In Here We Go Again, Alison Cochrun has outlined a heartbreaking story of grief for queer readers. Through Joe, we are spectators to a life full of regrets, but also a life that touched everyone around him (especially those who were "different") with love and care. While admittedly I wasn't always the biggest fan of either of the main female characters, their growth and chemistry throughout the novel was palpable and addictive, consistently leaving me wanting to know more of their story. This book ultimately left me heartbroken, inspired, and smiling ear to ear, marking it as another fabulous addition to my collection of Alison Cochrun's romances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read and review Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun in exchange for my honest review. I am giving this book 3.5/5 stars.

This book is a sapphic romcom journey across the US as two former best friends, Logan and Rosemary, take their former English teacher, Joe, across the country for his last request. Joe has survived a bout of pancreatic cancer (frankly a miracle even in this age of medicine) but has now relapsed into end of life status. Logan and Rosemary are his two most favorite students who used to be best friends but now hate each other, Shocker because they were both secretly in love with each other as teens, but as young teens do they fell apart and now its 20 years later and they are enemies.

This book was honestly a chore to get through. I wanted to DNF this book several times. It was only because I loved the authors first book, The Charm Offensive, so much that I kept going, This book only became something I wanted to continue reading around 50%. that is way too long for a book to become tolerable. There were WAY too many pop culture references in this book, including name dropping Taika Waititi and misspelling his name while doing it. I absolutely agree with other posters stating how tiresome it was having Logan constantly using the celebrity first name F-ing celebrity last name. In fact it was Logans character that made the first half of this book so miserable.

Luckily the book did get better and the ending was predictable sad and emotional considering it is a story about a man dying. I will be posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and Youtube) closer to its release date as I am giving it 3.5 stars. Unfortunately, this is not a book that I would purchase for my home library and it isnt something that I can see myself ever reading again.

An excellent novel with the favorite trope. This book kept me interested and wanting more.

Thank you for the opportunity

I'm still in tears writing this. I loved this book i loved Logan and Rosemary and Joe and Remy and Odie and the pain of saying goodbye and the joy of living a life that hurts that badly to say goodbye to. I felt both Logan and Rosemary so deeply here I cannot put it into words. Everyone should read this book. This book destroyed me the way few stories have ever managed and I would kill a man to read it again for the first time.

There is so much heart in this book, as usual with Alison Cochrun book, but it was also very silly and fun. I totally bought in to Rosemary and Logan's relationship and loved the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers.

I enjoyed the exploration of many different types of relationships - romantic, friendship, mentor-mentee, parent-child - it was really thoughtful. I tend to like romances that deal with heavier topics because they feel more true to life. All along, you know Joe is dying and it is still hard to read certain parts, but I think it's important and meaningful to include.

Reading this book felt like riding an emotional roller coaster, and when you think the ride is over, they send you off again.

I’m normally not a fan of contemporary romance novels that feel too real if that makes any sense. I love reading about alternate worlds where everything is fictional and there’s no real social media platforms, or references to real life icons. I can stand this from very few authors, and Alison Cochrun is one of them.

This book was beautifully well written and I can honestly say that it is probably Cochrun’s best work so far. As a lesbian who was heavily affected and influenced by my educators as a teenager and am an educator myself now, this one was felt DEEPLY.

The characters were wonderfully written and each had their flaws, demons, and motivations in their lives. They are all full of any and every emotional you could ever feel. I can see people being off-put by one of the MCs Logan. A lot of people aren’t familiar with or understanding the deep rooted fear that comes with abandonment, mixed with neurodivergence. I think Logan was a beautifully written hurricane that not everyone will love or understand. Rosemary is a character I feel more people will be drawn to, just because she is extremely relatable. Their love is fiery and fierce, but so real and raw.

I cannot wait to come back to this book once it is released to the public (April 2, 2024), and a HUGE thank you to Atria Books for this ARC.

Okay—so this is my third book by Alison Cochrun and she is now officially an auto-buy author for me! I’ve absolutely LOVED her books so much and every time I read another, I’m stoked and happy and she doesn’t disappoint. Her queer books are amazing and in this one, the forced proximity and road trip aspects were so much fun! On the other side of the fun was real, raw emotional topics done so well and with care. I absolutely adored this book and will read anything put out by this author!

This book for me personally was just meh. There wasn’t anything that massively stood out to me, but nothing was extremely terrible.

This book had me crying, laughing and swooning. It had everything. Deep emotional relationships, witty banter between enemies and romance duh. But this book isnt solely a romance. Its a journey through their lives. Of discovery and healing and a death trip.

Rosemary is a type A, do everything by the book, no nonsense woman. Taylor on the other hand, is a golden retriever puppy and a ball of chaos. Logan truly sounds like my nightmare and dream girl all at once.

Their relationship is as complex as any best friend to enemies to lovers romance is. Add in that their favorite english teacher is dying they have to put aside their differences.

I knew before starting this I was going to cry. In fact I cried 9 times. If you ever lost someone to cancer you need to be prepared before this book. Because as much as I tried to separate my loss with a fictional one it still came barreling my chest and hit me hard. Even after 5 years I could feel it all over again. So that is my cancer trigger warning.

One thing I will say is about 60% into the book it felt like a completely different book. Almost a different writing style and less. Like the plot changed a bit but I don’t know how to describe it.

Here We Go Again is a lovely take on the “forced proximity” trope that explores self-identity, community, and finding purpose.
What sets this apart is its fragile handling of death throughout the book. As Joe is dying, we get an accurate, truthful portrayal of slowly dying, the care process, and the complicated feelings of caregivers. All of this packaged inside a heartwarming rom-com makes this book a must read for fans of LGBTQ romance novels.

Logan is having a rough day, culminating in a fender bender with her arch nemesis/ex- childhood best friend, Rosemary. The two are then brought together on the journey of a lifetime to help their teacher & stand in father figure, Joe, grant his final wish. What will they find in the journey? Or better yet, who?

A true forced proximity romance at its finest, I absolutely adored every character in this book, down to the lovely puppy who joins them for their travel. All the places they visit in this book are equally as full of character and life as the humans, which make the journey all the more fun to go on with them. I absolutely loved and devoured this book. Another great one from the author!

I laughed, I cried, I reflected. Highly suggest looking at content warnings before diving in. You won’t be sorry you do!

Alison Cochrun does it again with a stunning novel about love, grief, relinquishing control, and finding yourself along the way. Logan and Rosemary are childhood friends-turned to enemies-turned to strangers-turned to colleagues-turned to friends again and then, FINALLY, turned to lovers. Here We Go Again explores what it’s like to truly dig deep inside oneself and realize that you are worthy of being loved. Of taking up space because you can and should simply because you are human.

Former high school English teacher, Joseph Delgado, is dying. He wants one last hurrah before he kicks the can and that is to drive cross country from Washington state to Maine with Logan and Rosemary, two former high school students who turned out to be the daughters he never had. Through Cochrun’s wonderful writing, a story with grief at the very center seems to evolve into the phrase “grief is just love with nowhere else to go.”

Logan and Rosemary couldn’t be more opposites of one another. Joe is the puppeteer that fits these two women together like missing puzzle pieces. This trip is a chance for these three to spend quality time together but it’s also a ploy by Joe to get Rosemary and Logan to resolve their differences and finally admit their true feelings for each other.

My favorite part about this story is how relatable Cochrun’s characters are. How well fleshed out they are. How vulnerable they can be. How stubborn they are. How, no matter what, they show up for one another. This is what love is. What love looks like. It’s messy and real and infuriating. The love of a mentor-turned-father figure. The love of your childhood best friend-turned-partner. Through this road trip, Logan, Rosie, and Joe all discover parts of themselves that they’ve been too terrified to face. Whether that’s insecurities, mommy issues, control issues, or showing up at the art gallery of your ex-lover. This book is raw and not easy to read because it makes you reflect on your own life and your own relationships. But boy, is it worth the read. Read it, but please make sure to take care while doing so.

Here We Go Again hits shelves on 4.2.24! Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

From the moment I picked up this book, I knew it was going to hurt my feelings. I was absolutely right.

I felt seen by Logan who runs before she can be hurt by others leaving her. I felt seen by Rosemary who needs to be in control of everything to function and god forbid being in a situation like this where you have no control at all.

The love story between the two of them was pretty obvious how it would play out, but their individual relationships with Joe, how he stepped in to be the person he needed at a crucial time in their lives, and how they were able to be there for him in his was beautifully and painfully written.

Awww omg this was such a funny and heartwarming story. This book handled ADHD and anxiety very well. I love books with mental health rep. Logan and Rosemary had an amazing connection and I didn't expect this book to pull so many emotions out of me.

There is not much Logan and Rosemary will not do for their mentor and friend Joe Delgado, so when he insists the two of them must drive him from Washington state to his cottage in Maine as his dying wish, they reluctantly agree . . . but they aren’t completely sure they’ll finish the road trip without killing each other first. Rosemary Hale and Logan Maletis shared an intense and loving friendship in middle school, before they knew what it meant to be in love. An incident the summer before high school drove them apart. They spent their high school years as rivals before going their separate ways, and eventually rekindling their high school rivalry when they both returned to teach at their alma mater. Through all their ups and downs, Joe was there for the girls, so they are here for him as he battles cancer. But can they really set aside their differences to give Joe one final adventure? And can Joe say goodbye if they’re still harboring regrets?

This tender, humorous, heartwarming story of friendship, love, and loss is everything I hoped it would be. It makes me laugh, smile, and cry in the best ways. The main characters are incredibly endearing. Even when showing us the worst versions of themselves, it is obvious that they love and care for each other deeply. Supporting characters like blood relatives sometimes play very small parts in the book but help show the importance of this found family and how much Logan, Rosemary, and Joe mean to each other.

I appreciate Cochrun’s inclusion of mental health, as in her previous titles (The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me). This book specifically addresses ADHD and anxiety along with healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms including therapy, prescription drugs, and self medicating. I also appreciate the insights into teaching. Without focusing on it too much, Cochrun shows the passion and burnout of an incredibly difficult and rewarding profession. An out and proud, inspirational teacher, Joe helped two queer, neurodivergent students feel safe and seen, became a lifelong mentor and friend, and inspired them to continue in his path of helping others.

Music was a special piece of this book, from Joe’s love of Van Morrison to Logan’s Gay Shit playlist. Very fitting for a road trip story. Millennials will recognize a lot of songs from their childhood and may be inspired to make a Here We Go Again playlist. Or is that just me? One music reference bothered me though: a reference to Steal My Heart Away by Van Morison seems to imply Joe loved it sometime between the 1980s to mid 1990s, but the song was released in 2002. I hope I’m mistaken about the timeline. Normally an inconsistency wouldn’t bother me much, but the song is meaningful in an important scene and consequently is my new favorite song and is bringing So. Many. Tears.

Good thing this book can also make me laugh out loud. I appreciate the banter between Logan and Joe to cheer me up when things get heavy. I highly recommend this book. Just don’t go into it for the romance thinking you’ll be immune to the loss. Like Logan and me, there's a good chance you’ll care despite your best attempts not to.

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

This is my second book by this author and it's officially my favorite.

Read this if..
you are or love a teacher
you love a second chance romance (or two)
your favorite musical is Mamma Mia
you have a ton of road trip playlists at the ready

This was a fun, chaotic romance that was tender too. It was childhood friends to enemies to lovers. But you also see sweet relationships with the main characters and their English teacher.

It dealt with some heavy topics, but I thought it was well done. Check out the TW tho!

overall, 4/5

If I had read this book last year, it would’ve been my favorite book of the year. In fact, this may be one of my favorite books of all time.

Here We Go Again is a relatable and heart wrenching exposition of grief, second chances, love, relinquishing control, and personal growth. Rosemary, Logan, and Joe are all extremely real characters with extremely real and fundamentally *human* emotions.

I don’t have enough words to explain how beautiful this book was. I’d love to see it become a movie.

3.5 This is a beautiful story overall, a story of two girls on a road trip with someone who is important to them both, who is dying. I loved every aspect of that storyline and it had an absolutely beautiful ending.

The POVs sometimes threw me off- it switches back and forth POVs but is in third person, and I don’t think I’ve read many books like this. I also was not fully sold on these two characters love story- it’s a cute back story but sometimes I got so annoyed with how they were acting and this was the worst “breakup.” My qualm with a lot of romance books is that with the breakup before they get back together, it feels like there’s no reason why they’re fighting and this was the worst culprit of that.

I can honestly that I've vibed with every one of Alison Cochrun's romance novels and while Here We Go Again fits right in, it also stands out. In a good way. This read was so heartfelt and vulnerable, that literally had me in tears, I swear. And you know why? Because it was real and authentic and mirrored real life in all it imperfections. Emotional depth aside, as a romance, Here We Go Again was a fun forced proximity, opposites attract, second chance-ish romance. Plus, MCs of Logan and Rosemary had such banter. Like, it was so fun and cute in those parts.

CW: Alcoholism, Anxiety, Grief/Death of a Parent

An Alison Cochran book never disappoints.

This book was heart-wrenching, and sweet, and very special to read.

There were moments when it felt like parts were forced into the story, rather than an organic addition. And at times the characters became repetitive. But the love between the three main characters, and the development thought the story was so enjoyable to read.


An ARC was provided by NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.