3.5 stars (rounded up)!

"Begin Again" by Helly Acton asks readers to imagine getting five do-overs in their lives to see how things would have turned out if they had taken different paths or made other choices. Some of those paths might involve ex-lovers, while others might involve taking risks in the workplace. Frankie, the main character, gets to experience all of these lives and then some. I enjoyed this book for the most part. I think we can all relate to wondering what we would do if we had taken different forks in the roads of life. What if we had stayed in that long-term relationship? What if we hadn't been afraid to book that flight to another country? What if we started with the rich ex who had it all but was a terrible person? Watching Frankie realize that certain people were not serving her, or that certain places stifled her creativity, and that certain jobs had lost their luster, was worth the read alone. Though this subject matter, this topic/genre, alternate realities meets groundhog's day meets romantic comedy, is a familiar one, I think Acton infuses some interesting perspective and humor here to make it feel fresh enough to hold your interest. My biggest gripe is that Frankie herself starts the story as an extraordinarily selfish person, which put me off to her a lot in the beginning. She's mad that her best friend has had a baby and doesn't have time for her anymore. She's mad that her other friends are buying property, or are moving out of England, or are getting married, all because she's unhappy with her current situation. It's not entirely clear if she has wholly changed by the book's end, but I choose to believe she has. I do like how this book ended quite a bit. All of the secondary characters are excellent and full of life. They help propel the story forward where it might have otherwise stalled out. I will be on the lookout for more books by Helly Acton in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, Helly Acton, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This book was a great escape for me, but I didn't LOVE Frankie. She annoyed me in the way that only the people closest to you can get under your skin. As a result, I found myself semi-rooting against her!

This was very cute and the perfect easy-reading magical realism novel for your summer book list. I love books about chances taken and different paths. Witty and fun, we follow Frankie a columnist who has a little oopsie moment on her birthday resulting in her reviewing the many lives that could have been. I think anyone wondering if the grass is greener will resonate with the messages Acton weaves throughout, making the reader question the what-ifs in a thoughtful way. Heartwarming and feel good, its a definite recommend from me!

BEGIN AGAIN is an unassuming treasure of a story.

The book follows Frankie McKenzie, a comfort-zone-comfortable thirty-something who feels unsettled in her life, her job, and in love. Before she can search for what missing, she dies in a freak kebab-related accident. But inside of taking up residence in the afterlife, she gets the opportunity to reverse-Christmas-Carol her life and see the outcome of her life's choices not taken. In key moments of opportunity for travel, fame, marriage, or a high-powered career, Frankie explores the possible what-ifs, missed chances, and new beginnings in her life. What will starting over bring?

This book surprised me in all the best ways. While I wouldn't categorize it as a romance, per se, it had so many great elements of a thought-provoking and fun story. Being at a major crossroads in my own life, I not only enjoyed the escapism of this book, but also the chance to consider what my own life choices might yield in a season of beginning again. It's a playful, light concept of a plot, with a surprising amount of depth and meaning. A lovely read.

Thank you to Avon for the ARC (and Netgalley for the e-ARC) in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. BEGIN AGAIN is out now!

DNF’ing at 35%. I was pulled in by the synopsis, because I do like “what if I would’ve done this instead” kind of stories. But this one is falling flat, I’ve read this story before, in other books, and this one doesn’t stand out. The humor was cringy, and I didn’t really like Frankie. I am not interested enough to want to finish it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun book to read! A bit slow at times, but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. I love magical realism and time travel in romances. It was an emotional ride to go along with Frankie as she looked back at her past. I immediately found myself rooting for Frankie as she looked at these five different lives. The whole premise of the book is really thought provoking. How different choices at different times in life, could have lead to totally different outcomes. I don’t want to give too much more away, as I think the less you know the better!

Overall, a fun, thought provoking story that I recommend to readers who enjoy magical realism and time travel!

Begin Again-a standalone

by Helly Acton-never read author

Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication 4-2-24 Read 4-6-24

Format: eBook 405pgs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC💛 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

✔️ Contemporary Romance
✔️ Magical Realism
✔️ Time Travel
✔️ Found Family
✔️Fantasy

Summary- Frankie McKenzie feels like there should be more in her life. She's 36, lives in London, works as a gossip columnist, and is unlucky in love. When her friend Alice sets her up her with Olie Sarong, she abandons him at the restaurant on their first date which happens to be her birthday. She dies in a crazy accident with a kebab and is taken to" The Station." Her guide Mabel tells her she has a 2nd chance at life going back to five important crossroads in her life, and make alternate choices.


The plot was based on what ifs and missed opportunities in Frankie's life. She got to choose differently at these important intersections -The One Way Flight; The Marriage Proposal; The Fortune; The Fame; and The What If. She was given 24 hours and then she's swept back to Mabel. The most special times were reconciling with her mother in Mexico and realizing her college sweetheart Toby wasn't her HEA. I liked the constant of her friends Tom, Priya, and Alice. With or without a husband +family, a dream job, or security, they were her cheerleaders.

I really liked this time travel and 2nd chance at life novel. I've read books with similar subject matter, but Frankie's moment with each divergence was well developed and showed her the way to a new existence.

It's Frankie McKenzie's 36th birthday, and she's feeling unsettled. Before she can work out what's missing in life, she dies in a freak kebab-related accident. But life isn't over for Frankie, and she is given a second chance. Frankie is able to visit key moments in her past to see if different choices would lead to a more fulfilling life. Should she move to Mexico to teach English as a second language? Or say yes to the proposal of her college sweetheart, Toby? Perhaps she should have gotten back together with her rich ex-boyfriend, Callum. Or is having a high-powered media career the life she wants? Soon, Frankie will find out what her life would have been like if she had caught the one-way flight, accepted the marriage proposal, or went to the job interview. As she navigates the crossroads she previously faced, she will have to ask herself what she would change if she could begin again.

This book was an absolute delight from start to finish! Funny, charming, and thought-provoking, "Begin Again" will have you laughing out loud and feeling inspired. Frankie was the perfect main character. She was so fun and endearing, and her quirks and flaws made her relatable. Her friends were loveable and downright hilarious, and I was glad to see them in each of Frankie's different "lives." I thought that the pacing of the book was extremely well-done, with the perfect amount of time in each life so that it didn't feel like the story was dragging. I truly loved everything about this book, and my only complaint is that it ended too soon! One of my favorite books of the year for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Begin Again Helly Acton was a really quick, funny read but with some strong poignant moments that will speak with every reader. Well thought out characters and a really believable plot.
Superbly relatable, witty and hugely entertaining.
A great concept, good writing and fantastic narration, Begin Again turned out to be a winner for me.

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a light and fast read; I was only partly right. It was definitely a fast read because I was absolutely transfixed by the plot. Like Frankie, I have felt lost in life and gotten caught up in what-ifs, but unlike her, I haven’t had the opportunity to see what would have happened had I taken another path. The whole idea of being able to see what might have been was very intriguing to me, and I thought each scenario the author wrote was wholly different, but still very Frankie.

This book releases today, and you should totally buy it. Go, now!

If you’re looking for a heart-warming book look no further! While this has romance woven in throughout the book, it’s primarily a wonderful contemporary fiction. A story I think so many can enjoy. 😊

Frankie McKenzie has just turned 36. It’s her birthday and while some people might be spending it with family or friends, Frankie is on a date. And it’s going horribly. Or at least she thinks it is because all the others previously have. Instead of staying and suffering more embarrassment, Frankie decides to leave and grab her favorite chicken kebab on the way home. What she thought would be a pity walk home turns into her death.

Now she’s at “the station”, a place between life and what happens next. Frankie’s been given the incredible opportunity to finally find out what her life would look like if she had taken four different pathways a decade ago. Each pathway she’s given 24 hours and at that of the four, she must decide which life she wants to choose. But how can she even decide?

I absolutely loved Frankie. 💛 She’s witty, sarcastic, slightly insecure, and trying to find her way in life. At times I wanted to hug her character so badly because I related to how she felt. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to read a warm hug!

I love this concept, I think we all wonder “what if” from time to time.
This was a quick fun read following Frankie’s post death experience. She's given the chance to try on different lives based on her big crossroad decisions. It was so interesting to see how each decision drastically altered her life.
The overall tone is uplifting and I found myself feeling even more confident in my own life choices!

Read if you like:
#️⃣ Multiple Timelines
✨ Magical Realism
🎱 What if…
⏳ Life altering decisions

This book is for fans of The Midnight Library, Maybe in Another Life, or Just Like Heaven.

When Frankie slips and falls after making one of her many non-decision decisions her timeline is cut artificially short, but lucky for her, she ends up in the between and offered a look at what her life would look like if she had made different choices at 5 different times of her life that if she had chosen differently would have sent her to different paths that she will ultimately have to decide which path is right for her?

Will Frankie take a…
✈️ One way flight to Mexico
💍 Say Yes
💰Stay in a toxic relationship
📝 attend an intimidating job interview
🍝 Stay instead of running off

This story is filled with humor, charm, feminist views of women and their roles and relationships, and thought provoking questions of what path is the right path when all choices have their pros and cons.

As someone that struggles with anxiety, this was one of those reads I will think of often as it continues to remind me that letting my anxiety keep me from making decisions is only letting myself down… and that we can always choose to begin again.

Thank you so so so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Books with concepts like this are always fun to read! In the afterlife or the "middle," Frankie is given 5 chances to visit her past or the "could've been lives."

It was refreshing to see Frankie go through all her choices again and see what really happened. Some lives were ideal, and some were downright miserable. But I loved how her friends were common in every life.

In the end, I was glad Frankie chose the right life AND the right love interest. The love interest went from being invisible to swoony in a hot second, and I absolutely loved it. I genuinely wished he had more scenes though!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf 25%. There's nothing "wrong" with this book it just wasn't a good fit for me. I liked the idea of the story but I struggled to connect with the Frankie and where it is single POV it's hard to continue when you don't connect with the main character. I found myself skimming and then being lost because I was skimming. This just wasn't the book for me, so I'm putting it down.

I loved the magical realism and the plot. Her story line didn't grab me from the beginning and was a little slow . Once you get into it, it gets going and becomes more interesting. i love the concept of different lives and decisions making those lives.

Begin Again asks the classic question of what if? What if I stayed with that man, if I took that other job, if I traveled instead of starting my career? It is relatable and well written, making for a fun read.

Frankie slips on a kebab and dies, landing in a form of purgatory. She is told she will be sent to five different lives, all based on a big decision she made in her past, and then she must choose one of these lives or go forward to the Final Destination. She experiences 24 hours in each of the five lives, spanning different continents and vastly different Frankies along the way.

I loved the premise here and liked that she was in each life for only 24 hours, a perfect amount of time to see each life. I liked how the overall message seemed to be that there is always good and bad, and that your choices are what make the difference. Frankie is terrified to make choices in her original life, and these other lives show her just what her own choices can do.

Frankie is able to focus on what is most important to her- her friends and family, being true to herself, and not settling. I loved what her final choice was and found it to be fitting to Frankie, who definitely grew up along the way. This story feels light hearted, with plenty of ridiculous moments and funny dialogue between Frankie and her best friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All opinions are my own

This book was not good. I have read a lot of books that had a similar plot. If this book was more original I would have rated it higher. But frankly I just found myself really bored with this book. This one was just not for me.

This one was so unique and wonderful. I loved getting to experience all the different lives Frankie could have lived. Each was so different, but showcased there is no perfect life. This one had good humor, but also an important message on loving the life we are living.

Begin Again by Helly Acton is a must-read for anyone who’s ever wondered about the road not taken.

Have you ever wanted to change the past and discover the result of choices not taken? Now, in this brilliantly fun novel of what-ifs, missed chances, and new beginnings, Frankie McKenzie discovers what starting over might bring…

Frankie Makenzie is stuck in a rut. It seems like all her friends have moved on – relationships, kids, career, everyone else seems to have figured out this adulting thing – but not Frankie. No relationship, tiny flat, job that she’s been in for way too long that doesn’t fulfill her, and wondering why she’s not happier, Frankie feels like her life is a mess. Until one night, after an unfortunate accident, Frankie dies and finds herself with a second chance to go back to pivotal crossroad moments in her life and see where a different decision might have led her. The relationship, the career, the fame, the fortune, the adventure - given 24 hours to try on each parallel life to see how it fits, Frankie gets a do-over to begin again.

This was such a fun read! It had well-drawn characters, a loveable MC, engaging writing, and a compelling premise. Strongly recommend!

If you had the chance to go back and do it all over again, what would you change?

Thank you to @avonbooks @harpercollins and @NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.