Title: Again Again
Author: E. Lockhart
Genre: Young Adult
Published On: June 2, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: digital copy
Pages: 304
Synopsis:
In this novel full of surprises from the New York Timesbestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud, E. Lockhart ups the ante with an inventive and romantic story about human connection, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility.
If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?
After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times–while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.
A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people
My thoughts
I’m having a hard time rating Again Again. I’m a fan of E. Lockhart, especially of We Were Liars, but her latest book didn’t capture my attention like I hoped it would.
“It was the third day of Adelaide Buchwald’s summer job, the summer after her junior year at boarding school.
~E. Lockhart, Again Again
That summer she would fall in and out of love more than once,
in different ways
in different possible worlds.”
I did enjoy the setup and plot of the story, which is summed up in the first few lines of the book above. I like Adelaide and her family. I like her friends. But, I found the alternate versions somewhat confusing. I do think I would have enjoyed it if I’d read it in print form as opposed to an eARC. I was also reading it mostly at night with a black background which made the different and bold fonts that delineated the alternate versions harder to detect.
This is a quick read, but I didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up much. Once I reached the halfway point of the book, I enjoyed it more. The story picked up and I felt more comfortable with the alternate story lines and the characters. The best part of the book is the relationship between Adelaide and her brother, Toby. I even found myself teary-eyed a few times. I do think this one deserves attention, and I hope everyone else has a better experience than I did.
Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for the review copy.
Rating: [usr 3.50]
A Song For A Book
On Bookstagram I created a hashtag for when I include a song that reminds me of the book I’m sharing, #ASongForABook, I thought I’d make it a regular feature on my reviews, too.
I’ve chosen “I Feel it All” by Feist. I think it nicely sums up Adelaide and her many emotions.
…Ooh, I’ll be the one who’ll break my heart
I’ll be the one to hold the gun
I know more than I knew before
I know more than I knew before
I didn’t rest, I didn’t stop
Did we fight or did we talk?…
Have you read Again Again? Or is it on your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Ah, no. I love the sound of this book and have been quite excited to pick it up after reading and really enjoying We Were Liars. Sorry to hear that it didn’t pull you in as much though 🙁 I do find it difficult sometimes to get into stories with eARCs because the formatting can still be quite messy. It sounds like this book is set in an interesting format though and I’m curious to see it. Great review!
You should go ahead and give it a try! It may have been the formatting or “the wrong book at the wrong time” situation for me. It’s at least a super quick read! 🙂
I agree that something needed to be done more than bold to set apart the alternate realities. Or maybe even header them with something. They frustrated me because I felt like I was re-reading over and over when there were just slight changes. Great review!
Yes! I though headers would have been a good idea, too. They did get a bit repetitive.