In 'Begin Again', a college student named Andie thinks that she has everything figured out, but what happens when all of her plans start to fall apart? Andie transfers to her dream school, Blue Ridge State. Both of her parents went there, and her boyfriend, Connor, is a student there too. She surprises him when she transfers there, but he surprises her when he transfers to the community college where she was a student. Andie and Connor are once again in a long distance relationship, and they have to make time to talk to each other.

Andie is a fixer, and she spends all of her time helping those around her, at the expense of her time, energy, and her grades. She tries to help her new roommate, Shay, find a major and help her with her relationships. Andie tries to help her RA, Milo, get over his addiction to coffee and repair his relationship with his brother.

Andie uses her 'fixer' skills when she starts to work at the school's pirate radio station. Andie's mom founded the radio station, and she wants to follow in her mom's footsteps.

As Andie navigates friendships, classes, work study job, radio station job, and her relationships, both family and romantic, she begins to see how much her plans have changed. I loved the romance element of the story (I'm a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine slow burn romance!).

I really enjoyed the story, and the characters felt like people that I would like to hang out with. I wanted to play trivia with them or eat bagels with them at Bagelopolis.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was very lacking. The narrator's voices and accents were inconsistent, and she mispronounced several words.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian audio for an ARC of this book.

A beautiful coming of age college freshman story with a bit of a twist. There's love, break-ups, more love, and more. All with a family history and legacy of the main character to add some depth the story. I really liked the background characters as well.
The main character, Andie, always dreamed of following her late mother to Blue Ridge State. While she didn't originally get accepted, she was able to transfer in. Her mother was the very first Knight radio host. As Andie starts to make new friends she learns more about her mom's legacy and about herself.
I really liked the quirkiness of Andie's lack of curse words and how she uses random foods where others would say F... I also liked the authenticity of the characters because nothing really felt forced within the story.

Emma Lord does it again! I found this one of hers to be super enjoyable since the main character is a bit older, and I love me a college campus setting. As always with this author, expect cheesy puns, fun dialogue, and a sweet romance everyone is onboard with. I just adored the love interest — so sweet and I legit think this couple is off in their fictional world making their relationship work in the long term!

Narrator was great!

Begin Again starts with Andie changing colleges between semesters freshman year. She makes the transfer in part because of her boyfriend, but also because this is the college her mom went to, and it's where she's always wanted to go. Right from the beginning things fall apart, her boyfriend transferred to the community college, her classes aren't going smoothly and her relationship with her father is further deteriorating. Andi knows she has to fix thing, but it's going to be quite the process.

Luckily she has an amazing roommate and a cute RA that are on her team. Milo, the cute RA shares some commonalities with Andie that get her to open up more about her dad (and his family in return). Her roommate Shay is amazing and the kind of roommate college students should dream about.

The highlight of Begin Again is Andie's journey to find her true self, and what she needs to do to make her own dreams come true. At the beginning there is a lot of self sacrificing, it was nice to see Andie gain her footing (even if there were some missteps along the way).

I can’t tell if this is my favorite book by her yet, but this was a great read. I loved the character development and plot. I had a great time listening as i shoveled way too much snow.

My rating: 2/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I know the YA rom-com genre guarantees a lot of the things that my review critiques, but despite the genre, I am still going to provide my complete, honest review including such critiques.

Another disclaimer: This wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me. I think the target demographic is a lot younger than me (and probably hasn’t had a real college experience yet.) There are plenty of readers who will adore this book (like fans of Lynn Painter); I am just not one of them.

I found the entire book to be unrealistic. I’ve never heard of a college with as light a drinking culture as the one in this book, nor one where college-aged kids would act like this. They felt incredibly young and naive, to the point where most of them irritated me. Andie, the main character, was the most irritating of them all— her optimism didn’t hit me as endearing the way it was probably meant to. She swapped out the names of her favorite snack foods for swear words, and naively seemed to believe that giving out advice via a high school newspaper advice column (and then a college radio show) was her solving everyone’s problems. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against optimism or empathy, but Andie’s attitude was just… too much for me. Plus, everyone else acting as though Andie was god’s gift to the world because of super common sense advice she gave bothered me.

Beyond that, the whole Knight’s Watch radio show felt very Radio Rebel to me, and the idea of a ribbon hunt to join secret societies was just so random and odd. The concept is cute, but that’s kind of all it is. Shay, Andie’s roommate, being a bookstagrammer also annoyed me, like the author was trying to do a *wink wink* to the book community— it was too on-the-nose.

I don’t mean to be overly negative, but this whole book just felt very surface-level to me. (Which, again, I know is a side effect of it being a YA rom-com.)

I had some issues with the audiobook in particular too. The narrator’s voice matched up with Andie’s personality/character pretty well, but there were some things about the narration that bothered me. For example, Valeria starts out sounding totally normal, and then randomly gets a super strong New York accent like a third of the way through the book. And then sometimes when there’s dialogue between Valeria and another character without an accent, the narrator seems to forget to switch back, and so then they’re both talking with the horrendous New York accent. (And by the way, Valeria is never described as having a New York accent, so that must have been the narrator’s choice. Why? I’ll never know.)(Warning: these next critiques are kind of small, petty things.) She also always pronounced “library” like “libary,” and at one point pronounced “staunch” as “stanch.”

Anyways, I think I’m just unable to see past all the unrealistic parts of a book like this and enjoy it as the cutesy fluffy rom-com it’s meant to be.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Emma Lord wins again with another great YA coming of age novel. In this book, Andie finally gets her chance to join boyfriend Conner at Blue Ridge State, her parents alma mater. Only to hear that Conner transferred back home to the community college that Andie was attending. While following her mother’s footsteps in provider advice over the campus airwaves, she makes a life on campus searching for the ribbons that would determine the secret society she will spend her college life being a member.

Her RA Milo and roommate Shay are there to help Andie along the way. The book gave me a Pitch Perfect vibe, less the singing. It was an enjoyable read and audiobook. It’s a slow burn of young adult romance, but great story of forgiveness of a parent and seeing the great things right in front of you.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #beginagain #emmalord #smpinfluencers

What a great story. A college age girl named Andie pushes to make her dreams come true to follow in her mother's foot steps to go to her college. But due to a bit of miscommunication her long time boyfriend just transferred out. Watch her put herself out there, find a friend group, and manage to find herself throughout her time there.

One thing I loved about this book was the ribbon competition, radio station and full social life of campus. It really makes you feel like you are there with all the campus events, living in a dorm, finding friends and putting yourself out there. The main character is a little in her head and anxious about her sense belonging which really does feel like a college student and for those who have been there it really resonates. It seems like an amazing campus to belong to.

For those looking for a college age romance with a hint of a slow burn I would recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story,

★★★★★
“Getting a new start doesn’t mean you have to wipe the slate clean. Just pick up the pieces. Begin again.”

Begin Again by Emma Lord follows along Andie Rose as she juggles transferring from her college to a state university she has dreamed of attending her whole life, but the problem is that she went as a surprise, and her boyfriend who was going there transferred to her old college at the same time. Intending for them to be together but instead ending up in swapped positions, Andie tries to stay positive and make the most out of the situation by keeping in contact with him while also building a friendship with her roommate, Shay, and her RA, Milo, who happens to have an intriguing personality, a similar situation to Andie, and entrancing key lime pie eyes.
Andie’s mother passed away when she was eleven. Afterwards, with a loving but distant father, she was practically raised by both of her grandmas. She is a psychology major with a knack for helping people, and she realizes soon into her experience at Blue Ridge State University that maybe there’s more that she wants to do, even if it doesn’t follow the precise plan she’s had lined out for years.

The most wonderful Emma Lord has done it again, and it’s safe to say I’m addicted to her stories as much as Milo loves his extra caffeinated coffee. Her writing is something fun with thought-out and unique storylines intermingled with believable and well-developed characters that find their way into your heart.

This story was so enjoyable the whole way through. Not only was the narrator amazing and pleasant to listen to, but with the elements of college life, writing, bookstagram, many mentions of Ryan Reynolds, bagels, math and statistics, the game Werewolf, and Andie's creative form of cursing, I constantly wanted to read the book and never press pause. I loved the messages shown through Andie of believing in yourself, following what you really want, and pushing and not limiting yourself. Andie was a very relatable character that I found so many parts of myself within. All of the characters were great to learn about and see develop throughout the story alongside Andie. This book didn't fail to make me smile more times than I can count.

And can I mention the slowwww burnnnn! So well done and well worth it in the end. When the characters finally kissed, I did a happy dance in my head. Emma's romances always feel authentic, and you'll be rooting for the characters even when they themselves aren't pining for each other yet.

Begin Again was a novel that felt like a warm hug, like drinking a hot vanilla chai before work or hot chocolate during a snow storm, like getting outside on a foggy morning and breathing in the crisp, fresh air. Finding stories such as this that make you feel seen and comforted are few and far between, but Emma Lord never fails to do that for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this wonderful story in exchange for an honest review.

4-4.5 ⭐️

This ended up being a beautiful story with such a sweet ending. There was a chunk in the middle that I was getting worried I wasn’t going to end up liking this book but it was so cute.

I want to deck Connor and I don’t care that he is fictional that kid deserves reality to be knocked into him because dear lord is he a dick…I was getting so annoyed by the levels she was going for him but I loved their moment of reckoning and I think the way the plot blooms after that scene was near perfect.

The front half of the book had a decent balance of her story and the romance but I think it leaned into the romance a bit more whereas the second half you really get to see Andie’s story shine; you get to see more about her late mom and the relationship between her dad and her within this post mom stage of their lives and I LOVE the way the author highlighted the love of friendships throughout this book.

All in this book is a fairly light and sweet read but it has heavy overtones of learning how to come into your own, the love of friendships, the love of lost ones, coping with the loss of a parent and learning how to live for yourself while honouring the legacy left for you.

A coming-of-age YA book about starting over, grief and forging a new path.
🎧
Andie Rose has it all planned out: she was accepted as a mid-year transfer freshman to her dream university and is ready to surprise her childhood sweetheart who already goes to Blue Ridge State, but when she gets there it turns out he transferred to community college to be closer to her. Now Andie is stuck riding out the semester without her boyfriend at her side. What happens next has her coming into her own while making new friends, chasing after her mom’s legacy as a favored alum, working at a bagel place and helping out at the campus’s underground pirate radio station her mom created. Andie struggles to keep her new life afloat while also holding on to her old life back home.
🎧
I simply adored Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute and You Have a Match, but was disappointed in When You Get A Chance. My hopes were high for this one: I liked it, but didn’t love it. It definitely falls into the new adult category for the age of the characters, but is written as a YA book and honestly I didn’t even start to care about the main character until mid-way through. I loved the representation of lgbtq & BIPOC characters, but the romance was a bit lacking for me. It had a lot of plot lines going on as well. For me it feels like Lord is focusing more on trauma, loss and parental relationships than the romance aspect in her last two titles so if that’s your thing, you’ll really enjoy this one. Great audiobook though through Netgalley! It’s a 3.5 ⭐️ for me and releases January 24.

CW: grief, death of a parent (off page), cancer, parental abandonment, cheating, alcohol

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Emma Lord, and Georgina Sadler (audiobook narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Begin Again in exchange for an honest review.

Andie is a planner. While she was not previously accepted to Blue Ridge State and her boyfriend was, she ended up going to community college and transfers to her dream school. She hopes the surprise her boyfriend at Blue Ridge, only to find out he transferred to her community college! What a switcheroo of a situation.

Andie has always dreamed of Blue Ridge, so ehr boyfriend can work on transferring back later. In the meantime, she makes new friends from her dorm and follows in her mother's footsteps to earn ribbons from events hosted by the pirate radio station. It's almost a battle between ribbons and academics. Family heritage is important, and the pirate radio station is a key connection between Andie and her desceased mother.

Among her plans falling apart and boyfriend complications, Andie has a lot to figure out.

While this is considered a young adult novel, I believe it to be more of the new adult genre, as it deals with early college years, majors, and some more adult responsibilities that young people take on in their late teens and early twenties. This is a brilliantly written novel and I absolutely adore the characters. There is so much to the aspect of finding yourself and determining what is truly important as one explores early adulthood. A great read for teens and college-goers alike.

My first read of 2023 and it surprised me in the best of ways.

Begin Again by Emma Lord is a total delight. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, it’s romantic. This book made me abandon my heavier read for the last couple of days because I just wanted to spend time with Andie, Milo, Shay, and Valeria.

Andie is a wonderful protagonist.
Milo is a book boyfriend for the ages.
Shay and Valeria are the friends you dream of meeting when you go to university/college.
Sassy grandmas make an appearance and add so much charm. (Add them to our list @hsumanityreads @a.uniquely.portable.magic)

Amidst all the fun, this book does what great YA should do. It tackles the things that make being a young adult so difficult, confusing, daunting, and scary. Begin Again addresses loss of a parent, academic stress, long distance relationships, strained family relationships, etc.

I really loved every second I spent reading this book. I can’t wait to add a copy to my classroom library. This title releases on January 24 and I definitely recommend it!

*I’d be shocked if someone doesn’t jump on the rights to make a movie because it would be an excellent teen romcom.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the e-arc and @macmillan.audio for the alc, both through @netgalley - I started by alternating between the two but I preferred the print for this one and eventually stuck with that!

#bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #recommended #recommendedreading #emmalord #beginagain #arc #stmartinspress #yabooks #yacontemporary #yafictionlover #netgalley

Andie Rose is a planner and a fixer - as a second-semester freshman she already knows her life goal, starting with transferring into Blue Ridge State, a highly competitive university that both her parents attended. But when she arrives, she finds that her plans start falling through. Her boyfriend at Blue Ridge State decided to transfer to her former community college without telling her (while she transfered to his school without telling him), and her classes aren't going quite as planned. However, she begins to make friends and while she helps them with their lives and issues, she finds that they are also helping her with hers.

Begin Again is filled with complex family dynamics, emotional growth, and so much love. I highly recommend this to anyone who love coming-of-age stories and sweet, slow-burn romances.

Wow, from the very beginning I had a strange feeling when Andie and her boyfriend just could not communicate and ended up at different colleges yet again. I think that it was a cute audiobook to listen to and was super slow burn. Something that I could see myself listening to again. Would recommend!

This is really an adorable feel good coming of age rom-com. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Andie Rose is the daughter of the much loved radio personality Amy Rose. After her mother's untimely death 7 years ago Andie felt like the whole town treated her differently; with pity, because she was the kid with a dead mom. Andie has grown up fantasizing Blue Ridge State to a point that it has become part of who she is; a pivotal point in her plan to live up to her mom's legacy. Not only is it her parents' Alma mater, where they met and fell in love, and where her mom founded the Night Watch radio program; but Andie's long time boyfriend/best friend was there too. After Andie did not get accepted into Blue Ridge on her first try, she spent a semester at the local community college working hard and was the only mid year transfer student accepted into Blue Ridge State.

As Andie navigates this new setting, she meets new friends, learns to both stand up for herself and to forgive old grudges. She realizes that life doesn't necessarily follow even the most perfectly laid plans and somethings have to fall apart so that what's meant to be can come together.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the free copy.
When I start an Emma Lord book, I know I’m in for a treat. She always writes about such relatable experiences for young adults, and I could even relate to some things in this book as a full-fledged adult. Andie is a fixer and planner, but when her plans start to change due to outside forces, she has to figure out what happens next. I loved the exploration of friendship and what it means to be a good, supportive friend, without overstepping. There is a thread of grief and parental legacy that I thought gave such heart to the story. It’s one of discovery, growing, changing, and beginning again. I enjoyed every second.
The narration by Georgina Sadler was well done, and if you’re an audiobook fan, you won’t be disappointed with this performance.

This was a sweet young adult novel. It definitely read as more of a YA than a New Adult novel. There were times where I felt like it lacked a bit of depth and it felt a little to cheesy. I wish it had felt a little more real, but it was overall a good story. I love books set on college campuses and this delivered on that front.

I think this is the first book I've ready by Emma Lord and it was okay. It was a very sweet, almost innocent, romance. Not usually my go-to choice, but I didn't know that when I picked it up, so this is my warning to you: if you're looking for *spice* this one is NOT it. ;)

I LOVED Milo. I felt like I saw so much growth in his character, he saved this book for me. Andie was kind of a wimpy MC in my opinion, but she did start to grow a backbone towards the end. The one thing I really hated was that she wouldn't even cuss (she said a lot of weird food words in place of cussing). It was very weird.

The narration was fantastic. Perfect pick for this story.

Begin Again was my first book by author Emma Lord, but it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style and how much depth she gave every character. The story follows Andie who transfers to her dream college. She has a lot of reasons for transferring to this school, one being her boyfriend Connor was there. Andie does not tell Connor she is transferring schools, Connor also transfers schools and doesn’t tell Andie, so they end up right where they started.

This story is about navigating so many responsibilities and how to manage them. You will make some mistakes but life is about second chances. You can’t be afraid to ask for help from family and friends.

Andie and her entire friend group are all such likable characters. I loved watching them all bring their walls down and let each other in. The end of this story is very predictable but nothing about how they got there was. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more of Emma Lords work.