I am a sucker for a grandpa/old man storyline. Such a lovely, emotional story. I thought the death/grief was handled with such great care.

3.5

I have read all of Alison's books and this one had such a great story. Childhood friends, small town, dealing with Queer identities. The impact that our teachers have on our lives, the importance of representation and diversity. Grief.

I loved it. However, there were things in the book that were added, i assume for humor, and it just took me out of the space and feeling that the story was putting me in. and it made it hard to reconnect when almost every phrase started with a queer person's first name, f*ing, last name. it just made it hard to stay in the right mood.

- OMG, this book 😭😭❤️ I very NEARLY cried reading this book, which is high praise because books never make me cry.
- You wouldn’t think this book, which you know is going to end in a death, would be so hilarious, but it is. I loved the road trip shenanigans and the bickering and the joy and beauty found in the bleakest of times.
- Then, of course, this book is also filled with thorny questions of how to live your life and what are the most important things in that life. Just a treat, all around.
- I also loved how Logan’s ADHD and Rosemary’s anxiety are not problems to be fixed, but integral parts of who they are. (Not that I expected anything less from Cochrun!)

A second chance sapphic romance that is an absolute roller coaster of emotions.

Alison Cochrun does it again!! She is one of my all time favorite authors and with this newest release, she once again manages to make feel such a range of emotions in 300something pages.

Here We Go Again follows two former best friends Logan and Rosemary as they take their dying former English teacher turned life mentor on a cross country end of life road trip to take him to his final resting place. Along the way, these two reconcile with their unresolved feelings for each other as well as learn a lot about their places in the world.

This book has some fantastic ADHD representation as both leads are diagnosed with wildly different presenting symptoms. Alison is so good at writing unapologetically gay characters and I enjoyed this group's adventures in the Gaymobile across the country. Joe was such a fantastic mentor these two and really encouraged both of them to be more accepting of themselves and each other. I laughed, I cried, I felt so many feelings. I knew this book would make me cry, but make sure you have a box of tissues beside you.

There is so much love to be felt in this book and I loved my time with it and can't wait to pick it up again.

Thank you again to Netgalley and Atria for this advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

"Love is finding someone who helps you rewrite the story of yourself."
Here We Go Again is one of those books.
It's one of those books that makes you find something to appreciate on every page. It makes you swoon, makes you think.
Makes you read until 3 a.m., when you really should put the book down because you need to get some damn sleep, but instead you've got all the feels, and tears streaming with a smile on your face.
It's the prickly pear of novels - beautiful and painful in tandem.
I've loved Alison Cochrun's previous two novels (The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once For Me) and Here We Go Again tops them all.
The characters of Logan, Rosemary and Joe are so vivid. So loveable and so flawed, I fell entirely into their Gay Mobile "death trip" journey. (And one other character, who I can't name before you read it, is now in my top favourite characters ever.)
There is too much to gush over here, quite honestly. In summary, I loved this book and highly recommend.
Released on April 2.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, I loved this book so much and I highly recommend. It’s a 4/5 stars for me!

2024 is the year of books breaking our hearts and deserving all the stars for it. I absolutely LOVED every second of this book.

I laughed so much and I cried even more. The banter throughout this book is absolutely unmatched. The way they all love and care for each other…. Even when they don’t 😉 is so perfect.

However, if I hear one more person call Logan a fuckboy or that she doesn’t care about anyone I’m throwing hands. Logan is perfect.

This book made me ugly cry and I wasn't even mad about it....

This book really had everything. It made you feel everything so deeply, but also still kept things light enough to be thoroughly entertained by the story. The characters were all fantastic and I really felt like I was along for this road trip.

Bonus points for Abba songs being stuck in my head the entire time I was reading.

Here We Go Again-a standalone
By Alison Cochrun- I read The Charm Offensive, gave 4 ⭐
Rating: 4/5    
Page Count: 364
Setting: starts in Vista Summit, WA
Publication 4-2-24,  Read 4-16-24

🙏🏾 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Atria Books for this ARC💚  ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

🤷🏾‍♀️ What to Expect: Sapphic Romance, LGBTQIA+, Contemporary Romance, Adult/Women's Fic
Tropes: childhood BFFs, small town, road trip, friends-enemies-lovers, 1 bed

Summary: Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale were BFFs until they weren't. Ten years later, both in their 30s are now English teachers at their alma mater, and want to give their mentor Joseph "Joe" Delgado a good sendoff. He's terminally ill and wants them to go a road trip with him from WA to Maine. They are opposites in that Logan is emotional, impulsive, and has had a string of bad lovers; while Rosemary is closed off, needs to be in control, and wants security. Together with Joe as mediator, they fight to find common ground.

🤔My Thoughts: Joe was genius for this reunion between former friends. It was great way to dish out all their issues and reconcile. It was heart breaking watching Joe fade, but they all unpack old baggage. Joe was candid and told hard truths, and Rosemary and Logan got to know each other again. Teacher appreciation at it's finest, shout out my English teacher Ms. Kitchenman who kept this weirdo kid company!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This is the book I didn't know I needed in my life. Logan and Rosemary are estranged childhood best friends. Both were inspired by their high school English teacher Joe. Both ultimately became English teachers at their old high school. And now, Joe has asked them to take him on a road trip from the Pacific Northwest to Maine as de is dying of cancer.

As you can tell from that quick synopsis, this book is intense and emotional. I cried so much, but I also laughed out loud. As I am currently caregiving for a loved one who is dying, I actually found this book extremely cathartic and somehow hopeful. I know I will go back to it again and again, as it made me feel seen and understood.

The story was beautifully written. With this second chance romance, I was so impressed that we learned about Logan and Rosemary's backstory at appropriate places. We were not kept in suspense too long about what went wrong in their friendship. Throughout, the book had amazing pacing. I loved that the dual POV switched whenever necessary, sometimes at chapters and sometimes at paragraphs. It just worked.

I also loved the opposites attract nature of their story. They had fantastic chemistry. Logan is the spontaneous free spirit, and Rosemary is the planner. Both were amazing representations of neurodivergence. I regularly switched my idea of which character I resonated with more strongly. I think that points to just how amazingly deep and nuanced these women were.

And the secondary characters grabbed me just as much. I won't say more despite knowing I could go on and on forever. Instead, I'll just say that I love everything Alison Cochrun writes, and this is my new favorite.

5 STARS!!!

I have loved all of Alison Cochrun's books thus far. I feel the same about "Here We Go Again." What an incredibly life-affirming piece of work this novel is. Cochrun is the queen of mixing drama with sadness, intense romance with pop culture references, and laugh-out-loud humor with serious introspection, and this book is no different. I will just say this now: if you have ever lost someone in your life, you will identify with this book in more than one way. The trauma of loss never leaves you, and reading "Here We Go Again" will likely stir up all kinds of emotions within you. It will test your limits as the bereaved. The ways I cried, the noises I made listening to this book... I am shocked the neighbors didn't call the cops to find out what was wrong because your girl. was. SOBBING. Like, heaving sobs, ugly tears, an 'eyes puffy for days' type of sadness. That being said, this book is more than its infinite sadness. Cochrun's writing is captivatingly beautiful, an ode to life and love and loss and truth and found family and second chances. It will warm your heart, only to turn around and break it multiple times over. At its core, this is a sapphic friends-to-enemies-to-lovers road trip story full of witty and snarky humor, self-discovery, and steeeeamy spice, though the grief often overshadows all of this. You *need* this book in your life, not only for its therapeutic value, but for its commentary on living and loving and having no regrets. An absolutely stunning novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alison Cochrun, and Atria Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I laughed. I cried. I swooned. A wonderful book that hits every emotional note. Alison Cochrun is a must-read author!

Would recommend for fans of…
🌈 The Heart Principle
🌈 Forever Interrupted
🌈 Late Bloomer

GET YOUR TISSUES READY!

Alison Cochrun has quickly become known for her ability to write laugh-out-loud rom coms that also have extremely emotional and heartfelt themes, related to love, life, and mental health. In my book, she’s an “all hits, no misses” author. Here We Go Again, her latest novel, is definitely heavy on the emotions as it follows two women who embark on a road trip with their dying mentor to fulfill his final wishes, and find love along the way.

The first thing you need to know about this book is that while there is absolutely a romance storyline, it really takes a backseat to the larger focus on Joe, Logan and Rosemary’s former English teacher. That might be a turnoff for some readers but I thought it worked really well. Joe played an integral role in Logan and Rosemary’s journey, and I loved getting to see how he brought them together. He was by far my favorite character, and is one that will stay with me long after reading this book.

Though Here We Go Again is definitely sad, I also found it to be quite uplifting at parts. Cochrun does a good job of balancing sad, more poignant moments with some truly hilarious ones. In the hands of a less skilled writer a “death road trip romance” would have been a disaster, but Cochrun is able to handle the sensitive subject matter in a respectful and authentic way. I highly suggest reading the Author’s Note and acknowledgments, as Cochrun shares a lot about her own experiences that inspired the novel.

As a final note, as you may gather from the synopsis and review, there are parts of this book that are extremely heavy, and cancer is a huge part of that. If that’s not something you’re comfortable reading about, I’d suggest skipping this book.

In short, I’d wholeheartedly recommended Here We Go Again to anyone who’s looking for a romance that, while sad, offers a lot of life lessons. This will definitely end up on my Best of 2024 list!

Here We Go Again is out now. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alison Cochrun did just as well on this novel. I was enthralled from the beginning. I think every queer kid had that teacher, and as a teacher it felt good to think about. She wrote phenomenally about the process of death and dying and the feelings associated with them. I am excited to tell everyone to read this book, in particular those that have lost people important to them.

Here We Go Again

Oh my heart, this book! I'm not sure I've ever been so happy to read a book with so much grief? It's heavy and yet there is romance, and it's heartwarming. A very powerful story - I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for this eARC! My opinions are my own.

I don’t often say this, but HERE WE GO AGAIN left me absolutely speechless. I was completely overwhelmed with a whole spectrum of emotions—happiness, grief, gratitude, awe—and all I could do was turn to my wife and let the tears flow. Fellow readers warned me this book would rip my heart out and they were right.

Oh, how right they were. I’ve never cried more over a book in my life. I’m tearing up trying to write this review.

Y’all. The truth is, I could sit here and try for long minutes to tell you what I thought about HERE WE GO AGAIN and none of my profound words would come close to encompassing what Alison Cochrun has accomplished.

So, instead, I’m going to give you a list of the things (and there were a LOT) I loved about this book. In no particular order:

🌈 Logan being a self-proclaimed fuck boy and the journey of growth she went on, even when doing so scared her to death
🌈 “Hale,” and the moment she became “Rosemary.”
🌈 Logan and Rosemary’s relationships with Joe, which were each so unique and realized and meaningful
🌈 La Tush and Rita Morenhoe
🌈 “Some things are more important than safety.”
🌈 All the Van Morrison songs, which I listened to after I read this book
🌈 “I’ve been waiting for you.”
🌈 Logan and Rosemary at the beach
🌈 Remy St. Patin
🌈 The nude paintings
🌈 The bathtub scene
🌈 Chad and Rebel
🌈 “She’s In Love with the Boy,” and “I would always change ‘boy’ to ‘girl.’’
🌈 The absolute care both women showed Joe even amidst their banter and their own grief over what was happening.

This is the first book I’ve read by Alison Cochrun and I’m now wondering why?! She’s such an amazing storyteller. I felt like everything that happened in this book NEEDED to happen. It reminded me that life is about the detours and the adventures you have along the way. The pacing was spot on.

All the characters were so real-feeling and their motivations made sense. Sure, I felt frustrated by Logan, Joe, or Rosemary at times, but I was supposed to. These were complicated characters in a very trying and emotional situation. They’re gonna make mistakes. They’re gonna grow from them. And what happens because of that was beautiful.

Joy. That’s the word I keep coming back to. For such a heavy book, for a book that made me sob, there was so also much queer joy and love contained within the pages. Also themes of self-love and healing and forgiveness.

I am glad I read this book! I was changed by this book. It’s one I’ve already thought back on several times; it’s one I’m going to buy and probably reread…when my heart is ready.

Thank you SO much for the chance to read this gorgeous book.

I loved this book. The Charm Offensive is already one of my favorites and now so is this one! This book dealt with anxiety, grief, and loss so well. Alison Cochrun is so good at having anxiety representation in her books. I instantly wanted more of Rosemary and Logan’s story.

That was so beautiful. In fact I"m typing this through tears. 😭 Thank you so so so much to Alison for this stunning story. It was funny, heartbreaking, and filled with hope. By the end I cared SO MUCH about these characters and my heart broke for them. This is a book I will truly recommend forever.

Thank you Atria for the gifted eARC. I feel so lucky to have read it.

Characters: 7/10
Plot/Tropes: 6/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Romance: 6/10
World/Other: 6/10
Overall: 7/10 stars

This is so up my alley. I love road trip romances, and I love old people approaching the end of their lives with good humor and grace. I truly enjoyed reading this, but the details of the process of dying are so candid and visceral that it casts a bit of a pall over the romance itself. I can certainly see the value in such a frank portrayal, but it's so harrowing that it's hard to imagine wanting to revisit this book for the romance. Still, I love the richly drawn characters and the complexity of the relationships between them.