"Again, but Better", by: Christine Riccio, is her debut novel which was released in May of this year. In January of 2016, she began doing a video series on her successful YouTube channel, Polandbananasbooks, to record her book writing journey. I started watching her book channel in high school, but as the years passed I slowly stopped watching them, that is until this year. In the spring I was in a writing class and I needed something to make me laugh and her videos came to mind. That's when I found her writing vlog and it helped me through the end of my writing class with confidence. :) Basically when I found out her book was being published in May, I couldn't wait to support her with purchasing and reading her new book. Here we go with what it's about, if you don't already know, and then what I thought about it.
What is this book about???
It is about a twenty year old college student who goes to London for a study abroad trip. She is doing the study abroad in order to "do college better", because she hasn't made any friends while there, spends all of her time in her dorm studying and reading alone and hasn't dated or kissed anyone while there. The story goes on from the time she gets off the plane in England, to when she goes back to New York. There is drama, romance, and a little magic in this contemporary romance novel. :)
The brief, non-spoiler review is, it began slow and doesn't pick up or get better until the middle, in Part 2. After that though, I really began to enjoy this book and I would recommend it if you can get passed the first 184 pages. :)
Now if you haven't read the book run, run now!!!!! There will be spoilers after this! :)
Avert eyes now!!!
My thoughts on this novel.
I will start by sating this. As you already, or should already know, there is a letter to the reader from Christine in the beginning of the book, before the story starts. Reading that in the book store was one of the main reasons why I purchased the book wholesale, instead of waiting for it to show up in the half priced book store. I connected to the person she was describing, which was herself in college, because that is me in college. I have made new friends here, but for a short while, and for one reason or the other we drifted apart rapidly. I have dated in college and currently have a boyfriend, whom I love and adore. However, I have felt lonely like she did, I do keep to myself in my apartment reading books and studying, I do feel like I have been left behind sometimes by my peers who have already graduated and moved on with their careers, gotten married, started their families and overall had their lives together by the time they were 22 and out of college. Me, I am 25, just now finishing up my bachelor's degree in English Literature, after switching from Psychology, not married, but have a wonderful boyfriend who I can see myself marrying one day, and no children. I am grateful for what I do have, but reading her letter helped me to know that I was not alone in "being left behind" and that was the whole point she was trying to make in that letter which put tears in my eyes and chills through my body.
And then the story began......
I am going to put a disclaimer out there for any Christine Riccio fans. I am also a fan of hers, and I think she is probably a wonderful person. My review of her debut novel is not a reflection on how I think of her as a human. Disclaimer over.
I had high expectations for this novel, I was talking about it with my family and boyfriend all the time. This was my number one anticipated book of 2019! So when I was able to purchase it, I was SO EXCITED to read it! I began reading it at the beginning of the last week in July and finished it on the very last day in July.
The beginning of the book was slow and boring. There is no other way to put it. I found it dull and uninteresting, until the parents surprised Shane in London and basically cussed her out and yelled at her in front of her new friends, because she lied to them about there being a premed program, but instead she is there studying writing and has an internship at a travel magazine. That is when the story got more interesting. The reasons why I didn't particularly enjoy the first part was being the names, Pilot being the main one I did not like at all. Another reason was Shane's character, she acted like a fifteen year old with her very first crush ever, she was annoying with her obnoxious personality and how she named everything she owned. The overall plot of part 1 was flat and seemed more like a retelling of someone's vacation written from a diary.
Then Part 2 happened, and I started to really enjoy the book. Shay's character acted more mature, thankfully since part 2 starts six years after part 1 ends. She was funnier, more down to earth and more likable. The plot was also more interesting with Pilot and Shane's love story at the center of it. I enjoyed the elevator scene when they are sent back in the past six years and basically get a second chance to do their relationship over again. The part of their romance in which people on Goodreads and Youtube aren't okay with was when Shane and Pilot kiss each other while he is still with Amy, one of them called her a homewrecker??? I think that's going a bit far, especially since Pilot and Amy weren't married, that's not being a homewrecker when the two people are just dating and don't have a home together lol. So I didn't take that to heart as much as other people have. By the time I got to page 266 I had to put a note in my book for this review. It is for future Christine and her next book, please please PLEASE show more of the important scenes in the story and less summarizing them. After that page the summarizing important scenes improved, but just as a note to her in the future the whole book should be that way.
Some scenes I loved were the French hostile love scene with Shane and Pilot, it was so cute and funny reading about them fumbling around in the shower while kissing. :) The line Pilot says to Shane about how falling in love is scary, "It's all part of the vulnerable idiot experience." It made me laugh because it is true, being in love and being vulnerable is scary and worth all at the same time. :) The scene when that occurs is the one when Shane is in Scotland and Pilot surprises her with a mini concert apologizing for being stupid.I loved that scene and it reminded me of the last scene in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie when Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth unknowingly meet at dawn in a field and get back together, except modern. It is a romantic scene which melted my heart. :) <3
The Epilogue when Pilot talks with the interviewer while Shane was in the BR made me laugh and love Pilot more. Page 369 for example was the key part, "Oh, are you obsessed with the Beatles too like Ian in the book?" Pilot: "I mean- (He shrugs and pulls a weird, fat, wooden-doll version of John Lennon from his pocket...." It made me laugh so much! Then on pages 372-373 there's the cute proposal scene, which I thought was the perfect ending to a sweet story.
Reading two of the deleted scenes made me want to go back and re-watch her writing videos, and the journey she went on with this book. I did just that, not all of them, but I did with the beginning few. :)
This book started out as a two star rating and then as it progressed it earned a solid three star rating from me. :) It is cute and fun to read, in the future if I need a pick-me-up this is one I will be turning to. :)
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