I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Let me start by saying Emma Lord is an auto buy author for me. I enjoy all her books and this one to me is one of her best works. It was a page turner to me that I read in a day. I really appreciate the blend of romance and more serious subjects, which Emma does so well. This is a great YA book that is so easy to get lost in and forget your real life issues for a while. I can’t say it enough I loved this book.

Easily my favorite is Emma Lord's books so far!
Even with the heavy topics of grief and loss being a prominent plot point, Begin Again still manages to have an easy, wholesome quality to it that has what I consider the EL brand. Lord doesn't shy from hard topics, but weaves them into uplifting advice and laugh out loud dialogue that you can't help but have the pain softened.

You have the sunny overachiever with the 10-year plan trying to follow in her deceased mom's footsteps. Her dad is a figure in the rearview and she's basically spent the high school years being raised by two grandmas, and as her boyfriend's parents pet project. But now she's at her parents alma mater. There's an underground radio station and trying to join a secret society and making new friends. Surrounded by a found family that will always be there, no matter how messy life gets.

Another wonderful book by Emma Lord! I loved the character development and story arc. Andie was a deep, thoughtful main character with so many facets to her story, all balanced and well explained. The college town settings were pitch perfect and the pacing kept me turning pages until the very end.

This was a cute and nostalgic book for me, I loved the characters and it brought me back to my first couple of years of college. Also, I wish Bagelopolis was a real place! Thank you to NetGalley & St Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Lord has done it again! Begin Again is a YA book dealing with loss, expectations, friendship, and finding oneself. As such, it definitely also has adult appeal—grown-ups struggle with these things, too! With well-developed, loveable characters, a vivid setting, and several clever twists, Begin Again is a funny and sweet read and a great addition to Lord’s titles.

My history with Emma Lord goes like this: "Tweet Cute" was one of my top reads of the year when I read it, and I was enchanted from page 1. But then "You Have a Match" fell completely flat for me. I was worried Lord was a one and done author for me. :( I decided to give 'When You Get the Chance" a chance, and I'm glad I did, because I was once again enchanted. I was optimistic when I picked up "Begin Again", and I am happy to report that this book has solidified Emma Lord as a must-read author for me.

I was taken in with this book and the characters pretty much from the beginning. Andie is endearing, even in her more annoying character traits. Her grandmas are a hoot. Milo is quirky and drew me in from the moment we meet him. Shay and Valeria are the friends you all wish you had. Milo and Andie together are incredibly sweet, as their relationship develops from RA/new kid to friends to more. If you love a lot of buildup, you will love this one. If you hate love triangles, you won't completely hate this one. The character growth that they each make is a joy to read. The setting of the college takes on a life of its own. Learning the history of Andie's parents gives even more depth to the story.

I will say that as someone who usually sees the twist coming long before the big reveal, I did not see this one at all - it was a complete surprise to me. So props to Emma Lord for throwing me for a loop.

If I had one qualm, I'd say that sometimes Shay's "I only read under-represented authors" was a little tired after it was mentioned for the third time - once is building a character, multiple times is just trying too hard to put in a diverse character.

Alright, one more qualm - I wanted more of Milo's chickens!

I will definitely come back to read this book again, and I've already thrown it into the hands of another reader.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Begin Again gave me so much nostalgia for my college days! From making new friends, to living off of caffeine and carbs, to getting the chance to find yourself in a brand new setting. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This cozy YA coming-of-age/romance story has a cast of characters that will welcome you right into their found family (and have you craving bagels and cream cheese). While I enjoyed the characters, I have to admit that the plot felt a bit slow for me. This was likely due to the fact that I could see the plot twist coming from a mile away. Overall, this was an enjoyable and comforting read, but I wish it wasn’t so predictable.

This story was everything I wanted it to be and more. I’m a huge fan of Emma Lord’s work. She balances the humorous and heart-wrenching moments of young adulthood so well. I always feel deeply when in the throws of an Emma Lord novel and this was no exception.

Begin Again is my favorite of her books, and I’d also say the most mature. Lord touches on deep themes here without the story ever feeling melodramatic. She takes the time to explore grief and how it can linger and shape us. I never felt rushed through the narrative. For every gut-punching revelation, there was a lighter moment to balance it all out.

As well, this story captures the college experience in its truest form from the long-suffering RA to the stress of finding a decent work study. It also make me desperately hungry for a bagel. Lord’s setting is so detailed and carefully crafted that I too felt like a student at Blue Ridge State.

In terms of characters, Andie was an endearing protagonist. I saw bits of myself in her, the girl who always needed to stick to her plan or die trying. I loved how Andie didn’t need to give up her dreams or drastically change her personality to grow; she simply had to redefine her motivations. I won’t spoil much here, but I’ll say that this had the best slowburn friends to lovers trope I’ve ever read. The decisions each character made were satisfying and well worth the wait.

Overall, this book touched me in so many ways. Begin Again is for the girls with color-coordinated planners, big dreams, and a longing to mean something to someone. A huge thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I can’t tell you how much this meant to me.

Andie has a life plan and she’s determined to let nothing get into her way, when college turns out to be more than she expected. This was a really cute coming of age story with a romance sub-plot. I wish the romance was a bit more fleshed out and it seemed very sudden, but overall it was very cute and readable.

This is another example of the cute and heartwarming stories I’ve come to expect from Emma Lord. I’ve read and enjoyed all of her other books and was excited to read this one!

I like that her characters are all flawed and dealing with a variety of issues/baggage, instead of being perfect and trite. I liked the college environment for a YA novel instead of high school, it was a good backdrop for the more adult issues of grief in this novel. Overall an adorable and feel-good read!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #beginagain

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Andie Rose, a mid-year Freshman transfer to Blue Ridge state, her parents’ alma mater, has her whole life planned out. However, as soon as she steps foot on campus, her plans are immediately derailed.

I enjoyed Andie, her realtionship with her new college friends, Shay and RA Milo, the Knight broadcast, and the Grandmas (I actually wanted more of them).

While this was a sweet story overall and I enjoyed it, there were slow moments where I found myself skim reading.

Decent overall.

4.5 stars
This book was absolutely what I was looking for- a cute rom-com with quirky characters and loyal friendships. I loved it so much and flew through it in just a couple of sittings. I loved the character of Andie- she seemed very real to me. Actually, all of her friends did. It's hard to make all of the characters seem like living, breathing people, but Emma Lord nailed it. I wish I'd had this friend group when I was a freshman in college! If I had one thing to criticize, (without giving spoilers) I will say that I wish a chunk of Valeria's story had been a little more detailed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

Andie is starting a new chapter. She's trying to follow in her mother's footsteps and live up to her expectations of herself. It was so fun to see Andie throwing herself into the experience of college. At first, it seems like a show she's putting on but as time goes on we see her grow and find out who she is and experiencing what she wants to do rather than what she thinks people expect of her.

Andies new college friendship are so fun to watch and we all remember that time when we were put in a new situation and feeling left out. Milo and Shay and Valeria are such a great group and I loved watching them fall in friendship and back each other up and become each other's found families.

Andie has a thing about fixing people’s problems. Her roommate doesn’t have a major? Andie can fix it. Her RA has a hardcore caffeine addiction? Andie can fix it. Her boyfriend transferred out of Blue Ridge State to be with her when she transferred into Blue Ridge State to surprise him? Well, that one she may have a harder time fixing. She decides to make the most of her time there though by trying to join a secret society and even agreeing to a part of the radio show her mom started when she was a student there. What Andie didn’t plan for though was feeling more and more distant from her boyfriend as she got closer to her group of friends at school, including her witty, caffeine- addicted, and attractive RA.

Emma Lord has created another swoon-worthy, smartly written rom-com. While parts may have been cringeyly predictable, the execution of the climax was still enjoyable. While most of the book is lighthearted, Lord also delves into the concept of grief and how it affects people in different ways. Begin Again is another must-read from Emma Lord.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of Begin Again. To say that I was excited when I received it would be a big understatement.

Having been a huge fan of Emma Lord since Tweet Cute, I was (as stated above) very excited to get the opportunity to read and review her latest novel, Begin Again. The novel is a slight departure from the high school main characters of Lord's previous books and instead features Andie, a mid-year freshman transfer at Blue Ridge State. This move from a community college (and commuter student) to a four-year college (while living on campus) is filled with high expectations both personally and academically that, as expected, do not go exactly as planned.

The young adult genre often focuses on the high school experience and I was so happy to see a book that covers freshman year but with the added complexity of being a transfer student. As someone who ended up transferring schools (junior year, not freshman), I could relate to the feeling Andie had of being a new kid in a sea of students that have an established rhythm and friendships. Additionally, I appreciated the inclusion of a long distance relationship as well.

In regards to plot and character development, I think readers who have enjoyed Lord's previous books will find a lot of the same. There is humor. There are mental health issues. There are family issues. And, of course, there is romance. My only complaints in regards to those components of the novel are 1) I think Andie's "nerves" (as they are described in the blurb) and the internal issues she is dealing with aren't overtly stated enough. While I understood what she was dealing with, I really wished there was less, perhaps beating around the bush about it. And 2) some components of her relationship with Connor (specifically the twist towards the end -- which I saw coming from a mile away) I could have lived without. While relationships like theirs do exist, it often felt a bit too melodramatic.

All in all, Begin Again is a great novel that I think captures a lot of the ups and downs that come with starting college. Perfect for fans of Emma Lord (obviously) but also great for anyone who loves a good young adult contemporary novel with a side of romance.

This was such a fun, nostalgic book that zapped me right back to my own freshman year of college. It's technically YA, but without all the campy dialogue that YA books can have. Lord's characters are rich and perfectly flawed for the age they're supposed to be.

A big thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for this eARC from one of my favorite YA authors, Emma Lord.

Andie Rose, transfers to her dream school, Blue Ridge State, mid-Freshman year where her boyfriend currently attends and where her parents met and fell in love. At first she doesn't feel like she fits in and is stretched thin between trying to keep her rocky relationship with her boyfriend alive (he transferred back to the community college so long distance), the ribbons hunts, failing statistics, and feels like she's constantly living in mother's shadows, but as the semester moves forward she slowly starts to find herself, and where she belongs with the help of her new friends. I love Emma Lord's writing and this adorable coming of age story.

What I enjoyed:
1. Bagelopolis - Honestly sounds like the funnest place you could work at on campus. Bagels was also a huge thing at my college campus so totally brought those memories back for me.
2. The Grandmas - The sweet grandma and the bad influence grandma. So cute!
3. The friend group - Shay, Valeria, Milo

What I didn't enjoy:
1. The cheating plots and making that seem okay, and how everyone just expected Milo to be so forgiving of his brother.
2. Closure for Andie and her dad did not come until the end. I wanted more of Andie and her dad.
3. The story around Connor. Why did there need to be a storeline about how horrible Connor is when he was clearly her childhood best friend. They couldn't have just grown a part? Back to point 1 with the cheating.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I missed the train with Emma Lord's first break-out young adult novel, Tweet Cute, but have solidly gotten on board for the last three! Begin Again includes Lord's trademark mix of self-discovery, emotion, romance--and single parented leads ala a Disney Princess.

In this novel, we see lead Andie transfer to a prestigious university both for its excellent psych program, connection to her parents, and to be with her long-time boyfriend who started there the semester before. But when she arrives, it turns out her boyfriend has transferred to the community college she came from! Bit of a pocket watch chain/hair comb situation... Paving her own way, Andie sets her sites on joining the same secret society as her mother and making a space for herself on the campus' anonymous radio station. She, her friends, and her boyfriend all learn more about themselves and each other as the school year progresses.

An enjoyable read through-and-through! This book brought back so many college memories and managed to be both appropriate as a young adult read but without the frivolousness some teen books veer towards. I could see a wide age group reading and enjoying this book--unsurprising given Lord's success in the genre.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars- 8/10

Everything I have ever read from Emma I have adored so I knew I was going to love this one as well, thankfully I was right. Emma has the power of words and of creating beautiful relationships between her characters, not only that she nails their backstories and their development every single time. I cannot wait for what she writes next!

For all the type A people in the world, this ones for you! I absolutely adored Andie, a perfectionist trying to honor her mom’s legacy, who puts all her energy into giving advice and fixing the problems of those around her, often to the detriment of her own relationships and goals. This story explores why it’s sometimes important to throw your preconceived road map for life out the window and forge your own path. Another charmingly cute coming of age story by Emma Lord!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.