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A review by standingtreereads
You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Whew. Man, I’m so glad I got to read this early. Although, I will say the actual release date for You, Again is pretty much perfect. It feels like a crisp, autumn comfort read. Not that all the content is cozy because it’s definitely not. But it’s one of those that even the more dreary scenes would be less so with a fuzzy blanket, a bonfire, and/or nice cup of apple cider (or a Pumpkin Spice latte, if you prefer). Add in a cuddly cat on your lap, if you’re into that.
| Characters « 9/10 »
The book starts us off right off the flip with Ari’s very first abysmal encounter with Josh. I want to point out how refreshing this was for me. I’ve been reading plenty of romance lately and been getting kind of tired of having to slosh through chapters of backstory before the main characters even meet each other. I’m so appreciative for that. Also the fact that this is turned the “grumpy/sunshine” trope on its head. Josh is the “grumpy” one but isn’t the jilted lover who doesn’t believe in love anymore. It hooked me in immediately and kept me hooked because…
Throughout the entire thing, we learn Ari’s and Josh’s backstories and personalities as they meet and are interacting with each other. There isn’t any info-dumping about where they grew up, how they grew up, their past relationships. You learn them as they talk to each other about them. There is some additional tidbits that are learned through their (infrequent) solo adventures but the important stuff is all about them, through them.
Besides the main characters, even the side characters were charming and fit perfectly into the story. We’ve all had a Rad or a Gabe in our lives at some point, I think.
| Atmosphere « 10/10 »
A thing I think that helped with the immersion, despite the perspective it’s written in, is the fact that Goldbeck actually lived in NYC. Each brief description of their walks, of actual locations, are twinged with familiarity (which the characters would have since they live there also) but there’s also enough that people who’ve never been to New York City aren’t struggling to try and picture it in their heads.
| Writing « 8.5/10 »
I appreciated the fact that it’s in third-person and not first. It didn’t detract from the emotions I felt at all. Honestly, if anything, it helped. I didn’t feel like I had to try and fit myself in Ari’s gaudy peacoat (typically, romance is written from the woman’s POV in my, admittedly, limited experience with them). Which is perfectly fine! I still could relate to her on certain aspects or events of her life or her personality without feeling disappointed or put off since I don’t understand completely. I’ve never done drugs, I’ve never been married, and I don’t want to feel like I have. I am 100% okay about witnessing someone else’s experiences about them.
I also loved the formatting for the message exchanges that broke up the chapters from just walls of text.
| Plot « 9/10 »
I found, through a personal experience of mine, that Goldbeck really nailed the bumpy track that is a “best friends-to-lovers” rollercoaster.
Oooh, let’s talk about the spice now. It was a little more than what I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to in the romances I’ve read but it didn’t detract from anything. It added to their story. Everything had a purpose.
| Intrigue « 10/10 »
Couldn’t put it down. I just had to know what Ari and Josh were up to next.
| Logic « 10 »
Besides the trouble I have with believing in “fated encounters,”—especially in NYC—the ones in this felt like scenarios that could actually happen. Which is uncommon in most of the contemporary romances I’ve read.
| Enjoyment « 10/10 »
The “best friends-to-lovers in NYC” had me in nostalgia. However—unlike You, Again—mine didn’t have the same ending. I’m so happy for Ari and Josh. I wanted to see more of them finally being happy at the end.
| Characters « 9/10 »
The book starts us off right off the flip with Ari’s very first abysmal encounter with Josh. I want to point out how refreshing this was for me. I’ve been reading plenty of romance lately and been getting kind of tired of having to slosh through chapters of backstory before the main characters even meet each other. I’m so appreciative for that. Also the fact that this is turned the “grumpy/sunshine” trope on its head. Josh is the “grumpy” one but isn’t the jilted lover who doesn’t believe in love anymore. It hooked me in immediately and kept me hooked because…
Throughout the entire thing, we learn Ari’s and Josh’s backstories and personalities as they meet and are interacting with each other. There isn’t any info-dumping about where they grew up, how they grew up, their past relationships. You learn them as they talk to each other about them. There is some additional tidbits that are learned through their (infrequent) solo adventures but the important stuff is all about them, through them.
Besides the main characters, even the side characters were charming and fit perfectly into the story. We’ve all had a Rad or a Gabe in our lives at some point, I think.
| Atmosphere « 10/10 »
A thing I think that helped with the immersion, despite the perspective it’s written in, is the fact that Goldbeck actually lived in NYC. Each brief description of their walks, of actual locations, are twinged with familiarity (which the characters would have since they live there also) but there’s also enough that people who’ve never been to New York City aren’t struggling to try and picture it in their heads.
| Writing « 8.5/10 »
I appreciated the fact that it’s in third-person and not first. It didn’t detract from the emotions I felt at all. Honestly, if anything, it helped. I didn’t feel like I had to try and fit myself in Ari’s gaudy peacoat (typically, romance is written from the woman’s POV in my, admittedly, limited experience with them). Which is perfectly fine! I still could relate to her on certain aspects or events of her life or her personality without feeling disappointed or put off since I don’t understand completely. I’ve never done drugs, I’ve never been married, and I don’t want to feel like I have. I am 100% okay about witnessing someone else’s experiences about them.
I also loved the formatting for the message exchanges that broke up the chapters from just walls of text.
| Plot « 9/10 »
I found, through a personal experience of mine, that Goldbeck really nailed the bumpy track that is a “best friends-to-lovers” rollercoaster.
Oooh, let’s talk about the spice now. It was a little more than what I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to in the romances I’ve read but it didn’t detract from anything. It added to their story. Everything had a purpose.
| Intrigue « 10/10 »
Couldn’t put it down. I just had to know what Ari and Josh were up to next.
| Logic « 10 »
Besides the trouble I have with believing in “fated encounters,”—especially in NYC—the ones in this felt like scenarios that could actually happen. Which is uncommon in most of the contemporary romances I’ve read.
| Enjoyment « 10/10 »
The “best friends-to-lovers in NYC” had me in nostalgia. However—unlike You, Again—mine didn’t have the same ending. I’m so happy for Ari and Josh. I wanted to see more of them finally being happy at the end.