Review of Begin Again by Emma Lord

I was excited to try this new book by the author of Tweet Cute. A story of grief, growth, and knowing your worth, Begin Again was a charming read. Check out my Review of Begin Again by Emma Lord

Begin Again by Emma Lord

To be published on January 24, 2023 by Wednesday Books. Thanks to the publisher for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Andie has a plan: transfer from community college to the hyper competitive Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self-help figure despite the nerves that have recently thrown her for a loop. All it will take is ruthless organization, hard work, and her trademark unrelenting enthusiasm to pull it all together.

But the moment Andie arrives, the rest of her plans go off the rails. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor gets more complicated when she discovers he transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Her roommate Shay needs a major, and despite Andie’s impressive track record of being The Fixer, she’s stumped on how to help. And Milo, her coffee-guzzling grump of an R.A. with seafoam green eyes, is somehow disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships one sleep-deprived wisecrack at a time.

Andie starts to find the power of her voice 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.

What Else Has Emma Lord Written?

Her first book (2020) was the adorable Tweet Cute, a story of two teens serving as social media managers for their families’ competing restaurants. She followed that with You Have a Match in 2021, a book that had a bit of a weird premise. After that, she wrote When You Get the Chance (2022).

Her books tend to be long, with rather complex plots and a lot of issues and relationships.

Review of Begin Again by Emma Lord

I was excited to read this one! I love YA Books Set in College and think there should be more of them!

Andie was a character who was easy to empathize with and also, I’ll be honest, someone I sometimes wanted to shake. (But that is a teenager for you, right?)

Her brand-new college roommate was an adorable bookstagrammer. I was a bit suspicious of that, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable part of the plot.

The whole “following in her mother’s footsteps” was sort of understandable (and very poignant) but it was talked about a lot. Like, a LOT.

The romance was super-cute. Loved that. As you can tell from the synopsis, there was a bit of a triangle situation, so if that is an issue for you, be warned.

And guys, there was a twist! I was reading this at the same time as a friend who said she totally saw it coming, but I did NOT. I was not reading a thriller, so I wasn’t expecting that at all.

If you love books about teen characters learning to stand on their own and let their confidence grow, I’d definitely recommend this title. And if you love YA books set in college, check out my brand new book list: Books to Read if You Love The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO. Have you watched the show? The title is horrible, but season one is defiantly worth a watch!