Though marketed as a book about a love triangle, I think this is better characterized as a coming of age story dealing with first love, friendships, self-discovery, and family. Taking place in 1999-2002 and then jumping to 2021, we follow Cora Belle navigate college and beyond. While still on the lighter side of literary fiction, it has more depth than typical chicklit and enough substance and universal themes to be a good book club choice for the times you don’t want something too heavy.

I really enjoyed this story. This is a new to me author. I love coming of age books. I will be definitely looking out for more books by this author. Thanks for the ARC!

A well written coming of age romance that left me glad that I read it and wanting more. I really enjoyed how character forward the book was, and that our female main character is so strong and knows what she wants in a relationship. While she does teeter back and forth between the two male main characters, there is no cheating and it is handled quite well. I will be recommending this to anyone who likes women fiction, romance or coming of age stories.

In All The Men I've Loved Again, Christine Pride crafts a poignant and relatable tale about love, growth, and the complexities of revisiting past relationships. The story follows Cora Belle, who embarks on her college journey in 1999 with dreams of breaking free from her sheltered upbringing. Eager to discover herself in a richer, more diverse environment, Cora is unprepared for the powerful emotions that come with first love—the whirlwind romance that blossoms with Lincoln, a charming young man who captivates her heart.

As Cora navigates the tumultuous waters of young adulthood, surprises and secrets come to light, challenging her understanding of loyalty and affection. Tragedy strikes, introducing Aaron into her life, who connects with her in ways she never anticipated. As she writes letters to him during their separations, Cora grapples with her feelings, torn between the two men who have profoundly impacted her life.

Now nearly forty, Cora finds herself returning to this pivotal crossroads after an unexpected reconnection with her past. Just when she thought she had cloaked herself in safety and loneliness, she is challenged to confront the same agonizing decision—who does her heart truly belong to?
All The Men I've Loved Again is a heartfelt exploration of the choices we make in love and the enduring connections that shape us. Pride’s engaging storytelling resonates with anyone who has experienced the bittersweet nature of nostalgia and considers the "what ifs" of past romances. This big-hearted coming-of-age story is a captivating reminder that sometimes, the path to understanding ourselves is paved with the relationships we've cherished.

I have been a fan of Christine Pride's writing for a few years now, reading her contributions of Cup of Jo on race and identity. When she posted this week that she has a new book coming out, I immediately requested it. And I am so glad I did because this is one of the best books I have read in awhile.

The book opens in the spring of 2021, with a 39 year-old Cora revealing to her best friend that she is once again deciding between two former lovers. We then jump back in time to a 19 year old Cora, as she navigates college life, dating and making new friends. The first part of the novel takes place with young Cora in college, while the second half the novel takes place in present day. I fell in love with Cora and her world, and I felt like I was along for the ride as she figured everything out in real time.

Though this is 100% a romance novel, it felt more to me like a coming of age novel (for both 19 and 39 year old Cora). Yes, her love life is a big aspect of this but so is the strong relationship Cora has with her dad (he raised her as a single parent), and the two girls she meets in college that quickly become her ride or die sisters (Neisha and Kim). It was so important to me to see strong friendships and relationships depicted in here because romantic relationships are not the be all end all, and more literature should show those important bonds.

This is a love story but not a love triangle - i.e. there is no cheating on anyone which I personally appreciated. I really enjoyed how we got to see the relationships Cora has with both Lincoln and Aaron and how it evolves over the years. I do wish we got to spend more time with Aaron but the letters he sent her were my favorite part of the book and really made me root for him. The ending was great, Cora ended up with exactly who she needed to "end up" with, i.e. the guy I was leaning towards, and I love that she made the decision herself, instead of being swayed by others. If you like a well written, character driven novel I would highly recommend this one. Plus, we need more books about Black women just living their regular, every day lives.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED both of the Pride/Piazza novels that I read so I had HIGH expectations going into this novel. While I did enjoy this, I did feel that there were a few structural flaws within the narrative that kept me from falling as head over heals with this book as I have with the author's other joint ventures. Specifically-- Aaron came out of NOWHERE and there was SO little time devoted to him in this novel. I kept thinking to myself, did I miss a whole chunk of the book? I get that it was a bit of a whirlwind romance and we were supposed to see their relationship through their letters and we did, but I didn't even feel like there was a whole lot of Cora's inner thoughts/turmoil about him-- and we sure were up in her head quite a bit. This definitely rang true as that drama that you experience as you are coming of age, which I think (I hope) was the intent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this read, and it was very heartwarming and thought provoking. However, because I read this one on my Kindle, I had a lot of trouble reading parts of the book, especially the letters. If you are interested in this one, I highly recommend reading in actual print.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC. The main character Cora was fairly insufferable which is maybe what the author intended but she seemed lost even until the end. Aaron’s character seemed like more of an after thought so while u think this book is a love triangle it is not. The letters were impossible to read on my kindle and I had to alternate between my phone so I could blow them up and my kindle to read everything else.

i have a love/hate relationship with this book. . .

first off, it's written in a style i don't usually vibe well with (memoir/biography over contemporary romance) & i absolutely HATE (with a passion) one of the main characters. so whenever ~this~ person showed up i would be fuming & want to scream at the book (but like if that's what the author intended, mission accomplished!!)

that said, i still enjoyed this book. i was invested in the drama of it all & was extremely opinionated about it all, and i have to give christine cudos for that. i'm happy with how it ended & overall that it was a great book about first loves, college, finding yourself and leaping headfirst into what you really want.

thank you Atria Books & Netgalley for the arc! this is my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I love the ❤️ Second Chance romance trope so seek out stories with this concept. I also love the breaking down of the past and present ( The story starts in 1999 and ends in 2021 with a epilogue. )

I also enjoyed the love triangle of the fmc having to pick between two men that she is in love with twice

I adored all of the 90s/ early 2000s cultural references; from music, shows ect..

I related to Cora as a struggling college student, who adored her father and tried to hold on to the relationship with her first boyfriend, Lincoln. She has to make some tough decisions at a early age when the reality of adult consequences such as pregnancy and Lincoln admitting he cheated on her comes crashing down on her. She made some bad decisions such as lying to Lincoln about the outcome of the pregnancy.

Cora also meets Aaron who is studying in Paris so she has a penpal relationship with him. When she makes the decision to go to Paris, their relationship becomes a reality although short lived. The story takes a snippet of Cora's college years until 2002.

Both Aaron and Lincoln made decisions to move on without Cora and Cora moved on with her life. She didn't want children but she really wanted to get married and that never worked out for her

Almost twenty years later in 2021 Cora now has reconnected with both men and have fallen into the similar situations that tore them apart in College.

Lincoln is divorced with children, he wants to rush back into a relationship with Cora but wants more from her then she can give. Aaron is a man that never settles in one place too long and never settled down with a woman. He holds Cora out at arms length.

Cora is forced to make a choice of what pathway she wants to move forward with and who she wants to move on with in her life.

I did enjoy reading the story but I thought the MMCs weren't worthy of Cora but at the same time she seemed to play games with both of them. I'm not sure if it was just a character flaw but I related much more with 20 year old Cora then nearly 40 year old Cora ( even though I'm closer is age to 40 year old Cora).

I wanted to see more maturity in her decisions rather then her living in a fantasy land of possible outcomes. It's not clear even in the end if what she hoped would be the outcome became the outcome.

All the Men I've Loved Again is a wonderful, insightful coming-of-age story set in a young woman's college years, and then current day (twenty years later). The novel begins in present-day California, where Cora, the main character is visiting one of her best friends from college, and agonizing over reconnecting with the two great loves of her past.

Most of the novel is centered around Cora's college years. The reader watches Cora bloom into a woman from a shy, uncertain girl who arrives at Hamlin College unsure of her path and place in the world. She meets Lincoln the first day she arrives on campus, and they see each other again by chance a few months later at a party. Lincoln is handsome, confident and driven. They start dating and we see how Cora grows and changes during their relationship, along with her close relationships with her roommates. As college draws to a close, Cora learns of Lincoln's betrayal, and she experiences a personal tragedy, which completely change her plans and direction in life. After college, she meets Aaron by chance and later spends a romantic weekend with him in Paris. They write letters back and forth and have an instant, deep connection. Things end with Aaron, and Cora's heart is broken again.

The author takes us to present day, where Cora has reconnected with both men, and spends time with both. Lincoln wants to marry her, and she is speaking to Aaron daily, but what does she want for her future?

This book drew me in from the first chapter. The author describes Cora's thoughts and feelings authentically, so the reader really understands her and is completely drawn into her experiences. The author skillfully brings the reader to their own conclusions about the events and people in Cora's life, specifically the men she loves, from the characters' words and actions. The letters are particularly effective in showing the reader Aaron's inner thoughts and feelings about Cora.

I love a good coming-of-age story, and Cora's journey from sheltered girl to independent adult is beautifully written. The reader feels so much for Cora, the scared girl, loving daughter, supportive girlfriend, and devoted friend. The author shows us Cora's inner world, and as a reader, we empathize with her struggles. I could not put this book down - I read it in two days and loved it I highly recommend All the Men I've Loved Again.

Thanks to Atria Books, NetGalley and Christine Pride for this advance reader's copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I thought it took a while to get into the book, but then then the ending was rushed. It was a cute coming of age story- the girl has to choose between two guys, but is there right choice?

Cora was frustrating at times, but I like how her story turned out. I wish there was more of Cora and Aaron’s time together written about versus Cora and Lincoln. I did get a little invested in Cora making the right decision. The novel was a fun, easy read.

Enjoyed the story but found the ending unsatisfying.
The main character was a lot to take and fairly unlikeable, but her father was a gem and their relationship was so endearing.

With thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-ARC.

All the Men I've Loved Again by Christine Pride was many things I don't like in a novel. A main character who is all about what she thinks, but can't make a decision, chapters that jump time but don't let you know they're doing it and you have to go back and check, a girl gang who is supportive when they want to be but checks out when they don't, the only thing I loved about this novel was Cora's relationship with her father which was stellar. But I'm thinking that's because his life centered on Cora and he had nothing of his own except his job, which was also centered around her. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read this book!

All the Men I’ve Loved Before is a heart-warming story about love - first loves, life-long friendships love, love that could be and most importantly, love for oneself. We go on a journey with Cora Belle as she experiences all of these emotions, understands and embraces the importance of her friendships and familial support, and get to see her grow into herself as she finds her true love.

Although I did enjoy this book overall, there was something that just didn't work for me. Maybe it was the sort of cheating. Maybe it was just that it felt too long. Or maybe it was that I really didn't enjoy Cora Belle as a character. She was a bit push and pull in terms of her independence as well as her dependence and that didn't resonate. I found myself wanting to skip sections and jump ahead to just get to the end where she chooses someone and be done with it.

The moving between times was also jarring, especially at the beginning when things just kind of felt out of order and disjointed. I don't mind moving between times to show past and present, and it doesn't have to be linear, but throwing in the letters confused my poor aging brain a little too much.

All in all, it's not a bad romance about finding your true love and finding yourself in that mix. It just wan't the right romance for me.

This was beautifully written in a way I haven’t seen in most modern lit fic. I enjoyed the stream of consciousness style contrasted with poetic elements that fit the character.

I think this is also the first book I’ve read from the perspective of a trans woman, and coming from a trans author I genuinely felt like I grasped a deeper understanding of that experience.

I also appreciate the story focusing on other aspects of Max’s life and her relationships with others rather than with her body. While there is an exploration of motherhood as a trans woman, it’s never the sole focus or the main point. It feels more like a conversation about society at large.

DNF for me.

Didn’t like that it read like a 3rd person diary entry. It just lacked depth and emotion in a big way,

After giving it some thought a walking away from my review for a while, I still felt the need to come back and be honest. I truly put the book down because the author (or characters) seems to really dislike white people which was just a huge turn off. It was so relative that eventually, I had to give up.

I was turned off when the first thing I read is “ in an all white school, all white neighborhood” etc…I knew race was going to play a dominant role and I was not in the mood for it. I expected a light read but just could deal with the unlikeable characters.

This one wasn't for me. I found Cora completely unlikable and the story too predictable.

**Thanks Atria Books via NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange of my honest opinion.