*4.5⭐️

“No one should marry the person who makes them happy. Marry the person you want by your side at your lowest point. Marry the person you…you never get sick of. Who you always want more from. Who makes you proud to be theirs.”

I wrote almost 4,900 words on my Notes App book journal about this book. It’s basically an essay on how invested I was in this book.

If you love When Harry Met Sally, HIMYM, Friends, romcom love confessions, friends to lovers, meet disasters, the idea of soulmates, or any combination, YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

This book felt like a love letter to a generation who grew up loving sitcoms, romcoms, DCOMs, or really anything with “com” in the name. It’s one of the most unique romances that I think I’ll ever read. First, the bi representation was really good and refreshing. It’s actually what drew me to the book in the first place, since it led to the basic premise of both Ari and Josh meeting because they’re sleeping with the same girl. I felt so much for Ari throughout the entire book. The girl just couldn’t catch a break! The ONE time she decides to give a relationship a chance, it ends up being with a narcissistic professor who clearly had a history of dumping her partner when she got bored then making the partner seem like they were the problem. Then we get to the complexity of Josh, a grumpy jerk who is also convinced in the idea of true love, destiny, and soulmates. It was both sweet and infuriating to see his reaction to his relationship shift with Ari at the 60% point. Together, they’re like the beginning of a bizarre joke: “a cynical, hopeless romantic and a free spirited commitment-phobe walk into a bar”—or—“an adult toy store”?

My main biggest issue with the book was the third act conflict. While I think it made total sense, I think the wrong half of the couple was blamed for the mess! Yes, both halves admit some fault in the disaster, but one half ends up taking more of the blame, and if anything, the OTHER person deserved the blame for being incapable of listening…

No matter what, these two are the definition of literary soulmates. Like, they just KEPT finding each other again and again (he se the title), even if they were in the most bizarre ways. I’m so excited to see what Kate Goldbeck writes next!

What a book! I simultaneously wanted to devour it in one sitting and savor it for at least a week.

Inspired by When Harry Met Sally, You, Again follows Ari and Josh as they continue to meet over the years and eventually develop something more than friendship. I honestly wasn’t too sure how the big time jumps would feel but I hardly noticed them except in the seamless growth/changes in the characters. It was so well done!

My favorite part of this whole book are the interactions between Ari and Josh. As it should be, right? The banter is *chef’s kiss*. They’re honestly two of my favorite characters in recent memory. It’s actually surprising to me for a pretty unique reason: I wasn’t the biggest fan of When Harry Met Sally. While the inspiration is clear, the author definitely made it her own. The changes made sense and I loved the reversed gender roles.

While I did find the ending to be abrupt, I can acknowledge at least part of my complaint there is just that I wanted more. I think I’d easily read a whole series with these two bantering.

I’ll be picking up a physical copy when it releases this week to add to my collection. After all, you know what they say. When you find a book you want to spend the rest of your life with…

I received an arc of this book from Dial Press via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Okay, I like messy characters as much as the next person but this was such a drag. I mean why is it really enemies to lovers? Other than discovering they're sleeping with the same woman, why would that be cause for enemy vibes - maybe I'm just overthinking! There isn't anything necessarily wrong with this one, I just think it isn't for me unfortunately!

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. While I enjoyed the characters and the growth both in jumps and together on page. However the time old trope of bisexuals being overly promiscuous needs to die. Like I’m sex positive however Ari was a hot mess.

Also how is this a hate to lovers when they had zero reason to hate one another in the first place and then don’t see each other for years.

When Ari and Josh first meet, the only connection they have is that they're sleeping with the same person. Being opposite in almost every way, they don't exactly leave a good impression on each other. Ari is a free-spirit who doesn't believe in "the one", working odd jobs while taking improvisation classes and trying to make it as a comedian. Josh is a hopeless romantic, waiting to find the other half of his cookie. His father owns a treasured New York City restaurant, but Josh is trying his hardest to leave his own mark on the culinary world - for better or worse.

For the next few years, Ari and Josh manage to continue to run into - and clash with - each other in various places and in various stages in their lives. During one such run-in, both Ari and Josh are dealing with a difficult breakup. Instead of pushing each other away, they form a bond over their shared misery, and slowly their former animosity turns to friendship. Soon it's apparent that there could be more there between them if they're willing to take the chance potentially altering the friendship they've built.

Kate Goldbeck's debut is such an interesting rumination on modern relationships and dating. I think a lot of people are going to say that about this book (or have said it) but it's honestly so true. Especially the fact that it's a kind of retelling of When Harry Met Sally.

I really like, though, that in that statement about being in the "modern" age, it's not commenting on the technology that we all utilize now (i.e. apps), but it's about who we're dating and who we're being friends with and how breaking those barriers between the two can be scary yet also so rewarding.

I'll admit I didn't necessarily like everything about Ari and Josh's characters. They were a little too unsettled for my personal liking. But I loved them together, the banter, the way they got in with each other and formed a bond and formed inside jokes and learned who each other was to their core. It was like they filled in those spaces that were missing in the other. You could feel the chemistry jumping off the page and you could feel the conflict when they want to go beyond friendship. Kate Goldbeck planned this perfectly.

At first, I felt like there was too much time spent on the build up. The initial snippets of time when they would run into each other did not give enough toward thinking they would later form a friendship. I was missing the spark between Ari and Josh that knew must eventually come. However, having finished the book and taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, I feel like every instance was so meticulously planned out and just slowly and methodically pulling you in that it was almost like you, too, had suddenly found yourself in a friendship with a person you previously loathed. Everything just clicked and I really couldn't imagine things going any differently.

If this is what Kate Goldbeck has for us with her debut, I cannot even wait for what's to come. I hope that she continues to write such well thought out stories about relationships and romance.

I liked this book! Such a cute romance. I loved Ari, how openly queer she was, and how real of a character she is--definitely easy to relate to her.
Something that was a little confusing was the timing, it was a little hard to keep track of how many months/years each part took place, I think maybe adding the month would've helped clarify.
I enjoyed this book--the characters, the tension and gradual build up, the eventual relationship. Very well written and fun to read.

You, Again is in the running for my favorite romance and book of the year. And juicy, messy, and achingly sweet enemies to friends to lovers inspired by When Harry Met Sally with a dash of Reylo nods.

Ari is messy, chaotic, and living a life as such as a comedian in New York City. She's a commitmentphobe who does not believe in everlasting love. Over the years, through happenstance, she keeps running into Josh - a grumpy professional chef and hopeless romantic. The two do not hit it off - for literal years.

But they end up becoming best friends, and eventually something more, making them question everything they thought they knew about love, relationships, and themselves.

I had such a great time with this book, which sets itself apart from the slew of other cartoon cover romances out there. The romance and relationship between Ari and Josh is the main story thread, but there are also themes of self-discovery and emotional maturity for both characters.

You, Again made me feel the entire roller coaster of emotions - there were genuine laugh-out-loud moments, blush-worthy scenes, and heartbreaking endings and new beginnings. The story and writing are engaging and dynamic, and the pacing had me binging the 448-page book in just a few days.

This book does not feel like a debut, but I'm so excited to read what Kate Goldbeck cooks up next.

You, Again is a slow burn, antagonists-to-lovers romance. With great dialogue and quips, Kate Goldbeck creates memorable characters in a book that doesn’t feel like a debut.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Comedian Ari and chef Josh have a series of not-so-meet cute interactions. The first is when they realize they are dating the same woman, then next when he fires her best friend. After a few more memorable moments, they finally connect when they are both miserable and depressed. Suddenly texting and chatting with each other becomes the highlight of their days. But what happens when their complex feelings grow?

You, Again is filled with tons of great banter and self deprecating quips. While Josh and Ari both seem to be unhappy through most of the book, neither one stumbles over the perfect comeback. I also love the the New York setting, which feels like another wonderful secondary character. And, the bisexual and Jewish representation are fabulously integrated into this story.

I really wanted to love this book. But, it felt long, and it took me a while to get into it. Once Josh and Ari begin to interact with each other more, I truly enjoyed their bickering and bantering. But overall the pair is apart more than together, and I would have liked to see them spend more time with each other over the course of their romance.

If you like a slow burn with lots of bickering and banter, You, Again hits all the right beats. While there were a few aspects that didn’t work as well for me, Kate Goldbeck’s debut showcases anxious and vulnerable characters who always have the right quip ready to go.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 star read for me. It was a great book nothing wrong with it. The story flowed the characters were great. I just wasn’t clicking with the main character Ari. She was annoying and very aggressive . I understand why the author made her this way and she has a huge character growth that made up for the struggle to get through this book in the beginning

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5/5 stars.

TBH, this may be one of my new comfort reads. There's just....so much to like about this? It is important to note that this is SO INCREDIBLY NOT YOUNG ADULT FICTION. It's VERY sex positive and NOT YA. Anyways, I loved it. Josh and Ari start off as enemies...but as YEARS go by with chance encounters, they slowly become best friends. Then more YEARS go by and they test the waters...but both are dealing with their own commitment issues and scorns of past relationships and they fizzle apart...but then chance encounters continue.

The banter? It's chef's kiss. The supporting cast is amazing, but Josh and Ari are so incredibly real (and also, in their own right, incredibly unlikable characters because of their personalities). SO much of what Ari says about relationships was relatable. I also did appreciate the sex positivism and the LGBTQ rep.

Seriously, it warms your heart and the steam is UGH and the small spice scenes? AMAZING. There's just so much to love about this book.

You, Again is essentially When Harry Met Sally for the millennial reader and I’ll personally take any hit of Nora Ephron I can get these days.

If you ask me (you didn’t), this book is about a bit too long. At the same time, the length really did give me similar Harry & Sally feelings. I mean, in both cases we have to wait over a decade for these two crazy kids to get together so I kind of knew what to expect.

While things were slow at times, there is more than enough humor and heart (and banter!) to get you through until the Big Bang 😏 The last chunk of the book was truly an emotional masterpiece in my opinion and I just loved it so much.

I really enjoyed the modernization of one of my favorite love stories. In You, Again Josh is the one with very particular food specifications and Ari is comfortable with sex but very uncomfortable with intimacy.

This isn’t your typical romance novel and I appreciated a lot of the unique elements I don’t see everyday. Here’s a taste of what to expect:

🍁a grumpy uptight MMC, which is basically my kryptonite, who falls HARD
🍁a bisexual FMC who is the definition of emotionally unavailable
🍁characters that are an absolute mess but you love them anyway
🍁opposites attract (it was some of the best in the biz)
🍁enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
🍁the perfect New York City setting with mentions of all the best spots (👀The Strand!)
🍁a romantic modern love story with plenty of spice

When Harry Met Sally with two messy, flawed millennials? Sign me up. This is Kate Goldbeck's debut and I loved her writing: confident, funny, and nuanced. Ari and Josh felt like real, rounded characters from the moment they appeared on page (especially Ari, whose chaos, humor, and struggling Brooklyn comedian vibe jump off the page from the start) and Goldbeck filled in their evolving relationship and conflicts with others and with themselves in natural ways.

The only thing I'll say is that 448 pages is really long by romance standards (and on the long side in general), and I do think this one could have been trimmed a bit despite giving time (and years) to their connection. Because of the structure, the book takes a good chunk of pages to get to the main storyline as it takes us through their first few meetings over several years, which was necessary (and entertaining) but still notable. Luckily, it read quickly thanks to Goldbeck's writing, but I was still aware of this length and structure a bit too much. That said, I still had a great time reading it from their very first chaotic meeting, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Goldbeck writes next.

I have so much to say about "You, Again" and all of it is positive.

First of all, it has one of the best structured first chapters in a rom-com that I've ever read. I was hooked from the start and felt like I knew so much about the characters even just getting a vignette into their lives years before the bulk of the book takes place.

"You, Again" feels different than a lot of other rom-coms. The humor in the book doesn't come from the characters finding themselves in wacky or zany situations (though they sometimes do). Both characters are witty and snappy and the humor in the book mainly comes from their reactions to and observations of very real situations. In this way, "You, Again" feels incredibly grounded while not skimping on emotional impact.

I've found that I really enjoy rom-coms about deeply messy people (as long as there's an HEA), and this absolutely fit the bill. Ari and Josh are both extremely flawed and find each other at very low places in their lives. But over the course of the book they both go through a lot of growth, leading to a satisfying conclusion. The plot occasionally felt a bit meander-y, but I really appreciated the effort the author put in to really fleshing out these characters.

This book is literally a modern "When Harry Met Sally" retelling, I'm not sure what more you could want.

5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a great slow burn, enemies to lovers romance! This was so unique, so fresh and the latter half and ending were PERFECT. Things weren't always easy but they felt real. I loved the friendship prior to the romance and that it wasn't easy. I truly enjoyed this book and I have to that you will seriously fall in love with Ari and Josh! Definitely recommend this one!

You, Again comes out next week on September 12, 2023, and you can purchase HERE! I loved this book and can't wait for more from this author!

There's a part of Ari's mind that's throwing caution tape all over the encounter. The acceptable boundaries of "just friendship" are getting pulled and stretched to the point of imminent tearing.

But they don't stop here, either.

When I started You, Again, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it. Ari and Josh took a little getting used to but once I did, oh boy did I enjoy this story! I had no idea I was getting into a slow burn, both enemies and friends to lovers romance that also deals with their personal stories in such a detailed way.
This felt like a more realistic progression of a relationship between two people who care deeply about one another but have to work past their own barriers. I loved the progression of their relationship from contentious into friendship into love. Loved it so much more than I thought I would, and can't wait to see what Kate Goldbeck does next!

I’ve been seeing rave reviews for You, Again and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint! From their first not so meet cute to running into each other again and again, I was hooked on Ari and Josh’s friendship turned into much more. I loved all of their random meet ups and phone calls while they watched movies together. Their banter was hilarious. Josh was so serious compared to Ari’s free spirited nature, but they seemed to balance each other out. I loved how Josh fell first and expressed it to Ari. It was heartbreaking when she turned him down, but I think it was important for her to grow and work on herself first. I absolutely loved her grand romantic gesture at the end! I’m so happy this was a Book of the Month club pick and that I have a copy for my shelf!

4.5 stars

You, Again was such a fantastic read! I'm so impressed that this was the author's debut. I didn't want to put it down once I started. The banter was pure perfection and several times I laughed so hard I woke up my husband. The writing was witty and heartfelt and I'm so excited to see what Kate Goldbeck writes next.

Things to expect:
- Tropes like: he falls first, grumpy + sunshine, opposites attract, friends to lovers, epistolary, caretaker, "good girl", stern brunch daddy, slow burn, second chance
- A very awkward and epic meet disaster, leading to more and more run-ins over the years. I loved how Ari and Josh kept crossing paths and that each time was so unique (and more awkward LOL).
- A truly hilarious novel. Kate Goldbeck put my emotions through the wringer, but it was balanced so well with the lighter and sillier moments. I already mentioned that I loved the banter, but truly it was a highlight of the book!
- Josh. I loved his starchy stern brunch daddy exterior and ooey gooey romantic center. He makes mistakes (as does Ari), but I loved how he truly saw Ari and loved her just as she was.
- Ari. I loved her lack of filter and that she was such a whirlwind of energy. I never knew quite what to expect with her and I found her to be such a relatable character.
- The steam! I was not expecting the sexy times to be so scorching and I was certainly not prepared for bedroom Josh. Ari is a very, very lucky woman!
- A conflict that was understandable and made sense for our characters given their histories and fears. It hurt like hell, but it also felt real and honest.
- An incredible cast of secondary characters. Gabe, Radhya, and Briar stole the show any time they were on the page. They provided wonderful support and tough love to Josh and Ari, but they also had some of the funniest lines in the entire book.
- I loved the Jewish and bi rep!
- Phenomenal audiobook narration by Kristen DiMercurio. The casting couldn't have been more perfect and the variety of voices and accents she used really elevated the story. I had no problems differentiating between characters regardless of age or gender and she gave such an emotional performance. Kristen DiMercurio knocked it out of the park!

** Possible Spoilers **

As much as I enjoyed this one, there were some things that I didn't love. I wish that there would have been more page time showing Ari and Josh as a happy couple. The scenes where they were becoming friends and essentially dating, were my favorite parts of the book. I understand they both needed time to grow and change, but I also felt that their separation lasted way too long. I think it was almost a year that they spent apart, during which we know for sure that Josh dated OW. I also could have done without all the information about Ari's other sexual partners/poly relationships. I know that they were trying to figure things out or move on throughout the book, but I just prefer my MC's to only have eyes for each other.

** End Possible Spoilers **

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5+ stars
Story 4.5 stars
Audiobook Note: I normally love epistolary elements, but I find them difficult to follow in audiobooks. Kristen DiMercurio did great with them, but the repeated dates, times, and mentions of who was texting broke up the flow of the story for me and so the texts ended up losing some of their impact.

CW: parental abandonment (past), strained relationship with parent/parental estrangement, death of parent (past), grief, anxiety, depression, divorce

Possible spoilers OW/OM notes: The MC's meet because they're dating/having sex with the same woman. Both MC's have sex/date OW/OM while they're friends/separated. Ari is part of polyamorous relationships prior to her sexual relationship with Josh.

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

A fun twist on When Harry Met Sally, Kate Goldbeck delivers a sexy and sassy romcom that's sure to become a classic itself. Ari and Josh are continually thrust together through a strange series of events - usually ending with Josh making an absolute ass of himself. More than a romance, this is about finding yourself again after heartbreak and letting yourself be happy. Finding that person who will bring you matzoh ball soup when you're sick and laugh when you purchase a glass tentacle dildo. I laughed, I gasped, and I cheered for Ari and Josh the whole way through.

Pick this book up, seriously.

*Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

This was enemies to super enemies to friends to lovers to ????? and then back to lovers excellency.

my god, the ANGST in this book was unreal (positive)! I loved my messy disaster babies, Ari and Josh, so much. The chemistry and tension between them was *chef’s kiss* and the way they went from disliking each other to positively loathing one another was so 🫠 And then reuniting again when they’re both at the lowest points of their lives and becoming friends 😭 It was so painful to read in the best way.

thank you Dial Press for the review copy of You, Again. This was one of those books that I thought I would like more than I did and I suspect it's more me than the book... The book is well written, has interesting and inclusive characters with strong voices and welcome exploration of bisexuality, sexual empowerment, family relationships, and a male character open to emotions and emotional connections. There is a great focus on friendship, not just love, as well.

My struggle was that I didn't really like the main characters, I think the first part of the book just didn't give me enough insight or enough to get to know them before the chapter/scene would end and the characters would meet up again a few years later. I think this lead me to feeling that they were hard to relate to and also young in a way that just doesn't connect with me. I feel this way about Sally Rooney books too... I want to like the characters but I don't relate to the way they feel things/talk to each other and act towards others and for a romcom vibe, I just didn't feel it. I wanted to like the characters more and when I don't really like them... a book doesn't end up being a favorite

While I get the comparisons to When Harry Met Sally I just didn't get the same charmed by the story and their chemistry and affection vibes.