This was a DNF for me I love RomCom movies, but have never gotten into romance books. Since this one said it was for folks who love when Harry met Sally, I thought I would give it a try, but I just found it trying to hard to be crass. Hooking up with the same girlfriend, meeting again at a sex toy shop just isn’t very relatable for me and I felt like the author was appealing to a demographic that isn’t me.

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck is a delightful romcom with the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope. Ari is a struggling comedian, and Josh is a serious chef. When they run into each other after not seeing each other in a while, they become friends. And then they become more. But can they get past their egos and turn it into something serious? I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I'm going to make this quick, but I adored this book. I loved the When Harry Met Sally references SO MUCH. I loved Ari and Josh. And omg…the vulnerability?! The ANGST?! The growth?! Like, did this book need to make me cry so hard? Also, it’s funny. And sweet. And open. Hard topics are tackled. Inclusion is present. Space is given.

I’m low-key so happy to have my very own Dust Daddy (lol, the device) because that entire scene was everything.

From the immediate dislike (or is it a spark??) that they experience with each other at the beginning to the adorable, swoony end, this is a definite must-read romance.

Say hello to one of my favorite romances of 2023!

As someone who saw When Harry Met Sally only once, I wasn't in it for the retelling. And I think that's what allowed me to be pleasantly surprised.

Not only was this super cozy, it was also very angsty. I rooted for Josh and Ari as soon as they met and cheered when it finally happened (even though it took them forever to figure it out).

Also, this hit surprisingly close to home. I saw myself reflected in both Josh and Ari, for better or worse.

I flew through this book in less than 12 hours, so that's saying something!

I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to read more from this author.

I wanted to love this book, but I think I wasn't the target audience. The main characters were a bit grating in the first half of the book which made it difficult to read. That being said, the writing was good and the plot was interesting. Since it's just a case of differing tastes, I still give it 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.

I loved this book. The characters were… awful a lot of the time. But that’s what made it great for me. Their decision? Atrocious. But like, the decisions felt real. The banter? Perfect. The angst? Extra perfect. The slow build up? I was dying it was so perfect. It felt like a homage to 90s romance. And a love letter to NYC.

Thank you Kate Goldbeck and NetGalley for giving me an e-arc of You, Again. This was such a sweet read that got me in the cozy fall romance mood.

You, Again is told over multiple timelines and has a dual POV between Ari (a comedian) and Josh (a professional chef). Ari is the sunshine to Josh's grump and the commitment-phobe to his helpless romantic.

Ari and Josh seem to only run into each other when they're at their lowest. When they finally see each other again, after both are going through terrible breakups, they find that they're able to hate the world together (while still hating one another too much to be anything more than friends). As their friendship grows and they become closer, the lines of platonic friendship start to blur. But Ari still has trouble with commitment, and Josh still needs to find his confidence in the kitchen.

You, Again felt like reading a modern day telling of When Harry Met Sally. Josh and Ari test the idea that men and women can be platonic friends without wanting anything more (until someone wants something more). Both characters have to overcome internal struggles, and the other can only stand there for support. That led both characters to having major development arcs, which I love so so much. (so much that I cried for both Ari and Josh at one point during the book) The side characters were also a joy to have included and added to the overall story!

A messy, imperfect love story told over many years. You, Again is the story of Ari and Josh, who met for the first time because they were hooking up with the same girl. Years later they bond over heartbreak and build a friendship that blossoms into a reluctant romance. Kate Goldbeck did such a great job painting these slightly toxic characters who are just trying to find direction in life. The prose was witty and script-like. I felt like I was watching a movie that follows the characters over a great chunk of time. The tension and build up was unreal and Ari and Josh were simply hilarious together. I really enjoyed this!

4.5

What a mess Josh and Ari made of themselves (and me) time and time again.

They drove me CRAZY!!!! In the best and worst ways!!! I enjoyed this book A LOT and found myself thinking about it and the characters even when I wasn’t reading which…does not always happen when I pick up a book.

If you want to know if you should read You, Again listen to Champagne Problems (but the characters have a happy ending…happy beginning? happy continuation!!!) and take it from there.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the free review copy!!!

Regrettably I've never seen the inspirational movie When Harry Met Sally, but that did no stop me from really enjoying this novel. The first review I saw really set an accurate expectation up for me and is what ultimately let me to read this novel: Two really shitty people go from enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers. There was good banter, some heavy self loathing, and a little bit of spice.

This book started off a little rocky for me. I really disliked both of the main characters and thought they were fairly terrible. They continued to be terrible throughout the book, but somehow they endeared themselves to me and I wanted to see what would happen. I really just wish that characters in books would TALK to each other..... it would solve so many issues. This ended up being a 3 star read. It may have been higher if it was 100 pages shorter.

I loved this homage to Harry Met Sally. This one starts our a tad slowLy but wow does it pay off. This was a slightly edgy take on a romantic comedy. The love interests were cynical, jaded,prickly, grumpy and flawed like real,people. The elements of the romantic comedy were there but not in an over the top way. In fact, the romance was actually endearingly, charmingly awkward. My heart broke for both Ari and Josh at times as they just couldn’t get out of their own way, The references to WHMS were perfectly executed with new twists.This was such an enjoyable quirky, slightly odd, edgy and ultimately satisfying

I tend to flow between literary fiction and contemporary romance and YOU AGAIN was the first romance novel I’ve read in a while. I really enjoyed it. The characters and storyline felt very real, which I appreciated in this genre.

One of the things I loved was the female MC Ari’s vulnerability. This is not a romcom with a happy-go-lucky leading lady. We see Ari move through multiple phases of life, including a depression that makes her time falling in love more complex than most romance plot lines I’ve read. There were parts when I yearned for just some straight up happy love, but I really appreciated how realistic this made the relationship feel.

This book has become known as “the romcom based on when Harry met Sally” and while the structure is absolutely there and Ari’s post-break up mood feels Harry-inspired, these characters are all their own. Read this for the fresh, complex take on romance, the really great text banter, and also one of my all-time favorite first kiss scenes. It was written just *chefs kiss* impeccably.

oh wow. OH WOW. there is nothing like a romance book that you enjoy so much you read it in a day! why yes i did tear up but i also laughed so much. i love it when a rom com is a ROM COM though it got upsetting for a minute there but it felt so real and raw. i see the when harry met sally vision in the sense that these two have fun lil banter but i like the ways in which these characters and their story differs from that while still keeping that comforting sweet vibe i adore. such a good fall read. 4.5!

I think I love when Harry Met Sally (literally one of my favorite movies ever!) just enough to have adored this one no matter what!

Will this be for everyone!? Nope, likely not. But gosh, I really really enjoyed it! It’s fast paced and engaging with just enough of a push going on in the story to keep you flipping pages.

I found the characters interesting. I do wish it hadn’t been written in 3rd person, I kind of wanted to crawl into both MCs heads a few different times to truly understand them.. but with that being said I can respect the writing decision and it definitely lent to the vibe of the book!

I will say this one leans a bit more on towards women’s lit than romance than I usually prefer. It’s definitely realistic and truly plunks you down in the real world with deep, raw, and emotional moments.

I think one of my favorite things about When Harry Met Sally is that they felt like magnets, no matter what they couldn’t stay away and kept finding their way back to one another. This book definitely had that vibe and I love it!

This was the book I needed to get into my fall romance era. It was different, funny, messy and just a collection of the realest emotions one could feel. This book made me root for the characters as it made me feel seen. While I love an all romance book with the perfect characters I never truly relate to any of the protagonists. This book gave me that. The feelings I had towards Ari and Josh were those of admiration. They were struggling and falling into unhealthy habits but they were finding their own pace. It was a great enemies to friends to lovers with a When Harry met Sally vibe.

The first third of the book was difficult for me to get into, especially with the shifting POVs within the same chapter. It was difficult to keep track of whose head you were in. But as the romance transitioned from hate to friendship, I started to warm up to the characters and found the story witty and romantic. I just wish the author had split the POV shifts into separate chapters.

You, Again is full of New York in the fall glory. The setting is atmospheric and full of wonderful food imagery and descriptions. The main characters have great chemistry, but at times can be immature which kept it from being a favorite for me. They spent so much time being angsty apart that I was let down a bit when they final got together.

Title: You, Again
Author: Kate Goldbeck
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing a copy of this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

Before I start… *insert giddy Anna GIF from Frozen*

The beginning or this book had my jaw on the floor! The first few chapters after that gave me Serendipity vibe and I was holding my breath for the moment when Ari and Josh would become more that people who bump into one another once every few months/years. But baby! I was not ready for what ensued 😭😭😭

So much hurt, incredible amount of care and tenderness, a beautiful friendship and a love that heals wounds and surmounts fear. It was a ride, a bumpy one, but a beautiful one! 🥹

This book was so refreshing, funny, witty. The banter in this book?! 🥹🤩😂🤣🤭🫣🥹. It was a beautiful depiction of self discovery, a push to challenge my fears and a reminder that it takes courage to say “Please love me back” 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

💬: Am I the last one who knew where Ari was going before pizza prior to her getting there? 👀🤭

Reviews posted on October 9th, 2023.

I absolutely loved You, Again. It’s funny and witty with character development that spans a few years. Friendship blooms over a bond of life mishaps that leads to feelings.

Loved the focus on life not going on how you expected it to go but also accepting that it’s okay to allow your self to be loved.