Begin Again was a mixed bag for me. There were lots that I loved...the college setting, the friends, the RA, the secret college radio show and the underground secret society activities. But there were things I definitely didn't like...the cutesy swearing that is really just saying various snack foods with an exclamation, the mix up that is reveled in the beginning that really just doesn't make sense, and the boyfriend and his family which I can't talk about without revealing too much.

This book is much more of a young adult styled chic lit and less a young adult romance. I almost feel like the book tried too hard at being chic lit thus making some of the things going on a bit much. I kinda wish the budding romance part was more center stage and maybe some of the things that didn't work so well had been cut.

***Advanced copy obtained from St Martin's Press via Netgalley***

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book, All opinions strictly my own.

Begin Again is an wonderful YA (although I'm 38 and enjoyed it) book that seems rather realistic. Nothing in life goes as planned, but it doesn't mean you need to give up or change your goals. If you like romance novels novels with independent strong females, this is for you.

Begin Again was a very wholesome quirky read. Andie Rose transfers to her dream university to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She’s looking forward to being at the same school as her boyfriend Connor, but when she shows up on campus to surprise him, she finds out he actually transfers to her community college to surprise her. Life gets very complicated!

She’s on a journey to figure out who she is aside from being Connor’s girlfriend, living in her mother’s shadow, and attempting to navigate new friendships. Emma Lord always creates the most fun, quirky characters who love sugar and adventures. My favorite of her books, though, will always be “Tweet Cute.”

*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

I can see why people like Emma Lord, but it was not prevalent enough to resolve the issues I found in this novel.

The novel has a way of drawing you in and keeping you involved and the writing style is definitely enjoyable. However, the content.... ? Eh. Eh. Eh.

The book felt like it was trying to be "too cool for school" and "hip with the kids" and if you think that's cringey... just wait. The references to legally blonde totally missing the mark, the will-they-won't-they romance, etc. I don't know if I'm too old or too young when reading it... and I'm a '99'er (Just thinking about the fact it was a year ago I graduated with a masters makes me feel old now).

To conclude, I have a nice bottle of soju calling my name from the fridge and a date with "please leave me alone for the next hour as I cry while watching re-runs of Smallville."

I’ve read Emma Lord’s books in the past and loved them. However, this one kind of fell flat to me. It was one of those books where you finish and you’re like “what even happened?” There wasn’t some big twist or aha moment to the plot. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good either. It was just a story about a girl who follows her mom’s footsteps to college and finds herself along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am kind of a EmmaLord fan girl. Anything she writes is kind of an auto-read for me. I was so excited when I was given this ARC.

This story kind of hit a lot of “homes” for me. Andie is a girl entering her dream college as a freshman transfer. Her boyfriend already goes to this school. It’s no cake walk when she gets there. She struggles to keep up with her classes, school activities and social life. Admittedly, my 18-year-old self chose to go to the same university as my at the time boyfriend. It wasn’t the only reason, but it was apart of the decision. I completely failed my first quarter of school. I took on too much, thinking it would be similar to high school. I was the first one in my family to go to university, so I was not prepared for it. So reading about a character who had a similar experience out of gate was really relatable to me.

Emma Lord is the queen of “Just Kiss Already” romance. This book was no exception. You really want to smush two of the characters’ faces together and get them lip locking already. I really liked the way the romance unfolded and the tension between Andie and her love interest. I loved the bagel shop too. Reading so much about all the bagel stuff had me going out and buying my own bagels to eat while I read.

This book also does friendship / found family really well. It was great to read the developed friendships of Andie, her roomie and her tutor.

One of my favorite little easter eggs in Begin Again is that Big League Burger makes an appearance, which was founded by the parents of Pepper in Lord’s first book (Tweet Cute). The Emma Lord literary multiverse does exist, and I will be looking out for any other crossovers.

On the whole, however, Begin Again has pretty much everything you could want in a YA novel. There’s found family, some competition elements as Andie tries to collect ribbons, a fantastic romance, and even some cathartic discussions on grief and healing. Oh and lots of giggles from Andie using junk food as curse words!

I loved this book! The college setting was great, Andie was a great main character, and it made me nostalgic for my own college days!

"...at our cores we're all more alike than we think. Hung up on the same worries, wishing on the same stars."

For the past four years in a row, I've been lucky enough to read (and review) an arc of Emma Lord's newest book. And with all of them dropping at the same time each year, I can honestly say it wouldn't feel like January without reading a new story from her. And this one might just be her best one yet!

Begin Again perfectly captured the growing pains associated with the transition from high school to college, and all the charm and cringe that accompany that milestone. You'll fall quickly for these characters as they attempt to navigate various struggles fueled only by copious amounts of coffee and relatable levels of naïveté.

First loves, heartbreaks, betrayals, and majors are only a handful of the hurdles this crew will face, but Lord ensures you'll be laughing along the way. There's an excellent balance of humor amid the pressures of the plot, and whether you're closer to applying for admittance or attending a reunion, there's a little something for everyone tucked away in the text.

My minor gripe with this one was Andie's curse-averse substitutions. It's cute, I get it, but there are situations where "snickerdoodle" just doesn't cut it. And sometimes the food-filled verbiage completely took me out of the moment and the severity of the scene.

Ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons, and I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet story with a loveable found family.


Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with an earc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book almost makes me want to be a college freshman again.... almost. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and seeing them mature. Andie was a little over the top at times, but who isn't. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this was a very fun read.

This is a sweet first-year-of-college/coming-of-age story.

Andie is a very relatable MC as she navigates her first semester at her parents' alma mater, following in their footsteps while also forging her own path. I appreciated her struggles with balancing her hard class work, her relationship with her father, her underground radio persona, and her feelings for Milo, her coffee-obsessed RA.

Again, this is a sweet story that captures well the experience of finally arriving at your destination, only to discover that the real adventure has only begun.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Level: Young Adult
Content: kisses, language, previous loss of parent

In Begin Again, freshman in college, Andie, is thrilled to be following in her mom's footsteps at Blue Ridge University. While she transferred mid-year to be with her boyfriend, she's searching for her legacy on the same campus that start her mom's. Andie quickly finds new friends, a new love interest, and begins to explore her identity and how it may not be what she expected at first.

I thought this was a great read and one I can see some of my students really enjoying. There is drama, but ultimately the central theme of the story is about identity. As a high school teacher, this is something that I see my students exploring daily. I like that this book felt more real and was about struggling with relationships and school in a realistic way. I do feel like many high school students could connect with Andie and her friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an egalley!

'Begin Again' is Emma Lord's fourth YA offering and I just enjoy her style of writing so much--she understands character development and relationships and balances explorations of grief and loss, fear and self-discovery with just the right touch of humour and occasionally 'corny' (or heartwarming for the less cynical reader) moments.

This particular story follows Andie as she transfers to her parents alma mater--which is its own kind of complicated given it fulfills a lifelong goal, but also serves as a constant reminder of her mother, whom she lost to cancer years earlier, and the essentially long-distance relationship she has had with her father ever since. And the cherry on top? She and her boyfriend--both hoping to surprise the other--transferred schools and ended up swapping places rather than sharing a campus. Oops!

Ultimately, (for me as a reader) this was a journey of self-discovery for Andie--initially determinedly following in her mother's footsteps, but gradually overcoming fears born of that loss and her grief, regaining confidence, and learning to forge her own path on her way to becoming her own person.

Is this story terribly new and unique? Honestly, no. Did I love it anyway? Absolutely, yes. Emma Lord is officially the queen of lovely comfort reads (with substance). 4 STARS

I binged this coming-of-age, radio show romance last month and LOVED it! I’ve been following Lord’s work since her fab 2020 debut, Tweet Cute, and can confirm: Begin Again is Emma Lord at her best. This book is so sweet and and joyful and it basically starts out like the TikTok Couch Guy saga: college student Andie surprises her long-distance bf by showing up at his dorm room and it doesn't go as planned (was #couchgate an influence OR a marketing ploy for this book? sound off below!)

Andie is a classic Lord protagonist––a young Leslie Knope with theatre kid energy; a bubbly, ambitious overarchiever. I was particularly charmed by Andie’s friend group, which includes her #bookstagrammer roommate, her romance-writing stats tutor, and her grumpy love interest Milo, who is also her RA (he’s a sophomore, it’s fine).

But what stands out about Begin Again is Lord’s excellent pacing, both in her plot and character development. Andie and Milo’s romance is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers (epic), and their individual growth is really moving. This is a book about what it means to ‘show up’ for the people you love, and to lean on (and be part of) a support system. It’s also about grief and chosen family and forgiveness. AND there’s a sapphic B plot. How does Lord do it??

This is Lord’s first story set in college, which is likely why it resonates with me (even) more than Tweet Cute. Begin Again is a total January-to-March book––it opens with Andie starting her second semester. It’s for anyone who’s braved a blizzard, or trudged up a slushy hill at 7:00AM to get to class. Emma Lord makes you feel like you’re in the safest hands. I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

I really enjoyed this book right from the start. I love Andie and her desires to follow in her mom's footsteps at Blue Ridge University as a way to feel closer to her. I also love that nothing goes according to plan and that she realizes what's important as well as how to really be herself. Fantastic supporting characters in Shay and Valeria. And I love Milo and his mildly grumpy self.

This is fantastic, clean older YA that I would absolutely recommend and the narrator is really great.

*Strong language (including f-words)
*Previous death of a parent

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary e-arc and alc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

Another win from Emma Lord! This was absolutely adorable and I genuinely can't wait to read anything and everything else Emma publishes.

📡Summary📡
Andie always dreamed of going to Blue Ridge State for college. It was where her parents met. She thinks by going there she will feel closer to her mother, who passed away. Andie's plans go awry when she doesn't get in originally and is accepted as a 2nd semester transfer, but instead of telling her boyfriend who goes there, she decides to surprise him. But he transferred back to the community college Andie had been attending. Right off the bat, her plans are falling apart. Then Andie finds a friend group; her roommate Shay, her RA Milo and her tutor Valeria. Andie's life is going differently than she expected but maybe best laid plans aren't always the best thing.

📡Review📡
The book started slow for me. It took me a bit to get into the story, but I'm glad I stuck through it! This was a sweet book about friendship, found family and finding yourself. Andie was so concerned about living up to who her mom was, and being a good girlfriend, she forgets to put herself first. It was a bit repetitive at time but a sweet story.
I love a grumpy/sunshine romance. Milo was adorable in his grumpiness. The romance was a slow burn, and not the main focus. It was more about Andie finding her way.

I have loved Emma Lord's books since her debut and this one did not disappoint. It was full of character development, funny moments, quirky and unique characters, and a fun love story. I do think out of all of her books, this one fell the most flat for me. The college setting did not match with the characterization of our main character, Andie, and that put me off. I would have enjoyed having a more mature character or the setting be slightly different. Other than that, I was also not in the mood to read a coming of age college book so this was definitely an obstacle I had to overcome while reading. Despite some negative aspects of my reading experience, I still had a really good time reading it and would highly recommend it to lovers of other Emma Lord books!

This was a really interesting book. Surprisingly, it was the second book I read where the main character's mother has passed away. However this book felt happier and the focus was more on not disappointing her mother than grieving for her mother.
I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book. I would have loved to see more of the grandmothers. They seemed to be so much fun and caring. Andie's awkward relationship with her father helped move the story along as well as help Andie find out about who she wanted to be.
I really enjoy reading stories by this author. They make me think and reflect. They make me smile and at times laugh. And I am always sad when they end.
Enjoy!

Begin Again is about Andie, who transfers to a new school to be closer to her boyfriend and her mom's legacy. She has a clear vision of what her semester at this school will look like, but from the moment she arrives, things don't exactly go according to plan

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a heartwarming, light and cute read that also handled complicated emotions with authenticity.
Even though this is a romance, I don’t think that that’s the main focus of this book. It is a lot more focused on growth, friendship, family and grief.

👍
+ I found the emotional development of these characters to be very authentic. She comes across as annoying at times, but I especially related to the main character who is overly selfless, to her detriment. I was the same at her age. Years have made me much more selfish, but reading this really took me back to those days, and all of it felt deeply accurate to my feelings.
+ I loved all the side characters, the love interest, the friends, family, even professors. There were also a lot of great friendship moments that warmed my heart.
+ The romance, while it is a very slow burn and is not necessarily the main focus, was really cute. I could tell they were endgame from the first moment they meet and he’s just the sweetest guy.
+ I also thought that her relationship with her dad was handled with lots of nuance. Their relationship is very strained because of how he handled her mom’s passing. Everyone will feel differently about this, but I also lied how their storyline was resolved.
+ Other stuff: pirate radio, chicken coops, lots of coffee, wild bagel flavor combinations & more!

👎
- I found the whole lore around the school, the ribbons, the knights etc a little too confusing. Focusing so much on the details of it also took away from the main point of the book at times.

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

I've always loved a good YA read and happened upon Emma Lord about a year ago. There's something about her books that I just LOVE and couldn't wait to dive into this one....it quickly turned into my favorite of hers. I mean, there are Ryan Reynolds loving grandmas, the amount of romcom, both book and movie, references (Ryan Reynolds not withstanding but also instead of one bed we have a one kayak situation 🤣🥰🤣), Andie comparing making it through every season of Grey's Anatomy to not being a quitter (you go girl!! That is QUITE the commitment), bagels are one of my love languages....I'd love to get one from bagelopolis. Also. Can't not mention Milo. From the first, of several, references about getting lost in sea foam green eyes, I knew we were going to be in for quite the friends to lovers story, and I am HERE for it!

This is the PERFECT reminisce about the best parts of your freshman year of college book....the friends, shenanigans, crushes and found family.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!