I am an emotional wreck after this book.

2 girls and their old teacher go on a death road trip. Poor Joe has terminal cancer and refuses to die in a hospital. He has this plan to go to Maine in his cabin and spend his final days. But to get there he entrusts his 2 favourite students who he has grown super close to over the years to drive him there together.
The only issue? They hate each other and bicker like an old married couple… how are they supposed to drive for days on end in a car together, with close proximity…and not kill each other.

This is such a beautiful story of growth, finding yourself, true love, found family, family trauma, the list goes on.

I was laughing, I was sad, I sobbed like a little baby.. this gave me all of the feels.

It did take me a bit to get into, but that’s more of a me problem. Once I got 40% in, I couldn’t put it down and I binged the rest of the book.

This book has LGBTQ, Found Family, Enemies to Lovers, One Bed, Close Proximity, terminal Illness, Neurodivergent Main Character, Drag Queen/Kings, the list goes on..
It covers so many important issues, and is just an incredible story. I would really recommend you read this book!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion!

I’m SOBBING. This is for anyone who’s mentors and English teachers were their lifelines in high school. For anyone with ADHD and anyone who doesn’t know how to confront death. This is a love letter to road trips and literature and finding each other again. This may be the best book I read all year.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author forthe arc

Alison Cochrun has always been a beacon of fresh narratives and emotional depth in storytelling, which is why "Here We Go Again" comes as a bit of a surprise. Cochrun's exploration of grief in this novel is commendable, offering a nuanced take on loss and the complexities of dealing with it. This thematic exploration is a testament to Cochrun's ability to delve deep into the human condition, presenting a narrative that, at its core, is well-crafted and thoughtful.

However, the reliance on certain narrative tropes leaves a bit to be desired. The trope of miscommunication—or, more accurately, the lack thereof—serves as a significant plot device that feels a tad overused. The notion that two grown adults, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale, could not find it within themselves to have a meaningful conversation for the advancement of the plot strikes me as a missed opportunity for more profound character development. It's a device that often feels like a shortcut through more complex, engaging storytelling.

Logan's character, in particular, presented challenges. Her personality occasionally borders on caricature rather than a fleshed-out character navigating life's trials. Her backstory, meant to evoke sympathy, sometimes feels like a checklist of traits rather than a genuine exploration of her character. The dynamic between Logan, Rosemary, and their mentor, Joe, though central to the story, sometimes lacked the believability I craved. The long-standing love and complicated mentor-student relationship could have been fertile ground for deep emotional exploration but occasionally felt superficial.

Despite these criticisms, "Here We Go Again" still showcases Cochrun's talent for storytelling and her ability to weave complex themes into her narratives. The road trip that Logan and Rosemary embark on with their mentor is filled with moments of genuine connection and growth, offering glimpses of what this book could have been with a bit more depth in character exploration and a reduction in reliance on tropes.

"Here We Go Again" is a journey with highs and lows, much like the road trip it depicts. It's a novel that might not have fully lived up to expectations but still provides a decent read for those who enjoy Cochrun's work. It's a reminder that even in stories we find lacking, there are always moments of beauty and insight.

Alison Cochrun can do no wrong. There is a heavy focus on grief and found family that encompasses everything, making it not something I would call a "light read". Loved this friends to enemies to lovers second-chance romance.

I really love all of Alison's books!
These characters--Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale --were amazing.
I loved the road trip, the fighting, I was sad for their loss and thrilled for their reunion and their love.
and the stories and the food and the singing.
Loved it!
THANK YOU

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A lovely story! Logan and Rosemary used to be friends when they were younger and then dram ensued and the friendship ended. Now they don’t get along. But when their old mentor and teacher Joe wants to travel to his vacation home while he’s still got the chance. When he asks them to go with him they have no choice but to go. Along the way can they regain their friendship? Will something more develop? This book will have you laughing at one moment and then bawling the next! Mix in some spiciness and it’s a perfect grief filled rom-com! If you enjoy slow burn rekindled relationships with lots of love, grief, and humor I highly recommend checking this one out!

I will come back and edit this review again when I have finished the book, but I wanted to get a quick review into the publisher about the misleading service dog information in chapter 7. There is no such thing as a license for service dogs. Some of this verbiage about service dogs perpetuates misinformation that is very harmful to disabled people with service dogs.

Aside from that, I am very much enjoying this book.

Here We Go Again 🛣️

This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, because I have LOVED Alison Cochrun‘s past 2 novels. I didn’t even read the premise, just went for it. While the romance focuses on two former best friends turned enemies to lovers, the story also navigates the dying and death of their favorite teacher/mentor. Joe asks them to drive him from WA to Maine, so he can peacefully pass in his favorite place. However, Logan and Rosemary do not talk anymore, let alone cross-country road trip! But Joe means so so much to them both that they begrudgingly agree. Not only were the girls’ individual relationships with Joe such a nice part of the storyline, their compromise with each other to help grant his dying wish had me 🥲 While stuck in the Queer Cuddler van (just read it lol) they realize they’ve made a lot of assumptions about each other over the years and begin to truly understand the women they are today.

Both girls detail their ADHD but in different ways, which I thought was great. I especially liked the anxiety representation with Rosemary, and really related to how her brain and anxiety works and manifests itself. Overall this was another incredible queer romance from Cochran. You’ve gotta love an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, road trip romance!!

*one note is I will say that the content warning at the beginning of the book mentions death by cancer and death by overdose. The death/dying of cancer is a major plot line of the story, while the overdose is just a brief mention.

This was a cute, cozy, queer opposites-attract romance. It didn't quite suit my tastes but I'm sure others would really enjoy it. I often found myself losing focus following the storyline and I didn't really like the heavy usage of pop culture references.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
5 stars!
Releasing 4/2/24
This ARC was provided by Netgalley and Atria Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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All. The. Feels.
This book is a sapphic childhood friends to enemies to slow burn lovers. It was spicy and sweet and heartbreaking all at once.
This book follows the story of Rosemary and Logan, two high school teachers who end up making a truce to take their former teacher, Joe, on a cross country road trip to Maine.
This book has several trigger warnings such as the realities of loving someone with terminal cancer and coming to terms with death. Nevertheless, this book was poignant, funny and brought me a much renewed appreciation for the little things in life. It was a great reminder that living is not about the destination.
As always Alison Cochrun writes amazing books, and this one is no exception! I'm excited for everyone to get a chance to read this!
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*Received as a free ARC*
I'll start with the single negative: I could feel the third act (pseudo) breakup coming a mile away and it stressed me out greatly. But I loved Rosemary and Logan and Joe. Their story was delightful and funny, even as it covered some extremely difficult issues (death, parental abandonment, alcohol abuse). I liked that they were both ADHD in different ways. Alison Cochrun has done it again. Smash hit.

Alison Cochrun doesn’t disappoint! I’ve read and enjoyed all of her books and this one is no different. While this is a lesbian romance novel that takes place on a follow-your-heart road trip across the United States, it’s so much more than that. Our two protagonists, Logan and Rosemary, rekindle their feelings for each other while providing end-of-life care for a beloved elder.

Read for:
🙌🏻 emotional investment in secondary character storylines
☺️ demisexual representation
❣️ugly crying vibes

There’s a content warning at the start of the book, which is always appreciated — though adding a bit of specificity related to the on-page death would be welcome.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC!

Alison Cochrun is a master of combining heartwarming and gut-wrenching, and HERE WE GO AGAIN is her strongest example of this yet. The chemistry and dynamic between Logan and Rosemary is delicious, and their relationship with Joe reminded me of many of my own past mentors. Cochrun is one of my all time favorite romance writers, and this reminded me why.

DNF @ 41%

After absolutely loving The Charm Offensive and really liking Kiss Her Once for Me, Alison Cochrun’s newest book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Unfortunately, I just could not click into this one and ended up DNF’ing. The main reason I stopped was due to sheer boredom - I was zero percent interested in literally anything happening in the book. I felt like I should have cared and just didn’t. Joe was definitely the character I cared most about, but even that was minimal. I actively cannot stand Logan, which is hard when she’s one of the main narrators. And the celebrity name expletives were overused and extremely cringey…

I seem to be in the minority because there are so many amazing reviews on Goodreads, and I’m sad this just didn’t work for me, but 2024 is the year of DNF’ing books I don’t like and I’m proud of myself for following through (my third DNF of February, who is she?!).

I'm not a romance reader, but I really enjoyed this. Childhood friends + road trip + romance + a dying adopted family member.

The author did a good job depicting how misunderstandings shaped the characters' relationship, how impactful things that happen to us when we're young can be, and how we can work through all of it when something big is at stake.

I also loved the depiction of Joe, the loving educator, who helped both women reach adulthood. In a time when educators and librarians are vilified, Joe's story is an important one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

This was a charming story centering around two former friends accompanying their father figure English teacher on a cross country road trip to spend his final days. It had its cute moments, but also a few times that dragged on a bit. Otherwise, I think I'd categorize this one as my favorite Alison book to date over The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once For Me.

Main qualms aside from slow plot movement was the constant reminder that one of the main characters was self-proclaiming herself as a player/fuckboy even 85% of the way through the story. We really only see her on one failed date at the beginning of the story before we proceeded into the road trip, and even then those typical stereotypes were not present in our character.

The story builds up to eventual heartbreak and grief, but I think Alison does a good job of finding hope and peace for our characters to result in a conclusion that ends on a happier note.

Thanks to Atria for the ARC!

HERE WE GO AGAIN really hit on the heartstrings, but also had a lot of humor and relatability. It’s a road trip romance, but the shining star of the story for me was Joe, a teacher who really touched the lives of two students, and shows just how much of an impact a teacher can have. The representation in this one is great (queer - gay & ace, ADHD, alcoholism, and anxiety), and made the relationships in the book so beautiful.

I loved the premise but the execution was not for me. But alas, I don’t love most romance books. I signed on for the death roadtrip!

Without giving too much away, the romance started far too early so the unnecessary miscommunication trope also came on too early and too frequently. I was rapidly skimming by the end, which is too bad because I didn’t get to savor Joe’s ending as much as he deserved.

I really, REALLY hated the cutesy-quirky “Brandi Fucking Carlile” “Lady Fucking Gaga” “Insert Celebrity Fucking Here!” Exclamations in every chapter. It felt way too forced and cringy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy! I know many people will love this book so please read if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers romance books with lots of sparring and dialogue.

Also, shout out to Odie, a very good boy 🐶 character.

Oh my gosh this book was so so good! It had heart, healing and humor in perfect balance. A romcom about a cancer roadtrip could so easily have been heavy or had a strange tone but this book had everything I enjoy in a romance - inspirational character arcs, heartwarming scenes, individual growth for the characters, as well as swoony/sexy moments. I loved every character in this book. There's nothing more satisfying than a roadtrip book where characters travel a large physical distance as well as an emotional one, ending the book in a completely different place than where they started. Rosemary's perfectionism and Logan's fear of letting people down made me feel so seen. The main strength of this book is the poignant way that Joe's impending death is handled. Cochran gave Joe the space to be cranky and stubborn and cling to his independence even as he loses the ability to go to the bathroom by himself. By showing the impact that Joe had on Logan and Rosemary as their mentor and father figure she made his past feel so vivid so that it was unbearable to think of a future without him in their lives. This book made me feel so many things and I will definitely be rereading it in the future!

Tropes:

-Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
-ADHD rep
-MCs in their 30s
-Roadtrip romance
-Lesbian MCs
-Opposites attract
-Demi rep

I DNF-ed about halfway through--I tried to like this book, but I just couldn't make it. The characters are awfully cliched, and even though I relate strongly to compulsively jokey characters, Logan's insensitivity was unfathomable at times. I felt terrible for Joe, someone who was trying to die with dignity and on his own terms, having to deal with Rosemary's need for control and Logan's constant jokes about changing his diapers. The dialogue was unnatural, and I agree with other reviewers who cringed at the use of celebrities' names as expletives. Overall, the humor seemed forced. There are also a couple of pretty grim typos: "Janelle Monet" for Janelle Monáe, and "Taika Waitaki" for Taika Waititi. If you're going to invoke BIPOC icons for the sake of cultural cachet, at least spell their names right!