Again, but Better

 

Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

I am an affiliate with Z publishing house. See the end of this post for more information.

Again, but Better is the debut novel of Christine Riccio, Published by Wednesday Books and available on shelves on May 7th. Riccio is known as polandbananasBOOKS on youtube. She is a well-known booktuber and a member of the BOOKSPLOSION crew. This is her first published book. Again, but Better is a New Adult/YA contemporary romance.

This book follows Shane, a twenty-year-old premed student who has decided she is doing college wrong so she will go study abroad in London for a semester. One problem is she is going to study writing, not premed. Problem number two is her overbearing and controlling parents don't know. Trying to break out of her antisocial habits, she goes out of her way to interact with her flatmates and then develops a crush on one of the boys, Pilot. They flirt back and forth throughout the semester, go on trips across Europe together, and come close to kissing several times; but problem number three, he has a girlfriend. Everything falls apart when Pilot's girlfriend comes for a visit and then Shane's parents show up, things go from bad to worse. Jump ahead six years, Shane is on her way to becoming a doctor, her relationship with her family has fallen apart, and her boyfriend has proposed to her for "tax reasons" and Shane decides to visit Pilot again. The two are thrust back into the past and suddenly have a chance to redo their semester abroad, do it better, and possibly end up happier with their lives.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I don't usually read contemporary and I really don't read romance, but something about this book interested me enough for me to read the whole thing.  But getting into it, I kept swinging between "this is so cute and sweet" and "I am uncomfortable and bored and annoyed." I know this is a debut, so I feel like I need to keep that in mind.  

First of all, Shane seems a bit off to me. She says she's antisocial and socially awkward but there are times this comes into play and other times that it doesn't. She comes off as determined and ambitious but she is also easily cowed into things, especially by her parents who come off as overbearing, controlling, and almost emotionally abusive. They've pushed her to being a doctor because it's a financially stable job and because it was her mother's dream that she was unable to accomplish. And since they are paying for her education, she should go to school for something they approve of. And they are able to tease her all they want with no repercussions and when she finally does something or herself-- even if it did involve lying to her-- they are within their right to cuss out, shame, humiliate, threaten, and destroy property, effectively shunning and disowning her until her life is nothing more than a strict schedule that leads them to live thousands of miles apart without speaking to each other. There's also the whole issue of her insta-love with Pilot and her willful dismissal of his relationship with his girlfriend and his reluctance to separate from her. Granted, he is described as the cool guy who also acts like his current relationship isn't what he wants, and he does flirt with Shane in all of their interactions, but Shane still believes the two of them are meant to be together and pushes him towards that, regardless of his current relationship status.

All of the other characters, Babe, Sahra, and Atticus, are more back drop and don't really need to be in the story all that much. There is even a point when they almost disappear from the story all together.

I also felt the time-travel element was almost cheating. The first half of the book shows us Shane's choices and her hard work to do what she really wants for her life and we see it all fall apart around her. I expected and wanted to see her stand up for herself and deal with the repercussions with her family on that first round. Then during the do-over, I wanted to see her focus on herself, but instead it's all about her and Pilot until she realizes she's slacking and needs to kick herself into gear. This would be fine but it doesn't hinder her and Pilot's relationship in the long run. I almost wanted her to realize he wasn't what she was looking for in a relationship but instead the two are perfect for each other. Maybe this reaction is because I didn't think Pilot was developed all that well to begin with; he doesn't really have any flaws other than avoiding confrontation which still doesn't really affect much. 

All of that aside, I did think some of the character interactions was good. Atticus was my favorite, even though we see him the least. I also will admit there are some genuinely cute scenes between Shane and Pilot that had a lot of potential. And the pop references in the first half of the book were just enough that it was fun but not overbearing, unlike in the second half. 

There is also a few scenes that were absolutely soul-wrenching. The first is when Shane is telling Pilot about her family and the expectations versus the dream she has for her life. It's quiet and touching to have her be vulnerable while Pilot is gentle and understanding. Even if it is just a rehash of the things Shane has monologued about already, I really like that scene. I also felt the emotion in the first time Shane's parents discover she lied to them about her study abroad. The embarrassment of having this happen in a public place, the shame of being yelled at and cursed at by a parental figure, the pleading to understand and forgive, it is probably the most real moment in the entire book. This is an actual nightmare for me and I am with Shane as I want the ground to swallow her whole. If Riccio's next book has more scenes like this, I think she'll go far.

Another big problem I had was with the time-travel. It's never really explained beyond "magic wish" and it feels almost like a Deus ex Machina. It's a device that "fixes" everything so Shane and the readers get a free pass and don't have to follow through on their original decisions. I know it's been six years in the time skip, but that's six years' worth that could have been used to develop characters and choices and circumstances. This time-travel ignores all of that. I also felt like it was cheating the reader because we in the real world don't get do overs like that. 

Overall, I wanted to like this book and there were pieces of it that I thought were genuinely good. I wasn't a fan of the characters and their relationships, mostly because I'm of the opinion trying to convince someone to date you over someone else isn't the basis for a healthy relationship, and some of the plot devices felt like they cheated me out of another story. There are some heart-felt scenes that are well developed. Again, this is a debut novel so I'm not expecting a masterpiece, but I didn't feel like it was a good book. Maybe a bit more polish. Then again, I'm not familiar with contemporary romances, so perhaps this is par for the course in that genre. 

If you enjoy light romances, this might be for you.

I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging authors, this is a great place to start. Please note I do receive a small commission for any items purchased through this link: http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264