In Begin Again, Andie Rose, a mid year transfer to Blue Ridge State, finally finds herself at the school she wished for, but finds her perfectly laid plans going awry. When she transfers to surprise her boyfriend and gets to campus to find out he transferred as well, Andie has to pivot and figure out what she really needs for herself. Enter an intriguing RA and some great friends and Andie is in for a fun year at Blue Ridge State.

Overall this was a well written book and I loved all of the supporting characters, but something about Andie bothered me. I think it was how naive she seemed to be that made me dislike her and not connect with her. There were so many times that I just wanted to yell at her and tell her to get her head out of the clouds, especially when it came to her boyfriend, Connor.

I really expected to like this book because I love college romances and coming of age stories, but I didn’t connect with this book like I thought I would. It was a good story and I loved the radio show aspect, but I just wasn’t a fan of Andie. Just because I didn’t love this book doesn’t mean the majority of people won’t, looking at the other reviews I am in the minority. If you think this book sounds interesting, it’s worth giving it a try. It is well written and has some good characters, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

This was a DNF for me. I love Emma Lord’s writing style but I REALLY didn’t like the main character.

I really liked Emma Lord's previous books but I was not a big fan of this one. I know the reader is able to discern that the first boyfriend is not the right one, but I just really didn't like the cheating vibes that were going on. Because of that I just couldn't get into the book the way I had hoped.

This is the second novel I read by Emma Lord and I am definitely a fan after reading Begin Again. I enjoyed reading Tweet Cute - but loved Begin Again. The book started off a little slow for me - but I soon became hooked! Emma really captured the feel of a college campus and adjusting to college life (although their class schedules were a bit of a mystery - they hardly ever seemed to have class). Andie and Milo are great characters and have adorable chemistry (Milo is such a cute curmudgeon). Andie spends so much time trying to fix other people's problems and help others - she finally realizes how much she has been neglecting taking care of herself and her own life. And she finds new, amazing friends in Milo, Shay, and Valeria who genuinely care about her, want her to be happy, and aren't afraid to push her to take risks either. A great read - will make you laugh, cry, and think back on memories of your own college days.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my ARC!

BEGIN AGAIN was another adorable YA story from Emma Lord 🥰 She writes this genre with very believable stories and characters and portrays family dynamics and parent/teen relationships so well. I really liked that this was set in college with a main character that had a lot of “figuring out her life” to do. Milo was the sweetest and Connor really sucked. I enjoyed many bookstagram reference 😊, the friend group of characters, the way the mom was remembered, and how much growth Andie showed throughout the story. I definitely recommend this upcoming YA release as well as all of Emma’s other books. She’s a favorite YA author of mine!

2.5 stars

I don't think Emma Lord's books are for me. I really enjoyed her Tweet Cute novel, but since then I've been pretty unimpressed. The low rating is because of a combination of the cheating plot twist (which I hate and think is overdone/lazy by this point) and because I really disliked how most of the situations were resolved. I didn't agree with Milo forgiving his brother and ex, I didn't agree with the way Andie resolved things with her father, who got off way too easily, and of course I didn't like the "oh-you-cheated-on-me-but-hey-we-can-still-be-friends-one-day" aspect of Andie and Connor's breakup. Lord's books are all about friendship and familial relationships, but that doesn't mean things NEED to be resolved with the MC forgiving everything. That really irked me with this one.

Emma Lords books are like a friend you can always turn to when you’re having a bad day. In fact all of the characters in this book are like that.

It was really nice to see this book make the move of high school & into college. It really captured the feeling of being on a college campus. Especially with Bagelopolis, the campus bagel shop, good Lord do I want to go there.

If you are a fan of Emma Lord’s other books you will not be disappointed in this one!

I read my first book by Emma Lord two years ago and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors! I've now read all four books that she's written and I loved and enjoyed each one. But honestly, I think this one might be my favorite of her four books so far!

I really enjoyed Andie's story, and loved the nostalgia I felt as I went along with her and experienced her freshman year at college. The way the author weaves her story is amazing, every time I've read one of her books, I could only think about how perfect the storyline and the pacing was for each story (even though the slow burn in begin again made me want to throw my iPad across the room lol).

I also thought the whole idea of The Knight's Watch and her personal connections to it was absolutely brilliant! It was so fun to read about and I wish I could've participated in it, but now I'm either wishing I went to Blue Ridge State or just jealous my school didn't have something like that.

I also loved all the characters so freaking much, especially the All Knighters!!! I connected and related with every single one of them and just ugh i don't even know. i love them and i feel like they're my friends now y'know

anyway, read this book if you're going to college, in college, or missing college (like me), if you like to read about friendships and family relations. i highly recommend it!

Have you been craving another Emma Lord novel?

Well book friends I have, and Lord’s latest will not disappoint. Begin Again is just the right kind of New Adult novel that will give you all the feels and have you smiling.

Andie is finally at the college she’s always wanted to attend and has her future planned out as though fate doesn’t have a chance. But her perfectly curated plans fall apart after meeting her cute RA, Milo Flynn and then finds out her boyfriend transferred to her community college. Andie, who is a fix-it and make people happy force of nature, has to come up with a new strategy of putting herself first for a chance at happiness.

A warm hug of a book, Begin Again is about finding your own passion be it a career or a person or both. And Milo Flynn has my complete vote (and heart).

Loved this one!

Happy Reading ~ Cece

📚: Begin Again by Emma Lord (@dilemmalord)
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding down on Goodreads)

Andie, a type A, lives-by-a-plan kind of college freshman, transfers mid-year to Blue Ridge - the competitive state university where her parents met decades previously. The issue? As soon as she arrives on campus, her well laid plan quickly falls apart.

A story about self-discovery in young adulthood, Begin Again brought a nostalgia for my college era, when every drama felt life-changing, and - let’s be honest - we all questioned if we belonged.

The biggest downside to this book, at times, was Andie. There were many moments where I remembered how adults complained in the late 1990s about Dawson’s Creek, saying that there’s no way high schoolers talk like Dawson and Joey did. Seriously though, are there college students that talk like Andie? Maybe yes? Maybe I’m wrong and a lot do? Maybe I’m getting old and curmudgeonly? (And maybe I’m just jealous for those carefree years?)

Well-paced, this was a single day read for me. (And the twist in chapter 25 pulled me back in right as I was starting to feel like the plot was going to drag.) And overall, by the end, this is a feel good read that feels as sweet as unicorn bark or a bagel with cookie butter cream cheese. (#IYKYK)

Thank you to @stmartinspress via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Begin Again is out later this month, on January 24th! #gifted

First book of the 2023 has been read! (Full disclosure, I started this a few days ago but finished it this morning.) Begin Again by @dilemmalord was such a cute read. It follows Andie as she follows in her parents footsteps to their college. Along the way she meets a group of friends that become like family, overcomes some major fears and traumas, and learns that it is ok to begin again. I was in a serious book rut and this one helped pull me out of it! You can check out Begin Again when it hits shelves January 24. It brings all the charm expected from @dilemmalord. Thank you #netgalley for the chance to read and review this book! - C #bookstagrammer #Bibliophile #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #bookaddict #books #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #reading #reader #bestslovebooks #readersofinstagram #beginagain #emmalord #newyear #newbook

While all of ELs books I’ve read to date have been wonderfully heartwarming YA books, this one is a bit different because of its cast of college age kids. I rooted for all the mcs, loved the setting, and was satisfied w/ the ending. I wish i had gotten to know milo a bit more, as he felt a bit surface level in development but i think i would’ve really liked him! other than that, no complaints. thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Every Emma Lord book feels like a hug to my younger self, but I loved this one a little bit extra. I've loved the boom of early college YA recently, especially as someone who struggled to find my footing and community when I left home. I really connected with Andie's perfectionism and drive...and with the way it handicapped her in pursuing her dreams.

I love FMCs who are a little bit prickly and not at all afraid to be prickly so I loved the chance to be in Andie's head and watch her build her own community. Milo was the sweetest, tooth ache of a cinnamon roll love interest, but his depth and own growth arc sealed the deal: I'm obsessed with him and would like to please wrap him up in a blanket and feed him a never ending thermos of coffee. TLDR: I adored this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating = 1.5 stars, rounded up to 2

No thank you very much. Between the insufferable MC who says random foods instead of cursing, a plot line and set of themes I've seen a thousand times before and generally boring writing, this is a complete no go.

1.5 stars since the pacing is okay and Milo is slightly redemptive.

emma lord if you’re reading this i am free on thursday night. if you would like to hang out i am free on thursday night when i am free to hang out. i am free to hang out on thursday night so if you want to hang out on thursday night i am free etc.

Emma Lord just never misses! I've enjoyed all her novels (personal ranking 1-3: YOU HAVE A MATCH, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE, TWEET CUTE) with BEGIN AGAIN topping the list!!! It's my favourite of hers thus far. It made me cry!!!

Listen. Is this book objectively 5 stars? Probably not. But that's why star ratings are subjective because it absolutely is a solid 5 in my HEART.

(Also all the Taylor Swift references were so, so subtle. Big fan.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Andie has an uncontrollable urge to fix things. It's not that she's a meddler -- she has a plan for her own life and wants to help others find that same certainty. Her plans go slightly off track when she is not initially accepted to Blue Ridge State, her parents' alma mater and her dream school, while her boyfriend is. After a semester of community college she is able to transfer in, but that doesn't bring things back on track for her. Surprisingly, Connor has gone back home to attend the community college she just left. And her desperation to follow her mother's footsteps leads to some mistaken priorities. She makes some great friends and really begins to find her place, without always putting others first. Andie is a wonderful person and friend and it is a joy to see her grow and bloom. This was a feel good, light romance. Highly recommended for grades 8 & up.

Unfortunately, this is going to be my least favourite Emma Lord title. I don’t quite know how to pinpoint it, it felt like it was missing the spark of her previous titles.

I’m disappointed for sure.

This was not personally my cup of tea. I am enjoying seeing some freshman college books for a YA audience, though, and think it's an important step in the genre for older high school readers. I wish the characters had been a little less one dimensional- we never really got to know much about Andie other than her love of her boyfriend, school, and big capital Parental Issues. When I was in college, there was a huge difference in maturity between the 18 year olds and 20/21 year olds as well, so that made me feel a bit squicky about the relationship, despite the ages looking okay on paper. My least favourite trope in the entire world is when authors will make their characters use 'creative' swear words- it feels so Pick Me and is a lazy way of giving the character some sort of personality- especially when 'fuck' is frequently dropped in the book already, so it's not like we can recommend it for parents who don't want their teens reading swear words.

Emma Lord continues to never miss and this is her best yet. Would love to showcase a physical copy of this one on my insta.

Wow, wow, wow. I have always loved Emma Lord since I first got an ARC of her debut Tweet Cute, this book was no different. It has all of the classic Emma Lord charm that we all know and love: detailed food descriptions, swoon-worthy romances, witty banter, and Taylor Swift references. Each character is unique with their own strong and well-crafted voices and flaws. This book had me laughing out loud and even shedding a tear or two. Emma Lord manages to masterfully weave fun college radio show shenanigans, slow burn friends to lovers romance, grief, and toxic relationships into an unforgettable and compulsively readable novel. Loved every single second of it. And I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!!