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A review by wordinessa
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I cannot say enough good things about Alison Cochrun. Every one of her books does that thing where it reaches in and grabs me by the heart.
Cochrun has described "Here We Go Again" as her "sapphic road trip rom-com about death", and that's exactly what this is. Logan and Rosemary are polar opposites who were friends when they were kids, but had a falling out when they were about fourteen and now have nothing good to say to each other. But they still have something in common - Joe, their beloved high school English teacher. Joe's dying wish is to have the girls take him from their hometown in the Pacific Northwest to a small home he owns in Bar Harbor, Maine, so he can die staring out at the Atlantic. While both Logan and Rosemary worry they won't survive a trip like that in each other's presence, they can't refuse - it's for Joe. As with any good road trip, the journey is full of mishaps, detours, and self-discovery.
The characters absolutely leap off the page. Logan is a self-described "fuckboy" who can't let herself get too attached. Rosemary creates an extensive and efficient itinerary and panics when things start to go awry. And Joe, Joe is sassy and sweet and vulnerable and everything you want in a mentor - he wants what's best for Logan and Rosemary, and he wants an epic death trip, and yet he also comes to realize that there's more for him to learn. Each of them grows so much over the course of the story, and so many of their realizations had me on the brink of tears right with them.
"Here We Go Again" is a road trip of life and death and all of the love that you find in the span between the two - for yourself, for family, for mentors, for one another. It's beautiful and funny and heartbreaking and heart-mending. I feel so fortunate to have received this arc - thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Atria Books for this experience.
Cochrun has described "Here We Go Again" as her "sapphic road trip rom-com about death", and that's exactly what this is. Logan and Rosemary are polar opposites who were friends when they were kids, but had a falling out when they were about fourteen and now have nothing good to say to each other. But they still have something in common - Joe, their beloved high school English teacher. Joe's dying wish is to have the girls take him from their hometown in the Pacific Northwest to a small home he owns in Bar Harbor, Maine, so he can die staring out at the Atlantic. While both Logan and Rosemary worry they won't survive a trip like that in each other's presence, they can't refuse - it's for Joe. As with any good road trip, the journey is full of mishaps, detours, and self-discovery.
The characters absolutely leap off the page. Logan is a self-described "fuckboy" who can't let herself get too attached. Rosemary creates an extensive and efficient itinerary and panics when things start to go awry. And Joe, Joe is sassy and sweet and vulnerable and everything you want in a mentor - he wants what's best for Logan and Rosemary, and he wants an epic death trip, and yet he also comes to realize that there's more for him to learn. Each of them grows so much over the course of the story, and so many of their realizations had me on the brink of tears right with them.
"Here We Go Again" is a road trip of life and death and all of the love that you find in the span between the two - for yourself, for family, for mentors, for one another. It's beautiful and funny and heartbreaking and heart-mending. I feel so fortunate to have received this arc - thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Atria Books for this experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Transphobia