Lauren Sevier
Lauren Sevier recommended a book over 1 year ago
over 1 year ago
I want to thank #PenguinRandomHouse and #netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of #YouAgain in exchange for my honest review.  One of the best books of the decade! You, Again has immediately rocketed to one of the best novels I’ve read. Period. It’s the sort of book that is unputdownable and has you clutching your chest with tears in your eyes at 1am unable to go to sleep even hours after you’ve finished it.  We follow our two main protagonists; Ari a bi-sexual aspiring comedian who also happens to be the poster-girl for dating apps, serial non-monogamy, and hookup culture in general, and Josh a neurotic control-freak with a naive romantic streak that leaves him open to hurt as he tries to step out of the shadow of his father’s famous New York delicatessen and make a name for himself in the world of fine-dining. These two characters are developed so well that reading their internal narratives feels like sinking into a late-night conversation with long-time friends. This novel doesn’t shy away from hard conversations surrounding the disillusionment that most modern day singles feel with romance or how detrimental hook-up culture and technology have been for encouraging a healthy view of love and commitment in today’s era of instant gratification. Nor has it glorified the overly optimistic, disney-princess, naivete of the past as seen in Josh’s character. In fact, one of the things that [Goldbeck] has done so masterfully is to show these opposing points of view exactly as they are, warts and all, then gradually explore both dynamics. Through the characters misadventures in love, family, loss, grief, and pursuing their individual dreams we as readers see them inch gradually towards their own realizations about how they must change and grow in order to build the healthy relationship they both crave. The diversity inclusion in this book reads a little paint-by-numbers, which didn’t bother me as I appreciated having a non-heterosexual main character. Though at times her sexuality read as an after-thought instead of a part of who she is and side characters read a little stereotypical and at times almost ‘cartoonish’. I would’ve liked to see this fleshed out with nuance, but understand that the narrative accomplishes quite a lot in terms of personal growth for Ari’s character and this inclusion could have been too heavy to support the main plot.  Genre-flipping the stereotypical commitment-phobic man and hopeless romantic woman trope worked so well that it really endeared me to both characters, making them easy to root for both individually, and as a couple. This dynamic highlighted certain traits in each character that redeemed them through all their missteps and manic fights making them both easy to get second-hand embarrassment for, be frustrated with, and want to protect with your whole heart. While Josh comes off as a grade-A asshole, through this internal narrative we see the tenderness that he doesn’t often show to others. With Ari she comes across as an absolutely closed off, cold, unemotional mess but readers get to know the fear and anxiety that keeps Ari’s heart walled off from others.  This book starts off fast-paced, the first several chapters spanning many years and many terrible interactions between Ari and Josh. It’s hate-at-first-sight and the tension is *chef’s kiss* delicious. When the narrative finally slows down we find Ari and Josh meeting yet again, but this time they’re both firmly entrenched in their individual rock bottoms. One brilliant part of this novel is how easy it is for them to form an unlikely ‘friends in misery with absolutely no benefits’ relationship at this juncture because when you’ve only ever been on the wrong foot with someone it’s easy to let them see the broken, miserable, messy parts of you. Meanwhile, it’s incredibly hard to show those same things to the people you care about who are worried for your wellbeing while you struggle to make sense of your life. It’s in this part of the novel that [Goldbeck]’s writing really shines. The nuance and subtlety of the slow burn friends-to-lovers  romance is nothing short of masterful.  There are enough tropes and squealing-into-your-pillow moments in this novel to satisfy almost any reader, but personally I adored how this captured the spirit of an 80’s or 90’s Rom-Com while setting it so effortlessly in the modern era. Inspired by the classic When Harry Met Sally, this shouldn’t be such a surprise yet is still pleasantly surprising nonetheless. This novel is a new modern classic love story that is primed for a faithful film adaptation, and I’ll be the first one to buy a ticket for opening night if that happens. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you’re a fan of enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn romance, happily ever afters that give you butterflies, romantic comedies, or just want to read something that will make you feel seen . . . then this is the book I recommend.
You, Again
Can they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love? A commitment-phobe and a hopeless r...

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Lauren Sevier

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