though i love reading the occasional romance i tend to give most of them middle of the road ratings. so when i tell you that this was a 5 star read, please know that's coming from someone with incredibly lofty standards because it was just that good.

yes, this was a romance, but it felt like less of a romance and more of a book about people and the fragility of life, the limited time we have available to us, and seizing all of our opportunities before it was too late. in a way, it reminded me of one of my favorite films, Elizabethtown, because while the romance exists and is prevalent, the characters were so rich with desire and heartbreak and pain that the romance really came secondary to each character's growth.

so, what's it about? logan and rosemary used to be friends when they were young. after a confusing, misunderstood kiss, they cut ties with each other until years later they find themselves teaching at the same school. logan is unserious and afraid to commit to anything. rosemary is neurotic and prim, hiding behind lists and schedules and meticulously crafted plans. so when their beloved former teacher joe requests that they take him on a death trip (a roadtrip cross country to the little beach cottage where he plans to die), they both have misgivings and don't see a way either of them can get through it without killing each other.

this was such a deeply explored story about grief and regret. logan and rosemary each had their own stuff to work out - parents gone either via absence or death - and this book explored each of their pasts and how those things impacted them personally, how those things instilled fear in them and impacted who they are in the future.

joe, though. joe has terminal cancer, an imminent death, and a will to see some of the country before his last day. joe is such a special character. funny in the face of demise, human in his regret, but still so full of love. i loved seeing his story play out. (no really, i'm crying about it as i type this.)

my only quibble was there was a TON of weird references in place of swearing, ie. "phoebe fucking bridgers" and so many of them were randomly about shay mitchell that she probably should file a restraining order. so, a 4.5, but a 5 if that bit hadn't been thoroughly overdone three times over.

Wow, I absolutely loved this! I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but this story ended up being so different than what I imagined in the best way. I adored Logan and Rosemary and Joe and Remy and Odie and all the folks they met along the way, so much.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Best friends to Enemies to Lovers, throw in a cross-country roadtrip with a dying role-model. All the emotions on this one.

before i give a review, i'd like to thank the publisher atria books for sending me an early copy in exchange for a review.
never have i ever thought i would ever read a queer story that's on a road trip about death but i enjoyed everything else that wasn't including what happened to joe (that and the tension between logan and rosemary got repetitive for a while for me personally). joe really seemed like a really nice person and i'm glad he was there for someone like rosemary, i’ve been there. i loved his relationship with her and logan. i also gave this 4 stars because i also grew wary of the queer musician or queer adjacent musician icons references, starting with elton john then branching to tegan and sara, ect. but i will still recommend this. i'm otherwise glad i made this the first book i read from allison cochrun

I loved elements of this romcom, though the premise with the dying mentor was a little dark for me to truly love this as a 'comedy' and not just a romance. For me, some of the mannerisms of one of the MCs read as a bit overly twee and grating, particularly as the book went on, but I loved watching the central relationship evolve (resume?), and the summer road trip vibes were such a fun idea for an adult romance!

Oh, I loved this. It's my favorite Cochrun book to-date, which is saying a lot given how much I enjoyed "The Charm Offensive."

What's funny is that in many ways this book was not what I expected. I mean, it was to a degree, and it delivered on what was described in the blurb, but when I hear "rom com" and see a cartoon cover I anticipate nearly exclusive focus on the central relationship, and probably a lot of sex. Even though the book centered around two people falling in love and had comedic moments, it didn't fit the genre. This book was tender and heartfelt and filled with grief. It did have a lovely sexy scene, but it wasn't explicit, and there was only one. Instead, it focused on navigating the world as a queer person and navigating yourself and navigating relationships with those around you. It was a wonderful book, and a joy to read.

I’ve loved Alison’s previous books, and this one was no different. This story follows Logan and Rosemary— childhood best friends that dreamed of leaving their conservative town— turned enemies, who go ten years without speaking. They are brought back together when their beloved lifelong mentor/teacher is faced with a grim diagnosis, and asks them to grant his final wish— to venture cross-country to Bar Harbor, Maine.

Despite death being a main theme throughout this book, Alison truly has a gift for making heavier topics still feel funny, fresh and lighthearted. She has messy, relatable characters, and hilariously witty banter.

I loved how much this book focused on Joe, his life and his end of life. It’s so much more than a sapphic romance— Joe is able to share his life lessons Tuesday’s with Morrie style, bring Logan and Rosemary together, help them discover themselves, what they want out of life, and how to chase their dreams. I also love the topics in this book around the found families of queer people, and the mentors who have saved lives— for simply allowing queer people to show up as who they are.

Did I sob at the end of this book? Absolutely. Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

This book was easily a 5-star read for me. The balance of emotions was perfect as I found myself going back and forth between laughing and crying right up to the end. The experience of watching someone you love on hospice was so perfectly portrayed.

alison cochrun is an auto-buy author for me, so needless to say, i was VERY excited when i saw "here we go again" on my netgalley shelf. i went into the book knowing that it was a sapphic summer road trip book, not realizing the context of said road trip. but since i trust alison cochrun with my life, i started the book and proceeded to devour it in less than a day. without giving too much away, "death road trip" is an apt way of describing this book and why it absolutely destroyed me emotionally. logan and rosemary were both such compelling main characters and i saw so much of myself in both of them—logan's adhd, rosemary's anxiety, logan's pop culture references, rosemary's organization skills. i loved following along their journey of ex-friends to quasi rivals to road trip companions to friends to lovers. not to mention the fact that the rest of the characters in this book were also fantastic, particularly joe, and i loved reading about his life. the dynamic that logan, rosemary and joe have had me in stitches one moment and crying the next. i mean, is it not the universal queer kid experience to be emotionally attached to at least one english teacher throughout your life? if you couldn't already tell, i absolutely loved this book and will be forcing everyone i know to read it as soon as it comes out.

Here We Go Again is an absolutely delightful roadtrip romance that combines so many things I love - cleverly written characters with adorable quirks like a specific queer celebrity exclamation habit, friends-to-rivals-to-lovers, and humor paired with emotional depth. I teach high school English, and I have to say, this is the most accurately I have seen a lot of the funny and painful bits of the job, as well as the joyous parts, described on page. From raging carpal tunnel induced by paper grading to safe spaces for queer students in the classroom to chain restaurant parking lot staff celebration shenanigans, Cochrun captures clearly what it is like to be a teacher. The book is set on a road trip that two teachers who are seemingly complete opposites but must travel together to help their mentor, who is dying of cancer, die in the place he was happiest in life. Logan and Rosemary are both compelling and delightful characters, and there is just so much to love in this story.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read a NetGalley copy!

A truly perfect book. Funny, sweet, romantic, and sob your eyes out heartbreaking.
Cannot possibly recommend this more highly. Truly perfect

Here We Go Again is a heartfelt, emotional romance. This reminded me of some work by Abby Jimenez and Helen Hoang in that it’s a romance with some pretty heavy emotional stuff built into the story. While the book ran a bit long for my taste, I still really enjoyed it.

✨H E R E W E G O A G A I N✨
🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝑅𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒/ 𝐿𝒢𝐵𝒬𝒯+
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝔸𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕝 𝟚, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Logan and Rosemary grew up being best friends until an incident at a pool party turned them into enemies. Two things they still have in common are that they are both English teachers at their alma mater, and their love for their former English teacher, Joe. Joe has been a mentor and father figure to both of them throughout their childhood and now adulthood. His dying wish is for them both to take him on a cross country road trip. Rosemary and Logan are forced to come together to fulfill his last wish.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I did it again. I went in blind and was left an emotional mess. Needless to say, once I got past the tears, I was in awe of Alison Cochruns ability to write characters so well that you feel like you know them in real life. This story is a romcom at heart, with emotional and reflective themes intertwined between all the laughs. There were so many amazing characters in this book and I connected so much with the discussion of being a teacher. A reminder that life goes by so fast, and sometimes you have to let go of everything you know in order to find what you truly deserve in life.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💫Enemies to lovers💕
💫Opposites attract🧲
💫One bed🛏️
💫LGQBT+ themes🏳️‍🌈
💫Mental health and ADHD rep💚
💫Childhood friends👯‍♀️
💫Roadtrips🚘
💫Emotional and reflective😢
💫Mama Mia references🎶
💫Romcom about death💔
💫Cute dog🐶

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: off-page death of parent due to overdose, on-page death of parental figure.

🚘𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🚘
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓅𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝑒𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Alison Cochrun for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕
📚🚘🏳️‍🌈💕💔📚🚘🏳️‍🌈💕💔 📚🚘🏳️‍🌈💕💔

I loved this story so much. There was a lot going on, but it all flowed perfectly together. I laughed out loud at certain parts and sobbed at others. This was so well written. If you love an enemies to lovers story, this is it. 5 stars! We need a movie, please!

Ok so my first draft of this review was just emotional gushing. Going to try to do a bit better.

This is the story of two young women (early thirties IS YOUNG THANk YOU) shepherding one of the most important people in their life to his death via a “death road trip.” As they repeatedly say in the book, it’s painful and beautiful. Oh - and it’s a romcom. Childhood best friends to enemies to lovers.

Rosemary and Logan start out with extreme opposite personalities - almost caricatures - and you may need to suspend your disbelief for a minute. But it’s so worth it. This book is about all the worst ways one person can change another’s life, and all the best ways; it’s understanding and forgiveness and moving on without either, when needed. The story shows both Rosemary and Logan putting down the masks of the caricatures they played and finding their truest selves.

This is a story about queer joy in the face of difficulty and alongside difficulty. It’s life and it’s death and it’s chosen family and it’s love. I loved this book - if that isn’t clear yet - and highly recommend it.

Content warnings: previous death of parent mentioned, death of father figure on page from cancer, parental abandonment, substance abuse.

Elton *(bleeping)* John! This is the third book from the amazing Alison Cochrun, and truly she can do no wrong. This queer romance has a premise which stole my heart- former BFFs Rosemary and Logan undertake a road trip to bring their dying mentor- English teacher Joe- to his final resting place with lots of pit stops and self-discovery along the way.

Rosemary and Logan's journey was breathtaking- going from childhood BFFs who haven't spoken in almost 20 years to re-discovering each other and really seeing other. Helping each other not overcome their flaws, but accepting them and loving them. The characters were so lovable and relatable, you couldn't help but root for them to succeed. Honestly, a Rosemary-Logan relationship (friendship or more) is what we should all strive for.

In true fashion, all the supporting characters were fantastic- Joe, Remy, the Gayest with a capital G van, and Odysseus the failed service dog also stole the show. With an ABBA inspired title and a very music-centric thread throughout the novel (I was literally compiling a playlist), you have your very own soundtrack to the book.

Simply put, this book is magical. The banter is A++. The mental health rep is so positive. It's witty and romantic, but it's also emotional and has moments of sadness that give it depth. The last few chapters of the book had me in tears, I didn't want the story to end, Cochrun brings her magic yet again. You're going to want to read this one.

Alison Cochrun!!! Instant read author for me - her romances hold such a special place in my heart. This book was so sweet and gut wrenching. The two leads’ relationship with their ailing ex teacher was the standout.

Very cute romance and a true friends to enemies to lovers. Only qualm was some of the dialogue, namely using celebrities’ names in place of “Oh God!” will never not make me cringe.

Loved the story and loved the love emanating off each page.

Ellen "f*cking" Degeneres, I loved this book!

It's no secret that I love a sapphic romance, but Here We Go Again wasn't really about that... I mean it was, but it also wasn't in the most wonderful ways.

This story is about the dichotomy of living: beauty and pain, comedy and tragedy, life and death. This was one of the funniest, saddest, most loving, honest sapphic fiction stories I've read. I'm honestly at a loss, just read it. It's funny and heartbreaking in all the ways that life is, but it maintains such a buoyant sense of hope and progress throughout.

I mean, yes, on the surface it's an opposites attract, besties to enemies to idk what, sapphic, neurodivergent love story, but it's also a love letter to found family, community, and prickly pears.

Ughhh... just read it.
It's so damn good.

A.fun romance between two female friends who grow up together and end up working together. Suddenly, they find themselves traveling and slowly falling in love. You find yourself rooting for the characters and find yourself heavily invested in the storyline. You don't want to miss this one.

Guys, I UGLY CRIED with this one. Read the content warnings.

I adore Alison Cochrun and everything she writes, and Here We Go Again was no different. It was the sapphic, rip-your-heart-out romance I needed to get my 2024 started off right.

Here We Go Again is a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, which is not usually my thing. I don't usually like it when we have an off-page history between the two MCs, but it worked here. The two MCs were best friends, inseparable when they were younger, but then youthful drama and hurt feelings drove them apart. However, their romance feels like almost a secondary character at times to the relationship these two women had to their older friend and mentor, who is dying of cancer. This book is all about their last hurrah, their last adventure together, and that's where the rest of the love story lies.

I'll admit, I had trouble reading this book at times. I was mournfully listening to Van Morrison in the background while reading (just get Into the Mystic ready), and just, like, pondering the meaning of life. You know, super chill and relaxing vibes, over here. Here We Go Again will just do that to you.

While I had a mini-existential crisis, I really appreciated the deep, thoughtful writing from Alison Cochrun and how she also managed to interject some very spicy scenes and some humor as well. The romance grew and grew over time, and I really appreciated these two together. I do think that their relationship wasn't quite as meaningful to me as their relationship with Joe, but that would be hard to top.

In truth, Alison Cochrun did something special with this story. It was a hard journey for me, personally, but I'm really glad I took it.