Hey bookworms!
Today I’m so happy to be a part of the Again and Again Book Tour by E. Lockhart. Thank you so much to TBR AND BEYOND TOURS and the publisher for giving me this opportunity.
I had previously really loved one of E. Lockhart’s works, We Were Liars and so I was really excited when I got the chance to read another one of her books. Fortunately, the author didn’t disappoint. On the contrary I think Again and Again went above and beyond my expectations.
RATING- 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
CONTENT WARNING- grief, substance abuse, drugs, depression
Goodreads Description- From the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud comes a complex novel about acceptance, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility, as a teenage girl attempts to regain some sense of normalcy in her life after a family crisis and a broken heart.
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 Review!
Again and Agian hit all the right spots that I was wanting to. It had all the things I would expect from an E. Lockhart book- beautiful writing, realky well-fleshed out and raw characters, and an exploration of themes in a most unique way.
I honestly read this book in a single setting because I was not able to put it down. It took 2 or 3 hours for me to finish this book, with a little break, and it’s not super long.
WRITING- E. Lockhart takes a very different approach to the things she wants to convey through her story. And sometimes it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. For example, her writing is very beautiful and metaphorical, and might lean the slightest bit into purple prose. If you’re someone who has read We Were Liars, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Even though I really enjoyed it, not necessarily everyone will. Something I picked up by going through a few reviews on Goodreads, I saw that the writing was frustrating for a lot of people and I think it’s completely okay if you don’t prefer that style of writing; but I still feel that even if you didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book in We Were Liars, the writing is quite toned down and a lot of sharper in Again and Again, so there’s a good chance that you’ll like this book.
PLOT- I think the plot is a little hard to talk about without giving any spoilers, but I’ll try. As far as the synopsis of the book goes, I think the Goodreads summary already does a good job of that, but I’ll still explain it a little bit. So follow around this girl, Addie as she moves into a new school and a new city with her dad, but it’s not so simple. We don’t just follow Addie in that one reality, but we see all the different versions of her in a many different realities where even the littlest and biggest decisions seem to lead her to very different fates. What if a certain thing hadn’t happened? What if someone had said this instead of this? A situation could completely change how the rest of can go based on how may reply to a question or carry a conversation.
It‘s a simultaneously beautiful and terrifying thing to explore.
CHARACTERS- Addy is such an exceptionally well-done character, because she is so nuanced and so raw and honest. She is not perfect. She makes mistakes and a ton of bad decisions, but she is ultimately a sweet soul who is such fun to discover and peel the back the layers off. Even the side-characters felt like they could have their own book. My personal favourite was Addie’s brother.
THEMES- This story is more like a character examination, but it’s also really intrinsic and sensitive with some of the really heavy topics that it talks about. It talks about grief, resentment, the bitterness that cultivates side by side with the love. It is about heartbreak, self-love. It talks about addiction, substance abuse, and the stigma that recovery always carries with itself. It’s about one of the most gut-wrenching yet heart-warming sibling relationships that I have ever read about. It made me want to laugh and put the phone down and cover my eyes to hold back the tears.
Meet the Author!
Let’s Chat!
So that was it for today. I hope you all enjoyed reading this review. What were some of your thoughts while reading this book? Does this sound like something you’ll like? Have you ever read any other books by this author?
Until then,
I hope everyone stays safe,
Bye!