You, Again is billed as "A When Harry Met Sally Novel" and it is, in fact, an inventive but true-hearted reinterpretation of that iconic rom-com. I enjoyed spotting parallels between the two stories, some of which were charmingly indirect.

Of course, You Again is set thirty years later than the source material, and while many of the updates are obvious and rather superficial (there's texting, and Netflix, and dating apps) others are deeper cultural evolutions. The most significant of these is the psychological age of the characters.

In When Harry Met Sally, the principals become friends in their early thirties, at which point they both seem like "real adults". They have stable jobs and apartments with real furniture and rugs and wall art; they eat at restaurants rather than drinking at bars; you get the sense that they pay their bills on time.

In You Again, the characters are about the same age but their lives are far less organized. Both of their careers are in a state of unproductive flux, their romantic misery has prevented them from settling into permanent homes, and they spend much of their time sulking or drunk. This difference is partly reflective of real changes in what life looks like for younger urban adults - but it's also partly reflective of these two specific characters, both of whom are kind of... awful. Sometimes in an endearing way and sometimes in a funny way, and sometimes in a really frustrating and annoying way.

So, this book gets four stars. for the first 4/5 of it, I loved watching Ari and Josh fight and joke and experience New York. For the final 1/5, as these two unsubtle and self-centered characters with very different ideas of romance solidified their love, I was skeptical. Harry and Sally, I could believe, might have gotten married and had a coconut cake with rich chocolate sauce on the side. Josh and Ari would never have been able to agree on such a compromise.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book.

YOU, AGAIN is an enemies-to-lovers romance where the characters keep running into each other over the course of eight years. Ari (an aspiring comedian) and Josh (a fine dining chef) initially meet because they’re both sleeping with the same woman — Ari’s roommate. After several run-ins, they finally connect when they’re both at their lowest points. They find themselves falling into a friendship, first over the phone and then in person.

When that friendship turns into a romance, it feels like the most natural thing in the world — although it isn’t without its emotional difficulties. Both of these characters, Ari in particular, have some baggage. (I feel like it might be a spoiler to say what it is, given that it’s not mentioned in the blurb.) Ari and Josh are sometimes terrible and usually messy, but they also feel like real people in all their complexity and imperfections.

This book is fresh and funny, with an edge to it that I haven’t read before in a contemporary romance. Goldbeck’s prose is sharp and wry. Sometimes she had a single short sentence that just knocked me out because it was so good.

This is such a promising debut. I can’t wait to pick up whatever Kate Goldbeck writes next.

Thank you Random House for giving me the chance to read an early copy of this book. Unfortunately, I don't think this one is going to be for me. I have been struggling to get into it. The first part has been a bit slow and repetitive, with only a single encounter once every 3 years for the main characters. I'm not sure where this one is going, but I am going to set it aside for now, and maybe pick it back up at a later date.

Ok let’s start with the cover: gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. I also hadn’t realized this was an LGTBQ novel! So I was definitely not expecting what the main plot is about but I mean this is what happens when I go into books blind.

This novel was chock full of verbal vomit. I just couldn’t. It’s a romance, and I am reading words like ostensibly, schadenfreude, tacit, and mumblecore. Just no. The FMC is so crude, it is just not at all fun to read and I am so sad. The premise sounded like a fun novel.

A rewarding journey filled with wonderful writing and a perfect encapsulation of New York City. Not every reader will find Ari and Josh appealing; they aren't particularly likable at first and took a while to grow on me, yet I found their personalities to be fascinatingly messy and layered. In a genre where so many stories are mislabeled as enemies-to-lovers, I appreciated how Goldbeck leaned into the trope and made these two genuinely feel like they despised each other upon their first couple of encounters. It felt like kismet how Ari and Josh reconnect and become friends at their lowest points, her personally and him professionally, and their humorous banter sparkles as their bond deepens. Although the story is littered with angst and missed opportunities, this has the result of making the final act feel incredibly earned. Highly entertaining and I look forward to reading what Goldbeck writes next.

DNF @ 30%. The writing style and such heavy focus on the characters' sex lives were not for me. I like both the main characters and think their romance has a lot of great potential, but I don't find myself wanting to pick it back up.

This book ended up being significantly more complicated than I expected and I absolutely fell in love.

For the first chapter-and-a-half, I was concerned that You, Again wasn't going to click with me even though I am a huge fan of frenemies to lovers and When Harry Met Sally. Josh was rude and Ari was downright insufferable and I thought I was in for a rough time. Oh, I was wrong.

Just like the classic rom-com this book takes inspiration from, you travel with Josh and Ari through several touchstones in their lives as fate keeps throwing them back in each other's path. Sometimes months have gone by, sometimes years, and they are not stagnant characters. The rich texture of their individual lives forms a colorful backdrop even if the reader only sees bits and pieces. Both Josh and Ari grow and change and make mistakes, and while they slowly fall in love, so so you.

Don't go in to this one expecting your typical romance novel formula. It's rather unique. Both leads are very much incredibly flawed human beings at the beginning of the book, and their growth is realistic and not miraculous. But there's nothing I love much more than watching two broken puzzle pieces finding their match in each other. This isn't for everyone (particularly if you aren't a fan of time skips) but I think it was wonderfully done.

I don't really have complaints. If you made Josh and Ari less frustrating at the beginning, you lose a big part of why I find You, Again very special.

I eagerly look forward for more out of Kate Goldbeck. My thanks to the publisher and NetGally for this eArc. My views are my own.

This is the kind of contemporary romance that actually feels real. The story bleeds off the page and into your mind. No one is a Mary Sue. The romantic leads are fully formed people with pasts, experiences and feelings that are authentic.

I can't really fault it. Ari does bug the absolute heck out of me - just because she is a flawed person who I find totally frustrating. But it isn't due to bad writing. In fact it's due to excellent writing!

With nostalgic inspiration from the classic friends-to-lovers romance When Harry Met Sally, You, Again is a warm, funny story about soulmates, accepting the love you deserve, and finding your place in the world again after failure.

Over the years, Josh and Ari have met again and again, each time causing more of an unfortunate impression and mutual dislike of the other. But after a difficult couple of months for them both, they find themselves forming an unexpected friendship and discovering that they may have more in common than they thought.

I loved how this story spanned multiple years and built up the relationship between the two. From enemies to friends to eventually a romantic spark, it was a wild ride seeing them grow so in tune together. (I also loved the nods back to When Harry Met Sally, especially the focus around New Year’s.)

Overall, this was a fun, heartfelt read with a lot of laughs and tackled a couple of deeper topics, such as depression and divorce—with the main couple’s banter and relatable journeys as its star. At times, the pacing was a little slower, but I found myself absorbed in their love story and rooting them on! (Ah, that ending!! All the feels!)

If you’re in the mood for a read with a good balance of real-world feelings, humor, and romance, definitely keep this new book in mind.

3.5/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I can not wait to buy this book! I’m so glad I received a digital arc but I must own a physical copy,
This book is absolutely hilarious and the steamy parts are so good, The banter and the MMC is top tier. Certain moments and lines live in my head rent free, This book gets all my stars.

Kate Goldbeck I think has written one of my favorite romance novels of the year! you, again follows Ari and Josh in what first starts as enemies, then friendship, and then you can’t help but fall in love with all the delicious banter and quick wit between the two. This novel is a delight!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Josh and Ari have very different views on relationships. Josh believes in true love, and he is looking for “the one.” Ari on the other hand only looks at sex as an outlet and would not be caught dead staying the night. Their worlds collide for the first time when they find out they’re both sleeping with the same woman.

They meet a few more times in the years that follow until eventually, they are both in an emotionally burnt out place. Josh is reeling from failure in his relationships and professional life as a chef. Ari is going through a tough divorce and still hasn’t found a path as a comedian. This brings them both together into an unlikely friendship. Until one night, the line blurs - will they move forward or backward?

The “enemies” portion of the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers didn’t work for me. There was nothing substantial there to work from, and I wanted more tension. The “friends” part worked really well, but the “lovers” part went from 0 to i love you to fighting back to i love you very quickly. This could be due to the time hops (see below), but I also didn’t feel like I saw any character growth.

In addition, there were MANY time hops in this book, some where we lost multiple years. In these time hops were some pivotal moments for our characters that we never got to see; we only got to see the aftermath. I felt like this was a lost opportunity to get a deeper sense of WHY Josh and Ari were the way they were.

All in all, I liked the idea of this book, but some things just missed the mark for me.

You, Again
Kate Goldbeck

Josh and Ari meet for the first time through the connection of Ari’s roommate, Nat, who Ari is sleeping with and Josh is dating. They continue to run into each other over the years but continue to get off on the wrong foot, until one meeting seems to be their “meet cute”. Both of their lives are in disarray, and they begin to lean on each other and become best friends. But as they continue to get closer, they have to navigate the lines of friendship and the tension they both feel.

I loved Josh and Ari, and I felt that their personalities to be relatable as someone who’s in their mid-late 20’s. They deal with insecurities, failures in personal and professional lives, and having to start over. Both Josh and Ari are loveable and frustrating in all different ways. Ari is a snarky commitment phobe who uses casual sex to avoid the hurt she’s experienced in the past from love. Josh is unable to find the connection he so desperately craves until spending time with Ari.

I felt that the characters, story, setting and struggles exhibited a relatable and realistic plot. Ari and Josh demonstrate the flawed reality of hurt people hurting other people, which can be hard to experience but it’s so real in friendships and relationships. Friends to lovers is a trope I don’t gravitate towards but the extensive friendship and building tension you watch them experience over many years had me hooked.

The writing was beautiful, and I felt connected and invested in all aspects of the story. The ending was everything I wanted, and I felt the closure of the characters to be well done. The character development of Josh and Ari were some of the best I’ve read and show the complexity of human feelings and lives in everyday life with a great rom-com feel. Kate Goldback is now an auto buy author for me.
4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Dial Press for providing me with an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I did enjoy this book but there were definitely a few sticking points for me. I loved how flawed Josh and Ari were but I just felt that Ari did not grow as a character throughout. I found her a bit unlikeable and questioned whether she deserved the happy ending she got. I thought that Josh grew more as a character and I liked him more. Also for at times reading this book I felt sad and anxious.

Enemies to lovers plot line, with the twist that it takes place over many many years. You Again does a great job of capturing how casual run ins and chance meetings sometimes turn into something more. It felt fresh and new for the romance genre.

I picked up this ARC while waiting in an airport and didn't put it down until I finished it on my flight. it's giving When Harry Met Sally only messier. I found both Ari and Josh simultaneously endearing and frustrating in the best way. this was an excellent take on the commitment-phobe/hopeless romantic trope. I appreciated that the third act conflict felt more about who they are as people as opposed to any one event. in particular, I'd find myself wincing at things Josh said or did and while it doesn't necessarily make him a book boyfriend, it felt far more realistic. these are two people that are hurt and hurt each other and I'm not entirely sure that they *should* be together but my god was it wonderful watching them fall in love.

Inspired by When Harry Met Sally and in the same vein as Normal People and Love, Rosie. I loved every second of this book. I am such a sucker for an “I can’t let myself be happy in love” main character. It’s so tragic but I just love melancholy so much. This isn’t much of a critique but I will be making no criticisms. It’s perfect to me.

4.25/5. Releases 9/12/2023.

Vibes: classic romcoms with a new spin, uptight anxiety man meets freewheeling lady rake, and friends to lovers the way it should be done.

When Josh and Ari meet, he's dating her roommate (the same roommate she's sleeping with). It's years before they're able to reconnect on the right foot, and only after major blows in their personal lives. As they grow into best friends, the inevitable tension between them turns into something totally different...

I'm really loving this string of contemporaries that take clear inspiration from God Tier romcoms. I don't think you need to be a When Harry Met Sally fan to enjoy this at all, but I do think that fans of that classic snark and feels sensibility will find this hard to resist.

Quick Takes:

--I do really want to touch on those WHMS comparisons, though. I'm a fan of the movie, and if you're a fan, there are certain lines and moments in this that will be clear, never-obnoxious nods. They're not lifting--it's definitely a tribute. However, I also think the book does some really interesting things by throwing a more contemporary spin on the story. Like I said, Ari and Josh meet in a love triangle of sorts--you know Ari is bi right off the bat. And that's always a thing that influences her journey and development. This is an m/f romance novel in which the heroine's bisexuality never feels fetishized or plugged in.

You also get a lot from Ari being the person who's okay with casual sex... only to have her heart crushed by love on more than occasion... while Josh is the one who seeks a solid relationship constantly, while never connecting with anyone on a deep emotional level. There's a gender flipping element that works really well here. The idea of Ari being a commitmentphobic snarker isn't something you see in many books. She's a truly "problematic heroine". She makes bad choices, she hurts people, she needs to grow the fuck up. At points, even I was a little frustrated with her. But the story is so much more satisfying in the end because Ari needed to work on herself.

--And of course, Josh is a great hero. I found him so................... much. He's big, he's shy and uptight, he just wants to settle down and be someone's someone. He could cook. Oh, and he can totally paddle your ass and call you a bad girl over the phone! Yes! (There is a moment over text in this book.... you're not ready.)

--There's a great sense of New York, New York in such an affectionate, romcom-y way? The setting is very lovingly done, and it adds to the sense that you're sort of stepping back in time.

--I've been very vocal about my antipathy towards friends to lovers. I'm not a big fan, generally speaking. I think it suggests a sluggishness and lack of desire and action from the hero and heroine. It often falls back on the idea that "I just didn't see you like that [for five years]" which is just hard for me to believe. But here, while Ari and Josh get to know each other over years, they're not truly friends for toooo long before the levee breaks. A good while, yes; but just enough for the tension to bubble through, never too much. Also, they clearly never see each other in a sexless way. You get so much longing, so much desire in this book, with neither Josh nor Ari ready to admit it.

--Another really nice thing about this book is that for the bulk of it, Josh is 34-35 and Ari is around 29-30. Neither one has their life totally figured out. They're both still stumbling through life and picking up and trying again. It's really nice to see, and fuck anyone who says this is New Adult. These people are adults, figuring their shit out, taking the time they need. That's normal.

The Sex Stuff:

I could have used maybe one or two more scenes, and one scene does cut off oddly early. However, when these two go off, they go OFF. I really liked the way they interacted through sex. It seemed like a kind of truly honest communication between them, and I found it really touching (and hot).

This book ends on a note I was delighted with--it really feel like I was watching an old school romcom come to a close. I had a great time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dial Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After seeing folks rave about this one on Bookstagram, I picked it up without reading much about the plot. But once I did, I could not put it down. I told me husband it was like watching an accident in slow motion to see Ari and Josh come together, separate, and do it again and again until they get it right. I loved that it was told from both points of view so we get to see both of them mired in endless angst. The book itself covers nearly a decade in time as we see Josh and Ari cross paths first as enemies then to friends and eventually lovers then back to enemies and eventually back to lovers in our HEA. It was hard fought but they got there. The writing in this is beautiful and there was several times where I laughed and cried. Will definitely look for more from this author!

Content flags: both characters experience depression; one character deals with the fallout of a messy divorce

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.