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Here We Go Again
The author of Kiss Her Once for Me returns with a new queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.
A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.
Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren’t quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves. Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they’re both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker. Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other—and their complicated past—they keep crashing into each other. Including with their cars.
But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they’re forced together once and for all to fulfill his last a cross-country road trip. Stuffed into the gayest van west of the Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip—from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf Coast to coastal Maine—that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another.
A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.
Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren’t quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves. Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they’re both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker. Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other—and their complicated past—they keep crashing into each other. Including with their cars.
But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they’re forced together once and for all to fulfill his last a cross-country road trip. Stuffed into the gayest van west of the Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip—from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf Coast to coastal Maine—that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2024
About the author
Alison Cochrun
4 books3,141 followersAlison Cochrun is a high school English teacher living outside Portland, Oregon. When she's not reading and writing queer love stories, you can find her torturing teenagers with Shakespeare, crafting perfect travel itineraries, hate-watching reality dating shows, and searching for the best happy hour nachos. You can find her on Instagram or at her website www.alisoncochrun.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,102 reviews
May 24, 2024
maybe i do like road trip stories
July 25, 2024
DNF @52% - 'Her mouth puckered into a cat's butthole' ...
I mean, her mouth what? If that's not a good enough reason to DNF idk what is lol. I was really hoping that this was going to give me *that feeling* where I would giggle, and swoon, and kick my feet but instead I encountered several eye roll moments and literally clenched my fist in annoyance at the amount of times these two bicker - it wasn't fun.
The two main characters are in their 30's but act so immature- if the author wanted to have two characters go back and forth with 'you did this' 'no you did that' and 'make me' non-stop, just write a young adult novel.
And while the author is at it - a cats ass is not remotely attractive. Why would you describe a love interest's mouth in this way ? 😭
This sounds freaking delightful... I feel like a fun road trip will give all the summery vibes I'm dying for. 😍
⁀➷Friends to Lovers ╰┈➤ Friends to Frienemies to Lovers?
⁀➷Childhood Friends ╰┈➤ Juvenile Friends/Immature Lovers?
⁀➷ Road Trip
⁀➷Sapphic Romance ╰┈➤ Two catty women locked in a vehicle during a road trip
I mean, her mouth what? If that's not a good enough reason to DNF idk what is lol. I was really hoping that this was going to give me *that feeling* where I would giggle, and swoon, and kick my feet but instead I encountered several eye roll moments and literally clenched my fist in annoyance at the amount of times these two bicker - it wasn't fun.
The two main characters are in their 30's but act so immature- if the author wanted to have two characters go back and forth with 'you did this' 'no you did that' and 'make me' non-stop, just write a young adult novel.
And while the author is at it - a cats ass is not remotely attractive. Why would you describe a love interest's mouth in this way ? 😭
⁀➷
⁀➷
⁀➷ Road Trip
⁀➷
July 30, 2024
Prepare yourself for a ride of emotions if you listen to the book as an (Audiobook) -"Here We Go Again Novel" . The story deals with heavy subjects that will touch your heart. At the story's center is a final road trip with a dying parent figure demanding readers to confront grief head-on. It is about death, and more also about addiction, sobriety, coming out, navigating gay identity, but also about parental neglect, abandonment, anxiety, and damage passed on generationally.
This book pushes a lot of buttons.
There is beauty in the tough story. The narrative of the three characters going cross-country, from Oregon to Maine, by dealing with their dying loved one in a wheelchair and wearing adult diapers is a narrative of love and sacrifice. It is in many ways like a caregiving memoir, but one that has so much focus on the love and tenderness between these three characters. Even when there are glaring disagreements, the author still managed to allow the readers to see how much they care; how much they are all supporting each other.
The physical journey is also a powerful metaphor for each character's internal struggles and growth. The narrative is a story of progress, regress, unanticipated events, disclosures, understanding of oneself and one's loved ones; emotional growth. The narrative is the characters' emotional landscape. Again, I think that listening to the book as an audibook is important because it really allows you to get to know the characters more.
In the end, this is about resilience and human connection, and about the challenges and successes of familial love. It is a big, heavy, journey, so brace yourself; but, it is an immense journey, an ultimately rewarding journey, an ultimately, potentially, healing journey, but a heartbreaker for sure.
This book pushes a lot of buttons.
There is beauty in the tough story. The narrative of the three characters going cross-country, from Oregon to Maine, by dealing with their dying loved one in a wheelchair and wearing adult diapers is a narrative of love and sacrifice. It is in many ways like a caregiving memoir, but one that has so much focus on the love and tenderness between these three characters. Even when there are glaring disagreements, the author still managed to allow the readers to see how much they care; how much they are all supporting each other.
The physical journey is also a powerful metaphor for each character's internal struggles and growth. The narrative is a story of progress, regress, unanticipated events, disclosures, understanding of oneself and one's loved ones; emotional growth. The narrative is the characters' emotional landscape. Again, I think that listening to the book as an audibook is important because it really allows you to get to know the characters more.
In the end, this is about resilience and human connection, and about the challenges and successes of familial love. It is a big, heavy, journey, so brace yourself; but, it is an immense journey, an ultimately rewarding journey, an ultimately, potentially, healing journey, but a heartbreaker for sure.
April 7, 2024
This story needs a movie! NOW!! The romance from RWRB meets a friendly, gay A Man Called Ove.
While reading, I should have listened to ABBA, but instead, Pink’s All Out of Fight was playing in my head (watch that video!), and it reminded me so much of Logan, Rosemary, and Joe. Logan and Rosemary were all out love and all out of life since they were fourteen. Joe’s all out of fight. He’s dying, and his wish? Travel with his former students to his vacation home in Maine. And maybe Logan and Rosemary are all out of fight, too. Because they want to love and live again.
Here We Go Again is Alison Cochrun’s third book, and of course it’s as good as ever. The first two chapters in a dual narrative were an effing blast and sucked me into Logan and Rosemary’s story faster than the pacing of light. Are you still with me? Because, well, you should know this book is goooooodddd!
I have two favorite romance authors, Anita Kelly and Alison Cochran. I feel the same way about their novels, even though Anita is the royal of tender and quiet stories, and Alison, the queen of messy ones. Here We Go Again is the wittiest of Alison’s books, but at the same time, also the saddest one, this rom-com about death.
I loved chaotic Logan and over-structured, demi-sexual Rosemary, both neurodivergent, but the real star of this book is Joe. Joe who’s dying from cancer. Joe who forces the two women to take him on his death trip. Joe and his dog Odysseus. Joe and his one regret … The regret that put a lump in my throat and caused tears welling up in my eyes. So beautiful. That nude painting! I laughed and cried at the same time. Alison’s writing just bubbles off the pages; it’s so incredibly vibrant and funny and descriptive and so, so beautiful.
Yeah, Joe dies. It’s not a huge spoiler because, at the beginning of this book, he only has a few months left. So be prepared to bawl your eyes out. So much you’re not able to read anymore. And laugh. And laugh-cry. But even though it’s always hard to read about someone you know is going to die, this story is about love and living to the fullest without regrets, and in the end, Logan and Rosemary aren’t out of love anymore. Or out of life. But they’re definitely out of fight.
And like Joe would be saying to Remy because he loved him so effing much:
I'm all out of fight
My heart will always know your name
I'm all out of love
But look at all the love we made
I'm all out of life
Oh, babe, it's killing me to say
I'm all out of love, I'm all out of life, I'm all out of fight
Lyrics by PINK
I couldn’t be more thankful, Atria Books, for trusting me to read this ARC! Thank you so much!!
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While reading, I should have listened to ABBA, but instead, Pink’s All Out of Fight was playing in my head (watch that video!), and it reminded me so much of Logan, Rosemary, and Joe. Logan and Rosemary were all out love and all out of life since they were fourteen. Joe’s all out of fight. He’s dying, and his wish? Travel with his former students to his vacation home in Maine. And maybe Logan and Rosemary are all out of fight, too. Because they want to love and live again.
Here We Go Again is Alison Cochrun’s third book, and of course it’s as good as ever. The first two chapters in a dual narrative were an effing blast and sucked me into Logan and Rosemary’s story faster than the pacing of light. Are you still with me? Because, well, you should know this book is goooooodddd!
I have two favorite romance authors, Anita Kelly and Alison Cochran. I feel the same way about their novels, even though Anita is the royal of tender and quiet stories, and Alison, the queen of messy ones. Here We Go Again is the wittiest of Alison’s books, but at the same time, also the saddest one, this rom-com about death.
I loved chaotic Logan and over-structured, demi-sexual Rosemary, both neurodivergent, but the real star of this book is Joe. Joe who’s dying from cancer. Joe who forces the two women to take him on his death trip. Joe and his dog Odysseus. Joe and his one regret … The regret that put a lump in my throat and caused tears welling up in my eyes. So beautiful. That nude painting! I laughed and cried at the same time. Alison’s writing just bubbles off the pages; it’s so incredibly vibrant and funny and descriptive and so, so beautiful.
Yeah, Joe dies. It’s not a huge spoiler because, at the beginning of this book, he only has a few months left. So be prepared to bawl your eyes out. So much you’re not able to read anymore. And laugh. And laugh-cry. But even though it’s always hard to read about someone you know is going to die, this story is about love and living to the fullest without regrets, and in the end, Logan and Rosemary aren’t out of love anymore. Or out of life. But they’re definitely out of fight.
And like Joe would be saying to Remy because he loved him so effing much:
I'm all out of fight
My heart will always know your name
I'm all out of love
But look at all the love we made
I'm all out of life
Oh, babe, it's killing me to say
I'm all out of love, I'm all out of life, I'm all out of fight
Lyrics by PINK
I couldn’t be more thankful, Atria Books, for trusting me to read this ARC! Thank you so much!!
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May 12, 2024
Let me preface this with saying I love this author: The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once For Me are both 5 star books for me, some of my all time favorite romance books, so I was very excited to read this one even though it has some tropes I don’t usually enjoy. And this kills me to feel so meh about a book that everyone seems to be loving so much.
This book took me 4-5 days to read, which is such a long time for me. I am usually the type of reader to finish a book in 1-2 days but for some reason with this one I wasn’t as excited about picking it back up to read so it took me so long to get through it.
Here are some of my thoughts:
•I’m not a huge fan of childhood friends to lovers, second chance romances, or reading about road trips in general so I might not even be the right audience for this
•I also really hate miscommunication in romances and I feel like there was an excessive amount of it in this book
•I thought Logan was obnoxious as f*ck, and she has the personality of a thirteen year old boy, especially in the first half of this book
•I kind of hated how Logan and Joe would team up and tease Rosemary for being uptight about certain things when Rosemary had a very valid reason for doing most of the things she did and her reactions most of the time were fair (especially with the weed scene?)
•The “Demi fucking Lovato” and cussing with celebrity names got old so fast and got really annoying and repetitive
•I loved the writing in this about the landscapes, but especially the descriptions of the PNW at the beginning of this
•Joe is the best character by far, he’s freaking great I loved him.
•The ending did make me cry, I thought the ending was beautiful and so well done, but also like damn those sad scenes really got dragged out and it was so sad to read this 😭😭😭
I just really wanted to love this the way I love this authors other books and I’m sad I didn’t. 😭
This book took me 4-5 days to read, which is such a long time for me. I am usually the type of reader to finish a book in 1-2 days but for some reason with this one I wasn’t as excited about picking it back up to read so it took me so long to get through it.
Here are some of my thoughts:
•I’m not a huge fan of childhood friends to lovers, second chance romances, or reading about road trips in general so I might not even be the right audience for this
•I also really hate miscommunication in romances and I feel like there was an excessive amount of it in this book
•I thought Logan was obnoxious as f*ck, and she has the personality of a thirteen year old boy, especially in the first half of this book
•I kind of hated how Logan and Joe would team up and tease Rosemary for being uptight about certain things when Rosemary had a very valid reason for doing most of the things she did and her reactions most of the time were fair (especially with the weed scene?)
•The “Demi fucking Lovato” and cussing with celebrity names got old so fast and got really annoying and repetitive
•I loved the writing in this about the landscapes, but especially the descriptions of the PNW at the beginning of this
•Joe is the best character by far, he’s freaking great I loved him.
•The ending did make me cry, I thought the ending was beautiful and so well done, but also like damn those sad scenes really got dragged out and it was so sad to read this 😭😭😭
I just really wanted to love this the way I love this authors other books and I’m sad I didn’t. 😭
July 26, 2024
1.75⭐️ I don't often read Alison Cochrun but whenever I do, I'm disappointed 😭
do these people have to be so crass and foul mouth and gross??? do they have to use these bad language and words for the littlest things such as museums and dry snacks??? do they have to pretend they don't care about people and things they care about???
I don't get what the author was trying to achieve. So these two women, Rosemary and Logan who were childhood friends are becoming lovers and they have these big, loud af personalities which just keeps clashing to the exist that it's too big for the book and their old English teacher also has a colorful, vibrant eye-blinding personality and every characters personality is too big for this book but they do the most boring activities and can't even make it interesting without being all foul mouthed, petty, dry joking about themselves all the time??
Everyone was trying to brush off real emotional baggage, conversations and connections amongst themselves with some stupid joke or another. It's so contrasting, it makes no literary sense and it hurt my poor brain 🥺. It seemed everyone had way too much high energy for whatever was going on the absolutely boring, heatstroke inducing road trip plot. Most part of the book was them just bickering, kinda like kids really.
It's also kind of a bit weird that we got descriptions of the background characters like, "the brown waiter" or "the transgender teacher" or "the white receptionist" or "the black and creole artist" 🙄 everytime I read something along those lines, I was like "??????????????????????" 😓😓
***
I didn't enjoy the charm offensive at all but I'm giving this a shot 🙂🙂 here goes nothing
do these people have to be so crass and foul mouth and gross??? do they have to use these bad language and words for the littlest things such as museums and dry snacks??? do they have to pretend they don't care about people and things they care about???
I don't get what the author was trying to achieve. So these two women, Rosemary and Logan who were childhood friends are becoming lovers and they have these big, loud af personalities which just keeps clashing to the exist that it's too big for the book and their old English teacher also has a colorful, vibrant eye-blinding personality and every characters personality is too big for this book but they do the most boring activities and can't even make it interesting without being all foul mouthed, petty, dry joking about themselves all the time??
Everyone was trying to brush off real emotional baggage, conversations and connections amongst themselves with some stupid joke or another. It's so contrasting, it makes no literary sense and it hurt my poor brain 🥺. It seemed everyone had way too much high energy for whatever was going on the absolutely boring, heatstroke inducing road trip plot. Most part of the book was them just bickering, kinda like kids really.
It's also kind of a bit weird that we got descriptions of the background characters like, "the brown waiter" or "the transgender teacher" or "the white receptionist" or "the black and creole artist" 🙄 everytime I read something along those lines, I was like "??????????????????????" 😓😓
***
I didn't enjoy the charm offensive at all but I'm giving this a shot 🙂🙂 here goes nothing
February 6, 2024
Guys, I UGLY CRIED with this one. Read the content warnings.
I adore Alison Cochrun and everything she writes, and Here We Go Again was no different. It was the sapphic, rip-your-heart-out romance I needed to get my 2024 started off right.
Here We Go Again is a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, which is not usually my thing. I don't usually like it when we have an off-page history between the two MCs, but it worked here. The two MCs were best friends, inseparable when they were younger, but then youthful drama and hurt feelings drove them apart. However, their romance feels like almost a secondary character at times to the relationship these two women had to their older friend and mentor, who is dying of cancer. This book is all about their last hurrah, their last adventure together, and that's where the rest of the love story lies.
I'll admit, I had trouble reading this book at times. I was mournfully listening to Van Morrison in the background while reading (just get Into the Mystic ready), and just, like, pondering the meaning of life. You know, super chill and relaxing vibes, over here. Here We Go Again will just do that to you.
While I had a mini-existential crisis, I really appreciated the deep, thoughtful writing from Alison Cochrun and how she also managed to interject some very spicy scenes and some humor as well. The romance grew and grew over time, and I really appreciated these two together. I do think that their relationship wasn't quite as meaningful to me as their relationship with Joe, but that would be hard to top.
In truth, Alison Cochrun did something special with this story. It was a hard journey for me, personally, but I'm really glad I took it.
goodreads|instagram
I adore Alison Cochrun and everything she writes, and Here We Go Again was no different. It was the sapphic, rip-your-heart-out romance I needed to get my 2024 started off right.
Here We Go Again is a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, which is not usually my thing. I don't usually like it when we have an off-page history between the two MCs, but it worked here. The two MCs were best friends, inseparable when they were younger, but then youthful drama and hurt feelings drove them apart. However, their romance feels like almost a secondary character at times to the relationship these two women had to their older friend and mentor, who is dying of cancer. This book is all about their last hurrah, their last adventure together, and that's where the rest of the love story lies.
I'll admit, I had trouble reading this book at times. I was mournfully listening to Van Morrison in the background while reading (just get Into the Mystic ready), and just, like, pondering the meaning of life. You know, super chill and relaxing vibes, over here. Here We Go Again will just do that to you.
While I had a mini-existential crisis, I really appreciated the deep, thoughtful writing from Alison Cochrun and how she also managed to interject some very spicy scenes and some humor as well. The romance grew and grew over time, and I really appreciated these two together. I do think that their relationship wasn't quite as meaningful to me as their relationship with Joe, but that would be hard to top.
In truth, Alison Cochrun did something special with this story. It was a hard journey for me, personally, but I'm really glad I took it.
goodreads|instagram
March 14, 2024
A cute best friends to enemies to maybe lovers sapphic romance
Logan and Rosemary used to be best friends until they weren't. Now they're forced to put their differences aside in order to drive their former teacher and mentor/father figure across the country to fulfil his dying wish..
I'll be honest, edelweiss offered me this, and after briefly scanning the synopsis, and seeing the names Logan and Rosemary, I accepted, not realising it was a sapphic romance! Once I adjusted though,I wasn't mad about it, just perplexed since Logan is definitely a male name here 🤷
This book had some really good things going for it:
🌈A great roadtrip,
🌈A cute dog🐕
🌈An amazing teacher who made a difference in his pupils' lives,
🌈A gay van😂
🌈Forced proximity
🌈Mental health representation
🌈Opposites attract
🌈Neuro Divergence (ADHD in women)
🌈Emotional themes around death, loss and grief
🌈Friendship and love
I enjoyed it for the most part, I just didn't fully connect with it because:
👎It dragged in the middle
👎The conflict was repetitive
👎The lack of communication between the characters
👎The immaturity of the characters-Logan became annoying really fast! Especially with her weird swearing?! She would put the f word in the middle of famous queer people's names e.g. Kristin fucking Stewart, Ruby fucking Rose, Elton fucking John etc which was weird and irritating. Plus the constant repetition around her calling herself a fuckboy was 🙄
👎The constant pop culture references
👎And despite the heavy topic about death, I didn't find it all that emotional..maybe I just have a cold heart.
I enjoyed it, sort of but didn't love it 🤷
Published on 2nd April 2024
Many thanks to Jolena Podolsky at Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the drc, in exchange for my honest review
🌈🌈🌈
Logan and Rosemary used to be best friends until they weren't. Now they're forced to put their differences aside in order to drive their former teacher and mentor/father figure across the country to fulfil his dying wish..
I'll be honest, edelweiss offered me this, and after briefly scanning the synopsis, and seeing the names Logan and Rosemary, I accepted, not realising it was a sapphic romance! Once I adjusted though,I wasn't mad about it, just perplexed since Logan is definitely a male name here 🤷
This book had some really good things going for it:
🌈A great roadtrip,
🌈A cute dog🐕
🌈An amazing teacher who made a difference in his pupils' lives,
🌈A gay van😂
🌈Forced proximity
🌈Mental health representation
🌈Opposites attract
🌈Neuro Divergence (ADHD in women)
🌈Emotional themes around death, loss and grief
🌈Friendship and love
I enjoyed it for the most part, I just didn't fully connect with it because:
👎It dragged in the middle
👎The conflict was repetitive
👎The lack of communication between the characters
👎The immaturity of the characters-Logan became annoying really fast! Especially with her weird swearing?! She would put the f word in the middle of famous queer people's names e.g. Kristin fucking Stewart, Ruby fucking Rose, Elton fucking John etc which was weird and irritating. Plus the constant repetition around her calling herself a fuckboy was 🙄
👎The constant pop culture references
👎And despite the heavy topic about death, I didn't find it all that emotional..maybe I just have a cold heart.
I enjoyed it, sort of but didn't love it 🤷
Published on 2nd April 2024
Many thanks to Jolena Podolsky at Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the drc, in exchange for my honest review
🌈🌈🌈
April 6, 2024
My first finished book of 2024! This ARC (out in April) was everything I wanted and more. As I expected, the last few chapters had me sobbing.
Here We Go Again (Mama Mia reference front and centre on purpose!) is a wonderful lesbian romance with equal amounts of humour and tragedy. Two small town childhood best friends turned enemies turned opposites-attract soul mates are finally forced to spend time together and heal their old wounds when their shared queer elder and teacher mentor tells them he has terminal cancer and wants to do a cross country road trip to die in a cabin he owns on the other coast. Featuring demisexual and lesbian representation!
I'm not capable of being particularly coherent at the moment, as I am 33 weeks pregnant and stuck in bed with a cold, but trust me this is a queer romance you don't want to miss! I loved Alison Cochrun's sapphic Christmas romance that came out last year too and I am willing to bet I'll love her next book too.
Here We Go Again (Mama Mia reference front and centre on purpose!) is a wonderful lesbian romance with equal amounts of humour and tragedy. Two small town childhood best friends turned enemies turned opposites-attract soul mates are finally forced to spend time together and heal their old wounds when their shared queer elder and teacher mentor tells them he has terminal cancer and wants to do a cross country road trip to die in a cabin he owns on the other coast. Featuring demisexual and lesbian representation!
I'm not capable of being particularly coherent at the moment, as I am 33 weeks pregnant and stuck in bed with a cold, but trust me this is a queer romance you don't want to miss! I loved Alison Cochrun's sapphic Christmas romance that came out last year too and I am willing to bet I'll love her next book too.
May 1, 2024
Two women who loathe each other despite a life-changing, irreplaceable friendship of like two years in junior high agree to escort their beloved teacher to Maine so he can die. I hated all three of these people and only liked the dog marginally. Logan uses her trauma as an excuse to be an absolute asshole to everyone and while I think she was supposed to possess hidden depths, she was really about as deep as a puddle. Joe is asking far too much of his not-daughters and has a fake service dog. Rosemary can’t speak up for herself and squeaks a lot. No one has any chemistry and I consider the time I spent reading this a waste. I don’t need to love the main characters of the books I read, but I do need to not actively wish they would fall off a cliff. If you enjoy soon-to-be-outdated pop culture references and FMCs who screech, scream, and shout more than talk, you might like this one. Worried that main characters who are in their thirties will be unrelatable? Don’t worry, they both act like they’re 17.
April 27, 2024
Swoon. Okay. To the educators out there, imagine a book opening on the last day of school, just as the teachers are about to celebrate at the local Applebee’s. I happened to read this on the first evening of spring break, and I think that made this one even more special and relatable. The personalities, the antics, the excitement; it’s all captured, and I laughed out loud many times. The humor is for everyone, not just educators. I just think the fact that the two main characters are also high school teachers is a huge bonus to everyone working in education.
Also a bonus is the road trip! And the music references, especially the Abba ones! Please see title for starters. 😍
Logan and Rosemary are former childhood best friends, sadly turned teacher nemeses. When their former teacher mentor is terminally ill, they come together to help him hit the road for his last several months of life. The adventure and proximity begin, filled with heart, angst, and incredible loss.
I’ve read Alison Cochrun’s first two books; both are absolutely outstanding must-reads I recommend often, and Here We Go Again is my new favorite and one of my favorite reads this year. There’s so much more to it than what I’ve described here so far. Alison Cochrun tactfully explores important topics like anxiety and adult ADHD. My favorite aspect of all was the theme of how teachers touch and shape lives, and especially how they offer safe havens for students, especially students in the LGBTQ+ community.
My life has been enriched by teachers. I’ll be seeing my high school art and photography teacher soon for the first time as an adult, and I owe her immeasurable thanks for the all-knowing way she bolstered me through some really insecure and unsettled years. I often say authors are my rock stars, and so are teachers.
Just know, Here We Go Again is worthy of all the stars and then some.
I received a gifted copy of the book.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Also a bonus is the road trip! And the music references, especially the Abba ones! Please see title for starters. 😍
Logan and Rosemary are former childhood best friends, sadly turned teacher nemeses. When their former teacher mentor is terminally ill, they come together to help him hit the road for his last several months of life. The adventure and proximity begin, filled with heart, angst, and incredible loss.
I’ve read Alison Cochrun’s first two books; both are absolutely outstanding must-reads I recommend often, and Here We Go Again is my new favorite and one of my favorite reads this year. There’s so much more to it than what I’ve described here so far. Alison Cochrun tactfully explores important topics like anxiety and adult ADHD. My favorite aspect of all was the theme of how teachers touch and shape lives, and especially how they offer safe havens for students, especially students in the LGBTQ+ community.
My life has been enriched by teachers. I’ll be seeing my high school art and photography teacher soon for the first time as an adult, and I owe her immeasurable thanks for the all-knowing way she bolstered me through some really insecure and unsettled years. I often say authors are my rock stars, and so are teachers.
Just know, Here We Go Again is worthy of all the stars and then some.
I received a gifted copy of the book.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
July 4, 2024
Alison Cochran can write ANYTHING and I'm going to love it. This was sapphic romance PERFECTION. We have a road trip, hate to love with a history, and so much emotional depth to all of the characters. I loved how they infuriated each other but were forced to take their old high school teacher on a road trip. He is dying of cancer, so know you might shed a few tears (I for sure did). But I loved how they were discovering things about themselves and each other along the way. Gahhhh. The audiobook was amazing and I just loved this book.
June 15, 2024
4.5 stars. Heartwarming, gutwrenching, and written with a deft hand that balanced an exploration of grief with a childhood friends-to-lovers romance, Here We Go Again simultaneously made me sob uncontrollably multiple times while leaving me with my heart full.
June 12, 2024
Okay, so I'm clearly in the minority here because the reviews for this book are great. Warning, there will be spoilers for the entire book in my review, so if you don't want to see them, back away now!
That said, I struggled with several elements of the book. In general I'm not a fan of second chance romance, but this one felt even more frustrating because the reason things didn't work out in the past was due to a misunderstanding. Instead of one character asking the other about what they saw, they just stopped talking and became enemies for the next 15 years?? That is so stupid to me. I'm thinking okay, I'll chalk it up to them being 14, they are so young and haven't learned communication skills yet.
Welp, low and behold, they haven't learned them at 32 either. This might sound petty, but I can't stand when characters have something happen in their past and then decide they are going to blame every single one of their negative traits on that one event. Look, I get that the past can be traumatic, but Logan decided that her mom leaving her and her dad meant that no one would ever stick around for her, so instead of even TRYING, she sleeps around and never commits to avoid (what she thinks is) the inevitable, and having her partner leave her. This leaves a trail or hurt feelings in her wake, but no matter, it's all about her. Instead of going to therapy and trying to better herself, she just decided it gave her a pass to be uncaring to the people around her. I actually couldn't stand Logan for most of the book. I really struggled to feel empathy for her because she felt so immature for someone who is supposed to be 32. So much of the "conflict" between Logan and Rosemary was based on assumptions made by both of them, and that's frustrating as a reader. I love a good enemies to lovers romance, but it didn't feel like that either. I didn't feel any tension, angst, or sexual build up between them so it felt like there was no chemistry between them at all. Nit picking again, every time Logan wanted to curse, she'd use a queer celebrity name, like "Megan fucking Rapino" and it happened so many times and to me it felt cringy.
Secondly, this might just be a me thing because it's totally real life, BUT I could not get in the romance vibe when they were constantly talking about their smelly sweaty armpits, swamp ass, farting, burping, stains on clothes, breath that smells bad because they were just eating something, stepping in literal human poop, comparing one of the love interest's mount to a "cat's puckered asshole" several times, etc. I know> that in real life these are things that happen, but I kind of want the rose colored glasses in my romance books - I don't want to think about the bodily functions that are unpleasant, it kills the mood for me lol
Third, I mentioned a little bit above, but I felt no chemistry between the characters. I don't think there was enough detail about their past to see any feelings there either that might bleed into adulthood, it just felt like we were told about their feelings and not shown. Even the scenes where they were "together" felt kind of forced and awkward. I didn't buy into the love story. What I DID like was that in the one (mild) sex scene, Logan was very clear in making sure there was enthusiastic consent, especially knowing this was Rosemary's first time being intimate with anyone. She checked in with her several times to make sure she was still comfortable and consenting, and I did appreciate that element.
Lastly, on the plus side, I did love Joe and his story with Remy was so heartbreaking and wholesome at the same time. His dog Odysseus was adorable too. Joe's story was sad, and I was getting misty-eyed at the end, but I did really like how his part of the story came to a close.
Overall, I think this was a case of me just not being the right reader for this book. You can see tons of positive reviews for it, but I wanted to share my hangups with it in case you are similar to me!
That said, I struggled with several elements of the book. In general I'm not a fan of second chance romance, but this one felt even more frustrating because the reason things didn't work out in the past was due to a misunderstanding. Instead of one character asking the other about what they saw, they just stopped talking and became enemies for the next 15 years?? That is so stupid to me. I'm thinking okay, I'll chalk it up to them being 14, they are so young and haven't learned communication skills yet.
Welp, low and behold, they haven't learned them at 32 either. This might sound petty, but I can't stand when characters have something happen in their past and then decide they are going to blame every single one of their negative traits on that one event. Look, I get that the past can be traumatic, but Logan decided that her mom leaving her and her dad meant that no one would ever stick around for her, so instead of even TRYING, she sleeps around and never commits to avoid (what she thinks is) the inevitable, and having her partner leave her. This leaves a trail or hurt feelings in her wake, but no matter, it's all about her. Instead of going to therapy and trying to better herself, she just decided it gave her a pass to be uncaring to the people around her. I actually couldn't stand Logan for most of the book. I really struggled to feel empathy for her because she felt so immature for someone who is supposed to be 32. So much of the "conflict" between Logan and Rosemary was based on assumptions made by both of them, and that's frustrating as a reader. I love a good enemies to lovers romance, but it didn't feel like that either. I didn't feel any tension, angst, or sexual build up between them so it felt like there was no chemistry between them at all. Nit picking again, every time Logan wanted to curse, she'd use a queer celebrity name, like "Megan fucking Rapino" and it happened so many times and to me it felt cringy.
Secondly, this might just be a me thing because it's totally real life, BUT I could not get in the romance vibe when they were constantly talking about their smelly sweaty armpits, swamp ass, farting, burping, stains on clothes, breath that smells bad because they were just eating something, stepping in literal human poop, comparing one of the love interest's mount to a "cat's puckered asshole" several times, etc. I know> that in real life these are things that happen, but I kind of want the rose colored glasses in my romance books - I don't want to think about the bodily functions that are unpleasant, it kills the mood for me lol
Third, I mentioned a little bit above, but I felt no chemistry between the characters. I don't think there was enough detail about their past to see any feelings there either that might bleed into adulthood, it just felt like we were told about their feelings and not shown. Even the scenes where they were "together" felt kind of forced and awkward. I didn't buy into the love story. What I DID like was that in the one (mild) sex scene, Logan was very clear in making sure there was enthusiastic consent, especially knowing this was Rosemary's first time being intimate with anyone. She checked in with her several times to make sure she was still comfortable and consenting, and I did appreciate that element.
Lastly, on the plus side, I did love Joe and his story with Remy was so heartbreaking and wholesome at the same time. His dog Odysseus was adorable too. Joe's story was sad, and I was getting misty-eyed at the end, but I did really like how his part of the story came to a close.
Overall, I think this was a case of me just not being the right reader for this book. You can see tons of positive reviews for it, but I wanted to share my hangups with it in case you are similar to me!
April 24, 2024
This made me cry. I loved Joe and his storyline, so much. The romance was also nice.
However, the famous queer references in the middle of sayings like “I swear on Shay Mitchell’s legs” got old real quick. Especially since all the characters did it. Is this a new thing that I’m too old to appreciate?
However, the famous queer references in the middle of sayings like “I swear on Shay Mitchell’s legs” got old real quick. Especially since all the characters did it. Is this a new thing that I’m too old to appreciate?
May 10, 2024
Life is messy. Feelings are messy. People are messy. They’re also beautiful. Maybe not people, but life and feelings are, even when they suck.
Here We Go Again could have been simply another romcom, but Alison Cochrun added an element that, with many other authors, would have turned this story into a tragedy. And while there is plenty of heartbreak, the overall tone and the feelings that stayed with me afterwards are heartwarming love and growth.
Rosemary was the first girl Logan kissed, and that kiss ruined everything. Years later, they teach at their old high school in Vista Summit, Washington, and can’t stand each other. But when their former teacher and mentor asks them both to drive him to Maine so he can die in peace, neither of them can say no.
I loved Kiss Her Once For Me so much that I was very excited to get an ARC for this book. And yet, when the time came for me to read it, I couldn’t make myself focus as much as I would have liked. I started reading, I loved what I read, but I wasn’t all in. The fault doesn’t lie with the book, however. Just before I started reading, I found out two of my most favourite narrators—Natalie Naudus and Jeremy Carlisle Parker, aka Quinn Riley—narrated the audiobook. And so, as I was reading, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was missing out on an even better experience. In the end, I went and got the audiobook so I wouldn’t waste my energy on regrets that would have been unfair to the book.
And wow, did this audiobook give me all the feels! I laughed aloud, I cried, I felt my chest squeeze from joy and in pain.
Maybe it’s the van, maybe it’s the Abba references, maybe it’s the tension of new beginnings and the fear of death, maybe it’s Joe, his wit, his flamboyance, his vulnerability, I don’t know exactly but I kept being reminded of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which has, for a very long time, been one of my favourite queer movies. Thirty years later, it’s still as powerful.
The stories are very different, though. There are actually two of them in this book. The most obvious is the childhood best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, kinda-second-chance romance. Adolescence is probably the hardest and intrinsically painful period of a person’s existence, which leads to overthinking, overreacting, overprotecting oneself against hurt and heartache. While driving cross country, Logan and Rosie also embark on a journey to leave their teenage wounded feelings and resentment behind, to remember what they loved about each other, how they felt in each other’s presence, how strong and okay the other’s love and support made them feel. There’s excellent neurodivergence representation (ADHD, anxiety…), highlighting the diversity of experiences. The only thing I didn’t love was the swearing with celebrities names, which was fun once then quickly got repetitive.
The second, almost as, if not more important arc is a love story as well. It’s an homage to the teachers who change lives and the queer adults who see us before we do. It’s bittersweet, full of regrets and lessons learned, but also unconditional love and respect and pride.
Since the author alternates POVs within chapters, so does the dual narration, with Natalie Naudus voicing Logan and Jeremy Carlisle Parker as Rosemary. Both are wonderful narrators, and both did a fantastic job once more, full of nuance and subtlety. Their styles complement each other, and I’m chuffed that I switched to audio. I’m sure I would have loved the book, but I certainly loved the audiobook even more. 4.5⭐️
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my website (and please get your books from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
January 9, 2024
This book was magical. Leave it to Alison Cochrun to make a book about a dying man insanely romantic.
HERE WE GO AGAIN is a perfect story about queer (found) families and finding love when you need it most. Teachers Logan and Rosemary take their beloved beloved gay high school teacher, Joe, on one last cross country trip. Logan and Rosemary are former childhood best friends turned enemies but must unite to help Joe, who is dying from cancer.
The story hits first loves and enemies to lovers wonderfully, with a perfect simmering burn between Rosemary and Logan. We have Logan, who is well-known on the lesbian circuit for "liking" and then leaving girls. For Logan, whose mom left in her childhood, she fears forming any strong attachments. Rosemary is a wonderful and renowned teacher who has perfected hiding her anxiety from others. All the characters pop off the page--none more than Joe, an amazing gay teaching icon who has provided guidance and care for so many students, but holds a special place in his heart for his "girls," both of whom needed a little extra care coming out in their small town. Joe helped motherless Logan find herself and mentored Rosemary's writing.
Once he convinced the two to join him on the trip from Washington (state) to Maine, we get a story filled with humor and sadness, hi-jinx and pain. Along with Joe's lovable pup, the trio sets forth across the country, encountering national monuments and flat tires alike. There is a bathtub scene that will make you swoon and a drag show moment that will make you cheer. The build up between Rosemary and Logan is amazing, but it's just as good watching the two of them learning from (and about) Joe.
This story touches so beautifully on anxiety, ADHD, found family, and the importance of teachers and gay adults in younger lives. There are some moments that made me laugh out loud and others that made me cry. I fell head over heels for these characters. AGAIN is crazy emotional for a variety of reasons yet funny and heartfelt without being schmaltzy. I cannot recommend this lovely book enough.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Atria Books in return for an unbiased review. Look for HERE WE GO AGAIN on 04/02/2024!!
HERE WE GO AGAIN is a perfect story about queer (found) families and finding love when you need it most. Teachers Logan and Rosemary take their beloved beloved gay high school teacher, Joe, on one last cross country trip. Logan and Rosemary are former childhood best friends turned enemies but must unite to help Joe, who is dying from cancer.
The story hits first loves and enemies to lovers wonderfully, with a perfect simmering burn between Rosemary and Logan. We have Logan, who is well-known on the lesbian circuit for "liking" and then leaving girls. For Logan, whose mom left in her childhood, she fears forming any strong attachments. Rosemary is a wonderful and renowned teacher who has perfected hiding her anxiety from others. All the characters pop off the page--none more than Joe, an amazing gay teaching icon who has provided guidance and care for so many students, but holds a special place in his heart for his "girls," both of whom needed a little extra care coming out in their small town. Joe helped motherless Logan find herself and mentored Rosemary's writing.
Once he convinced the two to join him on the trip from Washington (state) to Maine, we get a story filled with humor and sadness, hi-jinx and pain. Along with Joe's lovable pup, the trio sets forth across the country, encountering national monuments and flat tires alike. There is a bathtub scene that will make you swoon and a drag show moment that will make you cheer. The build up between Rosemary and Logan is amazing, but it's just as good watching the two of them learning from (and about) Joe.
This story touches so beautifully on anxiety, ADHD, found family, and the importance of teachers and gay adults in younger lives. There are some moments that made me laugh out loud and others that made me cry. I fell head over heels for these characters. AGAIN is crazy emotional for a variety of reasons yet funny and heartfelt without being schmaltzy. I cannot recommend this lovely book enough.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Atria Books in return for an unbiased review. Look for HERE WE GO AGAIN on 04/02/2024!!
April 26, 2024
well. i cried very hard.
(i'm a pisces sun and a cancer rising, i cry at everything, but i cried HARD).
overall, i enojyed this one much more than 'kiss her once for me' which i had some issues with. it's probably a 3.5 read for me, but i am forgoing my usual rounding down and rounding up instead for joe. although, like with that one... i enjoyed everything happening AROUND the romance, more than the actual romance, again. the real draw and joy of this one for me was joe, and his relationship with rosemary and logan. of grieving, and what ppl mean to each other, and trying really hard to care.
i liked rosemary and logan's romance... fine. i connected much more with rosemary than with logan, just in terms of character/type for me personally. there is some disconnect with me and this author, possibly. she seems to try too hard to make things funny or hammer in points in a way that tends to put me off more than draw me in (in KHOFM, the CONSTANT half moon/quarter moon smile imagery made me, a moon lover, want to claw my eyes out. in this one, the 'insert famous queer person's name into a swear bit' got old and wasn't funny literally the first time it happenened and was annoying every single time after). and some of it felt a little repetative in the themes and such in ways that i wanted to just tell the author to trust herself that the point was being made, and not to make it again with a different metaphor. BUT, all of that said, i enjoyed this one more than the first, and i think there is something i enjoy and connect with, there. i just want her to stop trying so hard to be funny and let things breath a little more, and we'll be groovy.
god, joe. you broke my damn heart<3
(i'm a pisces sun and a cancer rising, i cry at everything, but i cried HARD).
overall, i enojyed this one much more than 'kiss her once for me' which i had some issues with. it's probably a 3.5 read for me, but i am forgoing my usual rounding down and rounding up instead for joe. although, like with that one... i enjoyed everything happening AROUND the romance, more than the actual romance, again. the real draw and joy of this one for me was joe, and his relationship with rosemary and logan. of grieving, and what ppl mean to each other, and trying really hard to care.
i liked rosemary and logan's romance... fine. i connected much more with rosemary than with logan, just in terms of character/type for me personally. there is some disconnect with me and this author, possibly. she seems to try too hard to make things funny or hammer in points in a way that tends to put me off more than draw me in (in KHOFM, the CONSTANT half moon/quarter moon smile imagery made me, a moon lover, want to claw my eyes out. in this one, the 'insert famous queer person's name into a swear bit' got old and wasn't funny literally the first time it happenened and was annoying every single time after). and some of it felt a little repetative in the themes and such in ways that i wanted to just tell the author to trust herself that the point was being made, and not to make it again with a different metaphor. BUT, all of that said, i enjoyed this one more than the first, and i think there is something i enjoy and connect with, there. i just want her to stop trying so hard to be funny and let things breath a little more, and we'll be groovy.
god, joe. you broke my damn heart<3
July 28, 2024
Logan and Rosemary were best friends as kids but then had a falling out so they had not spoken for years. Now as adults, they’re both teachers at their old high school but still continue to be at odds with each other. Then Joe Delgado, their close friend and former teacher, asks them to take him on a road trip before he succumbs to cancer.
The characters absolutely shine. Joe’s struggle with his deteriorating body is written with care but also with a truthfulness. I appreciate that the author did not sugarcoat what was happening to him or how hard his looming death weighed on Logan and Rosemary. But also, the story found moments of joy and humor which kept things from getting too heavy. Logan and Rosemary have great chemistry and their verbal battles just stoke the fire. I really enjoyed the book but it does have some tough parts.
The characters absolutely shine. Joe’s struggle with his deteriorating body is written with care but also with a truthfulness. I appreciate that the author did not sugarcoat what was happening to him or how hard his looming death weighed on Logan and Rosemary. But also, the story found moments of joy and humor which kept things from getting too heavy. Logan and Rosemary have great chemistry and their verbal battles just stoke the fire. I really enjoyed the book but it does have some tough parts.
January 1, 2024
I always want to start the new year off on the right foot by reading a 5 star book. After much consideration, I realized there was only one right choice: Alison Cochrun's new book, which I've been so highly anticipating, and which I was so sure would be a 5 star read for me. And it absolutely, 100% was!
This sapphic roadtrip book is somewhat unconventional for a romance, considering how dying is one of its main themes and a large focus of the plot. Our two main characters were childhood best friends who fell out and went years without talking. Then they ended up working as teachers at the same school, along with their English teacher, who's something of a parental figure for both of them. This English teacher, Joe, is dying of cancer, and his last wish is to go on a roadtrip and visit his house in Maine.
In a lot of ways, this was the perfect book to start a new year with, because it really cements how precious life is, and how you should LIVE, go after what you want, and be conscious of the things that matter. This is much easier said than done, and it's a great reminder for the new year.
It's a really emotional read, and I ended up reading this in one sitting, because I absolutely couldn't put it down. It never feels like a particularly heavy book, though. The sadness in this book feels more cathartic than heavy, and that makes it comforting in a way. I think the book, with its love and humour, took away a lot of society's general discomfort about death and dying, and showed it as a natural part of life that shouldn't be hidden away. There are so many emotional moments, like I said, but also so many funny moments that take the edge off, which has also always been my own way of dealing with difficult things.
But this book is not just about Joe. It's very much also about Logan and Rosemary going on their own journeys and finding their way towards each other throughout those. I loved how they're so similar in so many ways - both English teachers, both lesbians, both ADHD - but they experience those things in vastly different ways. They don't start out as the most likeable characters, even if I did always find them loveable, but they slowly worm their way into your heart.
This sapphic roadtrip book is somewhat unconventional for a romance, considering how dying is one of its main themes and a large focus of the plot. Our two main characters were childhood best friends who fell out and went years without talking. Then they ended up working as teachers at the same school, along with their English teacher, who's something of a parental figure for both of them. This English teacher, Joe, is dying of cancer, and his last wish is to go on a roadtrip and visit his house in Maine.
In a lot of ways, this was the perfect book to start a new year with, because it really cements how precious life is, and how you should LIVE, go after what you want, and be conscious of the things that matter. This is much easier said than done, and it's a great reminder for the new year.
It's a really emotional read, and I ended up reading this in one sitting, because I absolutely couldn't put it down. It never feels like a particularly heavy book, though. The sadness in this book feels more cathartic than heavy, and that makes it comforting in a way. I think the book, with its love and humour, took away a lot of society's general discomfort about death and dying, and showed it as a natural part of life that shouldn't be hidden away. There are so many emotional moments, like I said, but also so many funny moments that take the edge off, which has also always been my own way of dealing with difficult things.
But this book is not just about Joe. It's very much also about Logan and Rosemary going on their own journeys and finding their way towards each other throughout those. I loved how they're so similar in so many ways - both English teachers, both lesbians, both ADHD - but they experience those things in vastly different ways. They don't start out as the most likeable characters, even if I did always find them loveable, but they slowly worm their way into your heart.
July 11, 2024
Una nota antes de la reseña: La siguiente vez que escuche a alguien hetero decir que “no les gusta leer libros lgtbq+ porque no se ven representados” les voy a dar un zape. No creo que algo tan universal como el amor y la perdida sean temas difíciles de relacionarte. Todos hemos amado y perdido a alguien. (Te invito a que reflexiones si piensas así)
Una vez dicho esto, este libro se va DIRECTO a mi top 5 de mejores lecturas del año. Mas que una historia de amor romántica, es una historia de reencuentros y de honrar a las personas que amamos.
Como aliada de la comunidad siempre intento informarme y este libro me enseñó muchas cosas valiosas para poder estar para mis amiguis.
Me voy a llevar a este libro muy cerquita de mi corazón.
Una vez dicho esto, este libro se va DIRECTO a mi top 5 de mejores lecturas del año. Mas que una historia de amor romántica, es una historia de reencuentros y de honrar a las personas que amamos.
Como aliada de la comunidad siempre intento informarme y este libro me enseñó muchas cosas valiosas para poder estar para mis amiguis.
Me voy a llevar a este libro muy cerquita de mi corazón.
March 30, 2024
How dare this book pull me in with its cute concept and have me violently sobbing by the end.
I came for the sapphic romance, stayed for the queer found family and philosophical heartwarming/heartbreaking narrative about making the most of your life while you’ve got it.
To be honest, I wasn’t obsessed with the romance between the main characters. I loved all of the characters individually, but I don’t see this couple standing the test of time. But for the glimpse we get at their story, I loved it.
Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.
I came for the sapphic romance, stayed for the queer found family and philosophical heartwarming/heartbreaking narrative about making the most of your life while you’ve got it.
To be honest, I wasn’t obsessed with the romance between the main characters. I loved all of the characters individually, but I don’t see this couple standing the test of time. But for the glimpse we get at their story, I loved it.
Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.
April 8, 2024
Should have stopped when I thought to :(
April 5, 2024
I read Alison Cochrun’s previous book, Kiss Her Once for Me, and liked it, but I was not expecting to love this one quite as much as I did. Some of that is for reasons that will translate to many other readers, and some of my enjoyment comes from it combining my own random interests. Either way, I highly recommend this one, even if you have no experience teaching high school English and aren’t also contemplating getting assessed for ADHD.
I love a road trip story, and just as you’d expect, being in a confined space together forces Logan and Rosemary to communicate. There has been a lot of miscommunication between the two of them over the years, including Logan believing that Rosemary is a tight-laced, high-achieving, heterosexual neurotypical person with everything under control. In reality, they’re both neurodivergent lesbians, and Rosemary manages her anxiety with a desperate need to try to be in control, with a plan for everything.
In the acknowledgements, Cochrun calls this a romcom about death, and that is accurate. I appreciated that it doesn’t have a particularly romantic view of death. Death is not a quiet, noble affair.
A lesbian road trip romance + ruminating on death + both characters having ADHD + all the main characters being high school English teachers made this a home run for me, but you don’t have to have my exact configuration of interests to enjoy this friends to almost lovers to enemies to lovers romance. And yes, I cried.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
I love a road trip story, and just as you’d expect, being in a confined space together forces Logan and Rosemary to communicate. There has been a lot of miscommunication between the two of them over the years, including Logan believing that Rosemary is a tight-laced, high-achieving, heterosexual neurotypical person with everything under control. In reality, they’re both neurodivergent lesbians, and Rosemary manages her anxiety with a desperate need to try to be in control, with a plan for everything.
In the acknowledgements, Cochrun calls this a romcom about death, and that is accurate. I appreciated that it doesn’t have a particularly romantic view of death. Death is not a quiet, noble affair.
A lesbian road trip romance + ruminating on death + both characters having ADHD + all the main characters being high school English teachers made this a home run for me, but you don’t have to have my exact configuration of interests to enjoy this friends to almost lovers to enemies to lovers romance. And yes, I cried.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
May 5, 2024
"Life is the prickly pear. It's always going to be a combination of beauty and hurt. No matter how hard you try to protect yourself from the hard parts.There is no way to avoid pain."
I felt this book in my bones. The running away before you can hurt, and the leaving people before they can leave you.
A road-trip towards death and life.
A teacher teaching his last lesson on regrets, living your life fully, and above all, love.
I travelled the immense nature that the American from Coast to Coast is. I was the laughing, rolling-eyes, sobbing, crying-ugly and crying-happy invisible passenger in the bitter-sweet story of Logan, Rosemary, Joe and Odie.
Life is a like a playlist of multiple songs and you are the only one to decide if you want to rewind it, pause it, play it and sing a long, or skip unwanted tracks for a next time, but those same tracks will sooner or later come your way.
Travelling as the discovery and acceptance of your true self has never been so intense and emotional.
Letting go and live and die... happily... with no regrets.
A lesson learnt.
This book is amazing and it will break your heart and fix it many, many times.
And it's all worth it, in the end.
I felt this book in my bones. The running away before you can hurt, and the leaving people before they can leave you.
A road-trip towards death and life.
A teacher teaching his last lesson on regrets, living your life fully, and above all, love.
I travelled the immense nature that the American from Coast to Coast is. I was the laughing, rolling-eyes, sobbing, crying-ugly and crying-happy invisible passenger in the bitter-sweet story of Logan, Rosemary, Joe and Odie.
Life is a like a playlist of multiple songs and you are the only one to decide if you want to rewind it, pause it, play it and sing a long, or skip unwanted tracks for a next time, but those same tracks will sooner or later come your way.
Travelling as the discovery and acceptance of your true self has never been so intense and emotional.
Letting go and live and die... happily... with no regrets.
A lesson learnt.
This book is amazing and it will break your heart and fix it many, many times.
And it's all worth it, in the end.
April 6, 2024
It could have been allergies, of course, but I spent the last half of this novel in tears. Good tears, though, even if they were sometimes sad. I certainly didn't come to the end of this book with any feelings of sadness, even if this book is about grief and loss and new beginnings.
On a personal note, 2023 was a horrid year. I lost 4 people who were very close to me in a 6-month span. I got to tell two of those people goodbye and was in the room when one of them did pass. So I wasn't sure if I was ready for this book, in which two former childhood best friends and enemies-as-adults-colleagues are asked to fulfil the last wish of their former teacher and, for each, their mentor and parental figure to drive him from Oregon to Maine where he wants to die. And how can they refuse this man this last wish, even if it does mean spending time in a small space over multiple days in what will be an emotional and draining journey with the person they each detest the most?
Here We Go Again is a book about death and dying, yes, but it's also a romantic comedy, too. Logan and Rosemary, opposites in everything except for the 3 years they spent as best friends from the ages of 11 to 14 and for their mutual love of their former teacher. Watching them navigate Joe's dying wish as they are confronted with their own childhood trauma was actually entertaining. It also pulled on all my heartstrings. And in coming together for Joe, they're able to deal with their past and what tore them apart and also deal with the present and the future, too.
I'm giving this full marks, even though Logan's invocation of queer people (e.g. "Janelle fucking Monae") didn't work for me (is this a Cochran trademark? Did she do this in Kiss Her Once For Me, too?). But the way this hit me emotionally makes up for any/all of its shortcomings in my mind. I didn't know I needed this book, but I did. I really needed those tears.
On a personal note, 2023 was a horrid year. I lost 4 people who were very close to me in a 6-month span. I got to tell two of those people goodbye and was in the room when one of them did pass. So I wasn't sure if I was ready for this book, in which two former childhood best friends and enemies-as-adults-colleagues are asked to fulfil the last wish of their former teacher and, for each, their mentor and parental figure to drive him from Oregon to Maine where he wants to die. And how can they refuse this man this last wish, even if it does mean spending time in a small space over multiple days in what will be an emotional and draining journey with the person they each detest the most?
Here We Go Again is a book about death and dying, yes, but it's also a romantic comedy, too. Logan and Rosemary, opposites in everything except for the 3 years they spent as best friends from the ages of 11 to 14 and for their mutual love of their former teacher. Watching them navigate Joe's dying wish as they are confronted with their own childhood trauma was actually entertaining. It also pulled on all my heartstrings. And in coming together for Joe, they're able to deal with their past and what tore them apart and also deal with the present and the future, too.
I'm giving this full marks, even though Logan's invocation of queer people (e.g. "Janelle fucking Monae") didn't work for me (is this a Cochran trademark? Did she do this in Kiss Her Once For Me, too?). But the way this hit me emotionally makes up for any/all of its shortcomings in my mind. I didn't know I needed this book, but I did. I really needed those tears.
December 19, 2023
This book was beautiful and wonderful and I highly recommend it. I have only one minor critique: please god enough with using queer icons names as expletives. It would have been funny 2-3 times but it was super overdone and jarred me from the otherwise gorgeously written, heartfelt story.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Booktok | Twitter
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Booktok | Twitter
June 3, 2024
Main characters were very exhausting and it was difficult to keep reading at times. I loved Joe and Remy though.
The pop culture references were too much, the mention of Logan being a fuckboy and the Shay fucking Mitchel exclamations were sooo annoying! They got very old very fast.
The pop culture references were too much, the mention of Logan being a fuckboy and the Shay fucking Mitchel exclamations were sooo annoying! They got very old very fast.
Want to read
June 16, 2023I am so gay for this cover
May 31, 2024
FIRST OF ALL, the amount of spice in Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun was enough to get the people going, and I have to call this a romance since I consider romcoms like Hallmark Christmas movies. 🤣 Also though, while there are definitely parts that made me laugh and I would consider this a funny book it is super sad too and I ugly cried multiple times. In the beginning, I wasn't fully sure how I was going to feel about this one and I was getting ready to rank it at the bottom as far as my love for Cochrun's books go. Once I started getting to the halfway point though my view shifted, and she got me all up in my feels so much that I ended up loving it just as much as her others.
Natalie Naudus & Jeremy Carlisle Parker did a wonderful job of narrating the audiobook and they were perfect for their roles as Logan and Rosemary respectively. Naudus narrated Kiss Her Once for Me as well, and I will never tire of hearing her voice. Both of these women did a beautiful job of capturing both the essence of their characters and the story as a whole and I would recommend the audio to anyone and everyone! Here We Go Again will pull at your heartstrings with its romance, family drama, and found family elements while making you laugh and cry in equal measure. This is yet another emotion-fueled romance from the amazingly talented Cochrun, and I cannot recommend it enough if you are in the mood for something decidedly funny, heartbreaking but hopeful, and spicy in a captivating way.
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Natalie Naudus & Jeremy Carlisle Parker did a wonderful job of narrating the audiobook and they were perfect for their roles as Logan and Rosemary respectively. Naudus narrated Kiss Her Once for Me as well, and I will never tire of hearing her voice. Both of these women did a beautiful job of capturing both the essence of their characters and the story as a whole and I would recommend the audio to anyone and everyone! Here We Go Again will pull at your heartstrings with its romance, family drama, and found family elements while making you laugh and cry in equal measure. This is yet another emotion-fueled romance from the amazingly talented Cochrun, and I cannot recommend it enough if you are in the mood for something decidedly funny, heartbreaking but hopeful, and spicy in a captivating way.
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
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