I really enjoyed this book! I liked the characters, they felt complex and the entire thing was as well written as I have come to expect from this author.

This book was incredibly confusing. I had no idea what was going on and did not enjoy it as a result.

I absolutely loved 'We Were Liars' when I read it years ago so was very excited to pick up 'Again Again'. Although the plot was quite twisty and confusing at times, it really did reflect the mind of a teenage girl - going over every conversation and situation about a million times, playing through every scenario until you have no clue what actually happened. I am normally someone who likes their plots tied up in a neat little bow so struggled slightly not knowing what the true ending was but I think that was the point of the book and I think that I am just going to choose to believe the last story for my own peace of mind. 

Thank you for the review copy!

I came to 'Again Again' having read 'We Were Liars' as a late teen. In a similar vein to the earlier bestseller, Lockhart here sets up a literary world through which to explore pertinent socio-cultural issues (and particularly for a young adult audience). That being said, the trope Lockhart calls upon - that each decision of her protagonist creates a new reality in which to explore the ramifications of its outcome - requires a real suspension of disbelief. I imagine for a teen reader the novel may well serve as a catalyst with which to consider the extent and limitations of human agency, that life doesn't simply "happen" to someone, but as a 26-year-old I struggled to fully invest in the character of Adelaide.

I didn’t not like it, but I didn’t like it either, and I definitely didn’t get it. The idea of the multiverse and parallel stories/lives/events is really interesting, but I found it frustrating that I didn’t really know what *was* actually happening and what was imagined by Adelaide.

I would love to read this book eventually, however the arc I received was extremely messy, therefore I had to put it down for the time being. There was large paragraphs that I had previously read, placed over and over through the story, not allowing me to be able to follow the premise properly, causing much confusion. That being said, from what I did manage to read, I do believe this will be a wonderful story.

I'm sorry, but I ended up abandoning this book. I found it too confusing. Within the same scenes, she was jumping backwards and forwards and I couldn't work out what was true and what was imagination or whether she was living all dimensions. 

I normally love E. Lockhart's books but I just couldn't get my head around this one.

"This story takes place in a number of worlds.  But mostly in two."  I found this to be an interesting read.  Poetic and beautifully written, I raced through it.  When I got to the end, I wanted to read it again, to fully appreciate the multiple story-lines. At the start of the book, Adelaide is trying to get over the end of a relationship.  Whilst out dog walking, she meets Jack and falls for him instantly.  The story then starts to split into a series of 'what ifs', indicated throughout the book by a change in font.  I enjoyed the idea of multiple universes and watching her life take different turns, although I'll admit at times I got a little confused as to which reality we were in.  However, that didn't really matter.  The writing is the thing.  The style almost veers into poetry at times.  An original idea, beautifully executed.

This made me confused. The way it's written got me lost and I never found my way back. 
I disliked how it would randomly break into verse. That didn't add anything to the story. It was pointless. 
I'm just glad it was a quick read and I didn't waste too much time on it.

Unfortunately due to what’s going on I’m the world I only got my copy the day before my tour stop but I’ve already read the first 20% and it has reminded me how much I love E Lockhart’s writing. It’s both lyrical and accessible. I read We Were Liars in a day and I can see this being the case with Again Again too. Adelaide already has such a powerful voice, and you aren’t really sure how much to believe her. What is she hiding from herself? 
The style of the different conversations, presumably in the different multiverses, is interesting. Check out the extract to see how it’s laid out (which isn’t quite coming across on the netgalley ARC I am reading) but I think when reading the finished copy you’ll know which conversation is the one in the current reality though it will be exciting to see how the different options interact as we move forward. I suspect it will be similar to Sliding Doors. 
At the moment the love seems very instalove on Adelaide’s side at least but because of the other things going on I’m her life with school, her brother etc I can see how love is being used as an escape. 
And bonus points go to this book if you love dogs because there’s lots of them running round this tale. I think one of them is only talking to Adelaide metaphorically rather than literally but with E Lockhart who knows. I’ll come back later when I’ve finished and add some more thoughts but for now I’m intrigued, drawn in and want to see how this all plays out. 

On finishing here are my additional thoughts. I like how the focus on the sibling relationship becomes more prominent and the characterisation stays strong throughout. I’m not sure the multiverse element fully paid off for me but I suspect that this will be one that you’ll spot more on subsequent readings.

Really enjoyed We Were Liars and Dramarama so had high expectations here with the usual precocious, privileged, overwrought  private school characters with snappy dialogue and unconventional plot. This is fine but not as enjoyable, the most credible dynamic is between Adelaide and her brother Toby, a drug addict, but the romances and her personal angst just fails to be that compelling really and the ‘multiverse’ concept offers little more than alternate romantic endings, and isn’t really developed to any satisfactory level.

Adelaide is staying on her private school campus over the summer holidays, with her dad so he can teach summer classes, while her mom and younger brother Toby stay in Baltimore close to his rehab centre. Her brother's addiction is her biggest secret.

As she passes time this summer, taking an extra class so she doesn't fail, walking dogs every morning, and trying to get over her recent break up, Adelaide wonders which version of herself is best to present at different events, and how things would play out differently depending on her responses.


E. Lockhart is, for me, a win-some-lose-some author. We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks were both 5 star reads for me. Fly on the Wall and Genuine Fraud were disappointments. 

Unfortunately, Again Again fell into the lose-some category for me. 

I liked Adelaide as a character. She was funny and witty and not automatically 'likeable' - she made mistakes and was needy and had all these qualities that often make female characters seem high maintenance, and uptight. 

But I liked her. She had a complex backstory, and I felt her trauma and experiences were reflected in how she behaved as a person in each of her relationships. 

As for the other characters... well I didn't necessarily like them but I found them realistic and true to teenage boys. Some of the ways people talked were a bit... off? But idk, maybe that was just it coming through Adelaide's perspective?

I also liked the text threads throughout. It's rare to find accurate depictions of how teenagers speak to and text each other and this was actually done well.

What I really enjoyed though was the... I don't know what you'd call them. Little snippets throughout the book of ways the conversation could have turned if Adelaide answered differently. Mostly only a paragraph long, but enough to give some insight into the parallel worlds Adelaide could exist in if she said just one word differently. They were fun and interesting parts of the book and I thought they were really powerful and a unique way of showing everything Adelaide wanted to say but either couldn't or thought better of it. We all have those moments where we're desperate to know how something would have played out had we not said something, or said something else. 

This all sounds really positive, doesn't it? But, Rebecca, you only gave it 3 stars?

I didn't like the ending, and that really dragged down the star rating for me. So, if you don't want spoilers, look away now.

Only read on if you have read the end or don't care about spoilers.

At about 80% or so of the way through the book, the story just ends. And for the rest of the novel, we get a different Adelaide, a parallel Adelaide. An Adelaide on the first day that we first met her on, but things happen differently, quicker, taking us to the same end point in time, but not in outcomes. 

And... I get the point of it. The idea that there are multiple versions of us and all that jazz. But the first version ended so abruptly and then the next was so quick and I liked the additions of the snippets I mentioned earlier. But I didn't see the point, I didn't see the connection, and I'm sure some people would really enjoy it and think it was so clever and different but it just didn't work for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hot Key Books for the eArc in exchange for an honest review*

Unfortunately this just didn't work for me. 

Adelaide has a lot to cope with, after saving her brother from a drug overdose, falling in and out of love while trying to finish school. 

Maybe I just didn't understand this book, and that's on me. There are 2? alternate timelines as far as I'm aware, where you see conversations happening at the same time with two different outcomes, and this is what confused me beyond belief. 

I didn't care about any of the characters, probably because I didn't understand the story so there was little making me want to care about them. 

There's a lot of pining, unrequited love, and desperation in this book, which I just don;t enjoy. This was the first book by E. Lockhart I've read so not sure if this is just her writing style or if it's only this book that hasn't done it for me.

This was an interesting book which repeated scenarios with slightly different consequences. It is a book about finding yourself and self-belief set against the trauma of adolescence. I was really excited to have the opportunity to read this, as I absolutely love 'We Were Liars.' However, there was something lacking for me in this book and I did not connect with Adelaide, though I did develop some sympathy for her situation as her previous experiences were revealed. Adelaide was searching for something which, ultimately, has to be found within, but as a result of this her relationships with those around her are fractured and misjudged. I did applaud her at the end and was relieved to learn that she was taking control of her future, but so many of the characters, possibly deliberately, felt caricature-like and stock characters that I foudn very few people were likeable!

I really liked the heart of this novel; the story of the protagonist was well told although I wasnt totally in love the style of the writing. The side characters could have had more depth as well, but overall I really connected with the story and was engaged throughout.

3 stars!

Again Again was one of my most anticipated books of this year and it made me really sad that it unfortunately didn't live up to the hype. The reason this rating is 3 stars and not lower is because I truly enjoyed the concept of it, despite all the things I didn't enjoy. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Again Again follows Adelaide Buchwald during a summer when anything can happen. Her home life is difficult and having just broken up with her boyfriend, she is finding it hard to be happy. This book is made up of multiple timelines of all the different ways a conversation or a moment can go and that is one of the most refreshing concepts I've seen in a long time. 

As with any E. Lockhart book, this is filled with surprises and twists and turns and has a great ending. The different timelines take getting some used to but once you settle into it it becomes quite exciting. 
The biggest downside in this book for me was the fact that I just absolutely couldn't handle the main character. Adelaide's character development proves worthy toward the end but for the majority of the book I found her to be an insufferable protagonist. 

All in all this was an enjoyable read with an interesting concept.

I have an interesting relationship when it comes to E. Lockheart. I've read a couple of her books now, and I have liked every one I've read, but also I have never had as strong feelings as most others have. Despite all of this I was super excited to receive a copy of Again, Again to read and review (thank you publishers/NetGalley). I had it as a 5 star prediction, and unfortunately it didn't make the 5 stars, but I did enjoy it. 

Again, Again is a story about Adelaide Buchwald, a 17-year-old who had just had her heart broken and had to deal with some troubling family issues and how she copes and loves and loves again in the summer. Firstly, I didn't like the name Adelaide Buchwald - I have a think with names, and this was one I just couldn't connect with. It was a slow moving story about love across parallel universes, and going into it I wasn't expecting that. I tried to get into the book without knowing too much as I wanted to just read and see the story unfold. Unfortunately, this lead me to some confusion. As I had an ARC, I thought I had got a copy with mistakes/rewrites left in. I did catch on pretty quickly after the fact and had a big 'OOOH' moment, but I felt it didn't work as well in a book as it could have in a movie. It would make an excellent movie, in my opinion.

I did enjoy the way it was written, the quirky and annoyingly indie way the characters spoke and thought. It felt clever and hipster at the same time, but I enjoyed it. It was like a slice of life story of finding your self-worth and learning to love yourself before loving someone else. It was bittersweet and good, but didn't blow me away and wouldn't be a book I'd think about much after the fact. I think the book tried to focus on the growth of the characters, but at the same time didn't give too much of them away. I just kind of felt sorry for Adelaide but not overtly so. I felt like the other characters could have been explored more too, and it would have enriched the story. Stacy, she seemed great. Her brother had such a rich story too, maybe this story would have been better if it was about him. 

All in all, I love the concept of the book. Parallel universes and what if's are a trope I adore, I just don't think it was captured as well as it could have been. Maybe once I have stewed over it some more, my feelings may become stronger one way or another.

An unsure and tentative 3 stars.

When I first heard people talking about Again Again, it sounded like it was going to be a Sliding Doors-esque YA novel with some Groundhog Day vibes, and my interested was piqued. I was hoping to discover something similar to Jason A. Reynold’s Opposite of Always, which was one of my favourite releases of last year, so it’s safe to say that my expectations were high.

The multiverses come into play very quickly: Adelaide is walking five dogs at the dog run in the local park where she meets Jack. This encounter plays out in a few different ways, jumping back to a specific point and running slightly differently each time. In one world Adelaide accidentally offends Jack, cutting their friendship extremely short, while in another they begin falling in love as soon as they meet.

I was reading an eARC of this book via NetGalley, and to start with I did think it was a formatting issue because it happens so suddenly. All of a sudden the characters are repeating themselves and you’ve got a horrible case of deja vu, before you realise ‘ohh, that’s the whole point!’. I don’t know how I expected the multiverses to play out – possibly in alternate chapters, jumping from one sequence of events to another – but this really did pull me up short, and I had question marks popping up around my head for the first few occurrences. I’m not sure if this is the case in the physical copy, but I’m not sure I read this one in the easiest format!

That being said, once I got my head around the abrupt nature of the multiverses I found myself very absorbed in this story. Because the timeline keeps changing and the previous events are linking up with the current events, you have to concentrate very hard: there’s no chance to put your brain on autopilot and speed read, because you need to try and work out ‘wait, is this the version of Jack and Adelaide who kissed in the bathroom or went and hung out on the hammock?!’. I’m still not completely sure I’ve managed to unravel it all perfectly, but it was a lot of fun to think you were with a Jack and Adelaide who had one version of their history only for them to reference something else which had played out earlier on.

This is a very short story, coming it at under 300 pages, but the themes that it tackles are really powerful. Adelaide’s brother Toby has recently come out of rehab, having been addicted to drugs since he was fourteen. His addiction has a huge impact on who Adelaide is as a person, and this is played with cleverly by exploring a few multiverses surrounding Toby, too. The portrayal of his addiction is painfully realistic, and shows the impact it has on the entire family. There’s also an in-depth exploration of first love and loss and the effect that both of those can have.

This is a book which makes you wonder ‘What if?’. With such simple alterations sparking huge changes in the events which occur, this is the butterfly effect in action, and although it can be a bit startling at first it is very cleverly written. I would absolutely love to see Again Again get the adaptation treatment, because I think this would be extremely effective on the screen: it would be far easier to keep track of everything, that’s for sure!

It’s hard to rate this book after a first read, because I think this is a title which I’d get a lot out of rereading, but I eventually settled on giving it 4 stars (rounded up from 3.5!). There are some aspects which I really wanted E. Lockhart to explore more thoroughly, only for that multiverse to be dropped and for the story to shoot off in another direction, but considering the limitations of the written word it’s impressive that she’s managed to convey a story like this so wonderfully and with the minimum possible amount of confusion.

I’m starting to wonder whether there’s something about Lockhart’s writing that just gets under my skin. All of the books I’ve read by this author have elements that I like or which I can see are done well, but there’s always something about either the characters or the story that just doesn’t quite gel. This was another one that didn’t quite do it for me.
Again Again is the story of Adelaide, a teenager whose brother is a recovering addict and who has just been dumped by her sort-of boyfriend. She asks us to follow her through the summer period following the break-up as she tries to salvage her academic studies. Along the way we watch her set-up alternative scenarios for the events that happen.
Whimsical, perhaps, and for some this will be a meaningful romantic soul-searching read. I found Adelaide horribly narcissistic, incapable of seeing anyone else’s view and the switching realities really drove me mad. What’s wrong with telling a story?
So, this irritated me in ways that I really wish it hadn’t. There’ll be fans of this, but I’m not one of them. I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication, and I’m sure I’ll have many students berating me for not loving this.

This book smelt like independent coffee shops and felt like slouchie hats. It sounded like discussions about Proust and tasted like avocado toast. In short, it was the most pretentious Hipster horse hockey I have ever read, and I've suffered through multiple Levithan books.

This book does have it's merits, I particularly liked the idea of it, just not the execution. Adelaide Buchwald (Book Forest if you slam two German words together I guess) meets Jack while walking some professor's dogs, and then she meets him again - in another universe. Five meetings with different outcomes can take up a single page and quickly becomes repetitive and confusing.

I struggled to see the point of this. It didn't have much of an outcome, literally switching to a different suitor later on just to fill space. The ending didn't leave me feeling satisfied with Adelaide's journey, of which not much happened. I didn't feel like she or I learned much during the course of the story.