Again, but Better

March 1, 2019
A shy college student time travels into a second chance at love and life.When Shane Primaveri travels to London for a semester abroad, she wants to have a go at doing college right: She vows to be braver socially, and she's lying to her parents about continuing her pre-med track when she's really studying writing. The roommate-assigning fates gift Shane with instant friends, she meets a flirtatious boy named Pilot, and she excels in her classes. But her scary, controlling parents discover her deception, and Shane returns to America dejected. Six years later, about to become a doctor, she still feels hollow and regretful. She looks up Pilot and they stumble back in time (as in Shane's favorite TV show, Lost, the supernatural rules at play here are mismatched and vague). She helps a friend see through a jerk love interest but becomes subsumed in drama with the wishy-washy Pilot--until she realizes that she's losing her chance at the redo she most wanted: to pursue writing for real. Shane and Pilot share a white default; several secondary characters are racially diverse. Making all Shane's study-abroad friends fellow Americans is an oddly narrow choice, however. The first-person narration is natural and charming; Shane is more likable than she knows. Overall, the story seems designed for adult readers who might long to change their own pasts.Half wish fulfilment, half cautionary tale and full of charm. (Contemporary fantasy. 14-adult)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 27, 2019
Tired of being a friendless, never-been-kissed parent-pleaser, Shane, a premed student, is ready for a change. After telling her parents that she’s headed to a premed course, she instead attends a writing program in London. There, she finds the new start and adventures she’d hoped for: she bonds with her roommates; hangs out with Pilot, a cute boy who seems to return her affection; excels in her creative writing class; and finds a more suitable niche for herself as an intern with a travel magazine. Everything comes crashing down, though, when she discovers that Pilot has a girlfriend, and her parents figure out that she’s been lying to them. Unable to stand up for herself, she returns home defeated, but six years later, she’s given a magical opportunity to redo the past. A slushy mixture of romance and contemporary fantasy, this first novel by a popular booktuber personality succeeds in conveying how an older, wiser Shane is able to make better decisions. Unfortunately, the clichéd plot and underdeveloped characters lessen the book’s impact. Shane seems younger than her years, and her undying affection for her verbally abusive father strikes an odd note. What rings truest here is the awe she feels when exploring new territory and falling in love for the first time. Ages 12–up. Agent: JL Stermer, New Leaf Literary.

April 1, 2019
Grades 9-12 In 2011, Shane Primaveri's college life has been dismal. To reset her introverted life, she signs up for a semester in London and an internship with a magazine?and lies to her parents, who believe she's pursuing her premed studies, not creative writing. Her life becomes wonderfully filled with taking weekend trips with her friends, updating her travel blog, writing for her classes, and embracing her internship. However, when Shane learns her crush has a girlfriend and her parents show up unannounced, her new life plummets into a death spiral. Jump ahead to 2017: Shane, making the rounds of medical-residency interviews, happens to be near her former crush's workplace. She drags him out for coffee, and through a twist of fate, they find themselves back in 2011 London for a do-over. This funny, poignant debut by a popular BookTuber is full of life and honest reflection, and it's packed with adventures that will charm readers, whether they've traveled abroad or not. Give this to anyone who enjoys tales of self-discovery and first love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)