I always love Emma Lord’s books and Begin Again was no exception.

Andie Rose, always a planner, has worked hard to be able to transfer from community college to hyper competitive Blue Ridge State where her boyfriend Connor goes. Their relationship has been rocky because of the long distance, and she decides to surprise him and not tell him she’ll be transferring, instead choosing to show up at his door. I was sure this would end up with her catching him cheating, but no. Instead, Connor doesn’t live there anymore and Andie finds out he transferred to their hometown community college to be with her. And so begins the trials and tribulations of Andie’s first semester at Blue Ridge State.

This book covers a lot of territory. Andie is still dealing with grief over the death of her larger-than-life radio host mother, and the subsequent abandonment of her father who didn’t seem to be able to handle being around her after her mom died. She was basically raised by her grandmothers, and now at school she’s dealing with a little bit of imposter syndrome trying worrying that she only got into the school because her parents were alumni. Ultimately Andie struggles a lot with both trying to live up to her mother’s memory and pave her own way.

Along the way she makes some great friends—an amazing roommate Shay who is so much better than any assigned roommate I ever had, a statistics tutor, and her seemingly grumpy RA, Milo who always seemed unbearably sweet to me. Milo is dealing with his own heartbreak and Andie connects with him almost immediately on a level she didn’t expect to.

I thought this was a wonderful coming of age book about a first year in college that will give a lot of insight and inspiration for teens about to leave the house for the first time. I loved the arc Andie had with her father and the understanding they came to in the book. He was a wonderful character and hats off to Emma Lord for making him so likeable when his actions could have made that a lot more challenging.

I wish we had a little more of the positive aspects of Andie’s relationship with Connor. It was always pretty clear she was going to end up with Milo (and have I mentioned I LOVED Milo), and I understand Andie’s attachment to Connor and his family after the way she grew up, but I wish he hadn’t been quite so awful. I also didn’t love the very end of the book. I didn’t need Andie to get the great guy and the great friends and figure out college and also get a national radio show opportunity as well. I wish it had been enough to just have her be happy at college, but that’s a small quibble in a book I really loved.

The audio was wonderful for this one as well. I think the narrator did a fabulous job with the different voices and I could absolutely distinguish who was talking throughout the book. As Andie, the narration was infused with her pep and optimism and really helped me get in the mindset of the book. I did think that the tutor’s voice sounded a little like Britany Murphy in Clueless, and I had to keep reminding myself she was not a clueless character.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers of YA romcoms!

I adored this sweet romance and all the young adult angst that came with it. The characters were well-written and experienced a lot of growth, and I loved that they had each other's backs when needed. The ribbons and mystery radio host added an intriguing vibe and came together so perfectly at the end. I need to check out this author's back list now!

Although Begin Again was a slow start it had several wonderful things going for it. The hook with the Bookstagramming roommate was a nod to the book community that instantly put a smile on my face. Additionally, Emma Lord is hilarious. The way she described her characters’ quirks—from coffee addiction to writing—had me laughing out loud.

In addition to all the humor, Begin Again had so much heart. From confronting the pain of breaking up with a first love and the impact it has on characters, to the deeper grief of losing a parent and unhealthy coping—Begin Again wasn’t scared to tackle tough topics head on. Told from Andie’s point of view, we get a front row seat to her thoughts. And, as someone who also always wants to help everyone around me, it caused me physical pain to see Andie taken advantage of for her kindness. But, more importantly, I cheered for her even harder as Andie came to find her own voice and finally discover what life could be like if she lived it for herself instead of others.

I also loved the main male character, Milo, who not only supported his love interest, but challenged her in all the right ways. I enjoyed that he had a soft spot for advocating for needed changes on campus. And Shay! Oh sweet, Shay. Andie’s roommate was my favorite character. She had her own set of troubles in the form of indecision, and I loved watching her character development as she made her own mistakes and pushed for her victories.

Overall, this was such a delightful, heartfelt, and smart young adult novel set on a college campus. Even though the beginning was a little tough to wade through, once it got going, Begin Again completely stole my heart.

Begin Again by Emma Lord

🥯 Grumpy x Sunshine
🥯 Found Family
🥯 Set in college
🥯 Slow Burn

My thoughts:

This is the third (and my favorite) book by Emma Lord. It is a YA book, which is a genre I sometimes struggle with. She has never failed me before though! Although, I enjoyed this one being college years. The other two I read were set in High School. I listened to this on audio and I am so glad that I did! Georgina Sadler did an amazing job! I found that I wanted to be best friend with the side character, Shay!

I think this is a great read for anyone heading into college. It hits a lot of life lessons while still being a fun book to read. I love that the characters are dealing with topics such as grief, long distance relationships and finding themselves. This book really hit on so many things that I feel a lot of people will be able to relate to.

As I was listening, I felt like I was watching a cute rom-com in my head. It was loving and charming! I will definitely be recommending this book to some of my YA loving friends! Warning: This book describes a lot of food and it made me so hungry for some bagels! I need to know where I can get some Cookie Dough Cream Cheese bagels please!!!!

I really liked this book! I have read 2 of Emma Lord’s previous books and really enjoyed them so I was eager to give this book a try. Once I started listening to this audiobook, I was quickly hooked. Andie and her two grandmothers were easy to like with their snack cakes and determination to make friends. I couldn’t wait to watch Andie in her new college environment and I kind of wanted to help her find all the ribbons that she needed.

Andie was pretty easy to like right from the start. I loved the way she didn’t hesitate to go after what she wanted. What she needed to work on was putting her needs above what others were demanding of her. I liked all of the characters that we meet at Blue Ridge State, especially Milo, Shay, and Valeria. Andie was very lucky to be paired with a roommate that was such a good fit and it was great to see her really find her people. I thought that her family issues were addressed rather well.

I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to Georgina Sadler’s narration and I thought that she did great with this story. I thought that the voices that she used for the various characters really helped to bring the story to life. It was just so easy to slip inside this wonderful story for hours at a time. I do believe that the narrator’s performance added to my enjoyment of this book.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I love that this book dealt with so many important topics, such as grief and learning to put yourself first, and did it in an incredibly entertaining manner. I do hope to read more of this author’s work very soon.

I received a digital review copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Young Listeners.

Begin Again by Emma Lord is about fun, friendship, finding yourself, all the lovely things about college all wrapped into a lovely little package. After losing her mom at a young age and her father’s not being around as he deals with his own grief, Andie Rose has been dreaming of following in her mom’s footsteps and attending Blue Ridge State, and after transferring in second semester freshman year, she is bound and determined to make it count. However, in an unexpected twist, her boyfriend who was attending Blue Ridge State while she was at a community college working on her grades to transfer to her dream school, transfers to the community college right as Andie realizes her goal. So, now as Andie has to make her way at college alone and make new friends, she is dealing with a long distance relationship. She flounders a bit at first and then begins to find her place within her college and new community.
Emma Lord does such a good job with writing characters who are multi-dimensional, that are working on issues of their own and developing with the other characters around them. I love Andie as a young person working hard to find their place in the world; she has a drive to help others, and we get to delve into that aspect of her personality with her new friendships and the interactions she has with those she comes in contact with. It was lovely to watch her grow and change through this book. She makes great friendships and within one of those friendships maybe there’s something more than a platonic relationship.
This is my second book by Lord, and I’m sure it won’t be the last!

This was my first Emma Lord book, and my first YA book in a long time. I loved reading about Andie’s transfer experience at her dream school, as well as the behind the scenes life of the secret Knight society. The element of found family and reconciling her strained relationship with her dad were extremely heartwarming to read. The audiobook was also well performed by a new-to-me narrator, Georgina Sadler.

Unfortunately, several elements of this story really bugged me. First, the miscommunication between Andie and Connor that started the whole situation was really unbelievable – why wouldn’t you tell your boyfriend/lifelong best friend you were transferring schools? That’s a really big deal. Second, I know it’s part of her “charm” but being the perpetual “fixer” of the group while not taking stock of her own grief and relationship challenges made me want to scream at her to go to therapy. I really liked Milo, but I didn’t really feel any of their chemistry until they were somehow miraculously kissing at the end of the book.

While this one wasn’t for me, I think it reads like a teen rom-com movie I might watch on Netflix with my teenager. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press) for the ARC, and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I had no issues with the narration in this audiobook. A sign of a good narrator for me is when I’m not pulled out of the story or lost in confusion when they change character voices.

This is a young adult romance that really reminded me how dramatic college life is. I had to keep this perspective in check when I was listening to this book. Everything seems way more intense and important when you’re at that age, and I felt that the author (maybe unintentionally?) did a great job of representing that.

I thought the use of ribbon-collecting and secret societies was an interesting plot point and made for a good background story. Overall, a fun story to read.

My only qualm for the most part is that the ending felt really rushed. There was so much buildup and slow burn romance that I felt like it was an injustice to the story and characters to not have a more well-rounded and fully-developed ending. It was a very quick epilogue-style ending that was just trying to tie everything up with a nice little bow.

Otherwise, I thought it was a good young adult romance that a college-aged individual would likely enjoy.

This was my first Emma Lord book. I’ve heard great things so I was excited to read this one. I liked the progression of Andie’s character throughout the book. I would read this again!

EMMA LORD NEVER DISAPPOINTS!! Gosh, I just adored this!!

🎙ya contemporary romance
🎙great character arcs
🎙amazing friendships and a fun college campus
🎙hardships that were overcome and plenty of lessons learned
🎙such a plot twist that I really did not see coming!!!

This book just checked so many boxes for me - loved our main characters, loved the setting, loved the character development, the sweet build up of the romance was just so dang cute. There is so much to adore about this!

I’ve enjoyed all of Emma Lord books but I think this is perhaps my favorite. I’m usually slightly annoyed by her quirky heroines, and the food coded cursed words Andie uses are super annoying and took me out of the book often, but I really loved every character. The secondary characters were well rounded and nice, the love interest was one I was rooting for from the beginning, and nadie growth arc was really well done. I appreciated how much she grew without changing who she was in her essence, and I appreciate that she learned to be herself to be with others without having to mold her shape to fit.
I definitely recommend this book and if you like fun light YA books this is one you should read.

I loved this book. It is refreshing, fun, and laugh out loud moments but still has depth. I absolutely recommend it!

Andie Rose is one of the most likable characters I have read in a long time! She is so freaking cute and has the biggest heart. Her intentions are always pure and throughout this book we get to see her develop into her own person, which is a beautiful thing. Not only Andie, but pretty much every character in this book is well written and likable.

The storyline is interesting although at times predictable, but that didn't bother me like it normally would because I loved these characters so much. Andie is dealing with very relatable problems like a long distance relationship, grades, STATISTICS CLASS, and just fitting into a new place that she has extremely high expectations about. The author does a great job setting the environment to the cozy college campus that I love to read about. We see Andie make friends with some awesome people and explore her own goals and aspirations, as well as helping everyone around her do the same.

It is a wonderful reminder that even the best made plans don’t have to be concrete, and it's always ok to start fresh and begin again on a different path.


**I will post the review on goodreads on the date of publication**

“Go make the most out of it, because every day is a chance to begin again.”

Andie transfers to a new college to surprise her boyfriend and go to the school her parents went to, only to find that her boyfriend transferred schools to be with her. Andie experiences her college journey while helping her roommate find a major and answer questions on the underground college radio station.

I really liked Andie’s journey with her dad, I thought it was very relatable and gave more to her story.

Shay, Andie’s roommate, is a bookstagrammer so that was cool to see for the first time!

I wish the college experience was a bit more accurate to real life and that there was more connection between Andie and Milo.

The narrator of this book has a great voice and was easy to listen to.

Perfect for fans of Tweet Cute or Fangirl.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 Stars

🍬This is the sweetest book ☺️! Grumpy sunshine trope ☀️, small college town, and all the cozy vibes. I’m obsessed 😍. Lord’s books feel like being wrapped inside a fuzzy blanket and tucked into the couch, with a frothy coffee drink in one hand and your favorite comfort read in the other 💗☕️📖.
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Andie is a plucky type A college student with a plan. She will transfer to the college of her dreams to pursue a major in psychology and a HEA with her long-term boyfriend. But nothing’s going according to plan. Things with her boyfriend are tense and she’s flailing in her classes. Then, Andie begins co-hosting the school’s pirate radio station with her surly coffee-addicted RA, who also happens to be tall and swoony with emerald green eyes. Will she finally find her footing?
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This is a heartwarming book with characters you will want to be besties with. I loved her bookstagrammer roommate, Shay, and her queer love story ❤️.
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The narration by Georgina Sadler was phenomenal. I could not stop smiling while listening to this feel-good story 🥰🎧. Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.
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Begin Again - Emma Lord
5/5⭐️
Pub Date: 1/24/23

This book was honestly the perfect YA contemporary that I was craving! Emma Lord can do no wrong in my book. This was just so cute and I loved all the characters and the friend group. Also as a bookstagrammer, I loved having one of the characters also do that!

This author seems to be a hit or miss for me. Every other book of hers I DNF. And this time unfortunately, it's a DNF. I just don't really like the main character and Idk, the plot is basically her pining for her boyfriend who left and talking about her mom. And I'm sorry, it just didn't do anything for me. I made it to 32% and I was just bored.

“The bagel is so perfectly pillowy on the inside and toasted on the outside, with this sweet tangy cream cheese unlike anything I have ever tasted in my entire life.”
Did that sentence leave you craving a bagel? Try a whole book full of imagery like this… and lots of bagels of course!
This story follows Andie Rose as she transfers colleges to be with her boyfriend Connor. She transfers to Blue Ridge State, a hyper competitive school, to pursue her dreams in psychology. Everything goes off the rails as soon as she arrives only to learn that Connor transferred out to be with Andie at her former school. Andie meets her roommate Shay who is trying to discover what she wants to major in, and Milo – her R.A. who disrupts all her ideas about love and relationships. Andie soon finds her place at the school 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.

Things I liked:
- As I said at the start, the imagery of the food and characters was incredible.
- I wish these characters were real because they were so sweet and cozy, it made me so happy for Andie!
Things I didn’t like:
- Andie was a bit much at times. She uses terms like ‘snickerdoodle’ instead of swearing and it was annoying.
- I also didn’t realize how young the characters were when I picked this one up, so it really felt like YA at times.

Overall, I enjoyed the cozy-ness of this book, and I would definitely recommend it to my YA lovers out there!

3.5 Stars rounded up.

I thought this was cute! However, I don't think that it was particularly memorable. I picked it up because it is a YA book set that is set in college. I do think this was a good blend of YA themes with college aged themes as well.

It’s so cute and fluffy!
I love Milo so much. His caffeine addiction
Tell me you base your self worth on how useful you are without telling me.

TS Song: the obvious choice would be begin again.

Begin Again
by Emma Lord

This book was YA perfection and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s cute, covers heavy topics in a way that still made the story itself feel light, and was full of so much heart.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.