Emma Lord

Begin Again

Sarah Campbell

I am taken back to how familiar he seemed when we first met. Maybe it wasn’t just that I knew his voice. There’s a specific kind of grief that comes with losing someone you love, the kind that is always skimming just under the surface; the kind so universal that you can’t help recognizing it in someone else, even if you don’t know what you’re seeing yet. 

See, when you have the "dead mom" card in your playing deck everything in your world is just a little bit tilted sideways. The kids you were close to growing up suddenly hesitate to talk about their own moms in front of you, or even the rest of their problems, like they're worried to bother you with them when they think it doesn't compare to yours. The adults in your small town are extra nice to you, sneaking you gumballs at the grocery store checkout line, showing up in full force whenever you host a car wash fundraiser. And eventually you get a little older and look around and realize that there's a mark on you that's followed you around, some shadow that's colored everything that's happened to you since. Marked you as an "other" with your friends, so you can never quite relate to them the same way you did. Given you little boosts with everyone else, like they could ever make up for the worst thing that ever happened to vou

This was okay, but it was definitely mid for me.

The perfect way to describe this reading experience for me is that it is a perfect book to read during the work week: it isn't addicting, so I don't care that I have to go to work and stop reading. But also, it's good enough that I don't feel like I'm wasting my time.

This was okay, but it was definitely mid for me.

The perfect way to describe this reading experience for me is that it is a perfect book to read during the work week: it isn't addicting, so I don't care that I have to go to work and stop reading. But also, it's good enough that I don't feel like I'm wasting my time.

Absolutely loved this one & flewwww through it! From the scavenger hunt to the fun supporting characters to that college feeling of failing a class that most of us can relate to, this was sooo good. I honestly feel that YA romances teach us more life lessons than adult ones. A big big fan of this one and highly recommend!

Kerry Kalinoski

Going in, knew this book would be at least four stars for me because Emma Lord's books are always four-five stars. Begin Again was a lot of fun because you have those academic vibes, but it's light academia, not dark academia. Andie was such a sweet character, and I loved her a lot. The plot was interesting because you followed Andie on her quest for answers about her mom, and you saw her find love after a heartbreak. Emma Lord is a fantastic writer, and her style works perfect for the YA contemporary genre. There were a few romances in this book, Andie and Milo were sweet, and a fantastic couple. I also loved Shay and Val as romance. I recommend this to fans for the YA genre.

Steph L 

Andie Rose has finally gotten the transfer she had been waiting for to Blue Ridge State University where her boyfriend, Conner, has been in attendance for the entire first semester of the school year.  Hoping to surprise Conner, Andi doesn't know until she arrives is that he has also transferred to the community college where she attended the semester before.  Andie is heartbroken, but makes the best of the situation, knowing that her passion for fixing things for others will help her establish herself on campus, but her new RA, Milo and her roommate, Shay, as well as her tough classes make her realize that finding her place at Blue Ridge State may be more difficult than she thinks.

Begin Again is the YA equivalent of women's fiction with a focus on Andie who is trying to find her place in the world while juggling school and a load of baggage relating to her parents.  As with all Emma Lord novels, Begin Again immerses the reader into the life of the protagonist including her thoughts and feelings.  This book also adds some unique and fun aspects of college life, connecting to Andie's past that create layers in this well developed plot.  The only issue with the story is romance that seems almost like an after-thought.  Overall, however, Begin Again is an entertaining YA romantic drama that draws in the reader and doesn't let go until the very end.

Lynn Braden

Andie Rose has finally gotten the transfer she had been waiting for to Blue Ridge State University where her boyfriend, Conner, has been in attendance for the entire first semester of the school year.  Hoping to surprise Conner, Andi doesn't know until she arrives is that he has also transferred to the community college where she attended the semester before.  Andie is heartbroken, but makes the best of the situation, knowing that her passion for fixing things for others will help her establish herself on campus, but her new RA, Milo and her roommate, Shay, as well as her tough classes make her realize that finding her place at Blue Ridge State may be more difficult than she thinks.

Begin Again is the YA equivalent of women's fiction with a focus on Andie who is trying to find her place in the world while juggling school and a load of baggage relating to her parents.  As with all Emma Lord novels, Begin Again immerses the reader into the life of the protagonist including her thoughts and feelings.  This book also adds some unique and fun aspects of college life, connecting to Andie's past that create layers in this well developed plot.  The only issue with the story is romance that seems almost like an after-thought.  Overall, however, Begin Again is an entertaining YA romantic drama that draws in the reader and doesn't let go until the very end.

This is my second Emma Lord book and is probably my new favorite one. This story follows Andie Rose who is starting her second semester of college at her dream school, where her mother also went. She is planning to surprise her boyfriend, but he transfers back home too. So now she's alone knowing no one on campus, trying to find her place on campus. This is such a good coming of age story and I love seeing stories set in college!! 

Begin Again

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