Again, But Better

Again, But Better

  • Downloads:9053
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-06-23 07:51:15
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Christine Riccio
  • ISBN:1250299268
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

From one of the most followed booktubers today, comes Again, but Better, a story about second chances, discovering yourself, and being brave enough to try again。

Shane has been doing college all wrong。 Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane's made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that?

Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat。 Time's a ticking, and she needs a change—there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up。 Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London。 She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure!

Easier said than done。 She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart。

Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything。 Throw in some fate and a touch of magic—the possibilities are endless。

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Reviews

Willow

Okay, the overall plot was unique and interesting, but the writing style was definitely not what I am used to。 This is probably biased, but I’m still giving it a 3 star review for creativity。 The amount of exclamation marks used is iMmAcuLaTe。 It brings away the meaning of an exclamation mark to the point where it doesn't “work” anymore。 I liked the storyline and all, but using “Yeah! That’s cool!” instead of “Yeah, that’s cool” is a little too much for me。 But that’s just my personal opinion。 O Okay, the overall plot was unique and interesting, but the writing style was definitely not what I am used to。 This is probably biased, but I’m still giving it a 3 star review for creativity。 The amount of exclamation marks used is iMmAcuLaTe。 It brings away the meaning of an exclamation mark to the point where it doesn't “work” anymore。 I liked the storyline and all, but using “Yeah! That’s cool!” instead of “Yeah, that’s cool” is a little too much for me。 But that’s just my personal opinion。 Other than that, it’s a good two day-ish read, and it’ll entertain you。 。。。more

Reilyn

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 I was not expecting the time travel to occur in this book, so the writing kept me engaged。 However, there were some aspects of the characters that I didn’t like。 For instance, Pilot wouldn’t break up with Amy because he said he wasn’t good with confrontation。 On the other hand, I did like the dynamic between Shane and Pilot。 It was also interesting to pay attention to the small details that connected 2011 and 2011 (take two)。 I also like that this book was a quick and easy read。

Ashley Blaes

When I first went into this, I had SUCH high hopes for this story, I really did。 In fact, this is my first ever in-depth review that I've given less than 3 stars which is so disappointing。 When ABB first came out, I found myself immediately drawn to this book based on the synopsis alone because it pertains so much to the situation I currently find myself in: a lonely girl and aspiring writer looking to shake things up as she prepares to depart for a study abroad experience in London。 So many boo When I first went into this, I had SUCH high hopes for this story, I really did。 In fact, this is my first ever in-depth review that I've given less than 3 stars which is so disappointing。 When ABB first came out, I found myself immediately drawn to this book based on the synopsis alone because it pertains so much to the situation I currently find myself in: a lonely girl and aspiring writer looking to shake things up as she prepares to depart for a study abroad experience in London。 So many books neglect to mention or just altogether skip talking about characters experiencing their early 20's。 So naturally, as a 21-year-old, I thought this was exactly the kind of book I needed to read and that it couldn't have come at a more opportune time。 But I was sorely disappointed and honestly think this book feels like a second draft or needs one final pass before being considered a finished novel。 To start, I had no preconceived notion of the author's BookTube fame since I've never watched her videos, and therefore, I was not biased going into this one。 I will say that I read it in one day which is a rarity for me and quite refreshing。 This was in large part to the at best, easy prose style, and at worst, juvenile clunky writing。 The setting is just breezed right through, which is ironic considering the main character travels to so many amazing picturesque locations and yet we hardly get to visualize any of it。 The pacing is a little off because the author probably felt she had to cram everything in just to fit in the plot twist/part two do-over。 There were so many opportune moments to show rather than tell but the settings just didn't do it for me because the scenes felt rushed or glossed over at best。The characters' interactions felt stulted and one dimensional, especially Shane's parents and her conflict with them。 Atticus was one of the only characters I actually liked, yet we hardly get any page time with him! The plot twist almost had me DNF'ing the book because it so nearly negated any and all true growth for our main character。 I thought the "Again, but Better" title would come into play more in the realm of "it's never too late to change your path and carve out a new future for yourself" and not what actually happened in order for part two to occur because now suddenly magic gets involved?? This is technically a character-driven novel yet somehow the flat-mates failed to entice me and I felt there was a lost opportunity to show our protagonist connecting with British students。 Shane constantly compared London to everything back home and was always saying how crazy and profound it was that England does things "differently" such as having the street signs posted on the sides of buildings rather than mounted on lampposts (don't EVEN get me started on "lamppost"。 Gretchen, stop trying to make lamppost happen。 It's NOT going to happen!)。 Honey, you're studying abroad in a foreign country, and while I can definitely sympathize with culture shock, you have to understand prior to travel that you can't compare everything to America because yes, all countries do things differently- what would be the point of travel in the first place then if not to experience new things and ways of life?I found Shane's only personality trait was just knocking over chairs and calling it "social anxiety" which was so infuriating and just made her seem clumsy and at most awkward in a sort of forced "quirky" way。 The relationship between Shane and Pilot Penn (I kid you not, like the ballpoint pen stationary) felt unrealistic if only because it was so instant and the connection was a bit forced。 And why! Is everyone! So! Excited all the time! Honestly, the amount of times I had to read how a character laughed with some variation of the word "laughed" on every single page made my eyes roll uncontrollably。 The dialogue felt insignificant and like filler in most scenes which was odd considering this book is 75% dialogue。 I felt that every single time a character spoke there was a descriptive dialogue tag。 The lines weren't given room to breathe and conversations felt clunky because the tags kept pulling me out of the already awkward humor。 The "witty" banter between Shane and "Pies"--while cute at times-- felt cringey and I wanted to smack my forehead because they were so unaware of other people's personal space in most scenes。 And the cheating subplot? No thanks, keep that far away from me, no matter how "accidental" it is。 I honestly just wanted Shane to end up single and happily writing by the end of it because, while Pilot could be charming at times, I didn't truly love them together。 When it comes to all the pop culture references, frankly, I think adding so many lyrics and song titles paying homage to the early 2010's makes a work become outdated and unrelatable very quickly, but maybe that's just me。 I honestly wanted to love this book, I really did。 And while it may seem like I have nothing but negative things to say about "Again, but Better" I do think I should take myself down a notch and commend the author on her efforts。 I really connected with the overall theme of learning to trust yourself and take a chance to bravely step into the unknown in order to challenge yourself and reach your goals。 I want that for myself too, hence my impending move across the Pond, so this theme particularly resonated with me。 Like I said, not many books explore characters who are struggling to find themselves in their early twenties, and as someone who is currently part of this demographic, it was refreshing to see that I'm not alone in my worries about the future and my own personal milestones being so far behind everyone else, or so it seems。 This story was clearly based on the author's life and I can tell she has a lot of nostalgia for that semester abroad, which I can respect。 She made a story out of her experiences and at the end of the day, she's the one with a published book and I'm not。 I commend her on her hard work and efforts, I just simply think this piece could have had one or two more passes before hitting the printing presses。 It's always a risk signing someone from the BookTube community or public eye at large for a book deal because at the end of the day, publishers just want to make money but it doesn't necessarily mean that an influencer can write well。 I liked reading about how much writing and books meant to Shane, and I must admit I did feel a little spark of inspiration at the end which surprised me because I had such a hard time getting into and believing the story until the last 50 pages or so。 So, while the book did overall miss the mark for me, it still got me to start and finish a book in one day which is something I haven't done in a very long time。 I can concede that maybe this book has made me feel a little bit more enthused about reading again after this slump I've been in recently, and perhaps I'll pick the pen up again and get to writing my own "next great American novel"。 But let's all just agree right here and now that "lamppost" is never going to happen, capeesh?TL;DR- This book, while it might be good for readers who like stories of the contemporary and quirky sort, could have been written again, but better。 。。。more

Brielle Di

The greatest book I have ever read。 I totally recommend this book to any young woman。 You’ll never see anything coming! Read it within a day。

Alexis

Pues。。。 Ha estado bien, primero digo lo que no me gustó: demasiadas referencias a libro, me gusta una o dos, pero ya mil no es muy bueno para mí。 Lo que me gustó fue el giro inesperado, de hecho ahora entiendo el título del libro。

Trio

Creative, and so, so clever。 A young adult book with so much heart - growing, and learning to be a self-assured, me positive human - which should inspire young and old alike。To the haters who diss this one for 'cheating', please don't be so narrow minded and just dismiss Again, but Better based on that alone。 Know that Pilot has his story too, and just bewe don't get to know it, doesn't mean it doesn't have value。I discovered Christine Riccio when I listened to the audio version of Better Togeth Creative, and so, so clever。 A young adult book with so much heart - growing, and learning to be a self-assured, me positive human - which should inspire young and old alike。To the haters who diss this one for 'cheating', please don't be so narrow minded and just dismiss Again, but Better based on that alone。 Know that Pilot has his story too, and just bewe don't get to know it, doesn't mean it doesn't have value。I discovered Christine Riccio when I listened to the audio version of Better Together last month and thoroughly enjoyed it。 Another very creative story, and something wholly unique。 I don't know the author through her social media stuff (I'm not a blog or You Tube fan), so I'm coming at her style as a novice - but I've gotta say, I love it。Audio by Brittany Pressley, who does a lovely job。 Especially with all of the different accents needed for Again, but Better。Beautifully done by author and narrator alike。 。。。more

Bailey Althauser

It’s been awhile since I’ve read anything like this。 I don’t typically read romance books, but I saw it all over tiktok and had to give it a try。 I really liked it a lot! Even though there wasn’t much of the “can’t put it down” moments, I always wanted to keep reading。 The author did a great job of making the book interesting and keeping my attention all the time!

Maddie Mccall

This book was amazing。 But if you don’t like romance, do not read it! I loved the characters and the whole concept。

Amy

A fun coming of age story with a twist。 The flatmates on a study abroad experienced and grew together - but if you could do a pivotal year in your life over, would you? I stayed up til 3:30am listening to this book。 Christine Riccio knocked it out of the park with her debut。 I could give it a 4 so that there is room to grow, but seriously- she captured my attention, made me cheer for the characters, gave me a wanderlust to be in London, Paris, etc, and the touch of fantasy was perfect。 (More lan A fun coming of age story with a twist。 The flatmates on a study abroad experienced and grew together - but if you could do a pivotal year in your life over, would you? I stayed up til 3:30am listening to this book。 Christine Riccio knocked it out of the park with her debut。 I could give it a 4 so that there is room to grow, but seriously- she captured my attention, made me cheer for the characters, gave me a wanderlust to be in London, Paris, etc, and the touch of fantasy was perfect。 (More language than needed)。 。。。more

Anne Marini

This is everything I didn’t know I needed

Natalia (Chispas literarias)

Bueno, esperaba que me gustara mucho más💔A medida que leia la primera parte del libro se me pareció MUCHISIMO a" Un beso en París", claramente no lo digo de forma negativa, por el contrario, eso hizo que me enganchara mucho más porque si no saben Un beso en París es mi libro favorito y este libro me trasmitió las mismas vibes, lo cual fue genial。Pero a pesar de que la historia me encantó, no pude conectar con los personajes, lastimosamente Pilot y Shane me cayeron muy mal, me estresaban bastante Bueno, esperaba que me gustara mucho más💔A medida que leia la primera parte del libro se me pareció MUCHISIMO a" Un beso en París", claramente no lo digo de forma negativa, por el contrario, eso hizo que me enganchara mucho más porque si no saben Un beso en París es mi libro favorito y este libro me trasmitió las mismas vibes, lo cual fue genial。Pero a pesar de que la historia me encantó, no pude conectar con los personajes, lastimosamente Pilot y Shane me cayeron muy mal, me estresaban bastante y eso hizo que no pudiera conectar completamente con la historia, pero si debo decir que a pesar de que ellos como personas individuales no me gustaron mucho, como pareja son muy pero muy adorables y cada escena entre ellos me llenaba el corazón de felicidad 😍Creo que lo que mas me gusto del libro es que a pesar de ser un contemporáneo que se desarrolla en el mundo real, tiene unos toques mágicos que lo hacen PRECIOSOOOEs un libro lindo para pasar el rato, lo recomiendo 。。。more

Flegal21

Entertaining。

Ayesha Ali

My first ever audiobook and I loved it! Great narrator, she really fit the character。 This was such a wild journey, I was laughing and loving it the whole time。 With a crazy, unexpected twist, loveable characters and a feel-good plot, I would recommend to everyone struggling with who they are and how to get where they want to be

Prissvl

Hace mucho tiempo que no me clavaba tanto con un libro, es muy fácil de leer y te envuelves demasiado en la historia。 Creo que es un libro que te impacta en tu vida y te hace reflexionar en si has olvidado tus sueños por algún miedo o comodidad。 Muy recomendado para jóvenes que apenas van a empezar sus decisiones universitarias y para los que están ya adelantados, nunca es tarde para salir de la zona de confort。

Chloe

A more accurate rating for this book would be a 3。7。 Honestly, wasn't surprised by the rating I gave it, but also wish I could have given it a little bit of a higher score。 I thought this book was a little bit basic, as there was a quirky, awkward girl who falls in love with this cool, casual guy that loves music。 I feel like this book would have been better with more diverse characters and with a more complicated plot line。 The plot didn't really seem that important, and the characters just wen A more accurate rating for this book would be a 3。7。 Honestly, wasn't surprised by the rating I gave it, but also wish I could have given it a little bit of a higher score。 I thought this book was a little bit basic, as there was a quirky, awkward girl who falls in love with this cool, casual guy that loves music。 I feel like this book would have been better with more diverse characters and with a more complicated plot line。 The plot didn't really seem that important, and the characters just went about their days。 I have to say, Atticus had so much potential as a character, but he wasn't in the story that much。 Sahra had a lot of potential。 This was a pretty good read, though it doesn't have a pull that makes you want to pick up the book all the time。 。。。more

chris

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 i was disappointed by this。 i went in really wanting to like this book, but so much of it just didn't work for me。the writing was mediocre at best。 it felt like i was reading something i would have found on wattpad back in 2015, which also happens to fit the tone of this book。 the dialogue was not good; shane's actions and behavior fit a 15-year-old, not a 20-year-old; and the amount of times "snort" was used drove me insane。 pilot and shane's jokish banter was annoying。 although some jokes were i was disappointed by this。 i went in really wanting to like this book, but so much of it just didn't work for me。the writing was mediocre at best。 it felt like i was reading something i would have found on wattpad back in 2015, which also happens to fit the tone of this book。 the dialogue was not good; shane's actions and behavior fit a 15-year-old, not a 20-year-old; and the amount of times "snort" was used drove me insane。 pilot and shane's jokish banter was annoying。 although some jokes were funny, i generally didn't like it: i find dynamics like this (where everything is just a joke or sarcastic) to be unbearable in books。 their dynamic was also insta-lovey, which i don't like。 shane became obsessed with pilot at first sight, and i really wished that there was more development of her respect and perspective of him, because it felt like she saw him as perfect (which he's not)。i have seen a lot of people say that this book feels like a self-insert of Christine Riccio as shane, which i can see。 i am a fan of Christine's youtube channel, and over the years i have picked up on a lot of her interests, which are present in shane's character。 while writing about your own experiences is not inherently a bad thing (in fact, it makes for more realistic stories), the sheer amount of shared interests between a fictional character and a real human being took me out of the story。 this also was the case with the amount of pop culture references in the book。 there were so many, and it felt unnatural to read。i found a lot of the characters to be annoying (or basically i just didn't care for them)。 it was so uncomfy to read shane's parents lash out at her in front of all her friends, as well as all the issues between pilot and shane。 i actually liked the part of the book where shane separates herself from pilot and actually prioritizes herself and her work, which results in her article for packed! being published。 unfortunately, she goes right back to pilot in the matter of 2 pages during their first irl interaction since their "falling out。"as a recently graduated high school senior (i literally graduated yesterday), this book did give some insight onto something i have worried about a lot recently: not doing college right。 i am not the most outgoing, and college is realllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy intimidating to me。 i kinda related to that in shane, which was nice。this book was not horrible, but it is definitely not the best。 i think it is a good place to start as a debut novel, and Christine definitely has potential as a writer in the future! 。。。more

Jacully

I tried really hard to love this book but I didn't unfortunately。 I first picked this up when the book was published and couldn't get into it so I put it down for a later date, well 2 years later and I still couldn't connect with it, if not for the audiobook I would have DNF or skimmed through it。 The book did have promise considering it reminded me alot of a down graded version of Anna & TFKiss。 Shane's shyness & clumsy character reminded me of me and i appreciated not having another confident I tried really hard to love this book but I didn't unfortunately。 I first picked this up when the book was published and couldn't get into it so I put it down for a later date, well 2 years later and I still couldn't connect with it, if not for the audiobook I would have DNF or skimmed through it。 The book did have promise considering it reminded me alot of a down graded version of Anna & TFKiss。 Shane's shyness & clumsy character reminded me of me and i appreciated not having another confident MC but the whole "quirky" "I'm not like other girls " thing got out of hand and just annoyed me in the end。 Pilot Pilot Pilot oh Pilot 😅 where to start with him, how about he was the least interesting love interest EVER and I don't understand Shane's interest in him whatsoever。 The side characters were so underdeveloped I couldn't remember their names for the entirety of the book 😑 The ending / part 2 left me even more disappointed, I was excited to see the magical realism turn things around but beside the " Second Chance Cafe" being kinda cool the entire 2nd chance was lame and a waste of magic, the characters didn't do anything different besides confess their feelings for each other which they could have done in the present。 Anyway I'm not looking forward to her 2nd novel but I love Christine so I will give her writing one more chance。 。。。more

PauloMares

Pensé que me encontraría con otra historia juvenil sobre no saber muy bien qué hacer con tu vida y cómo gestionar tus pasiones, pero no。 Solo fue la historia de un personaje molesto cuya arco se queda a medias y un romance tirando a lo maniaco。No me aburrió tantísimo, pero en general si me sentí medio torturado al obligarme a terminar este libro con conflictos que ninguno de los personajes parece tener la convicción de resolver rápido, ideas desarrolladas a medias y con una protagonista que no m Pensé que me encontraría con otra historia juvenil sobre no saber muy bien qué hacer con tu vida y cómo gestionar tus pasiones, pero no。 Solo fue la historia de un personaje molesto cuya arco se queda a medias y un romance tirando a lo maniaco。No me aburrió tantísimo, pero en general si me sentí medio torturado al obligarme a terminar este libro con conflictos que ninguno de los personajes parece tener la convicción de resolver rápido, ideas desarrolladas a medias y con una protagonista que no me cayó horrible, pero su personalidad no fue para nada mi cup of tea。 No volvería a leer algo más de Christine, no es para mí。 。。。more

emily

this book was so cringey oh my god but ig an extra star for the taylor references because i do love her

John-Michael West

I smiled SO many times while reading this。 While I didn’t care too much for the magical element that happened about halfway through I did really enjoy this book。 Also I LOVED ALL THE TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES!! I think “Better Together” was a better book however this was her debut novel and I think she did a great job! I loved it! And now。。 we wait for her “writing book 3” videos!

Angel Santacruz

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 3。5 Me gustó mucho la segunda parte。 La segunda parte sentí a Shane como muy obsesionada o como que todo pasaba en su cabecita y realmente no pasaba lo que realmente ella creía, necesito ordenar mis ideas para hacer un reseña como tal, pero en fin, fue una buena lectura✨

Garrett Pesch

Overall, I really enjoyed this book。 While it did take me 2+ years to actually finish the novel, the last week or so that I've been consistently reading, I BLEW through the book。 The ending of the book came together really nicely, and while I enjoyed the book for the most part, I have one critique: sometime the pop culture and other references took away from the actual plot of the story and came off somewhat armature, but other than that this book was SOLID! I would recommend this book to anyone Overall, I really enjoyed this book。 While it did take me 2+ years to actually finish the novel, the last week or so that I've been consistently reading, I BLEW through the book。 The ending of the book came together really nicely, and while I enjoyed the book for the most part, I have one critique: sometime the pop culture and other references took away from the actual plot of the story and came off somewhat armature, but other than that this book was SOLID! I would recommend this book to anyone that likes coming of age and romcom-like stories。 。。。more

Lectora。sintemor

5 de 5 Estrellas。Woooow, esto, woooow。No tengo palabras para decirles lo que me gustaría leer este libro de nuevo como la primera vez, estoy enamorada de la forma de escribir de Christine, el crecimiento de personajes es impactante, el plot que tiene este libro, no lo ví venir; siempre me gusta decir también la parte que me molestó del libro, pero, los detalles fueron tan mínimos, que, incluso muchos ya los olvide=)Shane, soy yo! Literalmente sentí que estaba leyendo una parte de mi vida tanto p 5 de 5 Estrellas。Woooow, esto, woooow。No tengo palabras para decirles lo que me gustaría leer este libro de nuevo como la primera vez, estoy enamorada de la forma de escribir de Christine, el crecimiento de personajes es impactante, el plot que tiene este libro, no lo ví venir; siempre me gusta decir también la parte que me molestó del libro, pero, los detalles fueron tan mínimos, que, incluso muchos ya los olvide=)Shane, soy yo! Literalmente sentí que estaba leyendo una parte de mi vida tanto presente como pasada he incluso futura。 Me tocó leer este libro en una lectura Conjunta y muchos de los lectores, no creían mucho en las acciones de Shane y me daba mucha risa; que yo las cometí una y otra vez。Este fue el libro。 Ha Sido mi libro favorito del año。 。。。more

emme

DNF- i have no idea who the author is but i picked up this book because i related to the sad college life shane has prior to her study abroad experience。 i thought it was pretty cheesy and boring honestly。

abby

3。5/5⭐️

Solaris Alice

3。5🌟Es una obra muy entretenida y divertida, con un final muy cute, sin embargo creo que la autora tenía la oportunidad de brindar una gran lección de vida y se fue por la opción entretenida pero más sencilla。

Karla

if I had read this in high school I would've loved it, now。。。 well。 It was definitely enjoyable and fun and quirky。 I feel like it relied so much on pop culture references to place you in time that it just threw me off most times。 And it felt like there was not much plot during majority of the book。。。 the magical realism aspects of it could've been planted earlier so it wouldn't feel so jarring towards the middle of the book。 While I enjoyed that there was some character development for Shane, I if I had read this in high school I would've loved it, now。。。 well。 It was definitely enjoyable and fun and quirky。 I feel like it relied so much on pop culture references to place you in time that it just threw me off most times。 And it felt like there was not much plot during majority of the book。。。 the magical realism aspects of it could've been planted earlier so it wouldn't feel so jarring towards the middle of the book。 While I enjoyed that there was some character development for Shane, I can't say the same for Pilot。。。 he was just as stupid six years later and that didn't make me root for him in the end。 Additionally, the character was so strikingly similar to Christine that it made it difficult to separate the two in my head, which is not great when reading a fiction book。 。。。more

audrey :)

let me just start by saying WOW I LOVED THIS BOOK - it was so cute and had me wanting to read more the whole entire time - the plot twist had me SHOOK and the way the whole book just came together was so creative and different i just loved it so much - shane’s whole journey and the way u follow her thought and emotions really make it seem like ur there with her! - the only thing i wish the author did more of was add more to the ending and how the main characters got together in the end, but othe let me just start by saying WOW I LOVED THIS BOOK - it was so cute and had me wanting to read more the whole entire time - the plot twist had me SHOOK and the way the whole book just came together was so creative and different i just loved it so much - shane’s whole journey and the way u follow her thought and emotions really make it seem like ur there with her! - the only thing i wish the author did more of was add more to the ending and how the main characters got together in the end, but other than that this books was SO GOOD - DEFINITELY 5/5⭐️ for me :)) 。。。more

Sue-Is-READING

Super cheesy writing style, Shane is annoying an over dramatic sometimes but I enjoyed the magical element part

Dayne

4 stars。 Review to follow on IG