In a gender bent When Harry Meets Sally, Ari and Josh meet again and again, until they finally get the timing right.

As someone who has never actually seen the movie- gasp, I know!- I was interested to see if I would still get anything out of this one or if it all would be based on knowledge of the movie.

The verdict? I really enjoyed the writing itself in this book- it was extremely engaging and fast paced! The cast of characters were fun and just the right side of messy. I know there were probably a lot of references I didn’t get, but I do think it’s important for retellings to stand on their own!

While I thoroughly enjoyed most of the book, my issue comes down to Ari and Josh. I just don’t believe in them as a healthy couple. Never have I rooted so hard for the romance book to NOT end in a relationship! I think that in my eyes, neither of them groveled enough for the mutual hurt they caused each other.

Despite that, I did have a good reading experience and I will check out the author again!

Thank you for letting me read this arc!!!


I don’t even know where to start. The first meeting —AMAZING. This gave me all the feels of watching old romance movies. The friendship building and tension between Ari and Josh is amazing.

I love the time gap between each encounter—shows how much their relationship impact each other. I definitely love this story.

Enemies to Lovers and grumpy x sunshine? Yes, please!
This was funny and angsty and smart and sassy. I loved it so much!

This wasn't exactly how I expected my first read in ten days to go but wow this certainly is not encouraging me to try harder to get out of this slump. And no, I don't blame my slump for these feelings. This was just not it.

And I'll admit, the only thing that had me requesting this was some early buzzed about hype so maybe that's not me. Often times, the hype is a monster and it cannot be trusted.

I just wasn't interested, or sympathetic, or amused, by either character. Supporting cast didn't delight, either. I was constantly being frustrated by Ari and cringing over Josh's desperation and that is not a recipe for a good time.

Normally I might have more to say about a book I disliked and had to actively push through (mostly because I couldn't let this drag on and put me in a whole different kid of slump) but honestly I just have nothing else to contribute. Would I read Goldbeck again? This was their debut so while I'm not going to definitively say no.. I'm also not saying yes.

I was so excited about this book, everything about this book, I never saw the movie, when Harry Met, Sally, due to the fact that I am not a huge movie person, but one thing is for sure, these main characters have so much going on, so this book is packed with a lot. And I am a lover of enemies to lovers troops, but one thing is for sure, these are the most exhausting characters I have ever read…… after getting past the slow burn, Ari’s immaturity, and the amazing supporting characters between the two, because they were funny as hell, I will say that even though I was not a huge fan completely I know other who will enjoy this book. One thing I liked about the author when I finished this book is the ability to extensively created character build ups, to get to know what they have gone and are going through, this book felt so realistic, and that’s also one of the things I enjoyed as well.

Overall this books now makes me want to go see the movie it’s been referred to, lol. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

You, Again is the story of Ari and Josh. They meet in brief moments over the course of years and HATE each other. They are both complete jerks in their own way and clash hard. It takes heartbreak and disappointment for both of them to find their way to friendship and then more. It's an enemies to friends to lovers book that makes you not like them and then love them all over the course of 400 pages. Their journey to growth and to each other was so page turningly addicting that I couldn't stop. I put the book down and picked up the audio. I put the audio down and picked up the ebook. I needed to know what happened next and when I fell asleep with two chapters left, I devoured the end as I got ready the next morning. It's a love story that you will keep thinking about for days.

Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck is a love story that spans almost a decade, staring the meet-disaster of the ages and a couple that really shouldn’t work… but totally do.

I think my favorite part of this book was the way Goldbeck flipped these tropes we’ve seen a million times on their heads and gave us something totally different. Our MCs first meeting because they’re sleeping with the same woman is not what you would expect out of a meet cute, but it really was the perfect way for these two to meet. The Bi/Poly rep was so well done, and I truly enjoy the way all of the queer rep in the book was written! As for Ari and Josh together, man I just wanted to shake both of them! Just force them to properly communicate their feelings and realize they were in love with each other!! I love the way their relationship unfolded though, the hate to friends to “oh crap I think I want to be more than friends” was PERFECT.

If I had two critiques to give it would be the time jumps at the beginning not fully allowing me to really get to know either character well enough to connect with them. And the time jumps at the end giving me a little bit of a headache trying to keep track of time. Something I think that could have easily been fixed by putting a specific month instead of a “Two months Later” ect at the beginning of each time jump.

I also have to say, some of this book was a little harder to get through emotionally, and I don’t think I would classify this as a RomCom. Yes there were plenty of funny moments, but these characters and especially Ari go through some very deep depression, which could be triggering to people not in the right headspace. I do wish there had been a trigger warning at the beginning for that aspect.

Other than those two things though I really did enjoy my read!

Goodness this is going to be a hard one to review.

On the one hand, I know my opinon isn't going to be like the norm, which is always fun. I didn't ...love the writing style. I wasn't a huge fan of the characters. I struggled with the impending romance.

In fact, I was at 47% and was about to DNF the book, and when I got halfway through, enjoyed the way it was going enough to continue.

I think by the end, I did like the romance and what it took for them to get to. It felt like a true relationship - with two people in very, very bad places. I liked the way that the story went through multiple years (although I was not a huge fan of the pacing), and I loved some of the side characters. The best friend was truly a gem and I wish she was in the book more, but I understood why she wasn't. I didn't like the other side characters but that's fine!!!

I'm so stuck!!! I do think I will have to give it a 3.5 because at some points, I lean towards a 4 and some points I lean towards a 3. I wish I liked the characters more but it was probably just a me thing.

I think if you're looking for something to vibe with that gives you a touch of Harry Met Sally vibes in terms of their friendship, this is a good read. Perfect in release timing, in that it's a great fall read.

But I don't think in terms of the actual ~vibe~ of When Harry Met Sally came through this book. Which, again! How I'm super torn.

I mean, all I can say is, check it out for yourself.

Also I wouldn't call them enemies. He's a dick, definitely, and ruins something for her best friend. But he's not an enemy. Or maybe I forgot the first half of the book entirely.

AUGH

Anyway, thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

Ah.
A deep dive into the darker, never seen before backstory of When Harry Met Sally. While it has plenty of funny moments, Josh and Ari are shown with all their broken parts and nothing is glossed over.
Did I get annoyed with Ari and her self sabotaging behavior? OMG so many times. I actually tossed the book across the room more times that I can remember. But I knew to trust the process and I would pick it up again.

While a book has the freedom for more in-depth character development, glimpses of Harry and Sally, the movie characters, are noticeable. I love their texting conversations over the course of a day and all their sweet moments. There is a lot of steam and talk of sex, just to let you know.

The author explains more in her notes how she came to write this one. I am so glad she did.

It was so good. If you love When Harry Met Sally, you need to read this book. New York City takes center stage and so does NYE

The second that I saw that this book was inspired by When Harry Met Sally, I knew that I had to read this. And it lived up to my extremely high expectations!

First, it reminded me of fellow-When Harry Met Sally-inspired romcom (also my favorite romance book) People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, if that book had a lot more sex jokes! I really love the friends-to-lovers trope and this book did it very well, even with Ari and Josh’s rough start in their friendship. Watching them grump around New York together in the wake of their breakups was weirdly delightful. I had loved the absurdity of their first interactions, but something about them becoming friends over shopping at IKEA was so much fun to read about. They basically trauma-bond as they both heal from their career and personal mishaps, which felt realistic to me, as a twenty-something, in a way that I haven’t experienced with a romance book in a long time. Despite their less than ideal circumstances, Josh and Ari were adorable as they stumbled their way through their lives and found love with each other. This book was witty, charming, and gave me an equal amount of opportunity to laugh out loud and to swoon over the characters’ adorableness (especially Josh)!

4.5 ⭐️

This book is perfect for anyone interested in the enemies-to-lovers trope. There was a lot of emotion throughout the book, a mixture of hatred and love, and the sassiness and sarcasm was just PERFECT! Also, the sex was SOOOOOOO HOT 🥵. I laughed a lot, and cried a little bit too, ngl lol. Everyone in this book was just so messy and complicated, and so HUMAN, and I definitely ate that up!! The writing was fantastic too! I can’t believe this is a debut novel! I’m so happy that NetGalley and Random House gave me an ARC for this wonderful book!

P.S. it was awesome to see a little bit of Gujarati representation going on in here too!

I finished this book a week ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since. I didn't expect to fall so hard for Ari and Josh as individuals, let alone as a couple... but by the 75% percent mark, I was on the edge of my seat with heart palpitations, severely invested in their HEA. And by the final chapter, I was grinning from ear to ear and pumping my fist in the air. This is a testament to Goldbeck's craft as a storyteller, and how she's developed the central characters across their many seasons in this complicated love story. They are both, struggling, flawed and at times frustrating- but always deeply human and relatable. And even though I found myself questioning if these two were right for each other along the way, by the end, I was a full on believer. I must add that there is a particular scene at a restaurant (which I won't spoil) where I was outright cackling until my sides hurt- so the com part of the romcom is definitely realized here. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who's a fan of off-beat romances, New York City, dry, witty humor, queer love stories, hot mess characters, and romances that demonstrate how you don't have to "have it all together" to find love.

Thank to The Dial Press for my copy of YOU, AGAIN. All Thoughts are my own!

When I first saw the cover for Kate Goldbeck’s debut novel, You, Again, I immediately added it to my TBR because the cover screams Fall. I knew it was an enemies to lovers, but I really didn’t know much more about it. And it immediately swept me up in the story. I LOVED this book. My initial thoughts were, “I LOVEDDDDD this book. oh my gosh so many thoughts but it is witty and fresh and HEARTBREAKING and woony and profound. incredible.”

After sitting with those thoughts for a day, I have to agree with them. If you enjoy Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation but wanted a little more “oomf” to the story, I think you’ll really like this book. It made my chest ache and break but it also is SO funny. Ari, one of our main characters, reminded me a lot of Hazel from Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren. Her character works in comedy so it makes sense, but I loved how funny she was. The dialogue reads kind of like Gilmore Girls with how fast it goes.

All in all, I think this book perfectly balances everything people are looking for in Romances. It’s fun and sweet, but the connection between the characters is so deep and real. There’s spice that delivers but there’s also so much heart. It’s a winner for me, through and through.

Synopsis:

What I Liked:

The Premise—It’s a take on the classic film, When Harry Met Sally! But it leans into the enemies to friends to lovers trope more heavily in my opinion. It also really raises the stakes are to what is keeping the main characters apart.

The Dialogue + Writing—I think this was my favorite part of the whole book (which is a good thing since it’s something you read lol) but it was SO GOOD. Everything flowed and it felt like every single word mattered.

The Feels—This book made me experience the entire ocean worth of feelings, from happy to sad to heartbroken to elated.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Third Person POV—I didn’t think this would ever come to bother me In Romance, but it is! I’m willing to look past it since I loved the book so much but I really prefer 1st POV lately!

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 1.5/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

drug use, mental illness, toxic relationship, divorce, death of a parent

I’m DNFing this one at 22%.

I feel like it had so much potential but I hate Josh which is really pulling me out of the book. Up to this point he has had the most pretentious, smug attitude and I honestly don’t want Ari to even consider being friends with him nonetheless romantically involved.

I do love Ari though. She’s really quirky and it’s clear that while she struggles with commitment romantically she’s a really loyal friend and I hope she finds happiness.

*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.