Again, but Better
Ratings31
Average rating2.8
Pre-Reading Updates
5/12/2017: You guys have no idea how excited I am for this book. I've been watching Christine since 2014 and now she's written her own book. I'm so proud of her.
The main character was interesting enough, although she seemed rather like a manic pixie dream girl.
The other characters were a bit 2D.
As with most “time travel” books, there's just not enough in the other timeline for me. There wasn't anything I saw that showed how it was different and better...
4.5 stars
I buddy read this with Erin, and I ended up really enjoying it. More than I thought I was going to actually. Because of what everyone was saying about this book I was a little skeptical going into it, but I loved it. I thought it was hilarious and I can definitely see how Shane is Christine. I don't personally know the author, but I have watched her YouTube videos in the past and I can just see the similarities. Christine even says this book is based off of her life to an extent. So, this might be considered spoilers so if you haven't read this yet then skip this net part. This book has a time travel aspect that I was really skeptical about. I was worried that in the last half of the book we were just going to be reading the first half of the book again but luckily that wasn't the case. Yes, there was some things repeated but it was done in a way where I didn't feel like I was reading something again. There was some cheating in this book which I don't like reading. In the first half it was just emotional cheating which was different to what we normally get but in the last half they actually kiss but I loved how Shane immediately said that couldn't happen again until Pilot broke up with his girlfriend. There were some things left unresolved which is kind of annoying, but they were minor plot points. Honestly there was so much I loved about this book and a few things that bothered me but didn't completely hinder my enjoyment of the book.
Did no one proofread this? I caught at least four major typos throughout the book. The whole thing read like really bad fan fiction, it had the same effect as binge-reading someone's Tumblr. The bland love interest was named Pilot Penn, whom the main character inexplicably nicknames “Pies”. Her “quirky”best friend is named Babe Lozenge. Babe....Lozenge. She should've just called her Lola Riccola and been done with it. I was half expecting the plot twist to be that the narrator was really in a mental institution the entire time and had fabricated the entire plot, using inanimate objects as her “friends”.
I have more thoughts but this book has already wasted my time so I won't give it any more.
2.5 Stars
I was hesitant going into this book because I have been disappointed by other booktuber's books. But I was looking forward to this contemporary take on studying abroad and finding yourself. So my expectations were low. I immediately could tell this book was basically Christine as Shane and I was okay with that. The writing was superb but it was readable and I enjoyed the different references to pop culture. As someone who has recently moved far away from home, I could also relate to Shane's story which I think really helped my appreciation of the book.
Fast forward to page 185 and the end of part 1. Part 2 starts and immediately, I'm thrown off by the time jump then I continue reading at wham the book has completely changed and honestly I hated it. The entire second half of the book seemed like it was done for shock and awe and I was not having it. My 3.5-star rating is probably really generous given how much I absolutely hated the second part of this book. It is unfortunate because I really was enjoying the book it was a nice relaxing fun enjoyable read then part 2 happened and I cannot say it was fun or enjoyable anymore.
This book was so wonderful and made me think back to the things I will change and what I will not change. It was a beautiful read and a wonderful story. I give it a 4.5 star ⭐️.
Honestly, I only picked this up because I used to like Christine.
There's absolutely nothing to like in this book. The first half drags on forever, and while it does get better in the second half... the writing is bland, the side characters are shallow, the love interest is unlikable, the protagonist is immature and boy crazy, the romance is purely instalove, and you know what else is there? Cheating. You can call it a grey area if you want, but to me it counts 100% as cheating and I just cannot.
Let me begin by saying that I really do like Christine Riccio. I do. But this book is just TERRIBLE.
I honestly FORCED myself to read the first half, and let myself skim the second half. The book is essentially about the author in her own little made up story. I won't bore you with actual examples since I've seen it done repeatedly now (see this review from Alex).
I wanted to love this book so much. Even if I could get past the author's inability to separate her voice from the main character's, I just can't overlook the bad writing.