Super cute, wholesome, coming of age YA. I love Andie and what a great female role model she is; she is not only focused on boys or accomplishments, but how to navigate her life as a well-rounded one and deal with past hurts/trauma.

Andie's life has always been planned out. For college, she has always wanted to attend her parents' alma mater. She did not get in as a freshman initially, but managed to secure a mid-year transfer. Now everything will be perfect- she will attend her dream school and she will be reunited with her high school boyfriend. When she arrives at her new school, things quickly fall apart- her boyfriend transferred, too, to the community college she attended last semester. She walks in (late) to an entrance exam- a math exam and she does not have a calculator. She is forced to adapt as her plans go awry. Over the next few months, she learns a lot about herself and the motives behind her dreams. She starts to view things from a different lens.

I was a bit on the fence about this one- it sounded good but the last few books I've read with characters in college have not been great. But I gave it a shot and I am glad I did. Milo is great and it was also nice to watch Andie mature. Despite having all of the surprise twists in the book figured out immediately, I still enjoyed the journey.

There are really only two things that I did not love. First, Andie's "cursing" is annoying. Things like "unicorn sprinkle cream cheese" are often said in lieu of a curse word. It happened a lot and was annoying, not cute. Also, there was a stretch towards the end that seemed to drag on FOREVER.

I listened to the audiobook. Georgina Sadler narrates and does a good job. There are a few characters that are cringey in dialogue, but they are secondary.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another absolutely adorable YA book by Emma Lord. I loved the characters, loved the premise, loved the setting. The main character was so spunky and driven, I just adored her. And omg Milo! What I would have given to meet a Milo in college.

I also loved the secret underground radio show at the university. But what I didn't love was the ribbon competition. Something about it felt strange and forced to me, including the explanation of it in the end.

Nevertheless, super fun. Well narrated. Would definitely recommend!

The narrator did an awesome job of taking this okay-ish book and keeping my attention with it! I appreciate how much enthusiasm and energy went into trying to flesh out the one-dimensional characters and giving them personality rather than "boyfriend bad!' and 'reading good!'. Hope the narrator got paid well for this job. 5 stars for narrator, two stars for book, three stars in total.

Emma Lord continues to never miss and this is her best yet. The narration is just perfect and I got all the warm happy feels.

I don’t read YA books super often but when I do they’re usually by Emma Lord. She writes the most adorable, heartfelt and quirky books that always leave me feeling warm and cozy and this was no exception. I swear if you started this one and were in a bad mood you wouldn’t be by the time you finished, it’s too cute! Andie is the most endearing heroine and I loved her personality and sense of humor and her growth throughout the book felt so authentic. I was utterly charmed by this from beginning to end and highly recommend this sweet book as a mood lifting treat.

The narrator became Andie and told the story wonderfully. Perfect choice for this book.

The author does a good job of making a story not just about teens, but giving something for everyone. While I am out of the age range for the characters in the book, this was still a relatable story. While listening to it I remembered my time in college and the life that was shaped by those days.

The characters are the friends you want to have around in college and the days after and their adventures on campus are the best memories we will carry with us once we leave.

This will make a great addition to your TBR.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This was a sweet coming of age story! I enjoyed the narrator, although her inflections for minority voices threw me. There is a lot of grief here, handled very well.

This was a quick and easy listen. I truly enjoyed the characters, and the narrator really brought the story to life.

As mentioned in a few other reviews, there were parts that weren't realistic. Like, as much as the MC's focus was on going to this particular college, Andie's only attention seems to have been on the extra-curricular aspects of it. Only one class is ever mentioned, and the rest of the time is spent at her work-study job, hanging out with friends, or participating in school traditions she's eager to experience.

It also didn't seem likely that an adult would call in to a talk radio show for relationship advice, knowing the person dispensing advice was a college student.

That said, I really enjoyed the friendships that Andie made there and how they each helped each other grow as individuals. I also enjoyed the contrast between how Connor and his family treated Andie and how Milo and his family did.

Thank you to Emma Lord, Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for a copy of Emma Lord's Begin Again. This is a quick easy to listen to audiobook, the narration and production suit the book and themes well!

Multilayered review:
1. As an audiobook this hit some basic "wants" for me at the end of the year/semester (professor in real life). It was light, no intense themes, and had an easy to follow (and guess) plot. Simple and light. So if that's what you are most looking for with an audiobook, this will fit well!

2. There are some interesting themes touched on in this book, I rather wish 1-2 were a more intentional and developed focus. There are some themes on social class differences within the Andi (MCs) relationship with her long distance boyfriend (in a kind of O Henry gift of the magi trope they each transferred to each other's campuses at the start of the book... oh well intentioned miscommunication in a love relationship. sigh). There are some touches on complicated relationships with the father, coping with the loss and memory of the MCs mother, college stress, and general self exploration and self growth natural to college. These are always worthwhile themes to read about but they never got beyond the surface (again, simple and light, not a bad thing but this book could have had DEPTH). the work study topic was a nice touch and relevant to some many.

3. I am a college lecturer so some of my quibbles are with things that really felt wrong/misleading and that could have been explained better. 1, not sure how someone transfers to an elite college after one college semester at a community college (not a dig at community colleges, which are so wonderful and valuable but more how does someone apply to a new college without grades and an established academic record that you would have needed by midsemester to apply for a spring spot?... I was not clear on how someone transfer's that quickly in the first year of college after it seemed getting rejected during the senior year application cycle?). 2, a boyfriend leaving an elite college for a community college without any communication with anyone (I would presume parents would have known and interrupted the plans since they likely were paying) was a bit more of a reach than I thought realistic, 3, yes, the boyfriend's academic transcript would include his transfer credits from a community college and this would show up for grad schools, 4, no college professor would give a major exam the first day of a course that would matter (add/drop period alone would prevent that).... these are minor things but they bugged me because avoidable and also could be misleading to some readers. I had similar issues with misinformation in this author's previous book with adoption themes. 5, there was very little attention to classes and this felt odd for a college themed book with an MC so focused on a supposedly rigorous psych program and that as part of her identity... 6, not sure how solid some of the advice was that Andi was dispensing so that should be acknowledged!

4. At the same time it felt like this book captured a lot of the stuff that is part of college, the social exploration, the friendship development, the work study strains (that was well done), the lack of sleep, the activities outside of class (but did the characters ever go to class? that needed more attention), the desire to please others but figuring out that being yourself is the best thing to be, the navigation of a more adult relationship with a parent...

So there are a lot of strengths to this book and the things I did not like probably would not be a blip on other's radars. It's hard to tell what the goal of the book was other than a light read that would engage younger readers in a story about college...

Begin Again was a cute college story. It was good by New Adult standards–a genre I often dislike. We begin with the comical-but-easily-avoidable mishap described in the synopsis, and then follow Andie on her quest to fit in at her parents’ alma mater.

The story was cute if a little cheesy. It’s a very slow burn and very closed-door, but I loved the friendships Andie creates with the side characters.

There were a few things about Andie that irked me, like her “fixer” personality despite usually having bad advice, and her “too cute to cuss” habit. Very little attention is paid to classes in this book, and I have no idea how Andie wouldn’t be failing them all. Only one class was mentioned, which she was struggling with, and she never seemed to go to class itself, only office hours.

Overall, good but not great. I probably wouldn’t have read a physical copy, but the audiobook was a quick, enjoyable listen with good narration.

I thoroughly enjoyed Begin Again and Emma Lord is quickly becoming a favorite of mine!

We follow Andie as she transfers from community college to her dream school as a second semester transfer. I love how she immersed herself into life on campus and quickly made friends. I loved her friendship with Shay and Milo. I know YA/new adult can sometimes get a bad rap, but I feel like they deal with more issues than sometimes adult books. Andie is trying to be everything for everyone while following in her late mother’s footsteps. It takes her a little while but she learns so much about herself, her family, and her friendships.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration!

Andie, a compulsive “fixer”, is determined to follow her carefully laid plans for following in her mother’s footsteps - now that she’s transferred to her mother’s alma mater(which happens to be where her boyfriend is, too), it’s time to put it into action. But when her plans crumble before they can even start, she has to find a new way to create the future she wants(which might be a lot more complicated than expected.)

This book was such a fantastic listen - much like Emma Lord’s previous work! With most of the book spent developing the relationships between the All Nighters(the trivia team and friend group to beat), it was easy to root for each of the characters.

I loved the connection between Milo and Andie especially - their past experiences losing a parent gave them a deep understanding of each other, and I loved that they could talk about it together. From Andie helping with his caffeine addiction, to Milo(to everyone’s shock) showing up to trivia night because she asked, they started a friendship full of care that grew throughout the story. And the thunder snow day?? I didn’t know that could happen, but that scene was one of my faves!

The secret radio show(started by Andie’s mom) was a great example of one person creating something that snowballs into something so much bigger than itself - Andie herself creates a ripple effect when she starts what becomes a weekly game of Werewolf for the dorm (a game I played with daycare kids once upon a time!) I thought it was super powerful that she was able to make change on her first day, even if she doesn’t acknowledge the enormity of connection she created with the people who lived on campus(and the many not from the dorm that would join in).

I could hush about this book for a lot longer, but I think it’s so well executed and deserves all the praise I know it will receive! I’d highly recommend picking up this book in whatever format you can - this is another winner from Emma Lord!

I’m not usually a huge fan of YA but I did enjoy this for the most part.

I liked the narrator and the characters. Her friends were really great.

It took me a while to fully understand the whole ribbon thing and the secret knight radio thing and the secret societies. It was a bit confusing at first.

Steam: Kissing Only

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this ARC.

Rating: 3.75/5

🎶 On a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it Begin Again 🎶

I loved the narrator, Georgina Sadler, and thought she did a great job! Her voice was so easy to listen to and I loved the different voices she used for different characters. Overall, perfect. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this one!

Okay first of all THAT GORGEOUS COVER 😍 And as a #swiftie, I absolutely love this title. I love Young Adult Romance, and I love Emma Lord's books so I was so excited for this one. And I loved it! It was soooo cute and actually this is my new favorite of hers! Andie was such a great main character, sweet, determined and trying to navigate a world of grief and rock parental relationships. I absolutely loved the growth she had during this book, and can we talk about marshmallow Milo 😍 I loved him. This book was cute, charming and funny, but it also deals with real issues and circumstances that many people will be able to relate to in a fun and important way.

Listen if you enjoy:
• ya relationships
• college setting
• great friendships
• family drama
• relatable mc
• scavenger hunt

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: YA Romance
𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧: Georgina Sadler

Thank you Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy! This book is out 1/223 and I definitely recommend it. 💕

This book was really cute. I secretly love when characters that are 18 act like they’re 18. 18 year olds are sometimes moody, sometimes idiots, and always learning and growing. This book also deals with grief, found family, coming into your own, and coming to grips with the fact that your parents are just people too. It tackled really deep topics while telling a really cute love story. We love characters who learn and grow throughout the book.

This book was very predictable but in an way that wasn’t boring. The characters lead you to understand why they do what they do and each character is interesting and developed.

Parent’s guide:
Sex & Nudity: mild (mentions of sex, cheating)
Violence & Gore: mild
Profanity: mild (some swearing)
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: mild (underage drinking)
Frightening & Intense Scenes: mild (grief and past deaths)

First 2023 book! This was a slow burn and predictable, but cute. It is fine content-wise even though it features college students. Positive messages about following your own path instead of that of your parents & working to create your own future instead of waiting for it to fall in your lap.

On brand for Emma Lord - sweet and fun!

Andie Rose is no stranger to making and sticking to a plan. She has transferred from community college to the highly competitive Blue Ridge State, determined to major in psychology and become a self-help icon. However, as soon as she arrives, her plans begin to unravel.

Loved this book! I wasn't sure what the content would be like going in, since the characters are college students (sometimes books set end college end up leaning more New Adult). It ended up being clean, cute and a great choice to recommend to teens looking forward to their own college adventures.

I have a really close friend who has been a die-hard Emma Lord fan for a WHILE (she read Tweet-Cute as an ARC, that's how long of a WHILE it's been), and I don't know how I went this long without listening to her enough to actually read one of Emma Lord's books. This was every cute YA romcom I have ever loved wrapped up into one. I love the slow-burn, the banter, the rivalry of a good academic rivals to lovers, and nobody does it like YA. Even further on that thread, there are only two authors I think that really pull off the perfect YA romance, and Emma Lord is one of them. (Rachel Lynn Solomon would be the other, if anyone is curious.) Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cutesy romance as a little pick-me-up kind of book as everyone goes back to work and school in the New Year.