It's been well-established that I'll read everything Emma Lord writes, even if YA is lower on my list overall these days. I've never been disappointed by one of her books (even the ones that maybe don't sound like my favorite premise) - and luckily BEGIN AGAIN was no exception to this rule! To be fair, it was probably my "least favorite" of her books (which seems dumb with a 4+ star rating)... but I don't fully know why.

I liked that this was a slice of life story set in college (let's make a petition to get more YA books set during that time period) and the characters were really enjoyable. I liked that there was a solid mix of new friendships taking off, romantic relationships and crushes, and tons of family feels. The whole premise was good but the ~love triangle~ vibes were a bit drawn out IMO. My jaw dropped at a very unexpected twist that made for some intrigue for a few chapters, but I kind of with the dual love interest situation was wrapped up earlier.

The main character, Andie, and her friends had their ups, downs, and flaws, which were all well-explored. I really liked that there wasn't any major drama and miscommunication - the vast majority of the time, all of the characters said how they felt (within reason) and forgave each other for certain issues. It was definitely refreshing to read!

I'm now craving a very fancy bagel and ridiculous flavored cream cheese.

Delightful! Emma Lord brings you straight back to your college beginnings with its, uncertainty, stress, fun, friends and activities and you really feel like you are on campus with Andie and her gang. While reading #beginagain I felt like Andie AND her aunts who raised her at the same time. Thanks go out to #netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for this digital copy.

Begin Again by Emma Lord
Young Adult
Pub Date: January 24
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fun young adult story about Andie Rose. I requested this one on Netgalley because I thought the cover was cute 😂

I really enjoyed this book though. Andie just transferred into her goal school Blue Ridge college from community college. Blue Ridge is where her mother and father met and all their stories were from.

However once she gets there things take a bit of a rocky turn. Her long time boyfriend and her have a miscommunication, her classes are not what she expected and for Andie who likes a plan things are just not going perfect.

I enjoyed the friend to family relationships, the characters all were witty with good personalities. Andie was able to see she had changes to make and opened up to try and make them work.

I highly recommend this if you like cute YA romance books. That also includes some good witty banter and growing relationships.

Emma Lord does it again. Another cute YA romance with a mostly feel-good, heartwarming story. I loved the budding romances and warmth in the story.

I think this is a new favorite of mine. I loved this more than anything. Emma's writing is so much more mature in this one, showing her true talents as an author. The setting of Blue Ridge State was so much fun and brought me into this college. I loved the way Andie created a world for herself at Blue Ridge. The friends that Andie made were amazing and I would love to be her friend. This was amazing.

This book missed the mark for me personally. It feels too YA to be college age, with a cast that makes decisions immaturely and a storyline that is inherently a concern due to the power dynamic of the RA role.

I won’t go into the RA role aspect more because I think that’s a separate concern, but really this plot feels like it was a high school story transposed onto a college campus instead of being an authentic college experience. There is a level of understanding of university politics that is missing, and the character development doesn’t really align with any student development theory.

I was hoping this could be a strong book to recommend first year students and transfer students, but it just misses the mark for me.

Emma Lord has a way of writing her contemporary novels that is just so charming and fun! I always enjoy my time with her books, this one included!

Following Andie through her journey of healing, self-discovery, and growth was really satisfying. And her group of friends/found family were all lovable and I cared about them just as much as I did about Andie.

Also, I want a bagel.

If Emma Lord continues to write books like she has, I will continue to consume them. They are some of my favorite contemporaries to ready!

Emma Lord writes some of the sweetest books, and I love them. Begin Again started a little slow (and maybe predictable?), but I was in love with ending. It's a sweet book that I would recommend to any teen.

Andie has transferred mid year to a new college - intent on surprising her boyfriend who (SURPRISE!) transferred to her old college at the same time.

She’s determined to live up to her late mothers legacy but also determined to create her own legacy.

It’s a beautiful story of finding friends, connecting with family, and learning more about herself & her mom.

Begin Again solidified Emma Lord as an auto-read author for me. She is a beautiful writer who tells stories that bring you all the feels - they are witty and heart warming.

Thank you to Netgalley & St Martins Press for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest & unbiased review.

Andie is always a woman with a plan. Blue Ridge State is her dream school. She may not have gotten in on the first try but she focused and put the work in and is entering as a transfer student midway through freshman year. She can’t wait to get to school and surprise her boyfriend Connor. Turns out he had a surprise of his own. He transferred to community college to be near Andie.
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Plans continue to go off the rails and nothing is as it seems. Andie slowly realizes that she helps everyone else before she helps herself. Sometimes you need to put on your oxygen mask first and help yourself before you can help others and as hard as it is for Andie she is slowly realizing she needs to find a balance. This is a sweet YA with a great cast of side characters.
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Thank you #wednesdaybooks and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely adored this story!!! I received the ARC from NetGalley and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. I instantly fell in love with this college community! This story has strong themes of self discovery and self acceptance that I think so many readers can relate to. The author does an amazing job discussing grief and the struggles young adults face. I will be recommending this book to everyone and I cannot wait to read more!

A truly beautiful coming-of-age story, a YA rom-com to warm your heart. A story about finding your true self, finding your family, finding your true friends, and finding what you want out of life.

Emma Lord is the queen of YA fiction and I will read anything she writes!

Loved this book!! So many taylor swift references and the characters were so cute. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that I discovered the plot twist right at the beginning

I really think Emma Lord is the queen of the found family trope. Genuinely.

I loved this book. It was so funny but also so raw and real in a way that made me emotional, and the characters were so strong and well thought out. They came alive, even the "smaller" characters like Milo's family or Andie's grandmothers. And the main characters were just so bright and real, their motivations were clear and I really was rooting for them and for everything to work out for them.

There was also this really fun thing that I did not expect to enjoy - the slow burn of the romance in this book. It's definitely not at the forefront of the book, the romance is more of a secondary plot that still somehow managed to be perfect and draw me in and make them feel absolutely perfect together. I'm usually not much of a slow burn girlie (get right into the spice, please!) but it worked here. The story really took time to develop the characters as individuals and as part of their surroundings, and I absolutely loved it.

The found family trope in this book was so strong. I've read a couple of other books by Emma Lord, and I've found that nobody really hooks me with this trope the way she does. I just find myself completely wrapped up in the characters and their interactions, and how they came together to become this well functioning, caring, cohesive unit.

I really don't think there's anything else to say other than, if this book looks at all interesting to you, pick it up. You'll love it.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Begin Again
by Emma Lord
Pub Date: 24 Jan 2023

Emma Lord is the perfect author to take you back to your younger high school/college days. Andie is a late transfer to her dream college where her father and deceased mother both attended. Andie has plans! Mainly trying to follow her mother's path and get into the secret society like her. As well as surprising her hometown boyfriend who is already attending the college.

This story is about Andie finding out who she is and what she wants out of life. It is a story of healing and bridging family separations. There is plenty of cute, sweetness and fun hijinks among the angst. I enjoyed the new relationships Andie establishes and the grandmothers were a hoot! The only thing that bothered me (SPOILER!!) is Andie's father...I am all for forgiveness, but I wish Andie would have voiced very LOUDLY how her dad abandoned her. The fact that he now is coming back into her life with a girlfriend who has a child and he can play daddy to just irked me beyond belief. Andie had too many conversations in her head about her feelings and not enough of letting go of her emotions to her father. Yeah, he had reasons, but...grrr! I wish there was more groveling on his part with true understanding of the damage he did. I think the situation was tidied up to cleanly to feel real.

3.5 stars

Emma Lord does it again!!! I absolutely loved the previous two YA books I snagged by her and I think this one may be my new favorite. Although, as my friend's hubby pointed out to me the title Tweet Cute is unbeatable- I tend to agree.

Begin Again kicks off with Andie finally making it to the college of her dreams, Blue Ridge State after spending her first semester at her local community college. Described as a hyper competitive environment, Andie knows she needs to hit the ground running to make friends and find her place in the school both of her parents attended.

Content Warning: I should warn you, this book covers in depth Andie grief over the loss of her mom. I think Lord did a wonderful job covering the topic with sensitivity and I enjoyed the ways Andie attempted to follow in her mom's footsteps to feel closer to her.

Things go awry when Andie gets there only to discover her boyfriend has transferred back to their community college to be with her. Their grand gestures have royally backfired and I'm here for it!

Andie's got a moody, sleep-deprived male RA, and a supportive roommate. As Andie seeks to collect ribbons to be part of secret societies, she finds herself making her own way and loving college in ways she never anticipated.

I read this and instantly wanted to go out dancing with my college friends. This book created a great deal of nostalgia for me and reminded me so much of many fond memories I have from my college days! Sigh, I really do miss college! Definitely recommend picking this one up!

I loved this story of Andie. Struggled with the grief of the loss of her mom she finally gets to attend college where her mom found her way. She’s so excited to see her boyfriend only to find out he transferred away. Knowing she needs to fix things, Andie works to put things back together willing things to go her way.

Andie was such a fun character that really came into her own. I loved watch her realize what’s important in life and that she doesn’t need to fix anything. Emma Lord is the queen of YA and I will forever read anything she writes!

I love all of Emma Lord's book and this one was no exception. They are always such a joy to read. What makes this book are the characters. You can' t help forming a connection with them and really rooting for them. One of the best parts of the book was the character development. Watching Andie grow was very nice. The book was heartfelt and genuine and I loved it. Definitely recommend this one.

This was such a sweet book. Emma Lord knows how to write complicated relationships and emotions so well. I loved that this was set in college. I think we need more YA like that. Andie was an interesting character and I really enjoyed her journey. I also audibly gasped at about 70% in (iykyk) so this was either fabulous or I’m dumb, possibly both. But I highly recommend reading this one when it comes out.

I had a hard time getting into this one and ultimately DNF it. I don’t typically read YA so it could definitely just be me not being accustomed to the genre but I found myself not really interested in what was happening with the characters. The writing itself was solid; I just couldn’t get into the plot.