Begin Again by Emma Lord
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Hello, I am back with yet another Emma Lord book to talk about! Can you tell she’s a house favorite? You can check out my other reviews here: Tweet Cute, When You Get The Chance, & You Have a Match.
Begin Again follows Andie, a mid-year freshman transfer at the ultra-competitive Blue Ridge State, freshly arrived and already off the rails of her immaculate 5-year Life PlanTM. As things go awry with her long-term boyfriend (she transferred here, he transferred back), she hunts for the paths her late mother left on this very college campus so many years ago. She never meant to fall into her footsteps so directly though…
What I Liked:
- The characters!! Milo, Shay, Valeria & Andie — I loved them all!!! (Okay, mostly Milo, but still.) I don’t know how she does it, but Emma writes the best characters. Or I could just have a very similar sense of humor to her and thereby find all her characters wholesome and hilarious.
- I did love the setting of Blue Ridge State. The college campus vibe was very nostalgic for me. Although my school didn’t have a chicken coop, arboreum, or Bagelopolis.
- The radio show plot is really fun! After this and The Ex Talk, I really need to pick up more romances with radio hosts.
- All of the Taylor Swift references, whether hidden or not-so-hidden, were fun for me to stumble upon. I love that Emma Lord is a swiftie too lol.
- Emma has a sweet tooth and loves all things foodie and cute, and it come through in every book. AND I’M NOT COMPLAINING!! I actually could have used more sweets in this one. The disaster patry confections always make me gravitate to my own kitchen to whip up something tasty as well.
What I Didn’t Like:
- No notes! But I did get second-hand stressed from all of Andie’s antics…
Recap:
So basically if you would like to read a wholesome, slightly deranged, fluffy masterpiece filled with Eternal Darkness and couture bagel matchups, Begin Again is for you! I honestly can’t recommend Emma Lord’s writing enough. I feel like she has mastered the balance between cotton candy fun and realistic behavior/problems.
4.5/5 stars
Thanks for reading!
xoxo, Bree
Words About Words 
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. It was especially fun reading it at this time in my life because I’m currently living not far from where the setting is based on (Charlottesville, VA). The story was adorable and I gobbled it up. Then I went and bought the book from the bookstore referenced in the book and got bagels from the place Bagelopolis is based on hahaha. It was quite a fun little way to celebrate the story!
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