Emma Lord hits it out of the park again, readers! If I didn't know it by now, she is definitely an auto-buy author AND one of my favorite YA contemporary authors of all time.

THE PLOT:

Andie transfers to Blue Ridge, her college of choice all along, and decides to surprise her boyfriend who is currently a student there only to find out he's transferred to her old college hoping to do the same. Now at different colleges, Andie must reevaluate and focus while doing the long-distance thing with Conner. Shay, her dormmate is a bookstagrammer (a girl dear to my heart!) and has had trouble choosing a major, and Milo, the coffee-addict RA (resident advisor) becomes her close friends. In the midst of this upheaval, Andie has to balance the loss of her mother and her estranged father and his new life.

THE CHARACTERS:

Andie was instantly likable and I connected with her straight away. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her mother but soon realizes she must pave her own way. Shay and her bookstagram stole my heart. Milo was definitely Jessie Bradford from Bring it On in my head and nobody can change my mind. He's a grump (me) with a penchant for coffee (also me). I could not have asked for a better romantic interest.

THE STRENGTHS:

The romance was definitely one of this book's strengths. It's a slow burn and it's sweet as pie.

The writing was also descriptive and clear, and there were no plot holes to be seen.

THE WEAKNESS:

I don't know if you could call this a weakness, but I did see the major plot twists/points ahead of time. The thing is, it didn't take away from the experience. I loved every moment of reading this book.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

This is my favorite Emma Lord book so far. I cannot wait to own a copy for myself.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-galley.

Begin Again, by Emma Lord, is a cute YA novel. The characters are easy to connect with and the story flows from situation to situation. It is about relationships and dreams, set mostly on and around a college campus. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Lord does it again. This may quite possibly be my favorite novel of hers. I adored the characters, and it was such a fun light read.

What started as a sweet read that I would pick up every once in a while turned into something I couldn’t put down.

Andie is attending a new college mid-semester, wanting to surprise her boyfriend. This is where her deceased mom went to school as well, so getting to go here is doubly exciting for her.

What follows next is a fun ride with new friends and a discovery of who Andie is and what she wants.

At first, I was worried that this book would be too “sappy sweet” for me, but as the book progressed, and Andie, too, it became more mature. I loved Andie, her RA Milo, and her Dad. Honestly, though, I think the author could have had something with the grandmothers. Maybe another book featuring them?

Definitely a great, uplifting read.

I needed this book in college. What a wonderful depiction of the balance between new and old friendships during such a coming of age time. Learning what parts of you you want to hold on to, and what new parts to explore. The emotional depth felt like I was right in the middle of the turmoil all over again. A beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to begin again. **My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was another great YA novel from Emma Lord! I would definitely recommend checking it out!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley & St Martins Press for the e-copy of Begin Again. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me. I made it to almost 40%, but I had to put it down. I was very bored and it was not holding my interest.

Begin Again by Emma Lord is the book for you if you like:
💜 Sweet YA contemporary romance/women’s fiction
💜 Books filled with self-discovery, growth, and healing
💜 Ride or die friends who support each other and learn together
💜 College stories that include, but are not limited to, excessive bagel consumption, pirate radio, and secret societies
Overall, this book was a wonderful read filled with heart and friendship that I enjoyed.
(Note: does contain language).

Emma Lord just writes fun and the sweetest stories! The friend group is everything and the semi grumpy/sunshine trope just makes you smile with every interaction. I truly did not even see the little twist coming, I loved everything about this.

This was cute, sweet, and angsty. It perfectly captured the excitement and anxiety of going away to college for the first time. I was a fan of the love story, really enjoyed all the quirky friends, but still felt like this one dragged on.

So, I have to start by owning up to confusing this with another book. I was in the mood for something light and happy. I remember seeing a picture of a book on Instagram that someone had called “liquid sunshine” or something like that and I thought it was this book. Now I’m realizing it was most likely You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum. So, that’s my fault. And if that affected my enjoyment of this book then I feel guilty for that. I always enjoy Emma Lord’s books. I enjoyed this one too but it was a lot heavier than I was in the mood for.

Andie has always dreamed of going to a particular college. It’s where her parents met and fell in love.
Her mom actually started a secret society on campus that’s continued ever since.
Andie lost her mom when she was only 11 and she has always dreamed of going to her college and getting into her secret society.

It takes her till her second semester of freshman year but she finally gets in. As an added bonus, her boyfriend goes to college there too. Their long distance relationship is about to end because they’ll be reunited.
But when she shows up, her boyfriend isn’t there. He actually transferred to Andie’s college. He planned to surprise her. And of course, she had planned to surprise him by showing up at his college.
So, now they are back to square one.

Andie is turning his mission into the top priority in her life and her grades are massively suffering and she has no time to go home to see her boyfriend.

Being away from her boyfriend and her family really forces Andie to reevaluate what she wants for herself.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

This was such a fun YA coming of age just starting college type story! It's full of those funny college experiences and completely heartfelt! I like the side characters - they're fun and quirky. There was some depth to the story I wasn't expecting and I truly enjoyed reading this!! I need to go read Emma's backlist now!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the review copy!

I adored this. I don’t read much YA contemporary anymore because I’m just no longer the audience, but Emma Lord are something magical. This is a beautiful, poignant, sweet, hilarious, fun, and tear-inducing coming-of-age story about very little going according to plan, yet ending up exactly where you’re meant to be.

This definitely made me nostalgic for my own college days, the newfound freedom, trying new things, making new friends, finding yourself, and living in the moment while planning for the rest of your life. The way this book portrays first love and first heartbreak, Andie’s efforts to live up to her mother’s legacy, and her hesitation to mend her relationship with her father brought all the tears. But there were plenty of things to smile and laugh about as well!

And the found family! Andie’s friends had such cool hobbies and interests (ahem, bookstagram and writing fantasy). And I absolutely swooned for the very slow building romance (note: while the romance is adorable, I would not classify Begin Again in the romance genre).

This is very much an Emma Lord book, meaning if you’ve loved her books in the past, you will love this, but if her previous books were not for you, this will probably not be for you either. But I am here for the frosting and sparkles and bagels and pop culture references and headstrong, naive characters who learn from their mistakes!

The Taylor Swift song of the same name played on repeat in my head while reading/listening to Begin Again - especially since there were plenty of TSwift references!
In Begin Again, Andie is the girl with a Plan. Yes, that is capitalized for a reason. Planning and fixing are her two favorite things to do, so it makes sense she’s going to major in Psychology. When she doesn’t get into her 1st choice college (but her high school boyfriend does), she goes to the local community college and re-applies to the school as a transfer, getting admitted mid-year. When she arrives, she knows exactly how she’s going to befriend her peers and surprise Connor. But as soon as she arrives on campus, there are a number of things that don’t work out as expected.
I loved following Andie’s trajectory. I thought it was entirely relatable, not just for YA readers but for adults, too. I think everyone has to Begin Again multiple times in their lives - moving, new jobs, meeting new people, etc. I also loved the end result of the ribbon scavenger hunt. I did guess the main conflict pretty early on, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book (and it made me feel super smart!)
I will be recommending this one to my high school students and making sure our school library has a physical copy. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Looking back, Emma Lord’s When You Get the Chance was one of my top YA reads for 2022, so I’m not surprised this one is already in the running for 2023. I need to read Tweet Cute to finish her backlist - I’m committing to doing that this year!

Emma Lord is back with another cute YA contemporary romance! I flew through this one and stayed up way too late to finish it. I have read all of Emma Lord's books, and this one might be my favorite one yet!

Andie transfers to Blue Ridge State midway through her freshman year to surprise her boyfriend. Except when she gets there she finds out that her boyfriend has actually transferred to Andie's old school to surprise her. So now Andie is all alone in a new college, where she finds herself surrounded by a new group of friends, a chance to figure out who she is and what she really wants for herself, and maybe even a new love interest as well!

While a lot of YA books focus on high school, this one felt fresh and interesting with the focus on the first year of college. I thought the characters in this story were so lovable and adorable. I loved Milo, and Andie's friend group was just the best. I know as a 42 year old that I am way older than the target audience, but I still found this story to be relatable and engaging. Warm, cozy, charming and sweet are the adjectives that come to mind! I liked this one a lot!

Starting over, campus romance, set in my home state, written by a trusted author? Yes, please and thank you! Meet Andie Rose. She’s an unheard of mid-year transfer student to her dream university. She’s got a long term plan, big dreams. But first she’s got to locate her longtime boyfriend on campus and surprise him. There’s just one problem, he’s transferred to her school! While this sounds romantic as we get to know more about their relationship dynamic…maybe not. Enter a spoiler in Andie’s RA. While she feels torn in her feelings he serves more as a mirror for Andie to examine her existing relationships.
This is my favorite Emma Lord book. The book is set at a fictional university in Virginia, where I’m originally from. The school shares similarities to several Virginia universities, a mashup. It was such a fun read with all the Easter eggs, like a trip home. It made me very hungry for my all time favorite bagel shop! The secret societies was very on-brand, but I loved how the author took a different twist on membership! I was rooting for Andie from the start and loved her arc. I felt her growth was so satisfying. She gets self determination and romance, she finds her own path.
I recommend for fans of Emma Lord’s previous books, YA campus settings, LGBTQ inclusion, and feel good romance.
Thank you to Wednesday Books, Emma Lord, and Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

Liked it, it had good characters and I liked the nod too Bookstagraming. I liked the characters and how the main character gor them all to come together. She had a fix it attitude and I liked that about her.

The pacing did slow down sometimes for me but I still liked the message of the story. This seemed like it was in between young adult and new adult. I wasn't able to tell where the setting took place state wise or if it was a four year college or two. It's not a huge deal but it was a consistent question I had wondered. I had assumed it was a four year college because of being transferred and then the dorm lives.

It still was an interesting plot and I did like the ending. I did see the love triangle storyline coming though, that was a big easy to spot for me early on.

All in all it was a good cute read, definitely would be helpful for any high school student to read because I liked all the choices and thoughts main character had for trying to come up with majors for her roommate.

This is the first book from Lord I have not throughly enjoyed. Despite the college setting, Andie seemed immature and more focused on everyone else, except herself. I also disliked some of the romantic aspects, but won't reveal more to save spoilers. I found the friendships and minor characters engaging, so it was not a complete miss. I remain a fan of Lord and hope her next book is more inline with my tastes.

I love Emma Lord's books so much, and this was no exception. Andie transfers to her dream college halfway through her freshman year. However, nothing goes according to plan. Her boyfriend has left and returned to the hometown community college she transferred from. And she's struggling to keep all of her academic, work, and social obligations balanced.

This book feels so relatable. I may be an adult, but there was so much in this that I needed to read. I found myself nodding and highlighting and going back to re-read portions. We get wisdom from a number of the characters Andie interacts with, as she tries to determine her own path forward.

It made me so nostalgic for the college experience. From the campus grounds to the off-campus food, college radio station, and trivia nights, it was such fun to read. I especially enjoyed the mini subplot about writing and Andie's bookstagrammer roommate.

This book had the perfect balance of light and heavy and was beautifully written.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

Emma Lord and I have a special relationship. It's like she sees me, she gets me, she channels what interests me into her stories. Every time I pick up one of her books, my heart is filled to the brim with love. Okay, I'm not delusional. I know we don't actually have a special relationship, but I definitely connect with her stories in a remarkable way; one that stands out to me amongst the many books I read.

For her latest release, Begin Again, I'll be honest, I didn't read the synopsis. I don't really care what it is about, if her name is on the cover, I'm picking it up. I went into this blind and was absolutely delighted with how this story began to unfold. Something completely wild happens in our protagonist's life right off the bat. I was shocked and laughed, is this what this book is about?

This story follows Andie, who is navigating her first year post-high school. After spending her first semester at a local community college, remaining at home with her grandmothers, Andie has recently transferred to the college of her dreams. Blue Ridge State is 2-hours from Andie's home and once she is there, she quickly realizes that she is on her own for the very first time. Honestly, the wide-open freedom is jarring and a bit overwhelming.

Andie is a girl who always has a plan and right from the start her plans for her time at Blue Ridge don't go as she anticipated. Her long-term boyfriend, Connor, who attended Blue Ridge first semester actually transferred to Andie's old community college to surprise her. She transferred to Blue Ridge with the hopes of surprising him. Huge whoopsie!

That enormous flub really sets the stage for Andie's first term. She's sort of thrown for a loop, but she isn't someone who gives in easily. She slowly starts to build her own life; establish her independence. Andie finds a group of friends, passions to pursue and a boy who is super kind and shares her interests. Blue Ridge is beginning to feel like home.

Life isn't always smooth sailing though, as we all know and before too long the stress-monster is rearing his ugly head. Connor is trying to maintain his presence in Andie's life and she has mixed feelings about the status of their relationship. Then some startling secrets are revealed and of course, there's some family drama happening that Andie can no longer ignore.

It's a lot for her to try to navigate successfully. She's sort of torn between the person she was and the person she has the potential to become. I became super invested in Andie's life and all the issues swirling around her.

This story is set in that pivotal time of life when you are transitioning from high school, living with your family, to adulthood, living on your own. It's that sweet spot where the building blocks of your future really begin to solidify.

Andie had some trauma in her family. She lost her mother when she was younger and her father skipped out a bit after that. It was a very impactful experience in her life. As you would expect, Andie brings that into college with her. Her relationship with her father is still strained, even though he is making an effort, she's not entirely sure she's ready to forgive him just yet.

I love how Lord's stories always include the complexity of family life. Families are just that, they're complicated. Even the ones that appear perfect, there's always something there; some issue or issues that can be explored. Andie being on her own for the first time was also so compelling. She was on quite a journey of self-discovery, even if she was the last one to realize it.

Emma Lord brings so much love to her stories. You can tell she writes with care. She cares about her characters and how the issues are presented. While the stories overall have a feel-good tone, there are always deeper meanings and connections to be made.

I connected particularly well with this story. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but I developed such empathy for Andie. Additionally, the friend group, the found family feel, really touched me and the ending was completely satisfying.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. While I figured I would love this story, I had no idea how much I would LOVE this story. I cannot wait to see what Emma Lord gifts us with next!!