For those of you who don't know, I was supposed to study abroad in France (at the Sorbonne, no less), but was unable to do so thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, I've been especially relying on books as a form of travel this past year, which I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. So, I picked up Again, But Better by Christine Riccio in hopes of studying abroad vicariously through the main character, Shane. As a current college student living through the COVID-19 pandemic, I definitely relate to Shane's desire for escape and change, and feeling like I'm "doing college wrong." I'll admit that I'm a fan of Christine's video's on YouTube, and had followed her writing journey, so I was excited to read the book; however, I'd like to think that I'm a pretty objective person and went into the story with an open mind (I refuse to love or hate something simply because a "YouTuber" wrote it; I'll form my opinions based off the content, thanks).
Again, But Better is a YA contemporary rom-com that follows Shane, a college junior who's going through a crisis. She doesn't have any friends, has never had a boyfriend, and hates her (pre-med) major. In an effort to change things for the better, Shane enrolls in a study abroad program in London for creative writing—and doesn't tell her parents that none of her classes will count towards her degree. There, she meets Pilot Penn—a guy who's as cool as he is charming—and things start to look up. However, it's not all good times and blue skies, and soon, Shane will have to make some tough choices that will alter the course of her life.
My Rating
Disclaimer: While I've done my best to keep the review mostly spoiler free, there may be some mild spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk!
Impact: Initial gut reaction. Would you recommend it to others? Would you read it again? Did you not want it to end?
0.5/1
I read this book when I was in a similar emotional place to Shane, so I know that the impact is going to be swayed because of that. I'm not someone who reads a ton of contemporary YA, and when I do, it's usually because I'm looking to identify with the emotional journey that the character is going through. As such, I can totally see myself rereading this book at some point in the future (and not just because I'm a chronic re-reader), and potentially recommending it to someone who needs a fast, lighthearted read with a main character dealing with feeling lost and on the precipice of adulthood. In general, I had a lot of fun with this book, and it was compelling enough that I finished it in a day. There were some scenes that have lingered with me several weeks after finishing it (such as the dinner scene in Part 1, or the hostel bathroom scene in Part 2, or Shane and Leo's email conversation—which literally made me cry, despite being less than a page long). Despite how much fun the book was, I wouldn't classify it as a favorite, and I didn't finish the book and immediately force all of my friends to read it (as I'm prone to do with books I really love).
Theme: Was the theme clear, understandable, and intriguing? Did you walk away learning/thinking/feeling something?
0.5/1
At its core, this was a story of first experiences and second chances. It's about stepping out of your shell and welcoming uncertainty. There were themes of feeling anxious, lonely, and inferior, which I related to hard. The themes were pretty consistent with coming-of-age stories, but focused on how there is no "right" age to have milestone experiences, and Shane's journey absolutely encompassed this theme. I appreciated that there were also undertones of learning to strike a work-life balance, which we see Shane struggle with throughout the book. Even if the themes weren't deeply philosophical, they were there, and they were grounded in very real emotions and experiences, which helped drive the story forward.
Plot: Was the premise unique and entertaining? Good story arc? Satisfying conflict/resolution? Did the structure of the book suit the storytelling?
0.5/1
Personally, I enjoyed Part 1 more than Part 2 (for reasons that I won't spoil here, but let's just say it felt slower to me). This isn't to say that Part 2 was without it's good moments—there were some really excellent arcs in Part 2—but I think it took a little longer to get to them. Overall, the story arc felt complete and I enjoyed a lot of aspects of it (particularly the climax of Part 1); however, I did not like the ending. There, I said it. It was a little too cheesy for me (I'm thinking specifically of the scene of Shane in Scotland), and I was especially unsatisfied with the epilogue. I simply didn't believe the resolution between Shane and her parents, and I needed to see that get resolved on the page. There was too much tension for me to conceive that things were as idyllic as they were depicted. I was also a little disappointed that some of the characters seemed to drop off in Part 2, and we never get to see the resolution of their arcs, which would've made me feel more satisfied with the story and the book feel more complete, in my opinion.
Characters: Were the characters interesting? Well developed? Did they have clear motives? Did they avoid tropes/stereotypes?
0.5/1
Before I can even start to talk about characters, I need to address the elephant in the room: the overabundance of ~quirky~ names in this book. Now, I can get behind some unconventionally named characters (for example, Shane was fine), but when you have four—four!!—characters with super bookish names, I have to pause. If it wasn't bad enough that the love interest was named Pilot Penn, his roommate's name was Atticus. It's just unbelievable that all of these people who conveniently had ~main character names~ were living together in one quad (yes, I'm aware this is fiction, and so the author can do whatever she wants; however, I found it distracting). In fact, the only name that I can get behind (besides Shane) is Babe, because we learn that she gave herself that nickname, which explains why her name is so unique. Now, I understand that in the grand scheme of things, character names aren't a make-or-break issue (for me, at least), but it's definitely something to note.
With that out of the way, I can actually discuss the substance of the characters. To be honest, I tottered on the edge of 0.5 and 1 point for this category, namely because I loved Shane's arc so, so much, but I do think there were a couple of characters who really got lost in Part 2 (namely, Sahra and Atticus, who kind of disappeared after Paris). I also would have loved to see more of Leo in the story, since he would have been a powerful foil for Shane (and, I think, still was), but I didn't get to see the resolution that I wanted from him, which was a bit of a let down. The red-haired lady was another character that I could've lived without, because she wasn't necessary or well developed enough to include. Perhaps my biggest critique (and the deciding factor between 1 or 0.5 points) was Shane's insistence on calling Pilot "Pies;" this is one of my least favorite literary tropes of all time, because it's the easy way of establishing that characters have a deeper or more intimate relationship than they actually do. It always is forced when characters give each other nicknames after knowing each other for mere hours, and I had to roll my eyes when it happened here.
All that to be said, I really did love Shane's growth over the story, and there was a distinct difference in self-talk, mannerisms, and maturity from Part 1 to Part 2. I loved getting to see Shane grow into herself and work towards what she wanted and make mistakes along the way. It was messy and real. And I loved that. I know that some people have problems with how over-the-top Shane seems (particularly in Part 1), but I thought it was fitting for someone who was a little geeky and didn't quite feel comfortable navigating social situations yet. It also contrasted wonderfully with Part 2, where she matures quite a bit and grows far more sure of herself and what she wants out of life.
Dialogue: Did the dialogue support the storytelling? Was it believable, natural, not awkward, non anachronistic, not cliché?
0.5/1
I mention it elsewhere in my review, but dear God, "lamppost" and "Pies" were some of the most cliché (and subsequently, my least favorite) aspects of the whole book. I'm all for cheesy, romantic moments, but something about that dialogue was a bit too bookish for me to get behind. In general, I think Pilot and Shane's flirting was some of my least favorite dialogue because it often came off too forced or fell flat for me (that's not to say it was all bad, but a lot of their super flirty moments didn't jive with me). I also didn't love the red-haired lady's dialogue, because it seemed like it was intended to be more mysterious or suave than I interpreted it. She was just vague and a little rude. However, I really enjoyed all of the characters' serious dialogue—there's not a ton of serious moments in this book, but the ones that are there are studded with some very emotional, very grounded dialogue. The characters (Shane, especially) had some really funny dialogue that felt very natural to me. Overall, the dialogue was fine, and for the most part, it fit well within the story.
Prose: How was the writing? Did the author have a uniform vision that was executed well? Did the timing work? Were there no obvious flaws in any other elements? Could you feel the author’s touch and see their vision?
0.5/1
I know that there are a number of people online who were unhappy with the prose of this book, and I kind of disagree. It was certainly an informal, colloquial style of writing, but I didn't really have a problem with it. It fit the tone of the story and characterized Shane well. Did it sometimes read like an inexperienced/debut author? Sure, but most debut novels do, so I won't fault her too much for that. In general, I think the writing was funny, and it was accessible for a broad age range without coming off as too childish for older audiences, which is usually a pretty tough balance to strike. All this to be said, my big complaint with the writing were all of the pop culture references. I'm the type of reader who likes stories that can exist outside of the time period it's set in, and this is very much not that. I understand the incorporation of some cultural touchstones as a way of characterizing Shane as a pop culture geek, but there were too many for my taste—and I particularly didn't like all of the music references. I loved the chapter titles as song references, but including literal lyrics of real songs within the book was a little cringey to me (especially the moments where Pilot and Shane sing "Wrecking Ball" and when Shane's in Scotland). Because of the too-frequent references to pop culture (and "lamppost," which I won't get into here, for the sake of #NoSpoilers—just know that I hated it), I had to dock half a point, but I definitely wouldn't say that the book is poorly written.
Setting: Did the world add to or distract from the story? Was the world well-developed and immersive?
0.5/1
The physical spaces in this story were pretty well developed and did emphasize the excitement of traveling to new places and going on adventures in various European cities. I always felt clear about where Shane & co. were at any given moment, and I never felt like there was too much or too little about the setting. That being said, the book was very grounded in 2011...albeit, a little too much for my taste. We get lots of references to remind of us the time period (which, I mentioned before, isn't my cup of tea), and I think it's a bit overdone and could be a bit distracting at times. The magic system was also a bit confusing, which I know it was intentionally ambiguous. Yet, I still didn't quite understand why and how the magic was in place, or what the role of the "spirit guide" was. Seriously...what was her angle? Was she magical or was she just facilitating some outside magical force? Why was she constantly lingering nearby?? I have a lot of questions, and no answers in sight.
Representation: Was the book inclusive? What communities were being represented? Were they being represented well? Did they avoid stereotypes?
0.5/1
Christine Riccio definitely made an effort to include characters from diverse backgrounds, which I appreciated, even if it the representation was a little superficial. We got to see a range of complex women who supported one another, which was refreshing to read in a YA novel since I think it's easy for YA authors to lean into beloved (also read: tired) tropes. I appreciated that a large portion of the characters were not white, including Shane's boss, who was a woman of color and was a powerful role model for Shane. There's also some LGBTQ+ representation—albeit, it's only one character. Overall, I appreciated Riccio's efforts to include diverse characters in her book, however, I wouldn't point to this book as an example of top-tier diversity in literature.
Audience: Who was the audience for the book? Was it appropriate for that age group? Could other age ranges enjoy the story?
1/1
This book was for lovers of rom-coms or YA contemporary stories, which isn't usually my genre, but I enjoyed it for what it was. I love that this book was focused on the older spectrum of YA readers, because there's very little of that represented in the YA genre as of now. As I mentioned early, the prose is super colloquial, so it's accessible for younger readers but it doesn't come off as pandering to college-age audiences. Naturally, the content matter makes it a good book for high school students who are getting ready to graduate and move on to college or current college students who feel isolated, but, again, I think that any age could read it and enjoy it.
Cover: Judge a book by its cover. Was the cover compelling or appropriate for the story? Did the blurb spoil anything it shouldn't have?
1/1
I absolutely loved the book jacket and hardcover design. As someone who takes off the book jackets while I'm reading, I'm a sucker for books with pretty hardcovers, and this was no exception. The stamped watermelon plus the yellow endpapers fit the whimsical, romantic tone of the story and spoke to the part of me that loves aesthetic books. The interior design was also great, and I thought the fonts and special formatting (for journal entries, emails, etc.) were appropriate and added to the storytelling. I thought the blurb was great and summarized the book well without spoiling anything, which I appreciated. My one grievance is with the back of the book jacket; I kind of hate it. The design itself isn't bad, but I think it reduces the book to Shane's relationship with Pilot, which is such a limited representation of the story. And I know, I know, romance sells, but if the book hadn't already been on my radar, I don't think I would have been enticed to read it based on reading the back of the jacket. Other than that, everything about the design was spectacular, so I stand by my decision to give it a 1.
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