense when the rest of her plans start to go off the rails too. Instead of surprising her longtime boyfriend at his school, she finds out that he just transferred out of Blue Ridge to the community college she just left, making their rocky relationship even rockier. Her statistics class is a nightmare, her roommate Shay can’t figure out her major, and her sleep-deprived R.A. Milo is somehow changing all of her ideas about love and relationships despite barely being able to keep his eyes open. The only thing that is even sort of making sense for Andie is working with the underground radio show her mom started there thirty years ago. Andie has always been The Fixer, but even she’s struggling to figure out how to put all the pieces of her life back together. With the help of Shay, Milo, and her new group of friends, Andie learns that sometimes life is a little unprecedented and that maybe she needs to strike out on her own path to begin again.

I am a HUGE Emma Lord fan (read: I somehow manage to snag ARCs of every one of her books), so when I got approved for her latest masterpiece, I may have squealed a little too loudly. Because BEGIN AGAIN really is that: a masterpiece. It’s funny, sweet, heart-wrenching, and dramatic all at the same time. And yes, I did stay up until 1:30am to finish it and yes, I did shed a few tears. But I fully needed this book to get me out of a semi-reading slump, and it came through tenfold! I absolutely loved Andie, and her relationship with Milo was adorable. Why can’t I find such a wholesome guy like him? There are so many ways that readers will be able to relate to the story and the themes, especially those in or around their college years. Lord’s depiction of grief was also spot-on as usual, and even though she covered some heavier topics at times, I still 100% laughed out loud throughout the book. Anyway, to make a long story short, pick up a copy of BEGIN AGAIN at your nearest bookstore and get ready to read a masterpiece!

Content Warnings: Death of a parent, strong language, underage drinking, mentioned cancer, infidelity, abandonment, mentioned car accident

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Even the most carefully made plans can completely blow up in your face. Andie Rose has a plan to work hard and transfer to Blue Ridge State so she can major in Psychology and become a self help guru….as an added bonus, her boyfriend also goes to school there.

When she arrives at Blue Ridge, she finds out that one thing she didn’t plan for was that her boyfriend transferred back home to her community college.

Andie realizes that relationships and courses at Blue Ridge aren’t exactly how she had pictured them. Shay, her roommate, needs a major. Milo, her RA, is causing her to have doubts and confusion about her relationship with her boyfriend and somehow she ends up on a pirated radio station as Squire giving advice and trying to help everyone with their problems. While helping everyone else, Andie is able to forget about her own problems until those problems start affecting her dream of Blue Ridge State.

Andie goes out on a limb and changes schools, makes friends that became a family, questions her relationship with her family and boyfriend and finally realizes that even the best laid plans can turn into chaos.

This was a fun, lighthearted read. The characters were great…Milo was probably my favorite. While this was not my favorite by Emma Lord, I always enjoy her books.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5⭐️

I loved this book so much. Every character was absolutely lovable. I thought this was very funny, especially with Milo's dry sense of humor. Found family stories are my favorite. Adored.

This book was a DELIGHT. It is so witty and well-written. I fell for every single character (except Connor…iykyk) and I truly found a love for YA lit again because of this one!

Milo is one of my favorite characters I’ve encountered in a while. The attention to detail with his character, in particular, was so good. His snarky remarks just rolled off his tongue, and he was just so endearing.

This is a story of a girl starting over at the college of her dreams. She’s in a long distance relationship with her high school boyfriend and she is determined to get the most out of her college experience. She finds the most charming group of found family.

I’m not doing this justice, but it’s really good, promise!