Ahhhhhh! I love this story so much.

First of all, I adore pretty much everything Emma Lord writes I think. She write characters that are so comfortable to get to know. Characters I want to befriend.

So here’s what I loved:

🥯 Andie is so cool. I love her desire to help people, her type A personality, how she created this culture of friendship all around her. She’s amazing.

☕️Milo is the kind, funny, endearing coffee addict, grumpy but still soft for his friends. THE WAY HE CARES FOR PEOPLE and is still so grumpy, I just love him. 🥹

🥯 The ✨aesthetic✨ of the university experience is the perfect backdrop from a story about new beginnings. It’s newness and learning and freedom, and it’s so well used here.

☕️ The fun ribbon thing. I like the catalyst that Andie needs help from other people to accomplish something really important to her.

🥯 All of the cool tie ins with her mom’s past. I love it.

☕️ Andie’s roommate, her tutor, her dad, grandmothers. I love the communication with all of these people, and how it reflects real life. The things unsaid, the difficulty expressing yourself through grief of many kinds.

🎧 I loved the narrator! Georgina Sadler. She was fantastic! The emotions behind Andie’s growth, and how she gave every distinct side character their own voice, it was perfect.

All that to say, definitely read this. It is SUCH a good read.

Begin Again was another win from Emma Lord - a cute YA contemporary about family, friendship, love, uni experiences, and most of all, going after what you believe in - even if in ways you never even imagined! There was a sentence repeated throughout the book that I think will stay with me for forever: "Anything worth doing starts with a mess". How damn true.

The biggest thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

🔊Song Pairing: Lost Stars - Adam Levine (from the fantastic movie Begin Again)

🗯Thoughts:

I heard a lot of people I respect DNF’d this and the others didn’t love it sooo I didn’t go in with hope, but I’d say I was surprised

Emma lord is so gifted in the craft of writing about food. Always making my mouth water in any of her novels. However, the MC instead of swearing says random trans fat/complex carbohydrates snacks in all of her books. But other characters swear and it’s well frankly, annoying.

Andie is just a bit too much for my liking. I know we have an age gap but I think even at her age I would have told her to take a step back from me. A bit too in your face and meddlesome ✌🏻

I don’t get the damn ribbons. It’s annoying how central this is to the plot.

BEGIN AGAIN - EMMA LORD
3.75⭐

PLOT - Andie Rose transfers to Blue Ridge State mid sem to major in psychology and ultimately become a self help icon. But as she arrives her plans go off the rails...her relationship with her BF instead of improving becomes even complicated, her roomate Shay needs her help and she being a fixed does just that.
She anonymously with the help of her RA Milo uses her self help abilities to help her listener's at her unis local radio station her mom founded before she passed away.
But Andie is soon gonna find out that her plans may not be the right ones.

MU THOUGHTS-
I enjoyed this book in bits and parts....the narrator was good.
The college life the radio show part was fun to read.
Andies roomate Shay is a bookstagrammer and how Andie helps Shay to figure what she really wants yet fulfilling her passion.was fun to read.
The friendship between Andie and Milo was cute.
I didn't enjoy Andie using desserts as swear words initial ones were nice then cringey while continuing to listen to it.
The talk about bagel was at times overdone.
Pacing of the book at a lot of places felt off and abrupt.
In all a cute one time listen

- 3.75 Stars -
This book was cute! It was definitely a YA book and I really enjoyed reading something so quick and lighthearted. It was what I needed for this busy season of my life! I had seen a lot of mixed reviews for this specific book and honestly, I don’t think it was as bad as everyone had been saying that it was.

While the book was cute, that doesn’t mean that it was without its faults. Our main character Andie just seemed to be a little bit too immature for my liking, but the way she acts was on trend with Emma Lords' other main characters, so I wasn’t too concerned about it. Andie definitely had some redeeming maturity levels throughout the book, so that was nice to see. Although, the replacement swears Andie uses throughout the book just made me want to shrivel up and die inside. Like, just say “crap” instead of “cinnamon toast crunch” you know?

I think something that irked me throughout the book was the pacing. I found that it made the friendships seem a little weird because while the book was set over three months, the pacing of the storyline didn’t feel that way. It had me a little confused at certain points until I got my bearings.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed reading this book! It was cute, discussed some tougher but still YA appropriate topics, and made me smile throughout! If you go into this book with the mindset that it's a YA novel, I think you’ll enjoy it! If you go into it with the expectations of an adult book, it will not reach that expectation and you’ll be disappointed.

⚠️TW: death of parent, toxic relationship, grief, infidelity, cursing, gaslighting, cancer, abandonment

Summary: Andie is a girl who lives to solve problems. She loves to help her friends find solutions and even writes an advice column for her high school newspaper.

When Andie transfers colleges to be near her long term boyfriend, only to learn he has done the reverse to be closer to her, Andie and all her grand plans come crashing down around her. And then there is Milo, the cute, curly haired RA with the sea foam green eyes, who leaves Andie questioning everything.

Thoughts: This is my first book by Emma Lord and I really liked it. If you know me, you know one of my favorite romance tropes is forbidden love. I liked how this book incorporates it in a very realistic way, and doesn’t allow it to overshadow the other themes presented. I would have liked a bit more of the romance, but I understand that it was a subplot and not the main story.

I enjoyed Andie’s journey of self discovery and growth from the start of the school year to the end. One of my favorite aspects of university settings is to see the found family trope play out. I loved seeing Andie develop such a diverse group of friends (with some amazing representation).

Read if you like:
•friends to lovers
•journeys of self discovery
•found friendships
•closed door romance
•forbidden love (minimal)
•college setting

Thank you to Wednesday Books, Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hooooowwwwww am I giving an Emma Lord book 2 stars??

Tweet Cute: 5 stars (1000000-infinity stars if I could)
You Have a Match: 3 stars
When You Get The Chance: 4 stars
Begin Again: 2 stars :/

I had a lot of issues with this book, to be honest. For the life of me, I could not connect to the MC, Andie and that's the main issue I had with the entire story. Normally Emma Lord's characters are EVERYTHING to me, but Andie felt pretentious, gave bad advice tbh, and came off as way younger than her age. This is marketed as YA, but the characters are actually in the middle of their college experience (19/20-ish) and they didn't act like it at ALL. A lot of things they said and did felt really immature and adolescent, so it was hard to take them seriously as college students. I wish Emma Lord just either chose this to be YA and put them in high school or stuck to them being New Adult, marketed the book as NA, and then made them act like adults. This is Lord's first time, as far as I'm concerned, writing NA characters and I think it could have used some extra time and revisions. But I do give her major props for venturing out! I hope she makes more NA books, with fun and quirky adult characters!

One of my other main issues was the romance. I didn't feel anythingggggg between Andie and Milo. Like not one single small spark. They just felt like friends. I didn't feel a romantic or flirty vibe with them at all, so I hated that it was pushed on them. There were also a LOT of elements to this story that were unbelievable to me. See the spoiler here for a major one you couldn't pay me to believe:
(view spoiler)

I like the overall concept of the story and my favorite part oddly enough had to be the father-daughter relationship. I love seeing Andie work through the issues she had with her dad. It was the best part for me!

Overall, this just wasn't for me. I have really enjoyed all of Emma Lord's other books, but I guess they can't all be winners. Still, she's an auto-buy author for me and always will be. This one just felt like a doozy! :/

Expected publication: January 24th, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my very own.

------------------------------------------------------------
reading thoughts

50% "we all know how obsessed i am with tweet cute... so why am i actually HATING this?? like can barely tolerate picking it up type of hate????"

82% "big league burger 🥹🥹🥹🥹"

Emma Lord is one of the only YA authors whose books releases I still actively track, so I was definitely excited when I saw that she was writing an YA that focused on college kids for the first time instead of high schoolers! Add to that the fact that the book's title is a Taylor Swift song, and this book quickly became a most anticipated book of 2023! I'm happy to report that it exceeded all of my expectations and is officially my favorite book by the author!

I like to say Emma Lord is the Emily Henry of YA contemporary because I feel like not only do they have relatively similar writing styles but they also write books that at their core are more focused on the main character of the story and their personal journeys through something they might be going through, like that family drama, or maybe just learning who they are and want to be. Yes, Lord's books, just like Henry's, have the romantic aspect of it but in neither of these author's stories I have ever felt like that was the main focus. What I love about Emma Lord's stories and what makes me come back to her books year after year is her ability to create a perfect balance between those plot points as well as make me care about these characters she created and what they might be going through. not just the main characters of these stories but also the side characters who she manages to make just as real and vivid and full of personality as the main ones.

I loved everything about Begin Again, from the characters to the adorable romance between Andie and Milo as well as the amazing friendships Andie makes with Valeria and Shay along the way! I loved Andie's journey of self-discovery as well as her growth throughout the story. her rocky relationship with her dad was also interesting to read about!

Emma Lord is one of the only YA authors whose books releases I still actively track, so I was definitely excited when I saw that she was writing an YA that focused on college kids for the first time instead of high schoolers! Add to that the fact that the book's title is a Taylor Swift song, and this book quickly became a most anticipated book of 2023! I'm happy to report that it exceeded all of my expectations and is officially my favorite book by the author!

I like to say Emma Lord is the Emily Henry of YA contemporary because I feel like not only do they have relatively similar writing styles but they also write books that at their core are more focused on the main character of the story and their personal journeys through something they might be going through, like that family drama, or maybe just learning who they are and want to be. Yes, Lord's books, just like Henry's, have the romantic aspect of it but in neither of these author's stories I have ever felt like that was the main focus. What I love about Emma Lord's stories and what makes me come back to her books year after year is her ability to create a perfect balance between those plot points as well as make me care about these characters she created and what they might be going through. not just the main characters of these stories but also the side characters who she manages to make just as real and vivid and full of personality as the main ones.

I loved everything about Begin Again, from the characters to the adorable romance between Andie and Milo as well as the amazing friendships Andie makes with Valeria and Shay along the way! I loved Andie's journey of self-discovery as well as her growth throughout the story. her rocky relationship with her dad was also interesting to read about!

This is a lovely book with all the elements I was looking for. Lovable characters, back story, fun moments, family drama, new friends, scenic descriptions, and so much more.

Emma Lord is a talented writer with mind blowing ideas, seemingly executed with perfect ease. I loved how Begin Again was mainly a romance with drama and humor, but the hints of suspense and anticipation really keep me hooked.

I think she did a great job of tying up every fragment of backstory into the present with no lose ends.

The audiobook takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and joy, for which Georgina Sadler is the best guide, giving voice to these characters.

4 starts! Highly recommend

Big thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the complimentary e-ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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

Emma Lord does it again. I loved Tweet Cute, and while I did not love You Have A Match as much - Emma Lord will always be an auto-read for me. She does YA the way I love it. Angst without being overly dramatic and her characters deal with problems that exist for 18-year-olds.

I enjoyed this coming-of-age story. The found family in this book is just perfect. I loved them all. The romance was just the icing on the cake. I would have liked more time with the grandmas!!

I also enjoyed the subplots and how the author dealt with families and family struggles.

Each location was brought to life. I felt like I was on campus and have been craving bagels since I finished this.

I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrator.

Recommended for fans of:
Friends to Lovers
Found Family & Friend Groups
College Locations
Coming-of-Age Stories
Clean Romances

Trigger warnings for parental death and cheating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I flipped between the audiobook and ebook versions for this one and I have to say the audiobook narrator did a really wonderful job. The storyline overall was engaging and I thought Andie’s journey of finding her place in the world, putting herself first, and discovering her desired path was inspiring. Her friendships and found family at college was great and brought a lot to the story. The trivia nights and ribbon activities were cute along with the radio show aspects being fun to listen to throughout. I wanted a bit more of the budding romance but the parts we got were really sweet and mature later on in the story.

A few things that I didn’t love about this one… my biggest pet peeve in a YA/NA book is when the author puts in “cussing” but uses cutesy little words in place of it. Ugh, it seriously irks me and it really felt out of place in this one with the main characters being in college. The other thing that I didn’t love was that our main character, Andie, has never been single during her young adult life and, during that time, molded herself into the person she needed to be to fit in with Connor’s family or trying to live up to her mom’s legacy. I wish readers could have seen more independence from her earlier in the book while not tied to anyone else and really finding herself without any love interest overshadowing her journey. I did like Andie’s character and think we did get some of that discovery when she was with her girlfriends, but it would have been nice to see a little more of that. Overall, the audiobook helped make this is a pretty good NA read for me!

📻BOOK REVIEW📻

Begin Again by Emma Lord
Rating: 4⭐️

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

Emma Lords nails it again with this coming-of-age YA story.

Recommend if you like:
📻Slow burn
📻Family reconciliation
📻Second chances
📻 Corny “cuss” words
📻 Found family
📻 Finding your own voice

I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Georgina Sadler was great.

Publish date: January 24, 2023

Thanks to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio and the author for the ARC.

#beginagain #emmalord #bookreview #arcreview #audiobookreview #bookstack #yareads #yabooks #youngadult #minireview #books #bookish #booktrain

I loved this book. Milo’s grumpy personality and Andy’s sunshine personality are just perfect together. I love the aspect of her trying to follow in her mothers footsteps and the ending to this story in that aspect was great. I can’t wait to see what this writer comes up with next. The narrator did an amazing job bringing this book to life.

I really enjoy this author's books. This was no different. It was so cute. Andie is such an awesome fun character. All the side characters really rounded out the story. This book had lots of my favorite things; friends, family and sweet romance! I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute story of Andie finding herself at her dream university. With a great group of friends, and a neat little love triangle, and finding her place coming out of her mom’s shadow, Begin Again is a really nice, clean story.

Themes: 🎓📚👯‍♀️📻👩‍👧💜

My feelings: 😀😌😋

#netgalley
@netgalley
@macmillan.audio
#macmillanaudio
#youngadult
#audiobook
#goodreads
#readersofinstagram
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen

We enter with Andie who is transferring to a big university to surprise her boyfriend, only to find out her boyfriend has transferred to her old school to be closer to her. But he wasn't the only reason she transferred to Blue Ridge State. She has big plans to follow in her parents college footsteps and then become a psychologist/Self Help Guru. So with no safety net, Andie has to find her way, make new friends, and academically succeed in a very competitive environment. Unfortunately plans don't always go as plan and soon she finds herself struggling and her RA Milo is there to help push her back on the path to success to show her that just because things don't go as planned doesn't mean she still can't succeed.

I didn't know much about this book before diving in. I picked it up because I loved Emma's last book. This book felt really relatable and realistic for those going off to college or just leaving the house on your own for the first time I loved the ensemble cast of characters including one that was apart of the bookstagram community. I always love seeing a nod to that in books. This book tackled a lot about loss and being cheated on. Not to mention dealing with leaving the nest for the first time. It's a true coming of age story. While I enjoyed the story and it kept me engaged while I worked, I didn't find it consuming my thoughts. I also felt like it could have ended in 2-3 different spots before it actually did.

Overall I'd give this book a 3.75. Thanks to the publisher for the ALC in return for an honest review. This book releases 1/24

🥹🥹🥹 I love this book so much!! I could go on and on about it, but I started it this morning and I couldn’t stop listening to it.

Andie starts her freshman year at a community college after letting her grades slip in high school to help her boyfriend Connor get his grades up. Because of this, Connor went to Blue Ridge State, and Andie ended up at community college. Well, surprise! Andie transfers to Blue Ridge for her spring semester, and Connor also transfers, but to community college. Blue Ridge is a big deal for Andie, as her parents met there. Andie's mom passed away when she was younger, so she wanted to do the things her mom did. Like the ribbon scavenger hunt and the Knight Talk radio show.

Andie goes through the semester trying to solve her friends and classmates problems over her own. This comes with boy troubles, girl troubles, class troubles, home troubles, you name it. With these troubles, Andie learns lots of lessons.

I loved my college experience so much that I know work at a university because of it. I think that so many younger students can learn a lot from the various lessons that Andie learned and also can come out knowing how to stick up for themselves and persevere through difficult times.

I probably will buy a physical copy at some point because I absolutely adored it. I felt all the feelings! 🫶🏼

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed all of Emma Lord's books, but I was slightly disappointed by "Begin Again". I had a difficult time connecting with Andie, she never felt real. Also, the plot had too many aspects making it feel bogged down at times. Plus, the characters' relationships lacked the charm in Lord's past book. There are aspects of this book that I enjoyed (Milo is the shining star in this novel), but it didn't live up to my expectations.

Additionally, the audiobook was problematic. The reader mispronounced several words throughout the novel. I was consistently pulled out of the story by this issue. It make the audiobook hard to recommned.

4.5 stars - this is a wonderful YA, with so many great moments and such a wonderful build up.

I loved the radio show 🎧, college friendships being built 👯‍♀️, & finding yourself 🫶 - it felt so much like my college journey it was a nostalgic, fun & easy read.

I couldn’t rate this lower because I so deeply related to the main character. I am that “fixer” friend, who thrives on solving others problems and ignores my own. The feeling of being young and in college for the first time, the high school relationship that was meant to be over forever ago, etc.

This was my first by Emma Lord but definitely won’t be my last! Loved it!!