Firstly, I'd like to thank the team at Readers First and the publishers at Hot Key Books for awarding me an ebook copy of Again, Again by E. Lockhart. It's great to be able to read something new, especially during these very strange times.
When I was in my final years at school, and even when I was in college, I often read books from others who were compared to E. Lockhart. Often, at the end of some of my favourite YA books, there would be a page saying "if you enjoyed this, you'll love..." followed by a photo of Lockhart's latest novel. I had always been drawn towards her titles but I always failed to pick up one, so it was interesting to finally read one - especially now I am not necessarily the target audience.
Again, Again follows Adelaide Buchman as she spends her summer at boarding school after being dumped by her first love. As her heart starts to repair, Adelaide finds herself trying to rebuild herself but soon stumbles into another romance. Pairing her desire to be loved, and her obsession with loving others, with the haunting history of her brothers' drug overdose, Adelaide struggles to keep everything balanced.
Lockhart's writing in Again, Again is extremely poetic and incredibly poignant. Adelaide is a very sad character, and it is interesting to see how she continues to unravel throughout the story. However, I feel like Again, Again and all of the characters, followed the same note throughout. There wasn't really a lot of growth in structure as the story progressed. Sure, there were some heartbreaks along the way, but they weren't necessarily unexpected and didn't project as a tremendous blow to me whilst reading.
One thing I really was in awe about with this book was Lockhart's writing style. It was a mixture of verses, tied with 'ordinary' structured paragraphs. It really helped break the story up and ensured the flow was nice.
I also found that the ending was sort of unsavoury for me. I was ready to read another chapter, to see Adelaide progress further, but things seemed to be wrapped up pretty neatly as she continued her own private path of finding herself beyond the reader's journey.
Overall, I enjoyed Again, Again enough to finish it in one day, but being in my twenties I am not necessarily the target audience for this YA contemporary novel. However, my age and current genre-preference didn't make this book unbearable.
When I was in my final years at school, and even when I was in college, I often read books from others who were compared to E. Lockhart. Often, at the end of some of my favourite YA books, there would be a page saying "if you enjoyed this, you'll love..." followed by a photo of Lockhart's latest novel. I had always been drawn towards her titles but I always failed to pick up one, so it was interesting to finally read one - especially now I am not necessarily the target audience.
Again, Again follows Adelaide Buchman as she spends her summer at boarding school after being dumped by her first love. As her heart starts to repair, Adelaide finds herself trying to rebuild herself but soon stumbles into another romance. Pairing her desire to be loved, and her obsession with loving others, with the haunting history of her brothers' drug overdose, Adelaide struggles to keep everything balanced.
Lockhart's writing in Again, Again is extremely poetic and incredibly poignant. Adelaide is a very sad character, and it is interesting to see how she continues to unravel throughout the story. However, I feel like Again, Again and all of the characters, followed the same note throughout. There wasn't really a lot of growth in structure as the story progressed. Sure, there were some heartbreaks along the way, but they weren't necessarily unexpected and didn't project as a tremendous blow to me whilst reading.
One thing I really was in awe about with this book was Lockhart's writing style. It was a mixture of verses, tied with 'ordinary' structured paragraphs. It really helped break the story up and ensured the flow was nice.
I also found that the ending was sort of unsavoury for me. I was ready to read another chapter, to see Adelaide progress further, but things seemed to be wrapped up pretty neatly as she continued her own private path of finding herself beyond the reader's journey.
Overall, I enjoyed Again, Again enough to finish it in one day, but being in my twenties I am not necessarily the target audience for this YA contemporary novel. However, my age and current genre-preference didn't make this book unbearable.