Reviews tagging 'Grief'

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

35 reviews

kschupner's review

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emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

this was such a fun slowburn enemies to lovers read!! if it doesn’t make me angry with how close they are to getting together but aren’t, i don’t want it. ari has her commitment issues for sure but the resolution was so good it makes up for it!!! this was such a fun book with such good banter and modern humor/writing that didn’t feel too cringey or too modern if that makes sense. the side characters are silly and i loved them just as much as the main characters. i actually hadn’t heard of this book until i saw it on a display at barnes and noble that said “FALL-ing in love”; i wanted something cute and seasonal in between my throne of glass read while i had my internship going on and this was perfect for it!!!! i’d definitely recommend it if you’re into slowburn with good banter/chemistry
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bookcheshirecat's review

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

3.0

“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 seemed like the perfect Romance to read in Autumn! It's a story inspired by the movie When Harry Met Sally, but you don't have to watch it. I've never seen it myself and I could still appreciate the book. You, Again follows Ari and Josh, two New Yorkers who have gotten off on the wrong foot and meet again over the course of 8 years. In the present day, they've both been disappointed when it comes to their love lives and decide to form an unlikely friendship. I liked the premise of the book and how it discussed different types of relationships and intimacy. There were some elements I wasn't the biggest fan of, so I had some mixed feelings in the end. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the messy characters and their odd friendship!

➽ The female main character, Ari, is an aspiring comedian and commitment phobe. She's a bit of a disaster and just trying to make it through life by taking on different gigs. I liked reading about her journey to make it in comedy, especially as the story showed the less glamorous side. Ari doesn't have any money or privileges to fall back on, so she's always taking on odd jobs and desperately hoping to get her breakthrough. She's also struggling with committing to relationships and prefers casual sex. Ari's fear of being abandoned and opening up to others is what drives her. She has been badly burned by her ex-wife, who left her for someone else and is taking away everything from their shared life. My only issue with Ari's character was that she acted so immature. Her constant talk about sex, threesomes and sex toys got on my nerves at some point. I feel like the author was trying too hard to make her quirky and the attempts to include feminism were so awkward they made me cringe.

➽ The male protagonist Josh, is a chef who believes in soulmates, but can never find someone who's good enough. He was a fascinating character to me because, by all means, I should have despised him. He starts out as a smug know-it-all character who refuses to acknowledge his own privilege due to his father's famous bodega. Josh is one of these people who prides himself on never apologizing and in the beginning, he makes a lot of questionable decisions.
Such as firing Ari's best friend and blaming her for a mistake, even though it's implied he only got the position instead of her due to nepotism.
I wish he'd had a better character arc, as later developments in the story didn't feel earned. Josh's obsession with finding The One was interesting though and he's got a bad habit of setting up impossible standards. He also used to clash with his father about his dreams of becoming a chef and moving away from the family bodega. Even after his passing, he isn't on the same page as his family about their legacy.

➽ I actually liked the unlikely friendship between Ari and Josh. Obviously, I knew going into this book that it's a Romance so both characters were bound to end up in a romantic relationship. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel like Ari and Josh worked much better as friends and should have stayed platonic! In that case, I would have even given a higher rating, as I liked both of them becoming friends when they desperately needed someone. Ari and Josh never got along, but quickly get invested in each other's lives despite their differences. Both of them have been burned by romance, so becoming friends who support each other is their priority at first.

➽ I don't think they worked together as a romantic couple because they had such different attitudes toward romance. The second half of the book was filled with romantic drama and I wasn't surprised that Josh's intense commitment to a soulmates-like romance was too much for Ari. As someone struggling with commitment and fear of abandonment, Ari's obviously not dealing well with someone who immediately goes from 0 to 100. Josh should have known her better, especially in the end.
I think he just wanted her to be his ideal partner without considering her baggage. Asking her to move in together after she spent the night and was already struggling with it, was such a horrible idea. How could he have thought, this wouldn't scare her off? It was also offputting how he talked to EVERYONE in their friend group about the conflict, it further pressured Ari to face something she wasn't ready for. I don't blame her for taking off and didn't like that she had to come back with a grand gesture for Josh. It didn't really change her underlying issues.
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takarakei's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Idk I liked this, but I got a little disinterested in the third act. Loved the queer rep! but also Ari was so messy askldnasdlk. I've seen When Harry Met Sally but it's not like a fav movie so I appreciated it as the backbone to the story. Wish there would've been dual narration!
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haley49's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a messier gender bent when harry met sally and I really enjoyed it. Not on par with the inspiration but a great long term slow burn friends to lovers with strong character based conflict and exploration. 
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alexisgarcia's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

this book did some things right and some things fell very VERY flat. some parts were funny and others were very cringey and hard to read. i liked and hated the characters. not sure if i would ever recommend this. (also a message to romance authors, please stop using the exact same name for all male leads. thank you)
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beccaand's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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meghanm404's review

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challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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beebowbabe's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I put off reading this for so long because I was convinced there was no way it ended in a way that didn't include me sobbing. Turns out, not only did I sob at the end, but several times throughout 💛 and I'd do it again 
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blissofalife's review against another edition

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funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Listen. I am indeed a fanfiction reader and a Reylo shipper. I didn't know that's what this was originally going into it, but it quickly became obvious. That being said, I think if I had read this on Ao3 as a Reylo fanfic I would've really enjoyed it. You just have certain expectations about how characters are going to act and more suspension of disbelief when it comes to fanfiction. The characters in a fanfiction can be atrocious but you still love them because you loved them in their original stories, that's why you're reading the fanfiction to begin with. 

But starting a book with no background expectations or knowledge of characters is a very different experience. This as a published book? I'm conflicted. The characters were all pretty dislikable. Ari and Josh are depressed for nearly the entire book, and though they set clear boundaries and expectations of what their relationship is going to be (which I am personally a fan of, I love some good communication), when Josh's perspective is full of thoughts of Ari as more than a friend and his sexual desire for her it felt like he made no effort whatsoever to respect Ari's CLEARLY COMMUNICATED needs and wants. But later we're supposed to sympathize with him when she rejects him? And cheer for them to get together? No. I don't think so.

Everybody in this book needs therapy. It made for good storytelling for the first half of the book, but after that it became repetitive and hard to root for the characters. Toxic relationships abound. Everybody's mad all the time, nobody's happy ever, and that sucks. The ending felt forced and very rom-com-esque. I give 'em a year.
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manaledi's review

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book started with cringe is my brand where all the meet cute moments were intentionally incredibly awkward but it grew from there and I ended up very emotionally invested by the end. There was solid character and relationship growth. 
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