Really enjoyed this book, loved the references and the characters were great. I loved the ending, what a great debut can’t wait to read what comes next from this author.

This is a new favourite romance of all time! I was nervous at first about the time jumps, because there are a few at the beginning, I was expecting their interactions to be closer together, but the different times that Ari and Josh find each other, at those specific moments in their individual lives is so good, so intentional, and makes their meets so incredible.

I love Ari. She's a comedian (at least trying to be, in the first part of the novel), and while I wish we saw more of that, it was completely relatable to see her love this one thing, but have to do other work to survive! Josh was so great. At first, a completely arrogant asshole, but he really grows once reality hits him square in the face.

God. Their chemistry! I'm not one for friends to lovers, it's never been a favourite trope of mine, but Goldbeck navigated enemies to friends to lovers so believably that I truly enjoyed the time in the novel where Ari and Josh were just friends. I loved them so much. Once their relationship crosses over into not-friends territory...YALL!!!! The intimate moments.......I cannot believe. Their chemistry and banter is unmatched!!!

I cant wait to rerererererererererereread!!!

I really liked that the characters were so emotionally complex and that it was a dual pov, it added so much more to the book to be able to read both their perspectives specially bc they’re so different, it was refreshing to read a female mc that was as messy as ari, but still very likeable and having josh as the hopeless romantic character was also something i don’t see often in romance books lately.
their chemistry was so fun and realistic, and the pace of the book was fast enough to keep me engaged thru it.

I enjoyed the characters and their arcs a lot. Josh and Ari met several times under different, yet disarming and antagonistic, and seeing them come together each time and then finally falling into being friends (and later, more) was refreshing. Both characters were total messes and that was a big plot point for them each to overcome and it was done very well. The side characters were also interesting and had their own development throughout the book as well, which is always nice to see.
<spoiler> Personally, I am not a fan of third act break ups, but in this case that was something the characters needed and it was very well done. Still not my favorite trope, but I appreciated the gracefulness of the execution. </spoiler>

This book is already top 5 of the year so far. I LOVED everything about it.

Recap -
Ari is a standup comedian struggling in NYC. Josh is a chef, child of a famous deli owner in NY. Two people who could not be more different. They meet by chance - and find themselves having a conversation in her apartment when they both discover they are sleeping with the same woman.
through the next several years, they have random, awkward encounters, that do not go past a short conversation. (or argument, depending on the day).
Until one day, when they are both heartbroken, finding themselves in their lowest lows, they find each other again - and form a friendship. Through uncomfortable conversations, late night phone calls, non romantic movies, and long walks, Ari and Josh form a friendship. But what happens when the friendship crosses the line and moves into another stage?

Review -
This modern day story loosely based on When Harry Met Sally will give you all the feelings. I was laughing, crying (literally, tears), I found myself anxious and nervous wanting to know what happens to Ari and Josh. This book is so well written - keeping jokes going throughout the years, keeping the reader engaged in not only the love story of Ari and Josh, but the friendships and stories along the way. I was able to identify with Ari's anxiety of letting herself feel loved and accepted, and Josh's Type A quirkiness and fear of failing when he has always been in control. I loved this book so much. I really, really hope you read it because it will fill you with joy.

Read if you like -
Dual POV
Long Term Friendships
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy / Sunshine

thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a gender reversed when Harry Met Sally, even down to the cover of the book, but it doesn’t feel like a good version of it.

Ari (a pothead unsuccessful comedian Harry Burns) and Josh (a chef Sally Albright) meet once, then again a few years later while in long-term relationships, then again another few years later once those relationships have imploded, and they become friends.

As much as i love the movie and wanted to love this book, it was a slog for me. It attempted the witty dialogue of When Harry Met Sally but instead was a little too cynical and caustic, and certainly without the chemistry and the joy of two people who actually challenge each other in a positive way and enjoy spending time together. Instead of it feeling like they’re growing and each giving the other the thing they were missing and becoming genuine friends, it feels like exactly what Rhadya (Ari’s best friend) tells Josh it is: two people simply treading water together.

On top of that, the two characters simply aren’t likable. They both handle breakups (and friend and family dynamics) in the most avoidant way possible. What I guess is supposed to feel equivalent to Harry and Sally doing karaoke with “Surry with the Fringe On Top” while running into Helen, we get Ari’s ex wife and new fiancé running into them in an elevator and Ari being asked to please stop sending the nude pictures. It’s just dark and depressing and while the structure and beats of the story are the same as the inspiration (and I have to assume it is because it’s just too close if not) the tone is wildly different in a way that’s just depressing.

Structurally, at times it felt like choppy vignettes because of how much time they weren’t together when we needed updates on where they were 3 years later or 3 months later from whatever last run-in or nasty fight they’d had.

The brief middle where they get together also didn’t feel right, somehow. It felt like there wasn’t enough buildup or even inkling they even liked each other and weren’t just being miserable together because there was no one else. It wasn’t earned for me. I was left feeling like I didn’t really get it and didn’t actually see how they made sense together.

I really appreciate the attempt and I hate to go so hard into a book like this, but while I am questioning whether it’s fair to hold this to the standard of When Harry Met Sally, you can’t do this close of an homage to it without drawing the comparison. I really hope this finds the right readers (and based on other reviewers, it seems like it has). I just wasn’t it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC for my honest review.
I think I am struggling to give this an accurate score because of a few small issues I had. I am hanging between a 3.5 and 4.
Here’s why:
1. It took me awhile to warm up to Ari. She was a bit too “manic pixie dream girl”-ish for me. I mean she was just literally lost, going from one adventure and bed to the next. I don’t care when MCs are involved with other people while they slowly (or quickly) work their way toward each other. That’s honestly not the issue. I think her trouble (for me) was for someone who so decidedly is against love/commitment, it was really just her having past trauma and needing therapy or even recognizing that what may have happened in her past is truly detrimental to her and her views on love and relationships and commitment and sex. (I know this is a lot to ask from a book, but I have REASONS.)
2. Josh was obviously supposed to be the “perfect book boyfriend” and don’t get me wrong, he almost was. Buuuuuuuut, I really, really hated how he dealt with his feelings for Ari. I felt he ended up being pushy up to the point I almost put the book down because of it.
The side characters were ok, but not really much depth, but I don’t think the book was that deep to be honest, so I am not surprised.
I know the above is critical, so I want to finish by saying: I DID enjoy the book. The first half-ish was a little rough for me, but their friendship was sweet. She really needed a friend at the time he really needed a friend… I almost wish it would have stayed that way, except, hot damn… the 🌶️ was 🌶️y and 🔥… like, DAMN, Josh!

Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (Round up to 4)
h- 💅🏻💅🏻.5/5 (I just really struggled with her)
H-🧑🏻‍🍳🧑🏻‍🍳🧑🏻‍🍳🧑🏻‍🍳/5 (The 🌶️ gave him an edge)
S- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (I want MOAR!)

4.5 stars. A clever, contemporary take on When Harry Met Sally. Josh and Ari meet several times over the years in New York before they become friends by bonding over their mutual breakups. But there’s always an undercurrent of something more, and if they ever dare to act on it, it might ruin everything. Or it might be the great risk ever.

There are a lot of subtle Easter eggs in this book for people like me who’ve seen WHMS dozens of times. The story doesn’t follow the exact beats of the movie, but it has a similar snappiness and affection.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Characters « 9 »
••• Each was unique. Even the side characters.
••• The role swapping of the mains was. So. Refreshing!
••• The “big dude, small woman” trope was a little disappointing, but thankfully not a big focus point.

Atmosphere « 10 »
••• Could tell it was written by someone who actually lived in NYC. Love.
••• Could easily envision each scene.
••• Felt all the lows, the highs, and everything inbetween.

Writing « 8.5 »
••• Felt very contemporary with lots of text messages to break up walls of writing.
••• For an ARC, well-formatted and no glaring, immersion-breaking errors.
The first spicy scene felt a little off to me but I’m newish to “open door”.

Plot « 9 »
••• Great pacing, the slower bits not boring and felt necessary.
••• Bittersweet ending (for me, not them), wanted more of them.
••• Not exactly original at its bare bones but makes up for it with everything else.

Intrigue « 10 »
••• Even when MCs weren’t together, every scene felt exciting.
••• Couldn’t put it down. (I mean, sometimes I had to, but didn’t want to.)

Logic « 10 »
••• Experience dictates accuracy in the rocky terrain of “best friends-to-lovers” trope.
••• Nothing felt extrenuous, every moment fit.

Enjoyment « 10 »
••• Didn’t cry or anything but a lot of traits and even settings/scenarios hit (sometimes uncomfortably) close to home.
••• Great HEA ending but damn, wanted more.

Whew. Man, I’m so glad I got to read this early. Although, I will say the actual release date for You, Again is pretty much perfect. It feels like a crisp, autumn comfort read. Not that all the content is cozy because it’s definitely not. But it’s one of those that even the more dreary scenes would be less so with a fuzzy blanket, a bonfire, and/or nice cup of apple cider (or a Pumpkin Spice latte, if you prefer). Add in a cuddly cat on your lap, if you’re into that.

The book starts us off right off the flip with Ari’s very first abysmal encounter with Josh. I want to point out how refreshing this was for me. I’ve been reading plenty of romance lately and been getting kind of tired of having to slosh through chapters of backstory before the main characters even meet each other. I’m so appreciative for that. Also the fact that this is turned the “grumpy/sunshine” trope on its head. Josh is the “grumpy” one but isn’t the jilted lover who doesn’t believe in love anymore. It hooked me in immediately and kept me hooked because…

Throughout the entire thing, we learn Ari’s and Josh’s backstories and personalities as they meet and are interacting with each other. There isn’t any info-dumping about where they grew up, how they grew up, their past relationships. You learn them as they talk to each other about them. There is some additional tidbits that are learned through their (infrequent) solo adventures but the important stuff is all about them, through them.

I also appreciated the fact that it’s in third-person and not first. It didn’t detract from the emotions I felt at all. Honestly, if anything, it helped. I didn’t feel like I had to try and fit myself in Ari’s gaudy peacoat (typically, romance is written from the woman’s POV in my experience with them). Which is perfectly fine! I still could relate to her on certain aspects or events of her life or her personality without feeling disappointed or put off since I don’t understand completely. I’ve never done drugs, I’ve never been married. I don’t want to feel like I have. I am 100% okay about witnessing someone else’s experiences about them.

Besides the main characters, even the side characters were charming and fit perfectly into the story. We’ve all had a Rad or a Gabe in our lives at some point, I think.

Another thing that helped with the immersion despite the perspective it’s written in is the fact that Goldbeck actually lived in NYC. Each brief description of their walks, of actual locations, are twinged with familiarity (which the characters would have since they live there also) but there’s also enough that people who’ve never been to New York City aren’t struggling to try and picture it in their heads (at least for me. But I’ve been to NYC a few times).

Oooh, let’s talk about the spice. It was a little more than what I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to in romance but it didn’t detract from anything. It added to their story. Everything had a purpose.

I found, through a personal experience of mine, that Goldbeck really nailed the rocky terrain that is a “best friends-to-lovers” rollercoaster. However—unlike You, Again—mine didn’t have the same ending. I’m so happy for them. I wanted to see more of them finally being happy.

This is actually my 3rd time reading this story. This last, publish ready versions is by far my favorite. Honestly one of the best books I've read in a long time. The characters feel so real and their world so lived in. You root for them even as they fail and cheer when they finally get it right. I look forward to this becoming my new go to read. An absolutely outstanding debut!!!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was refreshing. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this before and now I really want more!

Ari and Josh start as enemies and then down the line, they meet again and take a stab at being friends. There is a lot of character development here, which was fun and heartwarming to read. These characters have tangible change and as someone who loves character-driven books, this was incredible to read. These two characters have a lot of mental blocks along the way and it's easy to become frustrated with them—and at times I was—but they were so very human that you kept reading it anyway. I really liked it.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my first book by Kate Goldbeck and it did not disappoint. The writing and character development was perfect for me.

The main characters Ari and Josh meet and they do not like each other. Years down the line when they meet again they connect on their love-lives. Their relationship went from enemies-to-friends-to-lovers and the flow fit. During their relationship changes the character development made me root for them more. There were several times I laughed out loud and several times I had to not cry like a baby.

I enjoyed the time lapse shown where we see characters age. It made connecting with them for me a little easier. I would love to read more from Kate.

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

Is it better to have loved and lost than to have never have loved at all?

You, Again is the debut novel by Kate Goldbeck that takes When Harry Met Sally and makes it (somehow) even better? Is it possible? YES.

Ari is a struggling comedian, a little wild child, our sunshine in the grumpy sunshine dynamic. She never spends the night after some Netflix and meaningless sex, always keeping people at a distance. Over the years, she encounters “Tall Sweater Nightmare Man,” Josh. He is an ambitious chef who wants to outgrow the shadow of his famous deli-owning father. And find the woman to share this life with.

About a chapter into the book, I already knew this was one of the best romcom books I’ve read in a long time. It’s not easy to show us a woman who is a human disaster and a man who never smiles and makes us root for them from the start, but Goldbeck does this thing where those traits are endearing without giving them redeeming qualities (yet). I think it’s their immediate chemistry and banter together, but we’ll get to all that in a sec.

I love this book so much because I identify with Ari. Wants to make a career by being funny? (check!) Lived out of a duffel bag on different couches for a long time? (check) Always keeps people at arm's length so she doesn’t get hurt? (AND CHECK!) She’s so hard to not love, honestly. Thinking back now, it’s genius, actually. Because Ari is unserious most of the time, even when her thoughts and feelings are emotional and when she finally becomes vulnerable? It’s very moving.

And Josh. OH JOSH. I also identify with Tall Sweater Nightmare Man because I was a line chef for a while, and I GET his ambition and passion for cooking. His character arc is so good too. He comes into the book so cocky and with a chip on his shoulder and gets knocked down to earth so hard that I can’t help but sympathize with the poor guy.

SPOILERS

I’m trying to decide which part is my favorite.

The beginning might be the funniest part of the book. Because they hate each other so much and they keep running into each other in embarrassing or compromising positions.

Then there’s the part where they’re starting to be friends because they’re both miserable. (Ari is going through a divorce, and Josh is going through a career meltdown) This may be the cutest. It’s so nice and comforting to see two good people trying their best and bonding over their misery. Candy for the self-loathing soul.

Oh, when they start fighting because they’re catching feelings, and it’s not where Ari wants it to go? That’s when I was reading with tears in my eyes the whole time. I found myself saying, “She can’t help it! She’s trying her best!” God. It was heart-wrenching, but I couldn’t put the book down.

And then the end when it all comes together. The denouement. The way (in my experience) very few books stick the landing with this and the way Goldbeck NAILED it. It’s like you’re crying because you’re so happy, and you’re crying because all the things from the whole book that were emotional are coming back, and YOU ARE IN IT. You are THERE for Ari and Josh. You’ve seen them fight, you’ve seen them cry, you’ve seen them fall in love, and now you get the prize of it all.

Okay, so I don’t have a favorite part, but I do have a new favorite writer. Goldbeck’s voice is fresh and witty etc.., all the great things they say about good writing. But it’s also clever and sharp. It’s sympathetic and understanding. It’s like listening to Meredith Grey in the Russian Doll universe.

There’s this part in the book that I keep thinking about. Ari has one bowl that she owns. A specific cereal bowl that she seems to treasure. And when she got divorced, her ex-wife took the bowl. It really hurt me when Ari told Josh this story because I’m a one-bowl kind of girl. A one-bowl, one-purse, one-pair-of-shoes girl, and if someone took my bowl, I’d mourn it. But then….. Josh finds her a bowl as much like it as he could find and gifts it to her. The story has so many other poignant parts, but this struck me so hard.

This book asks us what love is, and if love is worth it, and who you should marry, etc. To me, I think one should marry the person who finds you your bowl.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley and Kate Goldbeck for the Advanced Reader Copy. All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

Thank you to Random House/Dial Press for sending me an ARC of this wonderful novel! This review has also been posted to StoryGraph (@/vvanessamartinezz) and will be posted to TikTok (@vanessaandbooks) not later than 6/30.

The title of the book could summarize its entire plot, running into someone again and again and again, unintentionally but having it feel like fate everytime. I love that we get to see Ari and Josh throughout the years meeting again at different stages in their life and seeing how those circumstances facilitate their interactions with each other. It’s so very Reylo-dyad-esque for them to have been destined to meet before they knew what the cards had in store for them and I loved reading every encounter bringing them together like a bridge closing a gap.

Another large part of the book that I loved, and did not realize that I needed, was how open and discussed Ari’s queerness was throughout the story. In many books, the FMC’s queerness is simply mentioned in passing and then forgotten since she is destined for the MMC if the book is not specifically a queer romance. However, Kate Goldbeck thoroughly dives into Ari’s sexuality and celebrates her queerness, how sex positive she is, and how unapologetic Ari’s character is regarding those aspects. Ari is a woman who knows herself and goes after what she wants, and I genuinely believe she is the most realistic portrayal of a modern day woman that I have read in a romance book ever.

Josh is a wonderful albeit typical MMC –– sexy, stoic, brooding, very much a dick until he realizes she’s the only person he likes, etc. What made him different to me was his background as a refined chef and his father’s run-of-the-mill deli, and the dichotomous relationship between those two things in his life. His difficult relationship with his parents makes him much more real and likable, and that’s what sold me on him (along with his incredible dirty talk, I did not think he had it in him).

*SPOILERS BELOW*
Lastly, I am not a huge fan of the 3rd act breakup in romance books but in You, Again, it was exactly what the plot and the characters needed for their own personal growth, and for the growth of their relationship. Ari and Josh are both in awful places when they meet and it’s a continuous cycle of hurt to avoid confronting their feelings. The time away during their break allows them to realize how much they need and love each other, but also allows them to be in better places [literally, they are both unemployed at the beginning and wallowing in self pity] when they reconnect. The rekindling at the end was the perfect end to their story and I cannot wait for Goldbeck’s next book!

I LOVE THIS. It gave such when harry met sally vibes. I read it in 12 hours.Could not put it down I was so invested in the characters and their relationship. It was the perfect mix between funny(actually funny) and sexual tension! 5 Stars!

What does it mean when the person you barely know but have hated for years suddenly becomes the only person who understands you when you are at your worst? For Ari and Josh, that is the situation they find themselves in- heartbroken, careers flailing, and confiding their deepest feelings to someone they would usually actively avoid. As they spend more and more time together begrudgingly real friendship grows and grows until it seems like it might even be something else.

Well hello Kate Goldbeck and welcome to my list of authors to watch. A debut novel chock full of things I love- great banter, slow burn, well written characters with an actual connection. I could go on and on. Ari and Josh were so fleshed out with their realistic angst and issues it was hard to be in their heads at times. I wanted to smack them and cuddle them at the same times. The depiction of New York was so beautifully rendered, rats and all, I felt as I was dropped right on its streets and could stroll over to the Strand for a browse. A book that may have caught my eye because of the gorgeous cover but one I will be thinking about for days to come.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a love hate relationship with this book and the characters in the best way! Ari is an aspiring comedian and Josh is a chef with a family legacy to live up to who keep running in to each other in the most unexpected ways over the years.

I loved that Ari was the emotionally unavailable partner in the story rather than Josh - a nice switch up from your typical romance. Their banter was witty, funny and their slow burn build up was amazing.

I found myself rooting for the characters even though I was frustrated with them - mentally willing them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and try again. It was refreshing to read about characters who go though rough patches, depression and the not so pretty parts of life.

“You’re the only person I’m nice to. If you weren’t around, I’d have no redeeming qualities.”

I absolutely ADORED You, Again. I devoured this novel in a day and am still reveling in this story. This novel was witty, sexy, a little heartbreaking, and just genuinely funny. A delectable slow burn, almost fated romance that gives you a realistic look into the lives of two very opposite people, who find each other over and over again in a sea of thousands. The MCs and supporting cast of characters in this novel were all so well fleshed out and multi-faceted, and I really liked the attention to detail when creating this world in which Ari and Josh live and grow. The sex positivity and representation in this novel did not feel forced at all, and I really liked how those aspects fit into our story as well. I enjoyed the dual POV and I think that there was not too much switching back and forth- the balance was just right. From the very first scene, I was un-fucking-believably (tehe) hooked.

One of the main pieces of this story that I really is that most all of our conflicts our MCs experienced were within themselves. The author, Kate Goldbeck, has a note at the end of the book that talks about this a little further. Lately, in the genre, the books I have been consuming have been very trope heavy, predictable, and formulaic. This story was not, in my opinion. Boiling it down, I think what really got me hooked deep in this story was just how utterly human our MCs are. We see them over the course of 8 years, running into each other, and then being apart- over and over again until finally they both finally say hey I am depressed and let’s be depressed together. And then we get our engrossing story of how they grow- both together, and apart. The drama of their lives may be very mundane at some points, but there is so much emotion in this story that it all felt so very urgent and high stakes all the way to the end. The internal battle Ari wagers within herself, whether or not to let someone truly and fully know her, was really well done and while frustrating at times, very real. Her personality is chaotic, messy, and flawed, but so wholly lovable and interesting, while not being at all manic pixie dream girly.

I loved how romantic and uptight Josh was. I loved how he talks, and how he treats the ones he loves. The bossy, sometimes mean, and always honest personality worked very well for me, and was a perfect foil for Ari. We stan a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, even when it is painful. My most favorite characters are the ones who love, and love hard. This can describe both Ari and Josh.

It was a little excruciating to be in both of their heads at points, but the little bits of anguish made it all worth it in the end, as life often is a bunch of little happy things with a smatter of suffering popping up when you least expect it. I liked how this story was a rollercoaster of all the emotions- there was no straight trajectory to the HEA, and even at one point, I did not think we would see a HEA at all. We, as readers, get to experience all of the ups and downs, pain, and discovery with Ari and Josh, to where they ultimately find a place where both of them have grown into themselves and what they truly want out of life and each other. I thought it was beautiful.

I CANNOT WAIT!!! to read the next thing Kate Goldbeck is cooking up. Gorgeous debut. I will constantly be always in love with authors who have acerbic wit down to a T. My absolute favorite kind of stories are these.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck was the romance read I was looking for this year!! Fresh, funny, full of real emotions and a really tantalizing will they/won't they storyline. I both loved to hate these characters and also shipped them so hard at various parts of the book. If you're into a good romance book, then you should definitely pick this one up!

Come for the When Harry Met Sally-style banter, stay for the sharp humor, lived-in characters, and quintessential New York vibes. Kate Goldbeck's debut is one my most anticipated titles of the year, and it didn't disappoint. Both Josh and Ari pop off the page, and their relationship captures everything I love about an opposite-attracts romance: snark, humor, and eventual understanding. What a fun, satisfying read!