This book was cute and the angst and friendship were perfectly described. I loved the reverse roles of When Harry Met Sally and I loved that even in the end the main characters still had the same personality. The banter was amazing! I really liked the book, but it felt a little too long. I also think the side stories sometimes took away from the main story. This is a new author for me and I would be interested in seeing what else she writes.

Almost 35 years ago, moviegoers were asked to consider if men and women could be friends without sex getting in the way. In You, Again, a loving homage to When Harry Met Sally, debut author Kate Goldbeck updates the story to 2023, when "friends with benefits," "f*ck buddies," etc. blur the lines between friends and lovers.

Josh and Ari first meet in 2014, when she is soliciting charitable donations, and a grumpy man in a sweater rudely blows off her request. Surprisingly, Tall Sweater Nightmare Man appears that same evening at her apartment for a date with Ari's roommate Natalie, who is conspicuously absent. Josh and Ari engage in awkward conversation for a while, but the tentative ceasefire disintegrates when Ari admits she has already slept with Natalie.

The two New Yorkers encounter each other several times in the next few years, and the sparks that fly are predominantly the angry kind. Finally, when they cross paths in 2022, Ari and Josh are at personal and professional nadirs. Too depressed to consider screwing, they become friends who text, shop, and watch synced Netflix movies while on the phone with each other. Everything is fine until a fateful New Year's Eve kiss, which leaves Josh looking for a soul mate and Ari looking for a quick exit.

Neither Ari nor Josh are entirely likeable people. Ari is an aspiring comedian and improv actor who doesn't allow anyone to get close to her emotionally, including her friends. She's analogous to the Billy Crystal character, with a cynical view of love and a dating app that includes threesomes with married couples. Josh's father runs a famous Jewish deli, but he dreams of opening a hip, modern restaurant that eschews chopped liver and blintzes. He's the Meg Ryan-ish romantic of the duo, but he is also rather rigid and judgmental. Goldbeck creates such strong chemistry between the two that you'll root for their HEA, even if you're not completely sold on them as individuals.

Goldbeck doesn't stick too closely to the WHMS plot, but there is a last-minute "epiphany leads to airport run" that is milked for all of the drama and comedy feelz. From its autumnal-colored cover to the sweet epilogue, You, Again is a delightful homage to one of the most celebrated American romcoms.

What an intelligent, hilarious read. The banter alone between Ari and Josh is worth the read. The book takes place in New York City and lets just say, that is the perfect setting for every good enemies to lovers. And boy is this book that. I found myself cackling out loud at Ari's quick wit and sassy attitude. the plot is interesting and the pacing is even, which made it very easy for me to burn right through this book in one sitting. I will likely return to this many times. definitely a new fave.

You, Again is an acrimonious strangers to unlikely friends to cautiously hopeful lovers romance heavily inspired by When Harry Met Sally. It follows Ari, an aspiring comedian with an allergy to commitment and Josh, a grumpy, pretentious chef on the hunt for his soulmate, over the course of many years from their initial meet disaster, to a few slightly less disastrous run ins, to their eventual friendship and more. By the time they become friends, their love feels inevitable and that made it all the more fun to read. I started feeling nostalgic for Josh and Ari’s relationship before I even finished the book because of the way it sprawled out over the years. It reminded me of meeting my wife in college and all the dumb mistakes we made along the way to where we are now and left me feeling ever so grateful that we continue to choose each other every day so I don’t have to try my hand at dating again.

Witty banter is an important aspect of any good love story and this one had me cackling on so many occasions. The dynamic between Ari and Josh in the beginning is so funny and has a crackling tension to it despite how much they clearly bother each other. As an aspiring comedian and improv performer, it makes sense that Ari’s character is funny, but she’s also unpredictable and smart and very much without a filter. I never knew what would come out of her mouth and was consistently delighted by what did.

Because of the initial nature of their relationship, there are no pretenses between Josh and Ari as fate continues to throw them together. They see each other at their worst and become each other’s lifelines, forming a friendship based in unabashed honesty. I’m not sure that it’s fair to say that Josh realized they were more than friends first or not, but he’s definitely the one that pushes for it first. Despite feeling the same pull, Ari is absolutely terrified of doing anything that could ruin their friendship and is still reeling a bit from the abrupt end of her first marriage. When they do finally hook up, it’s equal parts pent up passion and soul baring tenderness between them. The third act breakup felt appropriate and inevitable to the point where I couldn’t even be mad about it. Their eventual reunion had me in tears and I highlighted huge chunks of the last few chapters.

You, Again is a really modern take on a classic story and is definitely a favorite for me this year. It’s not out until September but it’s well worth the wait. Kate, I cannot thank you enough for sending me an early copy of this one to gush over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for a chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

Ari and Josh are absolute opposites that coincidentally run into each other multiple times over the span of a few years. Their run-ins are during what is supposed to be the peak of their careers/lives until life throws them both for a loop. They’re thrown together, once again, when they hit rock bottom, and form a friendship as they commiserate how things have gone so wrong in their lives.

I’m a sucker for messy, multidimensional, unapologetic characters, and Kate Goldbeck delivers! I thoroughly enjoyed the book concert to cover!!

What do you call the opposite of a meet cute? Meet flop? Submit the patent on it now. This book was like the flip of One Day, and I loved it. A great way to build tension, and make it all worth it in the end. Right from the testimonial from Ali Hazelwood on the front cover - I knew I was going to like it.

It was funny, it had good pace, it had enough going on, it had a sexually liberated bisexual badass main character. Alternating points of view but in a clear way, and same goes for the time jumps. Overall I really enjoyed it cover to cover.

YOU, AGAIN is the modern day, genderswapped When Harry Met Sally that I have been searching for my entire life. Ari and Josh are in their 20s, living vastly different lives, when the universe shoves them toward one another and instead of insta-love, it's insta-hate. And then they meet again. And again.
They are both a Hot Mess!! and maybe a little toxic and clearly not ready to be in a relationship, but they do need a friend and that is what they become, but the lingering tension could be cut with a butter knife (that Josh would complain about because he is a chef who has better knives than I'll ever own).
I did not agree with half of the things these two said and did, I wanted to yell at them for their stubbornness, but the whole time I was rooting for their own individual growth and the happiness I knew they could find together.
The stakes are higher than in most romances I read today, and the tension is even sweeter because of it. These two feel REAL to me, they are not perfect but they are in love, and in the universe of Nora Ephron, that feels like enough to make it through.

You, Again is the most quotable book you will ever read. Stock up on sticky tabs. Buy two copies - one to collect and the other to highlight. Add the digital copy to cart so you can copy/paste to your IG posts. I can't stop thinking about the snarky, sophisticated, synchronized banter between Josh & Ari.

You, Again explores more than just romantic love. It tackles friendship, dating, friends-with-benefits, marriage, as well as breakups, divorce, and family tensions. And it does it through text threads, phone calls, brunch dates, Ikea trips, pretentious NYE parties, and even classic walks through the park. Every page is so grounded in real life - just two characters going about their everyday lives and falling in love without even realizing it.

Josh & Ari are precious disasters of their own unique flavors. Josh is precise in his words and actions. He demands perfection from his work output. And in relationships, there is no point to them unless the end game is love, marriage, and stability. Whereas Ari is a chaotic, feral, dreamer who wants love but not if it comes with the potential to hurt. Hence, she has one platonic friend and the rest all come with benefits.

Their collision-couse-meet-cute spans years. They grow as very separate characters, only meeting for brief cosmic happen chances. But those moments include words that cut and scar. Ari sees Josh self-sabatoge by setting such high standards for a partner and cornering himself into such narrow definitions of love. Josh calls out Ari as immature and flighty. He questions the realness of her attachments if they're never meant to be permanent in the first place.

Their antagonistic rival/emeny status though crashes when they both have relationships burn at the time of their latest colision. Too tired to fight, they build an unlikely friendship. Completely platonic. Definitely. Maybe. But once their friendship starts to resemble dating, is the next step a romantic relationship?

You'll enjoy You, Again for its character driven story, dialogue intensive scenes, and sharp observational humor. Its a romantic comedy sure, but I also cried. There were words that dredged up deep feelings in me as if my own beliefs were challenged. I can't really get over how amazing a read this is. I've read it twice now before posting my review.

Wait. A. Minute. Can I scream about the cover real quick?!?! I seriously had That Josh and That Ari and That Plaid Coat in my head the whole time I was reading. Not a fancast. Not a 'I replace all characters with my personal bias' visuals. Even though 'Adam' and 'driver' were about a paragraph apart early in the book, but that was the only time I had him in my head. Other than that! No one else. Only the cover. They. Its going face out of my shelf. I'll look at it forever.

Okay, now I'm done. All the stars. It will be in my Best of 2023 list. I'll always have a copy in my bedside stack of emotional support books. And it may be wishful thinking, but maybe my review would inspire your own, 'I'll have what she's having.' Happy reading.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing, Dial Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my goodness.

I had plenty of thoughts while reading this. I thought... two people couldn't be more wrong for each other. A few times I was like is it these two?

But eventually things started moving. Its a slow burn for sure. I enjoy a slow burn. These two were having some real life problems. Life was not being kind to either.

Ari definitely had a lot of growing to do. Like, a lot, a lot. Josh just needed to find his way back.

I enjoyed Josh's mom and sister. And Ari's best friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: depression, death of a parent, grief, self-medication, divorce, cheating, anxiety

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-frenemies to friends to lovers
-things suck so I guess let's be friends
-we're both banging the same girl
-banter
-bi and Jewish rep
-slow burrrrn
-When Harry Met Sally retelling
-opposites attract

This book is my latest obsession. Just everything about it. The pacing, the banging premise, the just amazing friends to lovers vibes. Ari and Josh have the opposite of a meet cute when they both realize they're banging the same girl, and keep running into each other over the years until the both hit lows in their personal and professional lives. So what else do you do but *shrug* lean on the other because the only person who might be able to understand a low is a fellow person going through a low. Neither was really looking for a friend, but they fall into it through texting, watching movies, good food, and just needing someone to be there.

Both Ari and Josh (yes I have found another Josh to be obsessed with) are opposites sides of the chaos coin. Ari is trying to be a stand up comediaining and her zingers had me straight up cackling. She does not believe in love and pushes everyone away as far as she can. Josh is the uncuddliest hopeless romantic I'd ever seen but he still somehow wears his heart on his sleeve as he just earnestly tries. They are opposites who attract I love them both and I will protect them from this cruel world.

This book is just friends to lovers gold. You watch as these to fall into a deep friendship, deep emotional intimacy, that they both need and become so afraid to lose, ruin it with their clear sexual attraction that's just cackling from the beginning too. The can I risk this and lose my person? My heart. The banter, the intimacy. And gosh the steam. Some of the best use of sex scenes to further the emotional intimacy. These two are just fire on the page. The ending I just wanted to highlight, it was a scene out of a movie, it's perfect I don't have words. ruined me for other books.

Honestly if you loved Bend Toward The Sun I think you are going to love this one.

I will devour anything Kate Goldbeck writes next.

Steam: 3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced ARC.

You, Again takes a nod from the holy grail of romantic comedies “When Harry met Sally” and takes it for a modern spin. Set in NYC Josh and Ari meet when they just so happen to be seeing the same girl. Over many years and changing circumstances Ari and Josh’s paths continue to cross, we see two strangers turn to enemies to friends and then something more.

I really enjoyed reading both Ari and Josh’s POV — these are two very flawed and jaded but highly relatable people who at first were hard to root for but surely won me over. Their witty banter was a top highlight.

Overall romantic, fun and heartwarming this was standout debut by Kate Goldbeck!

this is such a wild ride of a book and I loved it to pieces!! I’m obsessed with how it was written and the movie but as a book vibes were spot on!!

Ari is a hilariously sassy main character who refuses to conform to society’s norms (slay) and is probably the most confident main character I’ve read in this genre. She’s very outspoken which is fitting for a comedian and yet her most vulnerable moments are where we truly see into Ari’s character. Ari is the definition of a rainbow whirlwind and the hurricane that Josh needs. I think my favorite part about Ari is how she’s unabashedly herself and fck anyone who tries to make her be different.

Josh, sweet stupid, definitely needs to be laid by someone as chaotic as Ari, Josh. I love a man who has such high expectations of themselves and others and then gets slapped in the face when their attitude and disregard for decency (in some cases). I loved his arc and how he slowly but surely and 100% because of the influence of Ari, changes and relaxes his personality (nothing wrong with having goals and ideas , but being 1000% dead set in how it’s gonna be completed is not very good for a man with his aspirations). Josh is the best compliment to Ari’s wild nature, while never trying to hold her back.

The writing in this book is truly wild. From the beginning it’s been chaotic. I loved the first meeting with Ari and Josh it was so random. Each encounter afterwards is just so chaotic and truly movie-esque as Josh and Ari become unlikely friends to lovers.

The spice was perfect to me, I loved the buildup and the way it was literally just so intimate and sweet but also passionate and raw. I wasn’t expecting two but boy oh boy did I freaking love it (not what happened after though, felt like Josh and had my heart stomped on for a bit)

This book had IMMACULATE vibes. As a rom-com lover I really enjoyed this book. I felt like the characters were flawed, but ultimately I was still rooting for them. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and how the author effortlessly depicted a witty and charming book. I think what the author did really well is the build up—this book was developed well, in my opinion. I really think that it was thoughtfully laid out. It wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy and it was really a good read. If you like a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance with incredible banter—this is the read for you.

I've had the privilege to read You, Again in its various incarnations over the years and cannot recommend it more highly for anyone who loves rom coms, Nora Ephron, (someone is staring at you from) Personal Growth, and the epic yet mundane saga of two people finding each other, and themselves. Everything about this book is my favorite, but if I had to pick, I love Ari and Josh's relationship to and away from each other over the years, I love how fully drawn and important the relationships Ari and Josh have to their friends and families are, I love the Jewish deli rep and the N-YHS prominence and the New York City specificity, I loved loved loved the food jokes.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

While I did enjoy book, I found myself being constantly distracted. Both main characters came off kind of douchey and pretentious. All the time jumps and interactions with other characters kept me from feeling the actual romance. When did Ari start to have feelings for Josh? And vice versa? There was more talk about food and knife skills than feelings. Book seemed like it was written to be adapted to film, it didn’t flow right for me. All the Taylor Swift references got annoying. Would I want to date Ari or Josh- definitely no, I probably wouldn’t even want to be friends with them but I did enjoy their story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced copy.

I picked up this book for two reasons: Nora Ephron movies, and the vibes of New York in the fall. Despite not having watched When Harry Met Sally (it’s “basic cultural literacy”, I know!), which this this book takes inspiration from, it is still heartwarmingly familiar: two flawed, self-assured people, meeting and clashing at various points in their lives, convinced they’ll never understand each other or be friends….until they do, and quickly step over that line as well.

I love the chemistry and clash between Ari and Josh. They start off fundamentally opposed to each other’s views on life and love, but slowly grow into one another. There’s a lot of struggle here, fighting their own stubbornness, understanding what change means, and in the process learning more about one another and slowly falling in love even when they don’t understand what it means yet. It’s juxtaposed against their personal journeys in New York, painted as the charming city of dreams we all know and love, but also showcasing its flaws: the rats the size of calzones, the terrible dating pool, the rank smell in the subway. It’s the same New York venom that I feel running in my veins, and i won’t be rid of it anytime soon.

When I say these two people are flawed, they are REALLY flawed. Josh is an arrogant, entitled asshole, stubbornly blind and resistant to other people’s views of him and the world, focused only on himself and his career. Yet under all this lies a surprisingly dedicated, romantic idealist. In stark contrast, Ari is a realist—fiercely independent, openly bisexual, raunchy comedian with a penchant for recreational drug use—but under this creative, free-spirited lifestyle, she’s a commitment-phobe that refuses to form intimate connections with her partners and pushes away the people who care about her. Their arguments are a delight to read, and despite every moment i wanted to scream at both of them to get over themselves, I cheered, i laughed, i cried. Their ending is perfectly earned, and dare I say it, feels like a movie.

Highly recommend this. I was emotionally wrenched across the pages and I read this in one day. It’s Nora Ephron, it’s present-day, but so much more than its inspiration: it’s Kate Goldbeck, and it’s a stunning debut.

I loved this book. It used my favorite tropes in the best and new ways possible. It kept me interested throughout and I was giddy by the main characters. I’m excited for others to read this and share their love!

This was such a refreshing book to read. The slowburn, the sassy, witty comebacks, the angst!

I've read many romance books but this felt fresh and new. I loved reading about Ari and Josh and how they slowly came together. It felt real if that makes sense.

Really enjoyed this one and would recommend for everyone to read it

First off, thank you to Net Galley, Kate Goldbeck and Random House publishing for this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!! Ari and Josh were so perfect for each other yet both were emotional rollercoasters and two very complex people. Ari was dealing with her distain towards relationships due to her own dating history and Josh was so desperate to love and be loved that he often found himself being hurt.

It was a beautiful story and while I normally dislike 3rd person and the dual POV’s in each chapter.. I found myself really enjoying Kate Goldbeck’s writing style. Not to mention (while this book is not filled with smut) the existing smut was VERY well written and very spicy! Cannot wait to purchase the hardcopy when this is out.

I was sold on this book from the description that it's a When Harry Met Sally homage about two people who meet because they're hooking up with the same person, and I was not disappointed. The first section of the book, where Ari and Josh discover that they're both hooking up with Ari's roommate had me laughing out at certain parts. It's so immediately clear that Ari and Josh are opposites; Ari doesn't really care about anything and is enjoying getting under Josh's skin, while Josh is wound so tightly and can't understand why Ari is being such a pain, until she reveals that she's been hooking up with this woman who Josh intends to officially ask to be his girlfriend.

From there, Ari and Josh keep running into each other occasionally over the next few years (a very "New York is so small" vibe). They mostly fight with each other, since they can't seem to get past their initial reactions, until they finally run into one another after both experiencing significant breakups. They're drawn to each other because of how miserable they're feeling, and they keep hanging out because no one else quite understands how they feel.

At the start of the book, I was worried that this was going to be a book about mediocre people who never really get better, which is one of my least favorite kinds of books. The book redeemed itself, though. I grew to really like Josh, as you get to know more about why he's wound so tightly and how he struggles with perfectionism and the pressure he places on himself and the family legacy he both feels he has to upload and wants to revamp.

I loved the build-up of Ari and Josh's relationship, largely because they really did seem to see each other as they were. I did feel like the resolution was rushed, and Ari and Josh's chemistry kind of snapped into place quickly. But ultimately their journeys individually and together made sense for them. While this book is certainly heavier than most romance novels, the romance is still central to the story and to Ari and Josh's relationship.

You, Again also has my favorite kinds of representation: Jewish representation and mental health disaster representation. I'm not 100% certain that Ari is Jewish, but in my head she's Jewish, and Josh is explicitly (pun intended?) Jewish. His dad owns a Jewish deli that's a New York institution, and Josh is also a chef, though he intentionally does not want to run the deli and make food the way his dad does. Josh's Jewishness is always present in the story, but he's not a caricature. There are some hilarious one-liners that Josh gives that feel so Jewish (or are actually Jewish), and it was refreshing to see that on the page. Plus, they brought some levity to a book that handles some pretty deep and tough topics.

Shoutout to the author, Kate Goldbeck, for posting a (non-exhaustive) content warning list: https://www.kategoldbeck.com/content-warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press/Random House for providing me with an eARC of You, Again in exchange for my honest review.