This was definitely a cute and charming read. I thought it was a good coming-of-age story set on a college campus. At times, our main character, Andie, frustrated me - but that felt realistic for an 18-year-old. Overall, very sweet and fun read.

3.5 rounded up to a 4

** I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but it missed the mark for me. I loved Emma Lord’s last book, but this just felt super corny and over the top. I think I may have grown completely out of YA, so it might just be a me thing. I might still try more of her books in the future, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Emma Lord has created a book filled with diverse and interesting characters and great friendships.

It felt like a true first semester away at college. Andie is trying to juggle it all..classes, relationships, family, collecting ribbons, work. The

I love that Andie and Milo developed a true friendship throughout the book. It made their relationship seem more lifelike.

Begin Again is a heartwarming YA novel that is sure to make you smile.

Thank you to the publishers via NetGalley for the arc!

Begin Again starts with Andie changing colleges between semesters freshman year. She makes the transfer in part because of her boyfriend, but also because this is the college her mom went to, and it's where she's always wanted to go. Right from the beginning things fall apart, her boyfriend transferred to the community college, her classes aren't going smoothly and her relationship with her father is further deteriorating. Andi knows she has to fix thing, but it's going to be quite the process.

Luckily she has an amazing roommate and a cute RA that are on her team. Milo, the cute RA shares some commonalities with Andie that get her to open up more about her dad (and his family in return). Her roommate Shay is amazing and the kind of roommate college students should dream about.

The highlight of Begin Again is Andie's journey to find her true self, and what she needs to do to make her own dreams come true. At the beginning there is a lot of self sacrificing, it was nice to see Andie gain her footing (even if there were some missteps along the way).

I wanted to read this book after reading Lords, Tweet Cute which I absolutely loved! I thought this book was cute and adorable. I thought Annie was relatable, but the way she curses didn’t seem as genuine for someone her age. I’m not sure if that is because of her upbringing or a way to add cheesiness to the character. I loved Milo! I’m a huge fan of grumpy first appearances.

I gave this book a three because compared to the authors other books, this one didn’t grip me as much and a times it felt like the conversations were dragging on.

When life gives you a fresh start, you have no choice but to begin again. College freshman, Andie, has to learn this the hard way after transferring to her dream university mid-semester. Andie struggles to adjust to university life, make new friends, handle a rocky stage with her long-term boyfriend, Connor, live up to her late mother's legacy as the college radio host, and her pesky new feelings for her caffeine-obsessed RA, Milo.
Andie continues to handle these stressful situations the only way she knows. Ignore her problems and give other people advice.
As someone who doesn't read many young adult novels nowadays, I enjoyed this story more than I expected. I liked the main character, Andie, because I could see my younger self in her. I related to her desire to keep her life plan on track at all costs, even when it stopped benefitting her. Throughout the book, we see Andie grow into a more self-confident adult as she navigates the challenges of young adulthood and college. Additionally, the author does a great job describing the pain and struggles that come with losing a parent at a young age. The story manages to stay lighthearted, but it adds depth to the characters and the plotlines. Finally, we have to discuss Andie and Milo. It's sweet watching the two characters overcome their struggles and learn to lean on each other. I wish the characters had gotten together sooner, but a later start to relationships is the norm in YA novels. Now, for the critiques of the book. There were many subplots throughout the book, and not all needed to be there. Andie wanting to collect ribbons to join her school's club like her parents did was sweet, but I kept forgetting about the ribbon hunt until it was mentioned again in the book. Second, I honestly kept forgetting Conner existed, which was pleasant. I feel if Andie had dumped him a little sooner, like halfway through the book, we could've focused on more essential parts of the story. Finally, there were some lulls in the book. As my previous point stated, the middle of the book was slow. A much-needed breakup may have helped.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would consider reading something else by this author.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Begin Again felt like stepping back onto a college campus, and I felt the nostalgia in waves. As someone who had their entire college career uprooted by COVID, this book made me feel welcomed in the arms of Blue Ridge State. Andie Rose is everything a second semester freshman is: anxious, unsure, and ready to take college on. As “The Fixer”, Andie works to help those around her without putting her own needs first. As the book continues, Andie becomes more sure of herself and more confident in who she is (with the help of other characters). Her relationship with others in the novel brought me to tears, and this novel makes everything feel like it can be righted. This was a 5-star read, and it will certainly be a reread for me.

I can’t tell if this is my favorite book by her yet, but this was a great read. I loved the character development and plot. I had a great time reading! The perfect snowy read!

Emma Lord has perfected the coming-of-age story with a missing mom trope, in my opinion. This is the second one I've read from her, and she does it rather well. Andie goes to the same college her late mom went to hoping to get some answers and to fulfill her mom's legacy. She also has the attitude that she needs to fix everyone's problems without realizing that there are problems within her own life that need fixing. At the beginning of the story, you can clearly tell which are the problems that need fixing, her troubled relationship, her late mother that was never properly grieved, her extremely lack boundaries, and her relationship, or lack thereof, with her father.

Throughout the story as Andie continues to solve her friends' problems her own come to surface and are faced to be solved. She discovers secrets her parents had and makes her own legacy.

I received and ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

A charming YA book about a girl who is determined to follow in her mother's footsteps as she attends the same college. Begin Again incorporated a lot of issues very seamlessly and was really a pleasure to read.

Andie is thrilled to be a new transfer student at Blue Ridge State. First, it's the school her boyfriend attends. Second, its the school her mother attended as well. After Andie's mother's tragic death, Andie hopes that being in this place so important to her mom will help her feel closer to her.

But the course of true love does not run smoothly (or however the saying goes.) Begin Again was a long book, which is often an issue for me, but I didn't want it to end. It was obvious that some of Andie's plans weren't in her best interest, but it was really a joy to watch her navigate college and have the courage to forge her own path.

Andie Rose is eager to pursue a degree in Psychology at her mother’s alma mater, Blue Ridge State, after transferring from her community college. However, she soon learns her long-term boyfriend transferred from Blue Ridge State to the community college to be with her. On her own, Andie connects with her roommate, Bookstagrammer Shay, and her R.A. Milo as she finds her way on her college-life journey.

This was a sweet, wholesome YA story that was an enjoyable book. I absolutely LOVED all the Bookstagram references with one of the main characters being a Bookstagrammer, and the bagel shop the characters work at, Bagelopolis, will make you hungry while reading {a pretzel bagel sounds AMAZING}. Check this one out for a feel-good story when you need a light, easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-ARC!

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Emma Lord wins again with another great YA coming of age novel. In this book, Andie finally gets her chance to join boyfriend Conner at Blue Ridge State, her parents alma mater. Only to hear that Conner transferred back home to the community college that Andie was attending. While following her mother’s footsteps in provider advice over the campus airwaves, she makes a life on campus searching for the ribbons that would determine the secret society she will spend her college life being a member.

Her RA Milo and roommate Shay are there to help Andie along the way. The book gave me a Pitch Perfect vibe, less the singing. It was an enjoyable read and audiobook. It’s a slow burn of young adult romance, but great story of forgiveness of a parent and seeing the great things right in front of you.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #beginagain #emmalord #smpinfluencers

Begin Again
Author: Emma Lord

eARC & Book Review
Pub Date: January 24, 2023

Andie Rose has a plan. In an effort to surprise her boyfriend, she transfers to Blue Ridge State to be closer to him. BRS is a super competitive, rigorous college where she plans to major in psychology.

Only problem? She gets to campus, moves in, and finds out Connor has also transferred! Right back to the local community college that Andie had been attending. Being the go-getter that she is, Andie decides to stick it out at Blue Ridge State, no matter if Connor is there or not.

At Blue Ridge, she’s roommates with bookstagrammer Shay, a girl who is struggling to decide on a major. But that’s okay! Andie has got a plan to help her decide on one. Her RA, Milo, is a coffee fiend who really could use the break from caffeine. But that’s also okay! Andie has got a plan to wean him off of it. Known as The Fixer, Andie is determined to help her friends out, and, in the process, maybe learn that not all matters can and should be fixed.
Things with Connor are rocky, Milo is disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships, and it seems Shay may never find a major.

On campus though, Andie begins to find her voice, becoming “The Squire” on the pirate radio station her deceased mother founded when she was a student at BRS. As she begins to give anonymous advice to her peers, Andie comes to realize that sometimes things aren’t going to go to plan, but it may be for the best that way.
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This is an adorable, heartwarming, Just Kiss Already! YA novel that is all about finding your voice, new beginnings, and having friends that are practically family.

I really connected with the novel on some aspects. The moving off to college, being in a long distance relationship as a freshman, and having to make all new friends really hit home for me. Much like Andie, freshman year was a time to really evaluate the people in my life (like the boyfriend lol).

Begin Again was an easy read that also featured really impactful and sweet moments that had me not wanting to put it down. It was a romance that featured so much more than romance. Andie’s story had love and loss, friendships and family — all aspects that will have you reflecting on your own life and college years. As my sister heads off to college this fall, I might just have to have her read this book when it releases!

The one small thing that put me off was Andie’s continued use of food-related “swear” words. It was okay at first, but the more they were used, the older and more childish it got. I understand that it was supposed to be funny, but it just wasn’t for me! Other than that, this book was great!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I found this book to be a cute pleasing read. The pacing I felt sometime dragged a little too long for the plot but over all I was left with a good feeling after completing. The realness of the emotions and fun activities of the book pulled you in. I wanted to experience college in this way! This felt a breath of fresh air compared to other books with college as the main setting. I'm happy we got the see not just the main characters growth but also her found families growth as well. This author does a great job of conveying emotion and personal growth with a strong dash of inspiring thoughts. Which is a great component for YA. I'm thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy!

Once again Emma Lord writes yet another YA novel that I love. In fact, next to Tweet Cute, this might be one of my favorites that she's written so far. Maybe it's the college setting, but this one had the romance and banter and tension between Andie and Milo. Maybe I just really love bagels (it hurts my soul none of the restaurants she comes up with are real). But either way, the story of Andie working to find her own path while dealing with the loss of her mother and all the typical challenges of being a college student really resonated with me. 10/10 would always recommend.

I remember reading this authors very first book and loving it so I was very excited for this arc from netgalley and Wednesday books.

Andie transfers schools to be with her boyfriend and follow in her mom’s footsteps at the college but it doesn’t exactly go as planned.

I expected hilarity but this book actually hit me in my feels. Overall I thought Begin Again was filled with big emotions and serious topics that I didn’t expect going in. I ended up crying over the parts where Andie was talking with her dad. I adored Milo from the first introductions and I loved the supporting characters so much.

A great read that left me feeling delightfully happy at the end.

Goodness, these book definitely made me more emotional than I expected.

As I’ve come to realize from this author I can always expect to finish the book with a smile on my face, even if it caused me some heartache along the way.

Even though this is a YA book, most of the characters are in their 1st and 2nd years of college.

This book is so much about self discovery and realizations that the things you always told your self would happen, don’t alway happen. I loved the connection of the title to the characters, it is perfection.

This book has a lot to unpack and touches on the grief of losing a parent. The writing in this book was so good, the amount of anxiety it gave me in regards to the exams -whew!

Overall an excellent YA read!

A coming-of-age YA book about starting over, grief and forging a new path.
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Andie Rose has it all planned out: she was accepted as a mid-year transfer freshman to her dream university and is ready to surprise her childhood sweetheart who already goes to Blue Ridge State, but when she gets there it turns out he transferred to community college to be closer to her. Now Andie is stuck riding out the semester without her boyfriend at her side. What happens next has her coming into her own while making new friends, chasing after her mom’s legacy as a favored alum, working at a bagel place and helping out at the campus’s underground pirate radio station her mom created. Andie struggles to keep her new life afloat while also holding on to her old life back home.
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I simply adored Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute and You Have a Match, but was disappointed in When You Get A Chance. My hopes were high for this one: I liked it, but didn’t love it. It definitely falls into the new adult category for the age of the characters, but is written as a YA book and honestly I didn’t even start to care about the main character until mid-way through. I loved the representation of lgbtq & BIPOC characters, but the romance was a bit lacking for me. It had a lot of plot lines going on as well. For me it feels like Lord is focusing more on trauma, loss and parental relationships than the romance aspect in her last two titles so if that’s your thing, you’ll really enjoy this one. Great audiobook though through Netgalley! It’s a 3.5 ⭐️ for me and releases January 24.

CW: grief, death of a parent (off page), cancer, parental abandonment, cheating, alcohol

It's become a tradition to start the year with an Emma Lord book. I didn't love this one quite as much as all the others, but it was a good read! I liked the concept of chasing ribbons and the "Knight" radio station. I also liked both Andie and Milo and their dynamic.

I just wasn't that impressed with Begin Again:( I was really excited for it since I love Lord's Tweet Cute so much, but it kind of fell short for me.

- The plot was kind of all over the place, and I was never sure what I was supposed to expect to happen next.
- Andie was quite irritating. She was so avoidant of her own problems that it started to really irk me. She had no business being in other people's business, and she knew and recognized this yet did nothing to stop.
- There was zero chemistry between Milo and Andie. Absolutely none. The whole time I wanted Andie to reconnect with Connor because he at least seemed interested in her and her wellbeing. Ugh.

However,, even with those negatives, I was cracking up the entire read! Lord is a master at hilarious one-liners!