I honestly never thought there would come a day when someone I watched grow on YouTube would release a book and I would be sitting here reviewing it. I honestly tried to go into this book with an open mind and be as critical as I could be.
Pre-med, amazing grades and happy parents, Shane should have the ideal life but in reality she has no friends, is convinced she's doing college completely wrong, goes home every weekend and has never experienced any form of romance.
The clock is ticking and Shane is desperate to make a change so she signs up for a semester abroad in London doing a course that is completely different to the one her parent's are paying for.
Shane is adamant that this is her chance to right all her college mistakes: she's going to make friends. pursue boys and find adventure, however she is quick to find that she's completely out of her comfort zone and when self-doubt decides to show its face Shane's new life starts to fall apart around her. She soon comes to find that with courage and determination you can conquer anything but if you throw in some fate and a touch of magic then the possibilities are endless.
I needed this book when I was in university. I was living at home, spending four hours of my day travelling there and back and not even partaking in the stereotypical student life. I had friends but all but one were from my course and now, six years down the line I barely talk to them all. I felt like I had done my three years at university wrong, even if I did come out of it with a degree (which I haven't done anything with since). I needed this book to know that it was quite normal to feel this way and at any point I had complete control over changing my path.
I really liked Shane and couldn't help but imagine Christine in her place as a lot of the mannerisms and jokes are exactly what I would expect from her. The way Shane developed is something I needed to read when I was that age. Shane broke free from the constraints she had placed on herself, becoming bolder and more confident in who she was. I think Christine did a fantastic job creating all these characters and this world, even if it was based on her own experiences.
Whilst I am a lover for the pop-references used in this book I know that some people may not like that, so that is something to take into consideration when picking up this book. There is also a magical element that plays a role in the story which at first I really liked the idea of but then I started to feel like it didn't fit in the way that I would have liked it to. For a book that is trying the teach people that you have time to find yourself and that you can push yourself out of your comfort zone it kind of just threw it all away with the magic and for me made it seem like these things were unachievable without a sprinkle of fate and magic.
Originally I had rated this book 5 stars but once I took a step back and really thought about it I changed my rating to 4 stars. I did really enjoy this book but like I said earlier the magic element pulled it down.
The story Christine has created is an emotional rollercoaster; I found myself smiling, laughing and even crying. For someone who is experiencing college, university or even if you're like me and that time in your life has long since passed this book is a really good read. For me it brought up a lot of nostalgia.
Again, but Better is a light-hearted while still touching on real life and facing your fears. I definitely recommend reading it!
Rating: 4/5 stars.
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