Romance is not dead. Loved this so much. Highly recommend. Not all romance books get it right but I loved the build up and was thoroughly entertained the whole time.

OH MY GOD. I try and pretend like I'm at least a *little* intellectual in some way when writing reviews, but this book has converted me to a baser level of existence. I am a mere mammal, possibly even a lowly street dog. You can find me barking and howling at the moon.

Josh? JOSH? BARK BARK BARK. AAAA-OOOOOOOGAH. HUBBA HUBBA.
And this is really hard for me to even type out because that is the name of an ex.
If I can speak candidly, that scene of him leaving a voicemail for his girlfriend when Ari overhears FUNDAMENTALLY changed me. I discovered things about myself that I don't think I can come back from. Also, his whole just...everything. Everything about this man screams, "COME TO MAMA." Even when he's being neurotic, because same! We can be neurotic together!!!

But Ari? Your honor, I love her. She is iconic in every way, and such a perfectly wonderful and chaotic mess. I just can't decide if I want to BE her or if I want to be WITH her. I think people may not get her if they've not *been* her before, because she is someone who is very much in pain but refuses to acknowledge it. Girl, I FEEL YOU. I think her journey is my favorite part of the story, which is saying a lot because I LOVED this story.

If this book were a meal, it would be something I had to eat with my hands at a fancy restaurant. And I'd be licking my fingers AND the plate without caring who watched because it was THAT good. This one is going on my re-read list ASAP.

Sadly this did not resonate with me at all. I couldn’t get into the story mainly because of how unlikable I found the main characters.

If an author gives me Rey lo fan fic. I will eat it up! thank you no notes. It was amazing! I love a good right person, wrong time and I think this book is amazing at this. The characters are flawed but beautifully human.

I want to say that I absolutely loved this book, but the truth is different. This book didn’t work for me. The writing was great and the story wasn’t bad, but I found both main characters to be completely insufferable and I couldn’t find myself wanting to like either one or both of them together. Since this was supposed to be a romance (and technically is) I was waiting to feel something other than annoyance, but that didn’t happen.

Sorry to the majority of my book club who had to listen to me rant. But I’m glad you liked it.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

I LOVED this. One of my favorite movies growing up has been When Harry Met Sally so I was thrilled to learn that this is loosely based on that story. These characters were both so infuriating and loveable i just couldn’t get enough. I ate this one right up and have been recommending it to my romance customers who crave a romance that’s perfect for fall/winter! 4.5 ⭐️

I'm not a big fan of When Harry Met Sally (although by all accounts I should be -- I like the other movies in that genre), so I may not be the target audience for this. I didn't feel connected to the characters and while it was obviously going to be very predictable, the lack of interest in the characters and storytelling made it hard to engage.

I had a hard time getting past the “trying too hard to be cool” tone. WHY WERE SO MANY EMJOI REFERENCES MADE?! Overall, I found the characters unlikeable and immature.

The characters were a bit hard to connect with at first, and I found it tough to warm up to them. However, despite that, I was still able to enjoy the overall book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Also, Thank you to @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook.

"You, Again" is a charming contemporary romance that offers a fresh take on the classic "When Harry Met Sally" trope. Told over a decade, the story follows Ari and Josh, two polar opposites who initially clash but gradually evolve into unlikely friends and ultimately, something more.

Their initial animosity is palpable, fueled by witty banter and playful antagonism that will keep readers entertained throughout. The audiobook narration perfectly captures the essence of their dynamic, bringing their sharp exchanges to life.

While the "enemies-to-lovers" trope is well-trodden, "You, Again" offers a refreshing perspective with its witty dialogue and endearingly flawed characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #randomhouse #prhaudiopartner #youagain #kategoldbeck

This was nothing like what I expected. The premise had a lot of potential, but You, Again ultimately left me disappointed. The characters were more of a mess than I anticipated—making bad choices galore—and it became frustrating rather than endearing.

The romance was an extreme case of slow burn, but not in a way I usually enjoy. The pace was drawn out to the point where I lost interest, and the chemistry between the characters just didn’t feel strong enough to justify it. Instead of the fun, lighthearted rom-com vibe I was hoping for, the dynamic between the leads was filled with poor decisions and an immature heroine, making it hard for me to connect with the characters. I found myself questioning their choices more than actually rooting for them.

Sometimes, the early buzz can be misleading, and in this case, it set me up for expectations that weren’t met. I tried to push through, but I ended up skimming and skipping parts, and in hindsight, maybe I should have just DNFed it instead. The messiness of the story was overwhelming, and the emotional depth and character growth didn’t make up for it. The quirky moments didn’t balance out the lack of a solid connection between the leads.

Nevertheless, it was a debut novel, and I can appreciate the effort and promise that it shows. While You, Again didn’t quite work for me, I’m still curious to see how Kate Goldbeck’s writing evolves in future works.

I was a little worried this would feel like a generic nyc restaurant romance novel but I actually really enjoyed the writing style of the author and I found all of the characters to be extremely compelling.

Opinions I voiced while reading this:
- I think this might be bad . . . but in an interesting way? (25% through)
- I hate Ari. (multiple times)
- Oh, this might just be bad. (50%-ish)
- Ari is a terrible friend. (multiple times)
- This is the most realistic third-act break-up I've ever read.
- It's over!

I wanted to like this book so much. The concept felt solid but it stumbled upon execution.

Unlikeable characters are great! But I need a single, solitary reason to root for them or they're just unlikeable. While pretentious and off-putting at times, Josh has an arc that makes sense and feels grounded in his depiction. I hated Ari. She's someone who lacks self-awareness to a concerning degree. I don't know why Radhya and Gabe put up with her for so long.

I didn't love the third person present tense narrative. And the story is longer than it needed to be, I think. The comparison to <i>When Harry Met Sally</i> is misleading because it lacks some of the charm of that (problematic) story.

I do appreciate the chaotic NYC vibes the author captured. Most stories set in NYC feel like they could be lifted out and adapted to another city with a few tweaks. But not this one! This dumpster fire would only work in NYC and I loved it for that.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Dial Press, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

“‘No one should marry the person who makes them happy,’ Josh continues. ‘Marry the person you want by your side at your absolute lowest point.’” Henry this is great advice!

3.5 stars rounded up! You, Again is as a modern day “When Harry Met Sally” retelling that focuses on Ari and Josh, enemies-turned-friends-turned-lovers, told over a decade in New York City.

When polar opposites hate each other man they REALLY hate each other. And when the only thing you have in common is the woman you’re sleeping with…whelp I just can’t see how that would ever work.
Buuut this was the sweetest and most enjoyable of enemies - to - lovers I may have ever read. The banter was *chefs kiss*. The audiobook really did a great job of harnessing the aforementioned banter. Loved it!

“‘Give me more feedback or we’re just going to cuddle.’ ‘Really?’ Ari cranes her neck to the right to look at him. ‘You think you’re cute?’ ‘No. That’s why I got good at this part.’” 😳😆

Thank you @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Random House, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I loved this so much that I immediately went out and bought the physical copy. Friends to lovers? New York? Hilarious and heartfilled characters?! YES. I can't wait to see what comes next from this author.

I did not enjoy this book. The characters were incredibly flawed and lacked growth. I had a hard time getting through it. As a 32 year old this may have just not been for me and meant for a younger crowd.

A friend really recommended this book, and although it took me longer to get to it than I intended, I certainly enjoyed it when I did get there. A super fun romantic comedy where even when you might be wanting to sigh at the length of time it takes the main characters to figure things out, it's also a lot of fun!

This is a solid, relatable, modern rom-com. Genuinely feels like something that more people can relate to you. You don't have the absurd situations/events that come out of nowhere to justify the plot or character progression, instead you have a slow rolling story spanning a decade of offhand meetings culminating in one final (hopefully) forever. There's something very cozy about this book, and it definitely gives fall/autumn vibes.

I really appreciated the dichotomy between the two characters, in both their backgrounds, their goals, their perceptions of love/relationships and how they handle difficult situations. They are the definition of "unlikely friends", but in the end I do think they end up meshing so well by understanding the others perspective and filling in each others respective gaps (promise that's not a sex joke). And personally, as someone who is a hopeless romantic with extreme commitment issues, reading about the two characters with their surface level opposing views on relationships was rather cathartic (and maybe a bit hopeful?).

Given the length of time covered, and the realistically paced plot progression, there are a lot of time jumps, and it can feel like its meandering at times. Usually big time jumps bug me because they usually represent massive points of character or plot development that the author doesn't want to show, but in this case I think they work well. I mean if you had to write out the 4 years between my random run-ins with the same person, it'd be exceptionally boring.

If you're a big fan of fast moving, big stakes, romances, you'll likely find this a bit too slow/uneventful for you. But if you are someone interested in reading a modern day romance that can truly capture what it's like dating in today's world (a fucking nightmare fyi), I 11/10 would recommend. I also think this would make a killer movie, please please please.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an arc copy of this book. I seem to have forgotten to leave a review last year lol but it unfortunately did not work for me the setup was very exciting as well as the atmosphere but the characters just did not click with me especially the main character I just could not connect to either of them nor did I see the chemistry I did really like the writing so I will keep an eye out for the author's other releases.