All the Men I've Loved Again is the coming-of-age story of Cora Belle, a deeply insecure, indecisive, and yet also self absorbed woman in either her 20s or 40s, depending on the chapter. Either way, she finds herself improbably choosing between the same two men. It's an interesting idea for a novel, and being as I'm close to Cora's age, I enjoyed the nostalgia of being in college in the early 2000s. The letters from Aaron were difficult to read on a Kindle, which took away from the reading experience for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for early access!

This was a fun, uber nostalgic, second-chance romance that had my heart!

I absolutely loved this author’s previous co-written books, (which are a little bit heavier in subject matter) so when I saw she was writing a debut 90s flashback romance I knew I had to jump at the chance to read it! It was everything I could have wanted and more.

Special thanks to @atriabooks #atriapartner for the ability to read this book ahead of publication and review! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for more solo projects from this author!

4.25⭐️

My first thought about this book was that it was very dense. The words, the story - everything seemed like it was a lot to get through and that was why it took me so long to read. I can’t really explain it better than that. The story and characters themselves were good, but I think the pacing was off - far too much focus on Cora’s relationship with Lincoln during college and far too little on how she met and started a relationship with Aaron. It made the ending feel strange to me. Lincoln was often a walking red flag and that was frustrating. I also didn’t completely follow Cora’s relationship with her girlfriends - there seemed to be big pieces missing. The title didn't make sense because there were really only two men involved? Overall, I think this author has promise and I would give her books another chance.

The premise of this book is great. Imagine getting a second chance at love. A second chance at what you missed the first time. Cora is finding that chance and taking full advantage.

I liked learning about the 20-year-old Cora and seeing how she became a 40-year-old Cora. The attractions and love that she felt in college are similar to what she is feeling again. The choices she must make are not easy. Who will she choose? Lincoln or Aaron?

Cora is a difficult character for me. I had a tough time connecting to her. I wanted to like her, I wanted to be invested in her choices but I never got there. I felt like she was shallow and not able to think on her own. She went to her friends for every decision she had to make, unable to make the decisions herself.

All the Men I’ve Loved Again is Christine Pride’s solo debut book. I will give her another chance with her next book.

This isn’t your typical romance. It’s deeper, slower, more all encompassing. At its heart it isn’t even a romance. It’s a story about the love between friends, between father and daughter and the love of one’s self. It’s a journey of growth and self reflection. It’s mistakes and heartbreak. It’s finally seeking what is meant for you. It’s the power of women and their intuition. It’s a slow burn but it’s so worth it.

This book took my breath away at times. It was different than what I expected and it did take me a bit to really get into it but by the end I was hanging onto every word. It’s a real human story and I felt the emotions all the way through. It had plenty of heartbreak and despair but it also showed beautiful moments of finding your way through and out of those moments. I could feel the conflict and the pain of each difficult choice. The ending is stunning and I absolutely loved the way things wrapped up. A true journey but I’m glad I went on it.

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I had a hard time with the main character and it really took me out of the experience of reading the book. I am sure I am in the minority, but this one wasn't for me.

Thanks for the advanced reader copy Netgalley & Atria Books.

All the Men I've Loved Again is one woman's journey of self-acceptance, unexpected joy and the true meaning of love. Christine Pride takes us through past and present in order to fully examine Cora Belle's choices from the time she is first in college to now, more than 20 years later. With choices that seem to give her more than a few moments of deja vu as she struggles with which man she should ultimately be with when both seem perfect for her at distinct parts of her life.

Cora's growth with more than a few steps backward throughout her life felt very real. Offering up plenty of what ifs and whys as to decisions made by her, and for her by those she cherished most. Her girls, Neisha and Kim, burst into her life in her freshman year and quickly become her sounding boards when first love seems to overtake her life. Cora has always been very organized and determined to live by the rules of always doing the right thing. But when Lincoln enters her orbit, she finds a new girl looking at her in the mirror and finds it hard to reconcile the two Coras that seem to battle for control.

Pride offers up at the same time that we are getting a glimpse into Cora's past, letters written by another young man, who somehow saw yet one more version of Cora when they spend a weekend together in Paris at the tail end of her time with Lincoln. This Cora was free and easygoing which is something she had never embraced before. But that brief dalliance also faded from view and as the current Cora is almost 40, she is then somehow back to deciding between Lincoln and Aaron as both men are suddenly back in her world once more. Like I said: deja vu like you can't believe!

Throughout it all, however, is also the special bond Cora has with her wonderful father Wes. He always has a wise word for his worrywart daughter and tries his hardest to help her navigate life whether as a nervous college student or as a weary adult. I really liked him and with everything he goes through both as a young father and then as an accomplished professor, he really is the backbone of this book. He is always there for Cora but allows her to make mistakes and never clips her wings. He's is the epitome of a really good man.

There were times when Cora's constant stress about doing the right thing became a bit much for me. But the book does encompass life, and all that comes with making choices and having to live with them forever. But, then I was happy to see Cora finally take charge and do the right thing for everyone concerned, particularly for Lincoln. Having Neisha by her side was a sweet part of this book as Cora's bestie never held back with advice, even when it hurt. Not to mention offering up wicked humor when needed most.

Cora is a lucky woman and like many of us who stumble and fall throughout the years, she had the gumption to keep going and to grab onto what she needed even when she may not have agreed with those around her who simply wanted to help. It may have taken her 20+ years to finally get the life she wanted but I'd like to think she was a work in progress just like the rest of us. She may not have ever wanted to take a leap into something that could break her, but I'm proud that she took the chance and is now happier than she could have ever imagined. It just took a bit of faith and yeah, some therapy, too, along the way. But I think Cora just needed these years to become the very best version of herself. Quite the beginning indeed.

4 stars for a fab debut!

📖 Title: All the Men I've Loved Again-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Christine Pride-debut author

📅Publication date: 7/8/25 | Read 7/7/25

📃 Format: eBook 320 pgs.


Genre:
*Women's Fic
*AA Interests
*Romance

Tropes:
*2nd chance romance
*coming of age
*pen pal romance
*love triangle
*female friendship

👆🏾POV: 1st person single, with (3) letters from Aaron

⚠️TW: classism, racism, death of a parent-h, miscarriage-just mentioned, abortion, father's illness, depression, suicide, losing virginity-h, cheating-on h, therapy, kidney disorder


🌎 Setting: 1999-2021

Summary: Cora has a choice to make between Lincoln and Aaron. They were her boyfriends in college, and they have just reconnected after twenty years. Who will she choose-her 1st love Aaron now a wealthy lawyer, or Aaron a successful yet photographer?


👩🏾 Heroine: Cora Belle

👨🏾 Hero: Lincoln Ames

👨🏾Hero: Aaron Wright

🎭 Other Characters:

*Neisha-Cora's roommate and BFF
*Kimberly-Cora's roommate and BFF
*Wes Belle-Cora's father
*Adriana Belle-Cora's mother (deceased)
*Deb -Lincoln's mother


🤔 My Thoughts: This was an emotional journey that Cora took for over 20 years. She battled her mother's absence, met her forever BFFs Neisha and Kim, and meet-cutes with Lincoln and Aaron. Her relationship with her father Wes was the one steady relationship in her life. He supported her financially and emotionally while she lived her life. I didn't want her to end up with anyone because neither man deserved her. Aaron was indifferent at times, mysterious, and far away. Lincoln was self-righteous and a little cocky when he got money. So much time was spent with Lincoln, I didn't connect with Aaron and couldn't root for him and Cora. Overall, I loved Cora's expedition and would definitely read more from C. Pride.

Rating: 4.5/5 ✨
Spice level 4/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Christine Pride for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Cora Belle arrives at college from her sheltered upbringing. Along with meeting her two best friends, she also meets the love of her life, Lincoln. Twenty years later, Cora is still figuring out her life and Lincoln returns. But so does Aaron, the man she has a deep connection with.

This was a nice heartwarming story of love and love lost and love returned. But I at times thought Cora would have been better served by meeting some new people (as in men) and expanding her horizons. It's like she got to college and met people and said "ok now I have friends, I shall never have any more friends ever". But this isn't real life so Cora is allowed to keep her circle small and still be happy. This was a nice break from some deeper and darker books I've read lately.

Also, the handwritten letters were SO hard to read on a Kindle.

3-1/2 stars rounded to 4 because it was entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available July 8, 2025.

Uffda. This book kind wrecked me - it started out slow and I wasn't really feeling invested - but then suddenly I found myself desperate to find out what happens in this book - I had a wide range of emotions reading this one.
The book mostly centers on Cora - it's a journey that starts when we meet this shy quiet girl on the first day of college. We follow her as she makes friends, falls in (and out) of love, and nears her forties. There is (sort-of) a love triangle and this is where I stumbled a bit because it's not played out like a traditional love triangle. We essentially meet one of the love interests (at first) via letters they exchanged. I don't feel you get enough of the story/depth of this love story to really yearn/root for them. The other love story you get SO MUCH - you feel the first butterflies and want to cry along with them as they make choices that change their paths. The story definitely felt like it could be a real story, it's messy (no hallmark love story here) and full of complex real-life choices and scenarios (note: trigger warnings include abortion).
By the end of the book, I was glad that there were answers to my burning questions and that we kinda drove off into the sunset without too much trauma.
If I were rating the book based on likeabilty of the actual characters and story it'd be more of a 3 star. I found myself annoyed at the characters choices many times and thinking how I'd do something totally different in their shoes. That said, I'm rounding up because it legit held my interest and had me needing to know how it ends - it invoked emotion and felt messy and real. Lastly, I really appreciated that this book was 100% from a different perspective from my own. Essentially all of the characters are BIPOC and I enjoyed reading from a different set of eyes.
I may not have grabbed this book off the shelf on my own and am glad I read it.
4⭐

More of a 3.5, but I rounded up because I liked the ending.

More of a coming-of-age/woman-finds-herself story than the woman-in-the-same-love-triangle-twice story it's billed as, All the Men I've Loved Again is the story of Cora. Split between the early 2000s, when Cora is in college, and 2021, we see Cora emerge from her shell and start to learn about love and life. Her first love is Lincoln, who she's with for most of college...but we see letters from Aaron a few years later.

It's not really a love triangle either time so much as it's about Cora trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Cora struggles, having been raised by a single father, one of few Black students at her private school in Northern Virginia. She lacks confidence in herself as someone who can be in any kind of relationship--friendship or a romantic one. She finds friendship in college, and love as well.

I found the writing style to be a bit lacking at times, and I'm not sure how I feel about the introduction of Aaron to the story; we know from the beginning of the book that Cora is torn between Lincoln and Aaron (again), but we get the first letter from him, hinting at romance, when Cora is happily together with Lincoln. I'm sure it was done that way to increase the drama, but I don't know how well it worked for me. Cora and Aaron's first encounter is so much briefer than her relationship with Lincoln; the emotions of it worked for me, but I think more time could've been spent there.

I will say that, without spoiling anything, Pride does a great job of showing how Cora interacts with both men and how that's a reflection of herself and how relationships can make people feel differently about themselves. I also loved the relationship of Cora and her father--Wes is a fully drawn-out figure who has his own relationships and this is done SO well. Cora's friends Kim and Neisha are also great, and I love how realistic their friendship felt, both in college and through later years.

Worth a read, and not just because at one point Cora lives in Silver Spring.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review!

All the Men I've Loved Again was a miss for me, and unfortunately a DNF. The premise was intriguing - 1999 Cora in love with two guys and now Cora, finding herself back in love with two guys. Fate, love, self-discovery and a coming-of-age story...I had my popcorn ready!
I found myself not able to really find any appeal of Cora and that made the rest of the book fall flat for me. I just found myself not really to get into the story and the plot felt slow. Overall the concept was interesting and the cover is beautiful, the content and story just didn't do it for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book releases on July 8, 2025!

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. The premise sounded intriguing, and I was looking forward to the late '90s/early '00s setting, but I struggled to finish this book. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and found many of them unlikeable. Lincoln was one of the most infuriating and insufferable MMCs, and that made it especially difficult to get through his chapters. I wished there had been more chapters featuring Aaron, because I didn't feel like we really got to know him. The pretty pink cover had me thinking this was going to be a rom-com, but it was much more serious than I had expected, and there were a lot of heavy topics discussed. This one wasn't for me, but I'd definitely be willing to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cora, about to turn 40, reconnects with two boyfriends from college. The beginning - set during college - and the end were decent, but most of the book was boring. Cora was a fairly bland character, so I ultimately didn't care about her choices.

The nostalgia vibes in this were great, but for me it felt like the plot was very slow moving and I ended up getting bored and not caring at all about the characters or what happened.

As a middle-age woman it was refreshing to read a story with an older FMC. I loved the plot. the characters, the pace. Everything was great.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

This book is the ultimate second college change romance-coming of age. 
We see Cora fall in love with two men and see how different encounters bring them both back. 
She must decide if she will be putting her heart on the line again or who would she let her heart trust again.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Atria Books and Christine Pride for the NetGalley ARC!

All The Men I’ve Loved Again started off strong for me, but that feeling did not last long. In part one of the book we see the main character Cora during her early college days. There’s nods to early 2000’s pop culture, Cora trying to figure out how to be an adult and of course falling in love for the first time. As the story went on it began to feel repetitive and I was becoming annoyed with Cora. There’s many scenes in part one (and in part two) where Cora lets her friends, family and boyfriends walk all over her. I was also expecting a love triangle with conflicts between all 3 people - but it was mostly that Cora has feelings for two separate men that never interact with each other. This book just felt “meh” to me.

Cora Belle is starting her college career in the fall of 1999 when her world is flipped upside down when she meets Lincoln. First loves are always difficult, and this was no different. Some personal issues, including her dad suffering a stroke sets her back in her college career and her relationship and she has to take a step back.

While she is figuring things out, she meets her pen pal, Aaron in Paris and starts a 72 hour affair. Now she must choose between 2 men.

20 years later, and Cora reconnects with both men and once again, must make a choice. Is she going to follow her head or her heart?

I did feel like she made the right choice in the end.
As someone in my early 40s, who has wondered what if I was given the chance to see that college boyfriend again, I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cora is going into college in 1999 with no relationship experience and no friends. She dorms with two girls who become her best friends, and has a crush on a boy in a bookstore and spends months trying to find him. Lincoln ends up becoming her boyfriend and they go through a lot together. Cora then has a summer fling with another guy named Aaron she meets in a coffee shop after her and Lincoln break up. Twenty years later, she is in a love triangle trying to figure out if her first love is who she's really meant to be with or the one who got away.

This was a coming of age story that brought me back to college and parties and friends and figuring out what you want in life. It was a solid read and reminded me a lot of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid with the love triangle. The ending was even pretty similar!