I've been sitting on this review for a couple of months now because I wasn't sure how to express my thoughts in the best way possible. As a lesbian who always got a little too attached to my English teachers starting a wlw book with a dedication that says: "And for every queer teenager who became a little too attached to their English teacher. I see you. I love you." made me want to start crying on the spot. Overall, I loved this book and I will always be a fan of more people writing wlw books because it is something that is definitely not common enough in my opinion. The one thing I'd have to say is: it was quite infuriating to read through the miscomunnication as I am the #1 hater of that specific trope. However, I admire the issues and difficult topics that were brought up throughout the book, especially Rosemary's alcoholism. I liked seeing the relationship grow between Rosemary and Logan, but I just wished we'd have seen better communication between them. I've enjoyed every book by Alison Cochrun that I've read so far and I'm glad I can add this to my collection when it comes out on April 2nd 2024.

i was excited to read this because i read and loved the charm offensive when it came out. i still have kiss her once for my on my tbr, so i'm hoping to get to that soon.

this one didn't really work for me, i felt like it dragged a lot once they got on the road trip itself and it felt very repetitive, so i found it tough to get through.

there's a lot of representation i loved in this novel though:

ADHD rep (coming from a neurodivergent girlie like myself)
themes on loss, death and grief
themes on friendship and people who made a difference in your life.

however, it felt hard to believe these women were in their early 30s and that their former teacher was in his 60s? everyone felt kind of immature and it pulled me out of the story.

i struggled to figure out what i was supposed to be rooting for and i didn't particularly care for logan.

at the end of the day, the plotline didn't work for me and it felt like it just dragged on with very little development. since i've read this author before, i will read her again, though.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the eARC!

Alison Cochrun's latest novel, Here We Go Again, follows two former best friends-turned-enemies as they embark on a road trip alongside their ailing former teacher, Joe, and his furry companion. Torn apart by an incident in their youth, their desire to help Joe accomplish one of his dying wishes pushes them to put aside their differences. Yet, as they're pulled together, is it possible that they may go from enemies to friends to... lovers?

I've been following Cochrun since her first novel The Charm Offensive. She has a real knack for marrying fun with more serious contemplations. In this case, this novel deals with the loss of family figures, palliative care, grief, and outing. The opening page of the novel includes a more detailed warning list for readers who may be concerned about engaging with this material at this time. I think the novel's handling of end=of-life care in all its messiness is where it truly excelled. Logan, Rosemary, and Joe are all complicated characters who don't always make the "right" choice but that's part of what makes this novel really stick. Yet, I did find myself struggling with some of its quirks, particularly the running gag of Logan's references to celebrities got grating very quickly. Cochrun also occasionally dips into this keynote-style of dialogue that feels unnecessarily didactic considering its audience. Nonetheless, there's a lot of heart in this novel and I did enjoy the ride.

Alison Cochrun has such an affinity for writing beautifully real stories about beautifully real and flawed people and this one was no different. When I read her last book, Kiss Her Once For Me, I found the romance to be a bit lacking and this one didn't have that issue quite as badly. I found my investment in the romance to be a bit hit or miss, but when I was invested it was a smash hit for sure. This one also had a bit more explicit content in contrast to her other two books, but it was still very emotion/connection focused which is one of the things I so appreciate about Alison's works.

There are so many things that set this author's work apart from others that I love, and one of the biggest ones is the descriptors and traits of her characters. A common occurrence in romance is that the main character and love interest are very attractive, and while they might have flaws, there is often an implication of perfection in a way that's not realistic. Which, to be fair, is okay! Sometimes those types of stories are what my mood calls for. But stories like this one, where even the introductory descriptions of the character's features are of those that are not viewed as traditionally attractive, but the underlying implication that the narrator finds them to be, stick with me so much longer. Logan and Rosemary were described in such a vivid yet understated way I could picture them together very clearly, and I knew exactly what kind of person they were from these details alone. People are very messy, and Alison's characters always capture that for me

Another thing that I always appreciate about this author's work is the mental health representation. She's not afraid to get into the ugliness of mental health struggles, and yet these struggles never take away from the comedy and levity of the story. I especially appreciated the depiction of the spectrum of ADHD, especially femme people which is often underrepresented, and has a unique set of struggles. This representation paired very well with the overarching commentary on the importance of teaching, and the struggles folks can face in education spaces (special shout out to the mentions of pedagogy and Freire, we love to see it). Rosemary's experience especially spoke to me, as a fellow neurodiverse master planner. So often neurodiversity, ADHD particularly, is discussed as something that is messy and chaotic, and dysfunctional, but it can also be things that aren't easily noticed on the outside, and I really appreciated that this book made a point of that

The depiction of death in this book, like the other aspects mentioned, was so incredibly raw and real. For a book whose plot surrounds a literal death road trip, the tone somehow managed to be quite funny, hopeful, and most of all loving and supportive, given how heavy the themes were. Joe's experience throughout really highlights how little dignity there can be in dying, and how last wishes can give you back some of that lost autonomy. I think this aspect of the story will probably stick with me the longest, it was handled with such care. As discussed throughout, tragedy and comedy often go hand in hand, and I think having both simultaneously occurring throughout really strengthened the impact of both.

All in all, while the romance wasn't my absolute favorite, the themes and the story of this book really shone through. If you're looking for a book about the importance of teachers, the diversities of queerness and coming out, road trips but make it all about dying, and found family, you should definitely pick this one up

I would first like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and Alison Cochrun for the arc I received of this novel! Here We Go Again is a second-chance sapphic romance centred around a cross country road-trip and the death of a mutual loved one. And it was beautiful. The characters in this book were so rich with detail and came alive off the page with Cochrun’s storytelling. I found myself tearing up in more than one instance. It was an incredibly moving depiction of love, loss, reconnection, and making the most out of life. I know this story and these characters will stay with me moving forward. After loving this one as much as I did and also enjoying Kiss Her Once for Me I think Cochrun is now an auto buy author for me!!

Wow, where to begin?

I read Kiss Her Once For Me back in December 2023. If Alison Cochrun knows anything, it's how to write relationships that are messy until they aren't anymore.

I laughed, I cried (really hard), I cringed at some points, but I loved this book. The exploration of grief was really well done. The relationship between Logan and Rosemary was frustrating, but understandable given their circumstances.

As usual, thank you to netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC. All thoughts and feelings are my own. I really loved Alison Cochruns "the charm offensive" and laughed and swooned over "kiss her once for me."

I expected to see a lovely diverse cast with hilarious pop culture references and a charming love story of two people who overcome together in a new fresh way. What I got was a deeply moving story on found family and one of the most impactful books on grief I have ever read.

Alison really nailed writing both of her main characters. I loved them both in a realistic way. Seeing so many different friends and family in them. She represented different facets of ADHD extremely well and how it presents differently in each person. But the real romance of this book is not between our two leads. It's about Joe. There was a review comparing Joe to Backmans "A Man Called Ove," and it is incredibly fitting. Joe's life story and love drive this story, and I have not full body sobbed over a character this way since Benji in "The Winners." Alison has truly stepped up her writing with this book and the depth between these characters. On the flip side, the funny quips and turn of events after the saddest paragraphs brought so much joy and a full circle experience.

I personally am a big fan of the amount of times Shay Mitchell's hair is referenced (this is something I too think about often - and it felt nice to have someone else comment often on it lol) but I do fear some people may not love the references in this one.

At one point in the book, a character compares someone to the Johnny Cash song "Hurt" saying they look how the song feels - like a good kind of hurt. A nice, long cry. And that really sums up how I feel about reading this. A good kind of hurt. Cathartic and heavy but hopeful. I loved so many things about this book, but I especially loved that the sex was not used for flash. It was Cochruns least spicy book, but most meaningful intimacy. It drove the plot with purpose and was done so beautifully. My eyes leaked, and my heart melted into a small puddle.

The authors note was as usual one of the best bits - hearing how some of the quirkiest parts of the book came from Alison's own experience made the book so special and I loved hearing about her lived experience with grief after she pitched the idea. I'm certain that is why this book is so raw, honest, and well done.

Lastly, I will make a bold claim. As an obsessive lover of queer romcoms, this is not an easy statement to make... but... this one is now my favourite, and I can't wait to read it again ❤️

4/5 stars I loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

Here We Go Again is a book of ups and downs, big big feelings and most of all, trying to love and live life to the fullest despite it all.

As an avid fan of Cochrun’s previous work and was very excited for this book qnd was not disappointed in the storyline. Both Logan and Rosemary being adults feeling the pressures of a life that feels like it’s already finished was an incredibly relatable feeling and watching them heal their hearts and their love for each other was beautiful. That, coupled with the death trip with their former teacher showed how found family means so much to people, especially queer people. The book handled the topic of death very well but I did feel the ending was a but rushed. I would have also liked more romantic and intimate scenes but that’s just my own preference 😉 Overall, a wonderful book with brilliant themes and a cute love story!

I am on record as being a huge fan of Alison Cochrun's books, but she did something even more special here I think. She managed to write a rom-com about navigating the complexities of grief that is still somehow deeply romantic and beautiful and hopeful?! And even though I absolutely love the romantic pairing in this book, ultimately Here We Go Again is about a lot more than that: the importance and joy of queer community, finding connection outside of your biological family, and working through the ways your past relational trauma shows up in both romantic and platonic relationships. Although the book is sad, it left me feeling more cathartic than devastated in the end. The connection between Logan and Rosemary and their teacher Joe was so beautiful and made me feel all of the things. I have always loved the mental health representation in Alison Cochrun's books, and the ADHD rep here is incredible; as a late-diagnosed ADHDer, I don't think I've ever felt so seen by a book before. I cannot recommend this book enough, and am so excited to buy a copy when it releases next month and re-read it many more times.

I will provide one caveat, which is if you don't like a ton of pop culture references in your books or if you disliked the Taylor Swift references in Cochrun's last book, Kiss Her Once for Me, the pop culture references here may be offputting for you. I personally enjoyed them and thought they felt natural to the characters, but I know that's something that some people don't enjoy. I also think if you are recently grieving a loss, or just not in a good headspace to read about grief, this likely won't be the book for you, as grief is a very present storyline here.

This is a sorta second chance, best friends to enemies to lovers, road trip, forced proximity, opposites attract, sapphic romance with neurodivergence rep. Rosemary was annoyingly Type A (and as the Type A-est of Type As, I can say that lol), while Logan was very laid back, a little too much IMO. I'm trying not to judge, but you don't know the name of the person you've been sleeping with regularly for FOUR MONTHS?!?! Although we do get why they both are like they are at about a third of the way through, this made it hard for me to care for either of them. The level of immaturity did not help either. But my favorite character remains Joe, their gay mentor. He brought a true sense of found family to the story, which was heavy on self-discovery and grief, and how different people deal with it (I cried for the better part of the last 20% of the book). Although I felt like it was dragging at times, this book leaves me with a heavy but warmed heart.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book emotionally wrecked me. Was it a great story? Yes, Did I cry through over 50% of the book? Yes. The characters were great, the interactions was great, I just wasn't prepared for the depth of emotion I would feel so quickly for these characters and their lives.

4 stars
2 spice

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria and Alison Cochrun for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Rosemary and Logan were both complex, messy, real characters and their chemistry flew off the pages. I also loved the way this book portrayed death and grief. The emotion at the heart of the book felt so raw and honest. Highly recommend!

4.5/5 stars

This might be Alison Cochrun's best book yet. I loved Rosemary and Logan and I also loved Joe. The trio were such a joy to read and the book was just the right mix of funny, heartfelt, and romantic. Absolutely worth the read!

3.5 stars rounded up
Here We Go Again (a nod to the ABBA song 'Mamma Mia') is a sapphic road trip rom-com about death - definitely an intriguing concept! Logan and Rosemary were childhood best friends until an incident the summer before high school ended the friendship and transformed the girls into enemies. More than a decade later and both are teaching at their alma mater in a small town in Washington State and trying to avoid each other. Logan and Rosemary stayed in touch with their middle school English teacher, Joe Delgado, who became a mentor and a friend to both over time. For the past two years, Joe has been fighting pancreatic cancer which is now terminal and at the start of summer break he asks Logan and Rosemary to drive him and his dog, Odysseus, across the country to the cottage in Maine where he wants to spend his final days.

This is a friends to enemies to lovers/opposites attract romance (steamy at times) where self-discovery is central to the plot as both women have issues stemming from childhood that they need to work through in order to have a healthy relationship. The book is funny but it's also very emotional when it addresses Joe's illness and the difficulty Logan and Rosemary are both having in accepting that he doesn't have long to live. The relationship that the two women have with Joe was the best part of the book for me - a touching ode to found family and the importance of living life without regrets as well as a heart wrenching depiction of how it feels to lose a loved one. I didn't always like Logan - her behaviour is a bit annoying at times particularly with her quirk of cursing using celebrity names (ex. "Shay F*ing Mitchell") but I still found Here We Go Again to be an enjoyable read and I'll likely read the author's previous books now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I don’t think anything is going to beat Charm Offensive for me, but I did really love this. I love a good road trip story. Logan and Rosemary and Joe all have my heart.

Logan and Rosemary: best friends through junior high, enemies through high school, ten years of no contact and then surprise coworkers for the past four years (enemies again, surprise!). These two can’t seem to get along but that works just fine. Until, that is, their shared mentor announces that they are dying, and their final wish is for the three of them to go on a road trip across the country. Unable to refuse, Logan and Rosemary are forced to work together in close quarters for the duration. Hopefully they don’t kill each other……..or who knows what else might happen? Oh, and they used to be in love in junior high before everything went wrong, but I’m sure that won’t be relevant.

Here We Go Again, once again to an amazing novel by Alison Cochrun that absolutely delivers! This one will span the emotional range from laughing out loud to wiping away tears, so no one judges you as you read your book. This novel delivers on multiple levels with a solid enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, while also diving into serious topics of loss and grief. It’s a rollercoaster and you will be sad when its over. I would recommend this novel to anyone and everyone, and I think there would be something for everyone to love.

As always possible spoilers below:

Great Parts to Highlight:
-The writing in this novel was very witty, snappy, and overall, quite funny. Very well done. Its always a good sign when the writing itself is an enjoyable read, before even getting to the content. The creative swearing was particularly delightful (go read the novel to find out what I mean!).
-The characters were very well done. Each had a clearly unique voice for the novel’s narration and the differences were well used throughout. Another nod to the great writing in this novel. The characters were also very well fleshed out and felt real. By the end of the novel I felt like I knew these characters and could predict how they would act or speak in different situations.
-Between chapter transitions (and character POV) they overlapped the timeline a little bit and this was used to great effect. This isn’t something I have seen done very much in dual POV novels, and certainly not this well. It was a little thing, but I loved it.
-The romance plotline was very well done. It was believable, well paced, and overall delightful. The chemistry was top notch. These two characters were exactly what the other needed in the sweetest and most perfect way and everything was just so well done.
-There was significant plotline outside the central romance, which I always appreciate and think takes it to the next level. It was so sad, so emotional. The analysis of grief, loss, and trauma, as well as how different people process and deal with it, was well executed.

Nitpicks:
-Only one nitpick (this novel was great) and its not too bad; in my opinion the background on the “enemies” part of the “enemies to lovers” trope was weak and that is a personal pet peeve. Avoiding spoilers here. Considering the scale and duration of their enemies phase the inciting incident simply didn’t live up to the hype for me. I kept waiting for the rest of the story, or for it to be explored more thoroughly. This wasn’t enough to ruin the novel (not by a long shot) but I found myself underwhelmed and it just bothered me! I don’t know that I believe that what happened would be enough to instantly cause such close best friends to become straight-up enemies and sustain the animosity for so many years.

Thank you to NetGallery for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really solid but the side character Joe stole the show for me, oh Joe I loved you so.

There is a ton of really great representation here beyond queer love, we get anxiety, ADHD, grief, healing and I think Cochrun writes from a place of knowledge.

The biggest thing holding me back is I found both MC’s kind of unbearable and I very much understand this is going to be a me problem and I can see many people loving this one.

I did love the road trip, there were a ton of really funny moments and who doesn’t love a dog as a side character? Despite a bit of a chemistry disconnect I give this a solid 3.5 stars and continue to look forward to Cochrun’s future books.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC all opinions are my own.

Just like the Charm Offensive, this is a book that will go on my re-read rotation. The characters, while definitely flawed, are extremely likeable and relatable. I saw myself in different parts of both Rosemary and Logan, which endeared me even more to their story. The parallels with their story and that of Joe and Remy made it even more joyous and heartbreaking in equal measure. This book had me laughing and crying, and left me feeling hopeful for the future of Logan and Rosemary. I miss reading it already.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the eARC of this wonderful novel.

Logan and Rosemary are bestfriends turned enemies who end up teaching at the same school, the very same school where they used to be students. They couldn't be more different from one another, but they both share a deep love for their highschool English teacher, Joe. When Joe tells them he is dying from cancer, they all embark on a roadtrip to Maine, or really, an adventure mixing forgiveness, love, vulnerability, a lot of tears but also, a lot of laughter.

I sat in front of my computer for a long time before finding the right words for this review but at the end of the day, the only truth is that I love this book with all my heart. I cried, I laughed, but I also fell in love with the characters and ended up relating to all of them, in my own way. I also recognized my own teachers through Joe, Logan and Rosemary ; teachers who made me want to keep going in my darkest times and who sometimes gave me a well-earned kick in the ass and told me to get it together (with love, I promise). This book is a love letter to people who are worth grieving, people we will miss and love forever and I loved every page of it.

I also loved the dialogue between older (Joe) and younger queer people (Logan and Rosemary) in the book and how much times have changed for the better.

The only thing was that eventually, the queer name dropping (Holland fucking Taylor !) became a bit redundant and the slightest bit annoying, but to me, it was such a minor detail that I ended up reading past it and not paying attention much attention to it.

Alison Cochrun, you are wonderful and I forgive you for making me sob in public.

Logan and Rosemary were best friends that had a falling out. Twenty years later they embark on a cross country journey with their mentor on his dying wish.

This book is a cute queer enemies to lovers book. This book will make you laugh and cry at once.