May 2019 Book Club: Again, But Better by Christine Riccio

The Book

Our pick for May 2019 is Again, But Better by Christine Riccio, which released on May 7, 2019.

Why did we pick this book?

We love YA books set in college and jump at the chance to read them! The plot of Again, but Better captured our attention with it’s focus on travel, romance and magical realism. And it’s set during a study abroad program? Sign us up!

Also, Claire’s favorite city is London, so we couldn’t wait to travel to this cosmopolitan city with Shane Primaveri. Give us all the amazing travel descriptions and cultural references.

What is it about?

Shane Primaveri’s college experience hasn’t been what she wanted. Sure, she has amazing grades and is going to be super successful in the medical field, just like her parents want. However, she’s made no friends and spends every weekend with her family.

Shane realizes she needs to get out of her comfort zone, so she decides to spend a semester abroad in London, England. In London she has the chance to do all the things she hasn’t done, like make a group of friends and find a hot guy to crush on. But leaving her comfort zone is a lot harder than she thought and living abroad has its obsticales.

And to get to London in the first place, she had to lie to her family about the program. See, Shane doesn’t want to be a doctor, she wants to be a writer and her current program includes a writing internship. Will Shane be able to create her dream future or will her parents stand in the way of her desire to live her own life?

What other Young Adult books has the author written?

Christine Riccio wrote one of the short stories in Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy. Again, but Better is her debut YA novel.