Begin Again was absolutely the adorable New Adult rom com that I hoped it would be. While at first the Main character annoyed me, the rest of the main ensemble really pulled me into the semester. It wasn't super intense, and pieces were predictable, but the story over all just felt good which is something that is needed especially in winter months. I also think the narrator really did their job pulling you into the storm.

I don't know that I would read it again right away, but it has potential to be a cozy reread in the future.

Five Stars Alllll Around

So I was so kindly given this audio book by NetGalley as an advance reader and my reviews as always are my own! That being said wow, I was so excited to read Emma Lords newest book after really enjoying Tweet Cute and When You Get The Chance last year, and she’s done a fantastic job yet again! I truly enjoyed the conflict in the story, as well as the problem-solving/resolutions to those issues, and all of the characters felt well rounded to me! This book is honesty, so sweet, and such a feel good novel for young adult readers. This is a great example of a coming of age story that is dealing with hard topics, like grief, while also navigating college as a freshman and social relationships with out undermining side characters.

DNF at 30%. I started this audiobook thinking it wouldn't be my favorite but I would muster though for my netgalley review, but I just can't do it. I normally don't mind YA books, and I've even enjoyed many YA books; one of my favorite series is a YA romance. However, Begin Again just felt a little too juvenile for me. It might be because this was my first YA audiobook, and the narrator's younger voice just threw me too much. The story just felt a little too immature for me, and I wasn't the target audience. I don't want to give the impression that this book isn't good. I did enjoy what I read, however the storyline just isn't right for me at 20 years old. Overall, it's a cute story, just meant for someone younger than me.

3.5 - 4 stars

Overall, this book was a tender and emotional story about grief, love, & belonging, and what it means to embrace our legacies, & what it means to choose our own path. I liked the side characters a lot, and enjoyed getting to know them a little. I also enjoyed Andie’s journey a lot, and loved the complicated, sometimes messy relationship she had with her dad. Andie’s journey through her grief was really tender, and I enjoyed her own journey and growth through the story.

I thought her whole “i’m so smol” 🥺 “& quirky” 🥺 “& so clumsy!!” 🥺 thing was a bit annoying. There were whole chunks of the book where I was rolling my eyes, because of the author was reiterating (over and over) how small & cute & quirky & klutzy she was. It felt almost manic pixie dream girl-esque, and i was surprised both by how much it happened & how much it annoyed me lol.

Emma Lord can do no wrong in my opinion. I loved this sweet story and will be recommending it to young adult who enjoy a fun, chick lit book!

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 and listening to this!! The narrator was fabulous! Hitting all the emotions and comedic timing! Fabulous audiobook to get me through work!! I need to go read Emma's backlist now!

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

BOOK STATS
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Title: Begin Again
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: Contemporary
Audience: Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Georgina Sadler
Length: 11 hr 51 min (352 pages)
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 24, 2023
Source: publisher via Netgalley
Recommended for fans of: bagels and sugar
Content Warnings: death of parent, grief, infidelity, toxic relationship, abandonment, cancer


SYNOPSIS
As usual, Andie Rose has a plan: Transfer from community college to the hyper competitive Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self-help figure despite the nerves that have recently thrown her for a loop. All it will take is ruthless organization, hard work, and her trademark unrelenting enthusiasm to pull it all together.

But the moment Andie arrives, the rest of her plans go off the rails. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor only gets more complicated when she discovers he transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Her roommate Shay needs a major, and despite Andie’s impressive track record of being The Fixer, she’s stumped on how to help. And Milo, her coffee-guzzling grump of an R.A. with seafoam green eyes, is somehow disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships one sleep-deprived wisecrack at a time.

But sometimes, when all your plans are in rubble at your feet, you find out what you’re made of. And when Andie starts to find the power of her voice as the anonymous Squire on the school’s legendary pirate radio station–the same one her mom founded, years before she passed away–Andie learns that not all the best laid plans are necessarily the right ones.

Filled with a friend group that feels like family, an empowering journey of finding your own way, and a Just Kiss Already! romance, Begin Again is an unforgettable novel of love and starting again.

MY THOUGHTS
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!

I highly recommend the audiobook for this one. Georgina Sadler did an incredible job bringing Andie and this story to life!

I found Emma Lord because of my bestie Reese. She hasn’t let me down yet & neither has this author! The story arc is successful on many counts, but I found a few things that would be of particular appeal to my high school readers. The dialogue had depth without sounding like adolescent philosophers. The characters had believable problems and believable reactions to those problems. Some of the situations were a little difficult to translate into 2023, but what’s not to like about an underground radio station & secret societies? More than anything else, I appreciated that college was not portrayed as the perfect solution to all of life’s problems. I know I have some students who will dive right into this one! Thanks, NetGalley!

This was a pretty cute story. I loved how Andie was able to find herself through the story. So often we go into life with a plan and thinking of who we “should be” or what we “should be” doing. Andie fell into this same trap. I also love how ending her relationship changed so much in her life- it even strengthened her relationship with her dad!

🌀Synopsis
Andie just transferred schools so she could go to college with her boyfriend. To her shock, and horror, she finds out shortly that he transferred to be with her. Now his parents are upset and Andie is determined to fix it.
She starts working doubly as hard to make sure that he can get back in. She’s also trying to fill her mother’s footsteps too. There is so much pressure in her that her grades are slipping because she’s putting everyone else and everything else first.
It comes to a crashing halt when she finds out her boyfriend was seeing someone who is now one of her friends. They both end their relationship with him and move on. Now Andie has to salvage what is left of the school year to make sure she can stay at school and she also has to face the feelings she has for someone else.

Begin Again by Emma Lord perfectly captures the transition to college and all the self growth and development that comes with it.

Based on the experience of the main character, Andie, as a transfer student to Blue Ridge during the second semester of freshman year to surprise her boyfriend, Connor. Only Connor does the same exact thing, and transfers to the local community college to be with Andie. While Andie could have immediately left Blue Ridge to be with Connor, there is so much more to Andie's reason to attend Blue Ridge, and it goes back to her mother, who was a Blue Ridge alumni and a legend for her creation of an underground radio station, which still exists today.

Andie's life story is complex, and I love how this allow the reader to see the main character as someone who faces a lot in life. It makes her easy to relate to, in my opinion. I was really drawn to Andie's character, and I found myself rooting for her as she navigated her first semester at Blue Ridge.

I strongly encourage this book for a young adult who is facing a big transition, such as going from high school to college. It was nice to read about a character with a non-traditional home life, as she was mostly raised by her two grandmothers.

I also really enjoyed the narrator, Georgina Sadler, and feel like her voice was perfect for Andie's character.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Lord, MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this audiobook.

Begin Again centers around Andie Rose, a second semester college freshman starting at Blue Ridge State University. Andie has her life planned out, from her future career to her future husband and everything in between. When she arrives at Blue Ridge, all of her plans start to change as she makes new friends and finds out who she is on her own.

This book was a little more YA than what I normally read and I felt like the first 2/3 were fairly slow. I enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book, though. I found Andie kind of annoying at first, but by the end I liked her character development and found her much more tolerable than at the beginning. I liked the side characters, but I didn’t get a whole lot of chemistry between her and Milo. I thought this was a cute coming of age story that captures freshman year of college fairly well and shows how much growth a person has in that time. I enjoyed reading it, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it better if it was written as an upper YA

What a fun new-adult romance. Emma Lord's Begin Again is a sweet story of sorting out where you belong and why, set on a college campus. There was a little bit too much packed into the story, in the way of obstacles to the resolution, and it definitely could have been a couple of hours shorter, but all in all it was an enjoyable, heartfelt story.

Fantastic audiobook. The narration style was perfect for the story. I would definitely recommend it.

Full review:

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!!

A very readable, often relatable YA/starting college story. I found Andie to be a strong narrator, but even more than that I really appreciated how this one went out of its way to have a really well-rounded cast of characters, each with their own storylines and things going on in the background. The romance was well-developed, as were many of Andie's struggles in terms of her family, her grades, her future, and the pressure of her mother's legacy. The twist in there was certainly a surprise, although I wasn't necessarily struck by it emotionally because I did find the relationship between Andie and Connor to be pretty show not tell, something of a weakness to the story. I also would have appreciated a bit more description of Andie's first semester - for someone with such big emotions and the ability to easily make connections with people, did she really form no relationships or memories of those months? - and felt a bit like the pacing was off in the last quarter or so of the book, spending large chunks checking off the remaining problems one at a time, although it wasn't difficult to read through. Try handing to readers who relate to the stressful early college problems of Rowell's Fangirl.

I was providing both the audio and digital arc of this book via Netgalley. Thank you to Macmillan Young Listeners and Wednesday Books for allowing me the chance to review this book. As always all opinions are my own. I swapped back and forth between the print and audio version of the book and enjoyed both.

Georgina Sadler did a great job with the narration. She gave each character their own voice, which I always appreciate in a book with lots of characters. Andie has a semi-large friend group here and the narrator does a good job making sure they each have a distinct accent or voice so you know who is speaking during dialogue.

Despite this being set in a college environment this is very much a coming of age story. I'll admit I struggled in the beginning with the immaturity of the characters, then I remembered they are freshman in college and thought back to my freshman year and realized I was being a bit harsh with my expectations. The characters were doing exactly what 18-20 years old college students do in college. They are discovering new friends, figuring out life, and discovering who they are and who they want to be. I actually think the author did a good job making the characters relatable to a younger audience.

This follows Andie as she begins her second semester of college. She has recently from community college to Blue Ridge, which happens to be the place where her parents went. She has big plans, and wants to learn more about her mom as she participates in activities her mom founded when she went to school there. Andie wants to be a self-help guru, and her psychology major and natural tendency to fix everyone's problems seem to be a good fit for her plans. Andie does admit that she's a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to dealing with her own problems as she'd rather help others fix their issues than deal with her own. I felt that her 'fixer' tendencies were a bit over the top at times, but it is critical to her character growth arc and she has to stumble a few times along the way until she finds her own path. I loved the side characters and felt they were well developed. I really enjoyed getting to know Andie's friend group who become her found family. They aren't afraid to tell her what she needs to hear, even when she doesn't want to hear it. I really appreciated seeing them all grow and find their way. I was initially worried that Andie was making all of her choices for the wrong reasons, but I was pleasantly surprised as she slowly started to come out of her shell and started to do things for herself not for the shoes she was trying to fill.

This was a really cute YA coming of age with a little romance and a little comedy. I think this will be perfect for a younger audience as it addresses a lot of topics teens and college age students face.

4 1/2 stars

A new Emma Lord book....I'm there. Her young adult romances are fresh and sweet with original storylines. Begin Again was another fun addition to her book collection.

Main character, Andie Rose is always looking to help "fix" things and people. When she arrives at Blue Ridge State after being delayed a semester, she is looking forward to surprising her boyfriend. Except the surprise is on her when she finds out he's transferred out of BRS and back to the community college in their hometown. With all her carefully made plans thrown in a tailspin, Andie has to rebuild her plan. Fortunately, she makes friends easily and is quickly pulled into the "fold" at the college with many different friends. However, she has a close knit friend group that functions somewhat like a family.

Andie's initial goal for being at Blue Ridge State was to follow in the footsteps of her beloved mother who passed away years ago. The sentimentality she feels has her chasing things that might have been her mother's dreams but may or may not truly be Andie's. It's a long road of discovery for her to find out who she really is when there are other people putting their own expectations on her, like her boyfriend, Connor. In addition, it's made even tougher when Andie puts tough expectations on herself to be "everything" to everyone. She's setting herself up for failure on all fronts. Fortunately, she has good friends and a dreamy RA/friend named Milo to help her work through it all. This truly is a lovely book of self discovery, coming to terms with loss and deciding how to move forward.

AUDIOBOOK: In addition to reading the ebook, I also received an early release of the audiobook. The narration was spot on and really helped me to immerse myself in the storyline. Andie is a complex character and the narrator captures her emotions well. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I voluntarily chose to read and listen to each of these and review them. The opinions contained within are my own.

I adore this book and it’s very similar to my college career. Andie, who transfers to the school her parents attended wants nothing more than to fill her mothers big shoes she made for herself when she went to Blue Ridge State. She meets her book loving roommate and tries to help her figure out her major. Her sleep deprived RA, who she helps reconnect with his brother. And her Stats tutor who is writing a book and needed that extra push to allow everyone to read it. Andie quickly learns that her high school sweetheart and college long distance doesn’t mix. She also learns over time that college is about personal experiences and finding yourself.

This new adult novel perfectly depicts college life and the struggles of a first year student with trying to fit in and stand out. I enjoyed listening to Andie find herself and her new friends. The twist i never saw coming made me a bit angry, but that’s life, you never know what it’ll throw at you. I really enjoyed the depth of the college experience in this novel, and the way it related to Andie’s mom’s experience. From breakups to parental problems to friendship arguments and extra curriculars on top of class work, this book covers the messy life of a college student wanting to experience it all. If you’re looking for a novel that has a little bit of everything and a perfect story, this is it! It released yesterday so go grab it and I hope you love Andie Rose as much as I did!

Thank you to Wednesday Books, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC audiobook of Begin Again.

This was such a fun young adult romcom. I loved the campus setting and Andie wanting to experience things her mother did when she went to Blue Ridge State. The beginning was clever with the miscommunication between Andie and her boyfriend Connor both transferring schools to be near each other. That’s the kind of miscommunication that works in a romance!

The best part of the book, in my opinion, was Milo. I loved his character and found him relatable as a college student. His friendship with Andie was adorable, and I just wanted them to get together the entire book. I loved how he named his family’s chickens and remembered which one was which. Milo’s character is someone I could see myself being friends with when I was in college.

This is my third book by Emma Lord and probably my favorite. I thought she did a great job of developing these characters and doing so in a funny and heartwarming way. The story was unique, and I loved that she showed how it’s not always easy to get good grades in college and figure out who you want to be at the same time.

I listened along to the audiobook while reading, and I thought Georgina Sadler was the perfect narrator to this story. She brought these characters to life in a charming way.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

A great novel about starting over and building your own life, not living for others. Loved the broadcasting, book world, writing world, college societies and the slow burn romance! A GREAT read!

Andie has just transferred from community college to Blue Ridge State - the school her boyfriend currently attends, and the alma mater of her late mother. However, her well-thought out plan starts to crumble almost immediately upon arriving on campus when she finds out her boyfriend actually transferred to community college to be with her. But thanks to her roommate Shay and her RA, Milo, Andie starts to find her voice on the same radio-station her mom founded, and begins to really find herself.

Emma Lord can do no wrong when it comes to writing YA novels, and Begin Again is another example of why I love her books so much. This book is filled with charm and the magic and stress and mystery that the beginning of college holds. I loved Andie’s spunk, how deeply she cared for those she loved, and especially her version of cursing. I felt for her when she struggled to find her place within her new family dynamic and how the pain of losing her mother impacted her. Most importantly, I was rooting for her and was cheering her on as she found a love she deserved and began to learn her worth.

I switched between ebook and audiobook and really enjoyed the audio and how it brought this world to life.

Thanks to Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.