I think that When Harry Met Sally is a great comparison! Loved Kate's voice and look forward to her next book. It was fresh and funny but also built to such a great degree of tension and angst. Love, LOVEd this one.

I hated this. I didn't like the characters, both were very annoying. I didn't like the time jumping between scenes.

I I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

3.5/5 stars. This book was just okay for me. I found myself getting bored frequently. I didn’t like how they kept magically seeing each other and then finally ended up together. It seemed like a stretch and unbelievable. There were parts of the story I did enjoy like the last 50 pages and their coming back together.

I really liked this! It was a fresh offering in a genre often bogged down by cheesy and/or silly stories that are far from memorable. The characters felt real and I enjoyed the pacing and how the story moved along the various time periods.

Always fun when there's tension between the main pairing! Enemies to lovers is such a staple, and this is a great addition to the trope!

Romance readers who especially enjoy some #fanficinspo will enjoy!

I really really loved this book. It was modern and had a broad cast of diverse and realistic characters that seemed like genuinely real people that you could encounter in a large city. I liked how both the female and male characters were flawed, because so often the male love interest is just perfect, and I liked that this wasn't the case. Both characters actually benefitted from being with one another and had a good partnership. It also was so so painful at times and I hate the decisions that they'd make, but honestly like that's life isn't it. Really great complex characters and fun writing.

Thank you so much Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I picked up You, Again for its cover and the rave reviews online, but unfortunately, the only aspect I enjoyed about this book was the redeemingly adorable ending. I haven't seen When Harry Met Sally so maybe that would've changed my opinion, but I found some of the jokes to be problematic, the love-bombing frustrating, and the character arcs to be quite stagnant. I think this was trying too hard to be a lot of things and instead fumbled through them in a way that left me disappointed and uncomfortable.

That all said, I think I'm in the minority for feeling this way about this book, so I would still recommend it to my customers who are looking for a fall romance. 2.5 stars, rounded up.

Everyone knows this book, even if you’ve never read it, the cover is THAT beautiful and memorable. Then you find out it’s a When Harry Met Sally retelling, and if the foliage wasn’t enough to draw you in, the second tidbit was enough for me. While nothing can live up to the movie, this came pretty damn close! I already can’t wait to reread it, I was immediately immersed in Ari and Josh, and felt like I was watching a television show, or was captivating and held me the whole time. Can’t wait to reread the finished copy eventually!

You, Again was the perfect fall read. I fell in love with both main characters and was so happy to see their love story unfold. They were both so relatable and messy. I can't wait to read more from Kate Goldbeck.

Okay if I had known this was When Harry Met Sally meets The Bear vibes, I would’ve read this sooner. Not to mention all the Taylor Swift references…”This is your reputation phase” was my favorite line. I loved this so much - the sarcasm, NYC Setting, dual POV, great side characters, slow burn, emotional punches. And just look at that cover with the perfect fall vibes - while I listened to and loved the audiobook, I just had to pick up a physical copy from BOTM!

Love this perfect Fall book cover!

When Harry Met Sally is a classic and one of my all time favorite rom coms!

I love that this debut novel started as a WHMS fan fiction project for the author. It is essentially a modern retelling of WHMS with gender roles reversed (female MC is the one who has commitment issues), Jewish and queer rep (female MC is bisexual and gets involved in polyamorous relationships).

I highly recommend this romance novel if you are a fan of WHMS, enjoy the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope and books set in NYC!

I stayed up till 1am on a Sun night to finish it because it was unputdownable!

A commitment-phobe and a hopeless romantic clash over and over again--until heartbreak and unexpected chemistry bring them together in this clever enemies-to-friends-to-lovers debut romance.

The plot was interesting, but it didn't give enough "When Harry Met Sally" vibes (as was promised).

Also, for a romance novel - a lot of turmoil and heavy material. It would be okay if it was more well-woven into the plot. It felt stagnant at times and I wondered why Ari didn't get the character growth she deserved.

This may very well be my best romance of the year! I LOVED these two hostile jerks, and I loved that the only conflict between them was themselves. Brilliant.

It was okay, but definitely not a memorable book. I didn’t connect to many characters and I felt like it was awkward at times especially with how sex forward it is. This book just wasn’t for me, I’ll admit it.

Love this book! The characters were unlikeable and complicated but that's what made it great! I didn't know where the story was going and I loved it! One of my favorite books of the year so far.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I ended up doing. I basically inhale read this book. I tried to put it down several times and just simply couldn't. It was such an addicting read. There's just something about seeing these two people cross paths again, and again. Having some deep moments, even though they don't like each other. Until one day where their deep conversation actually turns into a friendship.
If you like a more angsty read this is for you. It's not full angst, but our two main characters are at rock bottom when they meet this time. So they have to go through a lot of shit to be abl to become better versions of themselves. I really liked that. Seeing them both struggle to stay above water while also falling for each other. I feel like that kept everything very real. Often times I don't like third act conflicts because they feel forced in because its a staple of the genre, however in this book it just felt natural and a thing these characters had a to face before being able to get togehter in a healthy way. Every aspect of this romance was so incredibly well done.
When it comes to the characters I really liked them. I mean, Josh was a bit of an ass in the beginning, but I do think this book does a great job at developing him and kind of understanding where that assholiness comes from without okaying that behaviour. Ari was a hot mess but it felt very realistic. I also really like the character developement throughout this book. The cast of side characters also added an extrra dimension through this book, and I really liked them as well. So yeah, I really ended up loving this book. Definitely recommend it!

Another book that had a good placement, but did poorly. I enjoy second chances and also disagreements, but there was so much narration and events that I got tired and with the feeling that there were too many things happening at the same time. Apart from the separation thing in the final stretch, the reconciliation was also tiring. I think that's the word that describes this book: tiring.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint!!

Ari is a struggling comedian who only does one night stands. Josh is a chef, looking for “the one”. They both happen to be sleeping with the same woman.

I loved the chemistry these two had. Enemies to friends to lovers. This was such a realistic book and I enjoyed every second of it! It was really funny at times but also emotional. What an amazing debut novel from Kate Goldbeck! I can’t wait to read more from her!

📘: You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
🗓️: September 12, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Goldbeck, and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

I enjoyed this. It had a unique voice that I appreciated, with two characters who were messy but also turned out likable. I enjoyed that the guy was more reserved in this one and the one who took life more seriously, and that the FMC was the one who who needed to get her life together. I always like messy girl characters. The third person first point of view was a bit distracting at times, but I imagine that’s to convey more of the fanfiction feel from where the story stems. Some of the comedy aspects were a little slow, in the end.

I finished You, Again by Kate Goldbeck last week. I read it under 48 hours, and I’m so sad it’s over. Swoony moments + fall in NYC= the perfect autumn romance book. I highly, highly recommend this book. Major When Harry Met Sally vibes! Ahh! I love!