This was a cute, cozy, queer opposites-attract romance. It didn't quite suit my tastes but I'm sure others would really enjoy it. I often found myself losing focus following the storyline and I didn't really like the heavy usage of pop culture references.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
5 stars!
Releasing 4/2/24
This ARC was provided by Netgalley and Atria Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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All. The. Feels.
This book is a sapphic childhood friends to enemies to slow burn lovers. It was spicy and sweet and heartbreaking all at once.
This book follows the story of Rosemary and Logan, two high school teachers who end up making a truce to take their former teacher, Joe, on a cross country road trip to Maine.
This book has several trigger warnings such as the realities of loving someone with terminal cancer and coming to terms with death. Nevertheless, this book was poignant, funny and brought me a much renewed appreciation for the little things in life. It was a great reminder that living is not about the destination.
As always Alison Cochrun writes amazing books, and this one is no exception! I'm excited for everyone to get a chance to read this!
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*Received as a free ARC*
I'll start with the single negative: I could feel the third act (pseudo) breakup coming a mile away and it stressed me out greatly. But I loved Rosemary and Logan and Joe. Their story was delightful and funny, even as it covered some extremely difficult issues (death, parental abandonment, alcohol abuse). I liked that they were both ADHD in different ways. Alison Cochrun has done it again. Smash hit.

Alison Cochrun doesn’t disappoint! I’ve read and enjoyed all of her books and this one is no different. While this is a lesbian romance novel that takes place on a follow-your-heart road trip across the United States, it’s so much more than that. Our two protagonists, Logan and Rosemary, rekindle their feelings for each other while providing end-of-life care for a beloved elder.

Read for:
🙌🏻 emotional investment in secondary character storylines
☺️ demisexual representation
❣️ugly crying vibes

There’s a content warning at the start of the book, which is always appreciated — though adding a bit of specificity related to the on-page death would be welcome.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC!

Alison Cochrun is a master of combining heartwarming and gut-wrenching, and HERE WE GO AGAIN is her strongest example of this yet. The chemistry and dynamic between Logan and Rosemary is delicious, and their relationship with Joe reminded me of many of my own past mentors. Cochrun is one of my all time favorite romance writers, and this reminded me why.

DNF @ 41%

After absolutely loving The Charm Offensive and really liking Kiss Her Once for Me, Alison Cochrun’s newest book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Unfortunately, I just could not click into this one and ended up DNF’ing. The main reason I stopped was due to sheer boredom - I was zero percent interested in literally anything happening in the book. I felt like I should have cared and just didn’t. Joe was definitely the character I cared most about, but even that was minimal. I actively cannot stand Logan, which is hard when she’s one of the main narrators. And the celebrity name expletives were overused and extremely cringey…

I seem to be in the minority because there are so many amazing reviews on Goodreads, and I’m sad this just didn’t work for me, but 2024 is the year of DNF’ing books I don’t like and I’m proud of myself for following through (my third DNF of February, who is she?!).

I'm not a romance reader, but I really enjoyed this. Childhood friends + road trip + romance + a dying adopted family member.

The author did a good job depicting how misunderstandings shaped the characters' relationship, how impactful things that happen to us when we're young can be, and how we can work through all of it when something big is at stake.

I also loved the depiction of Joe, the loving educator, who helped both women reach adulthood. In a time when educators and librarians are vilified, Joe's story is an important one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

This was a charming story centering around two former friends accompanying their father figure English teacher on a cross country road trip to spend his final days. It had its cute moments, but also a few times that dragged on a bit. Otherwise, I think I'd categorize this one as my favorite Alison book to date over The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once For Me.

Main qualms aside from slow plot movement was the constant reminder that one of the main characters was self-proclaiming herself as a player/fuckboy even 85% of the way through the story. We really only see her on one failed date at the beginning of the story before we proceeded into the road trip, and even then those typical stereotypes were not present in our character.

The story builds up to eventual heartbreak and grief, but I think Alison does a good job of finding hope and peace for our characters to result in a conclusion that ends on a happier note.

Thanks to Atria for the ARC!

HERE WE GO AGAIN really hit on the heartstrings, but also had a lot of humor and relatability. It’s a road trip romance, but the shining star of the story for me was Joe, a teacher who really touched the lives of two students, and shows just how much of an impact a teacher can have. The representation in this one is great (queer - gay & ace, ADHD, alcoholism, and anxiety), and made the relationships in the book so beautiful.

I loved the premise but the execution was not for me. But alas, I don’t love most romance books. I signed on for the death roadtrip!

Without giving too much away, the romance started far too early so the unnecessary miscommunication trope also came on too early and too frequently. I was rapidly skimming by the end, which is too bad because I didn’t get to savor Joe’s ending as much as he deserved.

I really, REALLY hated the cutesy-quirky “Brandi Fucking Carlile” “Lady Fucking Gaga” “Insert Celebrity Fucking Here!” Exclamations in every chapter. It felt way too forced and cringy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy! I know many people will love this book so please read if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers romance books with lots of sparring and dialogue.

Also, shout out to Odie, a very good boy 🐶 character.

Oh my gosh this book was so so good! It had heart, healing and humor in perfect balance. A romcom about a cancer roadtrip could so easily have been heavy or had a strange tone but this book had everything I enjoy in a romance - inspirational character arcs, heartwarming scenes, individual growth for the characters, as well as swoony/sexy moments. I loved every character in this book. There's nothing more satisfying than a roadtrip book where characters travel a large physical distance as well as an emotional one, ending the book in a completely different place than where they started. Rosemary's perfectionism and Logan's fear of letting people down made me feel so seen. The main strength of this book is the poignant way that Joe's impending death is handled. Cochran gave Joe the space to be cranky and stubborn and cling to his independence even as he loses the ability to go to the bathroom by himself. By showing the impact that Joe had on Logan and Rosemary as their mentor and father figure she made his past feel so vivid so that it was unbearable to think of a future without him in their lives. This book made me feel so many things and I will definitely be rereading it in the future!

Tropes:

-Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
-ADHD rep
-MCs in their 30s
-Roadtrip romance
-Lesbian MCs
-Opposites attract
-Demi rep

I DNF-ed about halfway through--I tried to like this book, but I just couldn't make it. The characters are awfully cliched, and even though I relate strongly to compulsively jokey characters, Logan's insensitivity was unfathomable at times. I felt terrible for Joe, someone who was trying to die with dignity and on his own terms, having to deal with Rosemary's need for control and Logan's constant jokes about changing his diapers. The dialogue was unnatural, and I agree with other reviewers who cringed at the use of celebrities' names as expletives. Overall, the humor seemed forced. There are also a couple of pretty grim typos: "Janelle Monet" for Janelle Monáe, and "Taika Waitaki" for Taika Waititi. If you're going to invoke BIPOC icons for the sake of cultural cachet, at least spell their names right!

“Comedy and tragedy always go together.”

That quote basically describes this book in a nutshell.

Short Synopsis:
Logan and Rosemary were best friends growing up. But now they work in the same school and can’t stand each other. But when their beloved former teacher asks them to drive across the country with him together as his dying wish, they can’t say no.

My Thoughts:
This is by first book by Alison Cochurn, and it certainly won’t be my last. It was a sad but funny romance and I’m all over that.

Logan and Rosemary were two opposing extremes. Logan was brash, impulsive and doesn’t get attached. Rosemary is uptight and wants everything perfectly planned. Though they are completely different, their personalities come together in the most beautiful way.

I just adored the love and kindness in this one. There were a few times I thought someone was going to be mean to our beloved characters, but thankfully everyone was loving. 🥰

The neurodivergent rep in this is what got me in a chokehold. Understanding each other’s brains and loving them because of that just punches me in the heart. 🥹

Read If You Like:
🚐 Road Trip Romances
🚐 Neurodivergent representation
🚐 Sapphic Romances
🚐 Best friends to enemies to lovers
🚐 Sad by funny books

Have you ever had a teacher that you love and would drive across country for with someone you are in love with and don’t want to admit it? No, well the characters in this book absolutely had that experience and it is one you will
not want to miss out on. Alison Cochrun once again knocks it out of the park with her latest romance and if you are a fan of any of her precious stories, then you’ll wanna pick this one up.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun. I will start by saying this book is well written and crafted with strong, three dimensional characters. It's about 2 best friends who stopped talking after an incident when they were 14 who drive together with their mentor across country as his dying wish. As I said it's well written, the problem is I didn't like one of the main characters, Logan. She is just not likeable to me. And it makes sense because she is unlikable to herself and that is her whole hang up the entire book, it motivates her actions (or lack thereof). But it takes a lot to see past it. I really liked the character of Rosemary. I totally related to her ADHD/perfectionism combo. I liked seeing her evolve over the course of the book (as I did with Logan). I appreciated the character development. I appreciated the idea of life as a prickly pair. I loved the characters of Joe and Remy. I felt the places on their road trip come alive; descriptions were vivid.
So this is a book thats worth reading. It's a love story in a multitude of ways. Even though I didn't like Logan (starting with the name), I appreciated her story. As a therapist this book is a great example of the lens that children see the world through and how you must update your definition of yourself and see what has happened to you through different perspectives. 3.75 stars Thanks to Atria and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Here We Go Again is a queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.

👍
This book was fun and emotional. Rosemary and Logan were best friends in their early teen years, then they became academic rivals then they completely grew apart only to be forced into going on a road trip with a dying friend.

While I enjoyed their road trip and Rosemary and Logan slowly finding each other, their relationship with their former English teacher was something special. Joe has been a teacher, a mentor, a father figure, a gay role model to them when they are growing up and they couldn't refuse his dying wish even though they cannot stand each other.

They have a past, a delicate teenage first love story, so many misunderstandings... When they are forced to spend so much time together, they start learning about stuff they didn't know about and slowly but surely they find their way towards each other.

Here We Go Again has the deep, thoughtful writing I've come to expect from Cochrun. It also has spicy scenes:)

Cochrun also shows how neurodiversity looks different in people. Did I mention the MCs are teachers? Being a former English teacher Cochrun highlighted the best and worst aspects of being a teacher.

Dying is one of the main themes of this book so I wouldn't call it a lighthearted story but the author caught a good balance between funny moments and deep conversations.

👎

It took me some time to warm up to loud, carefree, "fuckboy" Logan and uptight, closed off Rosemary. They are far from perfect with Logan with her abandonment issues and Rosemary with her perfectionist tendencies. Talk about opportunities attract! I was able to like them and rooting for them by the end. But Joe (and, spoiler, his long lost love) stole the show.

This sapphic road trip rom-com about death must have been hard to pull off but Alison Cochrun made it happen.

Here We Go Again is a perfect rom-com! I laughed out loud and cried my eyes out while reading it, which is what I am always hoping for.

Rosemary and Logan are childhood best friends turned enemies, who both ended up teaching at their former high school. They had both become close with their former high school teacher, Joe, who is battling cancer and has one final wish - to roadtrip across the country with Rosemary and Logan. This forces the two to put aside their differences to make this happen for their friend and mentor.

Of course, nothing on the trip goes to plan but they go on a journey that forces Rosemary and Logan to reflect on their lives and what they truly want for their futures.

Not only do we follow Rosemary and Logan as they rekindle their friendship and potentially a relationship, we also get to see Joe cross items off his bucket list and reconnect with people from his past as he prepares for the end of his life.

There were many absolutely hilarious scenes in this book that had me cracking up. There were also many scenes that were deep and heartbreaking. The LGBTQ representation and history throughout this book is phenomenal. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book!

This would make an incredible movie or limited series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alison Cochrun has written a beautiful love story that is about so much more than romance. It is about grief, chosen family, self-acceptance, and the kind of love that changes everything. Reading this book felt like reading something personal to the author. I am grateful for it.

"love is finding someone who helps you rewrite the story of yourself"

4.5 ⭐️

There hasn’t been an Alison Cochrun book I haven’t been blown away by. I loved and devoured ‘kiss her once for me’ but this book feels like it’s in a league of its own. A beautiful childhood friends to lovers story filled with love, loss, grief, and re-discovering oneself outside of your comfort zone. This story is so much more than a romance and more of a devastatingly beautiful story of old lovers and reclaiming lost time.

Rosemary and Logan were thick as thieves in their childhood, until a spin-the-bottle kiss shook their worlds and friendship off balance. 10 years later, Logan has stayed in the same city she grew up in as a teacher and finds out that none other than Rosemary Hale has joined the staff. For years they’ve ignored each other and feigned indifference, until their old English teacher and life mentor is dying of cancer and announces a ‘death trip’ road trip across country. The kicker is he wants Rosemary and Logan to drive him. A whole month of roadside motels, scenic routes, and visits with old “friends” leads to feelings resurfacing that never really went away for either of them.

This book was the perfect balance of funny, rom-com vibes and heartbreaking, emotional moments. Rosemary and Logan felt like they were tugging on loose ends the entire road trip. I loved their story and how opposite they were. Joe is the perfect example of not needing anything but love to be happy. He brought the comedic humour and also the hard life lessons. He was a beautifully deep character and I absolutely adored him. I was full-on sobbing through the second half of this book. I loved the writing and the pacing of the book was great. Truly obsessed!

This is a beautiful queer rom-com with emotional depth and topics of grief and loss. It brings up difficult memories, harsh realizations, and a deep appreciation for teachers. I absolutely adored this! Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Alison Cochrun for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Releasing April 2nd 🧡

Logan and Rosemary used to be best friends. Now they are rivals and each other's perpetual annoyance. They do their best to stay clear of each other at work, too, since they both teach English at the same high school. The high school they both attended and were taken under the wing by their former English teacher and now friend, Joe. Unfortunately, Joe is dying but his final wish is that Logan and Rosemary will take him to the coast in Maine. The trio embarks on a cross-country road trip over the summer where they learn more about themselves, the past, and their futures.

This book has so much heart. From the beginning, I was connected to the characters and drawn into their stories. Logan, Rosemary, and Joe are wonderful, relatable characters that I think all readers will adore. I especially loved seeing the representation of anxiety in Rosemary and the ways that she learned to cope with stress and change as anxiety is something that I personally deal with. This was extremely well written.

I also so appreciated the portrayal of adult women who didn't really understand each other in the past but had much more in common than they previously thought. I remember being in high school and failing to recognize the struggles that friends or classmates were going through because my own struggles seemed to be so difficult/prevalent. The way that they grew throughout the book and learned about each other was really moving. I loved that they both were able to find a teacher to support them during their teenage years and that their relationship grew into adulthood. These types of relationships are so formative and underrated/underrepresented in books geared towards adults.

Cochrun continues to get better with each book, while maintaining the things that I have loved about her previous novels and writing. Here We Go Again also connected with me because it is a deeply human story. I smiled, laughed, empathized, felt uncomfortable, and cried while reading and I love that Cochrun is able to draw these emotions out of me as a reader. I am forever a fan of Cochrun's work and will continue to recommend her books.

Note: This book was full of song references and I definitely think that listening to a playlist while reading would be a neat/fun experience. The pop culture references throughout the book are excellent.