Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC.

I think my favorite thing about this is that it's set in college, which is not something that's seen enough in books. However, some of the college stuff didn't make sense to me.

Why is transferring to a state school for second semester such a big deal? It really shouldn't be but it was made out to be a huge thing that Andie was the only mid-year transfer. And what kind of school has students move in on the first day of class? That's extremely poor planning.

I felt like it was weird how attached Andie was to the school. She planned her whole life to go there (cannot relate) and was obsessed with it, yet still somehow fairly unprepared for actually being there, even though she'd already done a semester of college.

I personally found Andie really annoying and if she was real, I would not like her. I do not find using foods in place of swear words cute; it seems immature and obnoxious. She's also the type of person who butts in to other people's business and thinks everybody needs to be involved. Getting multiple dorms to play a game together every week like she did is so unrealistic.

This is partially a romance, but neither of the love interests were good. Andie talks a lot about how she and Connor have been together for years and they love each other and are best friends, but absolutely nothing shows that. All that's shown is that she's in a crappy relationship that she clearly wants no part of anymore. While I liked Milo, he and Andie had absolutely zero chemistry together and I didn't really want them to be with each other.

Despite all the faults I had with this, I do not think it is bad, and it is still a quick, easy read. I think people who are not quite to college yet will particularly love this, as well as people who are already big Emma Lord fans.

I’ve never read an Emma Lord book but she seems pretty popular so I thought I’d give her newest book a chance. Not too shabby! Super cute but really predictable. I definitely liked the first 25% a lot more than the rest of the book. It got a little slow for me after that and I found myself really disinterested in the plot.

Andie was a sweet character and easy to root for, but oh man did her pseudo-cursing drive me nuts. It just got more and more ridiculous as the book went on. It was even more ridiculous because the book had other characters cursing as it was. I’ve noticed this become more of a trend in YA book and can we please not make that a thing?

I liked the concept of a planner who needs to pivot as her life plan slowly falls apart. And her fix-it attitude is definitely more understandable as her storyline is fleshed out. Overall, just a likable story about personal growth, friendship, love, and grief that really captured what it’s like to be a freshman in college. There was a lot of questionable plot points though that just wouldn’t happen in real life and it was hard for me to overlook. I did really love the side characters and Andie’s resolution with her dad. Milo was a gem, but I would’ve liked more of a focus on him and Andie. I would say this isn’t really a romance novel, just a YA coming of age story with a romance subplot. Fine, but not really what I expected. I think it will definitely appeal to a younger crowd because there are some great life lessons covered.

3.5 ⭐️

Hmmm.... I am starting to think that Emma Lord is a constant 5 star read for me.
This is the third book I read by this author and they hit it out of the park again, in fact this is probably my favorite so far.
This is Andie's story of growth, friendship, love and grief. Milo is just too cute for words. The only thing I would have liked is for Connor's mom to get a good talking to... if you know you know...
I loved this so much, as soon I finished this book I told my roommate who is a high school librarian "promise me you'll buy all of her books for your school".

It’s not uncommon for me to read one book and listen to a different audiobook. What isn’t normal for me is for a book to grab hold like ‘Begin Again’ did.

I wanted no other story but that of Andi (New Girl), Connor, Shay, and Milo.

The beginning was slow for me, but by the fourth chapter I was hooked. (Waiting for my next sip of Eternal Darkness maybe?)

This is not my first Emma Lord story, and it won’t be my last. I enjoyed the wit of the characters, the raw depth of storyline.

It was an adventure full of ribbons and snow storms that for me caused quite a flurry.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, I look forward to pub day so you all can tell me what you think!

Very cute book with enjoyable characters! I loved this cute relationship and can't wait to read more of Emma Lord's books! The writing was well done and I'm so glad I got to read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Emma Lord!

Stayed up WAY too late to finish this wonderful read! And, man oh man, did I cry??? Like, a real lot!!! It was just so perfectly, heart-wrenchingly sweet and sad and lovely. I'm a BIG fan of Milo, of course, but also the rest of his family. I also really dig the Grandmothers...Maeve and Nell are just such well-drawn characters and I wish I knew them. I also deeply appreciate the development of the secondary and even tertiary characters and the fact that the setting plays such a pivotal role in the story. Finally, I appreciate that Andie is so real...so almost unlikeable at times with her nosiness and buttinsky tendencies. This is a great book! I loved it! ♥♥♥

I really love Emma's book "Tweet Cute" and was hoping this would be similar in the way it made me feel. It was there for the first 45% of the book but I became quickly uninterested after that. It almost felt as though the storyline/romance arc lost it's spark. I think that maybe if I were closer in age to the target demographic for this book I would have liked it more.

I was really looking forward to this book since I enjoyed Tweet Cute; however, this book just did not hit for me.

I found the overall premise to be interesting and relatable.
But about halfway through, I had lost almost all of my interest in the characters and what happened to them.

Overall I enjoyed Andie and Milo’s characters and the progression of their relationship, but I didn’t care about anyone else (except the grandmas 🤣).

One thing I think Emma nailed was capturing what it feels like to be a freshman in college and be at a new school. I found this part of the story to be very relatable.

Additionally, there were several instances where this book had me laughing out loud; yet, those few moments were not enough to hold my interest for the majority of the story.

I think the writing was good, but the pacing was a little to slow for me. Additionally there was more language than I like to see in YA novels.

However, I do want to try some more of Emma Lord’s books in the future! Ultimately, compared to other YA novels I have enjoyed in the past, this one just doesn’t compare.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy to review.
It took me 6 weeks to get through this and it is completely work’s fault not the book. This might be my favorite Emma Lord yet, though Tweet Cute might be overdue for a reread. I absolutely loved how the romance was there but not central to the story. What a great build of friendship and family growth. There was a slight twist I didn’t expect and I absolutely loved that it threw me for a loop. My only wish is the book mentions caramel stuffed peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and it didn’t have a recipe so now I have to go look for one. Emma is a favorite Instagram follow and I felt so much of her throughout this book: between baked goods, the mention of Taylor Swift, and other things. I truly loved this book and I hope it gets recognized when it’s published. ❤️

Oh, this book was fantastic. Andie lost her mom as a child and is doing her best to follow in her footsteps at her alma mater. She has also laid out a plan for her future that she is intent on achieving. This book follows Andie during her first semester of college, as she finds her people, learns more about her mom, and discovers even more about herself. Another wonderful read from Emma Lord!

This is the fourth ARC that I've read by EL and I always enjoy her writing. I felt that while this was a funny page turner with relatable characters, there were some aspects that kept this from being a five star read.

Reading Emma's books is like watching her grow up through her characters. The age of the MCs gets older each time and they are at different points in their lives. What I have noticed however is the voices are all extremely similar and I'm struggling to separate them. While still unique, Emma's voice carries through strongly in all of them. As a reader of her buzzfeed articles (which makes me biased I know lol) I find myself wanting for some diversity in her writing of her books, maybe even switching from first to third person. Because Emma is so funny and I love her quirky characters, I dont want to necessarily 'lose' her voice in her books, just establish her MCs as separate individuals.

I liked the flow of this book a lot. I enjoy fast paced reads and this nailed it. The plot twist in Begin Again had me gasping out loud (at a bar because I was reading during the world series) and I liked how it ended. All in all, this was a solid read I'll easily recommend along with her other books.

A big thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an e-ARC of Emma Lord's "Begin Again". All opinions are my own and uninfluenced.

Imma be real - Emma Lord has my heart and soul entirely. I have been a fan of her titles since "Tweet Cute" and each book since has only solidified that. However, there is always that teeny tiny bit of terror that her newest title would be a flop and affect how I see her. Thank god, "Begin Again" is not that title. This adorable coming of age story remixes Jane Austen's "Emma" into a modern day story of growing into your own and learning to do things for yourself. This story hit me in the guts over and over again, and I cannot wait to hold a physical copy of "Begin Again" in my hands. 5/5 stars.

Emma Lord does it again. Begin Again was a sweet, fun coming-of-age story about learning to put yourself first. Andie was an endearing character, and I devoured her story of grief, trauma, and about overcoming her reliance on her boyfriend as a result of those things. Following along as she began building her own legacy and bonded with her dad was the perfect read. Milo, Valeria and Shay were perfect supporting characters (and of course, I loved the Bookstagram reference).

Highly recommend this to any YA fan.



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

emma lord has written yet another feel-good YA romance AND I LOVE IT.
andie is such a lovely main character and you simply can’t help but root for her and want her to succeed in everything. her love interest milo is equally as wonderful, and the romance and dynamic between the two is slow-building yet so sweet and pure. begin again also has the incredible found family element that emma lord is a master at writing and incorporating in her books.

overall, this was an extremely enjoyable read (and all the taylor swift references were simply just a huge bonus.)

the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My first EMMA LORD book and It’s absolutely worth it. Will be reading more of her works in future.

This one was wonderful❤️

this book was such a wonderful read!!!! it had me giggling and kicking my legs, which is the thing i always desire most in books!!! i absolutely loved it and i can’t wait to force all my friends to read it

Once in a while I like a good fluffy romance and this was definitely one of those. Emma Lords books are always an immediate buy for me because I do enjoy her writing a lot. Other than the use of 'cute' words as a substitute for swearing I did not have much of a problem with this book. I think if its a college story there is no need to play that safe. But to each their own I guess.

Whenever I think Emma Lord’s books can’t get better, she writes a new one that takes the #1 spot. Begin Again is packed with characters you can’t help but root for, a heartfelt story that was more than a little relatable and the humor we’ve all come to expect from Emma Lord books.

From Andie struggling to make uni feel like home and achieving all of her goals to other characters figuring out their major or how to juggle work and assignments - the highlights and (many) struggles of studying at university are not only very relatable but also seamlessly interwoven with themes such as friendship, love, family and grief. Begin Again is written with so much heart and humor that I found myself both crying and laughing at many of the wonderful scenes. Seeing platonic and familial relationships get as much page time as romantic ones always makes me so happy. I truly loved all of the characters and the way they were developed. Begin Again has so many elements I love in coming-of-age novels but also manages to be very original and a book I won’t easily forget. It’s a book that feels like a warm hug and I highly recommend checking it out!

I've read two of Emma Lord's books, each one different from the other. Begin Again is a sweet college romance, with current themes and a nod to the past.

It's perfect for a rainy day, because you can burn through it very quickly. It's almost too cute at times, and although the ribbon scavenger hunt forms a central tenet of the book, I'm not sure that it really 'works'. However, adding in pieces of Andie's mom, and her life at the school, neatly pulls it all together.

An enjoyable read, and one that I will recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Loved this Emma Lord book! Life isn't always what you plan. When life doesn't go as planned, you must sometimes, "Begin Again."