Rosemary and Logan used to be best friends, but the summer before high school turned them into bitter enemies. Now in their thirties, they've both found themselves stuck in the same small town, teaching at the same school and dreaming of grander adventures. They've managed to avoid each other, but when their mutual trusted mentor, Joe, receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, they'll be forced to work together to help him get his dying wish. Joe wants to get from their home in Washington state to his cottage in Bar Harbor, and he wants to take a road trip to get there. The journey might just be the exact thing Rosemary and Logan needed to reckon with their past together – and fall in love.

I really enjoyed the central road trip plot, which tugs at the heartstrings and I think the storyline about being a caregiver and watching someone you love die was really heartfelt. The opposites attract, friends to enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes were all well-done! The themes of loss and grief were handled well and made sense for the characters. There are tough moments about caring for Joe, and moments that make it all worth it. The ending he gets was sad and beautiful, and did the character justice.

But I really struggled with the conflict between Logan and Rosemary. It was repetitive and immature, especially considering they were supposed to be in their 30s??? They acted like children. The constant pop culture references and style of the dialogue was really grating, and I just couldn't get into Logan's use of sticking the f word in the middle of names of random queer icons. It was so corny and took me out of it. I also felt sad that the romance took a backseat to other plotpoints.

Overall this is a fun and quick read, but it's childish and the miscommunication trope is overused.

Here We Go Again was so much more than a typical romance. This is a rom com centered around the theme of death and grief. Former best friends (now enemies) Rosemary and Logan both asked to accompany their former teacher and good friend Joe on a road trip to Maine so he can die in a cabin he loves. The book follows their journey to Maine.

This book was so sweet and also really fun for a book about death. I loved all the adventures on the way to Maine. The banter was so witty, I definitely laughed out loud several times. Although Rosemary got on my nerves at first, she grew on me and I ended up loving all the characters so much.

I do wish it had been told in first person. The narrative would change perspective mid chapter and I actually found that pretty distracting. One chapter actually changed between the characters 13x which was a little extreme.

Overall, I highly recommend this book! This is my first by the author and I will definitely be checking out her others.

Thank you netgalley for the arc! 4.5 rounded up

This book was a rollercoaster of all the emotions. I laughed. I cried. My heart hurt and then my heart glowed. This book pretty much defies genres because while it's a romance, it's also so much MORE than that. This book is a celebration of the wonderful teachers that are out in this world. It's a glimpse of queer history and the AIDS epidemic. It's a wonderful artistic representation of connection and loss and grief and celebration. This book is about love, loss, regrets, forgiveness, connection, life and death. It's about healing and the beauty of letting go and the strength of holding on and the wisdom to know when to choose between the two. It's beautiful and painful and brilliantly exhibits how one of those things can't exist without the other. It's a prickly pear (IYKYK).
This book took me on such a journey. I loved so much about this story. The romance of this book was utterly wonderful. It's a second chance - enemies to lovers - opposites attract story of Logan and Rosemary as they take their beloved English teacher on a "death trip" across the country.
Other highlights were the neurodivergent rep, the found family, the ode to Van Morrison, the Gayest roadtrip playlist just to name a few.
I came away from this book with a feeling I just can't put into words yet. But I love when a book really makes you stop and pause and re-examine what you thought you knew.
What really matters when the sun is setting on our time here?
Seriously, just read this book. It's unlike anything I've read this year. Such an amazing piece of work!!

It wasn't until I started Here We Go Again that I realized the title was alluding to my favorite movie musical of all time, Mamma Mia. And from that moment forward, I was 100% invested and hooked. I have consumed everything that Alison Cochrun has written, and her third novel is an incredibly funny and moving road-trip adventure that had me reliving some of the weird turns I've taken on road trips myself. Starting in a part of Washington that feels verrrrry familiar, and ending all the way in Maine, the trip is about grief, learning what matters, finding connection, and healing (while also featuring an aptly named van that you'll never forget). Logan and Rosemary are former friends and complete opposites -- the first of whom is apathetic and flirty, and the second of whom is uptight and type A. They end up trapped together on a road trip when their former teacher and good friend tells them he's dying and he needs a lift across the country. If you're looking to ride a full roller coaster of emotions and to experience some unexpected surprises across the country, this is the book for you. Thank you to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED!!!!

An enemies to lovers sapphic romance (that is actually a second chance romance in disguise) that takes place on a death road trip across the USA? This is one of the most unique stories I've read in a long time and it's one I know will stick with me forever.

I loved that the romance, though full of chemistry, was almost secondary to the storyline about their road trip. I loved Joe, I loved their individual relationships with Joe, and I loved how much they all learned about themselves and each other along the way. What a beautifully cathartic story.

I loved that this story made me cry and laugh all on one page. It was emotional, poignant, and so full of humanity. Alison Cochrun can do no wrong!

I adored this contemporary sapphic romance <3 Not a surprise because I adore Alison Cochrun, but I just always feel so giddy and comforted after reading her work!

-past friends to lovers x second chance <3
-roadtrip setting!!! eeeek, I love these!
-opposites attract
-ADHD / neurodivergent representation

AC knows how to write stories that are tender yet goofy, and always writes with such care. I can't wait for everyone else to read this, as it was absolutely delightful!

Protect Joe at all costs. But actually Joe was the best part of this book. The romance of this book was really not it - the "problems" felt so repetitive throughout the book, the characters weren't mature at all, and I truly didn't feel the chemistry between our two main characters.

I seriously want a book about Joe and Remy LOL

Thank you NetGalley for this early edition to review! This has been my favourite book I’ve read so far this year.

I loved Alison Cochrun’s debut The Charm Offensive, and I read it all pretty much in one sitting, but this book…. This book was different. It was special. I think it had so many more elements of things that I love in a way that it was written more for me than TCO could ever be: cross country road trips, sapphic love, friends to enemies to tentative allies to lovers, English teachers, girls with ADHD, a big dog, and of course, ABBA. An ode to grief and a treatise on love.

Sure, it’s “a romcom about death” as Alison pitched it, but it’s hard to capture how much it is both a) a romcom, that has swoony romantic moments and laugh-out-loud funny jokes, and b) still very much entirely centred around death and loss.

I cried, I laughed, and I laugh-cried. This book was so beautiful and real and heartbreaking and joyous. A eulogy that truly was a celebration of life and all of the beauty and the pain that comes with it. Delightfully and fully queer through generations.

Although you always know what’s coming at the end, that’s not the point of the story— it’s the way that you get there that’s really important, with all the detours and roadblocks that come with. It’s about the ways in which we crack ourselves open and who we allow to see our brokenness on the way.

I can’t wait for this book to come out so that the rest of the world can read it. 🩷💜🧡

This book hit me in all the feels - it made me tear up multiple times. A death rom-com may be an odd way to label a book, but it is totally accurate in this case. I loved Logan and Rosemary, and seeing them reconnect and grow as characters over the book was excellent. It was everything I've come to expect from Alison, and I highly recommend it.

Logan and Rosemary were childhood best friends whose friendship turned to hate after a public misunderstanding. Years later, they are teaching at the same school when their old mentor and surrogate parent, Joe, finds out that his cancer is terminal. Joe enlists both Logan and Rosemary to put aside their differences and take him on an epic end-of-life road trip.

This book was fun, funny, and sexy, but also a lot. I loved many of the jokes but sometimes the bickering was too much. I loved the plot device of the road trip and learning more about these three main characters. I liked this road trip/rom com/finding yourself genre mash up (but would have liked a little less bickering and plot points that seemed like they were there for shock value alone.)

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

I cannot even start with this book. As I am sobbing but like 10 minutes ago I was laughing so there’s that. The main trope I was say is childhood best friends to enemies to lovers. But there are some sub tropes like one bed and miscommunication (kind of)
—
I knew I was going to like this book because I really enjoyed “kiss her once for me” but damn I fell in LOVE with it. Logan is so dang hilarious and Rosemary is so sweet. The quote that popped into my head thinking about their relationship is “She used to say she was the kite and I was the line. She was a creature of the clouds and I was a creature of the earth.”, from Haunting of Hill House. Logan is very spontaneous and Rosemary is very detailed. And they balance each other out and it’s so omg I’m going to cry

Don’t even get me started with (the other relationship) in the book because that’s the one that made me sob.


10s across the board for this book!

Alison Cochrun is at 3 for 3 as of right now. All her books are utterly perfect. She balances fun rom-com themes but also tackles the tougher and more emotional themes as well and manages to tie them together in a story that’s impossible to put down. There were some witty one-liners that had my giggling as I read which was balanced with tears by the end of the book.

I think at this point I can confidently say that Alison Cochrun is a master of character growth. You can’t help but love the cast from page one, root for their journey by the middle of the book and somehow love them even more than you thought possible by the end. I have no idea how she does it. Actually, I do: she’s just that good of a writer.

Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t my favorite book by Cochrun. The Charm Offensive just holds a special place in my heart, but this book is still a must-read for any romance lover. Alison Cochrun’s books are always my go-to gifting books and I’m thrilled to be able to add Here We Go Again to that roster.

Here We Go Again

4.25 ⭐️

What a heartfelt story about love and loss. If you love a romance with some serious topics thrown into the mix, check out Here We Go Again!

Rosemary and Logan were best friends as middle schoolers then they became enemies. While they both have a soft spot for their beloved teacher, Joe, they’re tasked to work together and take him across the country 18 years after their fall out. While Joe is at the end of his life, he shows them how to make the best of the time you have.

I love the characters that Alison Cochrun made with this story. The dual perspectives are so unique and real that it makes all the grief that much more authentic. Such a better sweet story.

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

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

-f/f contemporary romance
-friends to estranged to lovers
-death roadtrip
-opposites attract
-ADHD rep
-second chance elements

Gosh this book was complicated in the best way. Logan and Rosemary were a lot of firsts for each other including their first heartbreaks. But as adults they are both teachers back in their same small town, and both best friends with their former English teacher. But when its time to admit his cancer is terminal, the three embark on a roadtrip.

This book deals with so many complicated topics - end of life care, neurodiversity, and just realizing you are enough. Logan and Rosemary were such opposites and had great banter as they both knew exactly what buttons to push. But neither wanted the other to hurt, which its impossible not to as you watch one of your favorite people die. This was such a journey and such a ride as these two finally get out of their way, with great music references and just incredible dialogue. Logan and Rosemary's love story is so soft and well earned as they both battle inner demons and deal with the inveitable.

Another banger from Alison- it’s clear after reading this book that I’m a fan of her work! She is three for three with me! I always buy the books I love in paperback, and I can’t wait to add Logan and Rosemary to my shelf!

4.25 🌟

I read this book in my flight and I shouldn't have because 😭😭😭.

I loved all of the main characters in this book - uptight Rosemary, scatter brained Logan... and Joe, oh Joe. While this is a friends to enemies to lovers troupe, my favorite love story in this book was the love between Joe and the two girls. The fun they had on the roadtrip was the 🍒 on top!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

3.5 stars!

This story was really something! It was a beautiful story about grief. It was a comedic story about road trips. It was a (mostly) realistic look on personal growth. All of those aspects were real wins for me.

But with the wins comes some losses, and for me the loss in this book was the character Logan. I found her a bit insufferable. I didn’t like the way she talked most of the time, her random exclamations were annoying after the the millionth time, and her constant reference to being a “fuckboy” grew old QUICK. Because of all of this, I was constantly taken out of what was otherwise a very good story.

Logan aside, the rest of the characters were wonderful and as a whole I had a pretty good time!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria book for an advanced copy of this book! Here We Go Again drops April 2!

Here We Go Again

Here We Go Again has
📍The Gay Mobile
📍Friends to enemies to lovers
📍Frank depictions of caregiving without being too graphic
📍Only one bed (a few times)
📍Auto-repair shop shrimp
📍Old love and new love


I don’t know why road trip books always involve death, but here we are. I, personally, enjoy a good death cross country road trip book and this was the epitome of that, with a bit of a twist (the death doesn’t take place before/at the beginning, but at the end.) We get a little slice of so many locales across the US that it felt like we were traveling with them. (As a person from MS, Ocean Springs was described one million percent accurately, so I fully believe all the other depictions are perfect as well 😂).

Anyway.

Here We Go Again was the queer road death road trip book of my dreams, leaving me sobbing from about 65% onward.

Logan and Rosemary are teachers in their hometown in the PNW. Their former teacher, coworker, friend, and sort of extra parent Joe, has a dire cancer diagnosis and wants to go on a cross country road trip to his old house in Maine. Logan and Rosemary have hated each other since they were 14, but they used to be best friends.

Logan is a quintessential fuckboy, never letting herself care so she won’t get hurt. Rosemary is my obsessed with controlling every aspect of her life. Joe is the queer English teacher all of us weird kids wish we’d had in high school.

On their trip, Rosemary and Logan revisit their past hurts and find their old friendship again. And they find more even as Joe finds his old love again before the end.

Highly, highly recommend if you enjoyed Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, You With a View, or anything by Anita Kelly or Ashley Herring Blake. Bring tissues on the ride.

*I received a copy of this book for review through Netgalley, this is my own opinion. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC!

(Here is my goodreads review since they didn't post together for some reason! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6224848087)

A great road trip novel - romance, adventure, a dog! This combines childhood “my perfect person” love with enemies to lovers with “only one bed” with probably another great classic trope, and I love those fun mixes. Adding the road trip, all the places I now want to go (the BBQ joint is real, I checked!), and the second romance underneath it all? So fun, I loved it.

For some reason I could NOT get into this book. It took me weeks to read and I never really wanted to pick it up. I debated DNFing, but I love this author and I wanted to see the story through. And then I got to the 80% mark and absolutely fell in love. And proceeded to cry my eyes out for a good 30 minutes as I finished the book.

All that to say, I’m hoping the disconnect I had with the book in the beginning is just a me thing. This could’ve been one of my top reads of the year if I had maybe read it at a different time or really stuck with it and had this story be my main focus. But, alas, that wasn’t in the cards for me so we’re sitting at 4 stars strictly because the ending wrecked me.

This is not a spoiler. The story revolves around a death road trip. You know what’s coming. And you can get as prepared as you need to get, but if you’ve ever experienced grief or death of a close family member then this book will destroy you as it did me. It will also heal you and give you hope and make you think about life and the way you’re living it. Everything else that happened was just a bonus and a way to get us to know and love the characters.

Read if you like:
🌈 LGBTQIA+ rep
😭 crying
😤 rivals to lovers
🤭 second chance
🫂 found family
🐶 dogs
🚙 road trips

TW: death, grief, parent abandonment, alcoholism