REVIEW: You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck: For Ari and Josh it was positively hate at first sight, they could not be more different from each other! With Ari being a free spirit, live each day as it comes comedian and Josh loving his structure and five year plan of culinary domination, their taste in women however was pretty much the same, seeing as they have both been seeing the same woman. Talk about awkward, thankfully fate has kept them apart for all these years, that is until a chance encounter brings these two foes back together. Turns out ego brushing break ups can humble just about everyone, including Ari and Josh. The two form a new strictly no benefits friendship of late night Netflix binge sessions and laughing over their dating prospects but what happens when the line beings to blur and your no benefits friendship begins to have some very steamy benefits?

You, Again was a sassy banter filled, emotional, angsty journey of two very different people learning that sometimes the things that we want can be found in very different places. There was a very When Harry met Sally vibe to this book but with a more real life feeling vibe to it. There were things that I really liked about this book but there were also a few misses for me. I will say that I did really liked getting to see the enemies to lovers, grump meets sunshine tropes play out with Ari and Josh.

Ari was a very refreshing leading lady, she might not be everyone’s taste but she was pretty funny. I liked that she was so sex positive and she was not afraid of what she preferred even if it did not fit everyones mould. At other moments I could not help but feel that she was so closed off in terms of allowing others in, that it made it hard to really like her. Nevertheless Ari did not fail to make me laugh more than a few times and I did enjoy her character growth. Now for our hero Josh, well to be honest I would have preferred a stronger more dominant hero, Josh just seemed to be to much of a push over for my taste. Granted he did come across as a very stiff, stuck in his ways guy but I did like the fact that he was willing to work to gain Ari’s affection. As a couple Ari and Josh were hot, they had great chemistry and the zing was there and it was sizzling! Ari was way more open and expressive of what did it for her where as Josh kind of just followed along for the ride.

You, Again was a nice romcom read with a huge When Harry met Sally vibe laced into the novel. There is enough emotion, sass and sizzle to keep the book interesting.

Book Info:

Publication: September 12, 2023 | Random House Publishing Group |

Can they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love?

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.

When Ari and Josh first meet, the wrong kind of sparks fly. They hate each other. Instantly.

A free-spirited, struggling comedian who likes to keep things casual, Ari sublets, takes gigs, and she never sleeps over after hooking up. Born-and-bred Manhattanite Josh has ambitious plans: Take the culinary world by storm, find The One, and make her breakfast in his spotless kitchen. They have absolutely nothing in common . . . except that they happen to be sleeping with the same woman.

Ari and Josh never expect their paths to cross again. But years later, as they’re both reeling from ego-bruising breakups, a chance encounter leads to a surprising connection: friendship. Turns out, spending time with your former nemesis is fun when you’re too sad to hate each other–and too sad for hate sex.

As friends-without-benefits, they find comfort in late-night Netflix binges, swiping through each other’s online dating profiles, and bickering across boroughs. It’s better than romance. Until one night, the unspoken boundaries of their platonic relationship begin to blur. . . .