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ellemnope 's review for:

Begin Again by Emma Lord
4.0
lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Emma Lord is excellent at writing cute YA contemporaries and her 4th novel is no exception. This cozy college set read is fun and entertaining. It's a fairly quick read with just enough drama. It does have a good amount of predictability and there was some lapse in logic and believability around one of the major "twists", but it was still enjoyable.

Lord's characters are cute and have a decent dollop of diversity without feeling forced. Excellent roommate/best friend set up and a good surrounding friend group. Milo is the most adorable thing on the planet and I definitely would read more about him. Andie is a decent protagonist with some past trauma that she works out in an age-appropriate manner. She is a little quirky and occasionally overly cutesy, but I liked her all the same.

However, everything surrounding her relationship with Connor fell flat for me. For all the commentary on how he was such a great boyfriend and their relationship and friendship were so good, there was ZERO to demonstrate that for me as a reader. He felt like a chump from page one and their relationship did not feel like anything of the sort. I've had a better relationship with my toaster.

Still...despite it's flaws, I enjoyed the storyline and I will revisit the fact that Milo is magnificent. We could all do with a Milo.