“You, Again”, Kate Goldbeck
Published September 12, 2023
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…
“Maybe there’s no such thing as soulmates. Maybe there are only people who trust each other enough to begin something without being assured of the end.”
You, Again is a bit like the main character, Ari: messy, opinionated, occasionally hard to love—but ultimately, completely worth the effort. When I first started reading, I’ll be honest, Ari drove me up the wall. She’s chaotic, a bit much, and deathly allergic to emotional vulnerability in a way that had me yelling “Girl, please see a therapist!”
And Josh? Not exactly a ray of sunshine either. He started off smug and rigid, which made me question whether these two would ever find common ground. But somewhere along the way, despite the clashing and side-eyeing, I found myself becoming deeply invested in their friendship. I started to get them. Their flaws made sense. Their growth felt earned.
Despite what others said about this book being based on When Harry Met Sally, I would like to disagree, respectfully. This isn’t a typical rom-com—it’s a slow burn built on snarky banter, deep wounds, and two people learning to show up for themselves before they can show up for one another.
The setting is pure “New York in the fall” magic. Kate captures the city in that specific, golden-hour kind of way—cozy, creative, streets alive with possibility. The love story doesn’t rush and it lets the characters be messy (sooo messy).
If I can stick with Ari through the eye-roll phase, I’m sure you can, too.
Content Warnings
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of content and trigger warnings.
sexual content • injury • gaslighting
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Owned: paperback