Again, Again by E. Lockhart (ARC Review)

Synopsis:

In this novel full of surprises from the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud, E. Lockhart ups the ante with an inventive and romantic story about human connection, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility.

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 Thoughts:

E. Lockhart is known for YA books with twists and turns, and her newest offering, Again Again, starts right away with an interesting premise: one girl, Adelaide Buchwald, lives her life in parallel worlds. Adelaide has just been dumped by her boyfriend, and struggling to relate with her recovering younger brother. At first, this seemed a bit like the movie Sliding Doors: girl meets boy, girl meets boy in an alternate universe, they connect, they don't connect, things go astray. I have to be honest, this part wasn't terribly interesting to me.

What I did like was the alternate universe in which everything is turned on its head. Adelaide has a chance to reflect on why she needs relationships to buoy her self esteem. Her complicated feelings toward her brother surfaces (I loved this part, it felt so true and honest. Very, very good stuff). There is also some thoughtful commentary on how teenage boys are idealized. This is Lockhart, however, so of course Adelaide plunges back into dating. This reiteration, thankfully, is healthier for everyone involved. Still, I would have liked a bit more self-reflection. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.