You, Again

You, Again (2023) is American author Kate Goldbeck’s debut novel. It is a contemporary romance novel that follows Ari, a free-spirited comedian, and Josh, an ambitious chef, who initially have nothing in common except the fact that they are both sleeping with the same woman. Framed as a modern adaptation of the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally, You, Again follows Ari and Josh’s initial animosity toward each other, which develops into friendship and later romantic feelings. The novel explores The Rarity and Value of Friendship Over Romance, The Cost and Benefit of Following Professional Dreams, and The Significance of Timing in Relationships. 

This guide refers to the 2023 Dial Press e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of substance use, sexual content, death, mental illness, and cursing.

Plot Summary

In 2014, Josh Kestenberg and Arianna “Ari” Sloane first meet when Josh rudely brushes off Ari while she is canvassing for her job. Ari is an aspiring comedian, and Josh is a chef at a prominent New York restaurant. They encounter one another that same evening when Josh shows up for a date with Ari’s roommate, with whom Ari has also been having sex. The two debate the merits of monogamy versus having multiple sexual partners. Their discourse becomes heated.

Three years later, Ari and Josh encounter one another again when Josh fires Radhya, Ari’s best friend, from the restaurant where they both work. Ari is angry with Josh for firing Radhya for something that was ultimately Josh’s fault. Two years later, Josh and Ari encounter one another again at a New Year’s Eve party hosted by Ari’s wife, Cass Nichols.

Another three years later, Josh and Ari meet again, this time in a sex-toy shop. Josh is struggling with his failure to turn his late father’s restaurant, Brodsky’s, into an upscale restaurant called The Brod. His long-term girlfriend, Sophie, also recently left him. Ari, meanwhile, is reeling over Cass suddenly leaving her for another woman. The two find comfort in their shared unhappiness and decide to become friends.

Josh and Ari grow closer, something that Ari initially keeps from Radhya given Radhya’s continued animosity toward Josh. The two new friends go on various escapades, including watching movies over the phone together and confiding in one another about their depression. When Radhya finds out about Ari’s friendship with Josh, she is hurt; eventually, Ari explains that she feels free to be sad in Josh’s company. While Josh and Ari continue to date other people throughout their friendship, these dates never go anywhere. Josh quickly finds reasons to dismiss potential girlfriends as being unsuitable, while Ari has casual sexual encounters with couples who are seeking another sex partner but not another romantic partner. Their relationship grows even closer when they encounter Cass at a bookstore called The Strand, where she is planning an engagement party for the woman she left Ari for. Ari breaks down crying in front of Josh.

Ari attends a New Year’s Eve gala to honor Josh’s late father. Josh’s sister, Briar Kestenberg, and his mother, Abby Cohen, seek to matchmake Ari and Josh despite their insistence that they are just friends. They leave the gala to walk through Central Park and kiss one another at midnight.

After their kiss, Ari avoids Josh, anxious about how this might shift their relationship. Josh confronts her at Radhya’s pop-up restaurant, and they admit that they both desire one another. They have sex at Josh’s apartment, and both find the experience emotionally intense. This makes Josh feel that he and Ari should be in a relationship, while Ari feels that she has revealed too much of herself, especially after she tells Josh that she loves him.

Abby connects Ari with a job at WinProv, a company that hosts improv workshops for corporate retreats. Ari is hesitant about the job at first, as WinProv’s client list includes unethical corporations. Spurred by a desire to earn a steady paycheck (something she sees as a sign of maturity) and anxiety about her growing closeness to Josh, she accepts the job. When she tells Josh about the new position, they argue. Josh insists that they should be in a relationship, but Ari sees their relationship as destined to fail. Their argument devolves into insults, leaving their friendship in tatters.

Over the next several months, Ari works at WinProv and avoids thinking about Josh. Josh, meanwhile, also avoids thinking of Ari until Radhya and Briar propose that they come together to open a restaurant in Brodsky’s building; Radhya will be the head chef, Josh will work for her, and Briar will do the marketing. Josh is initially uncertain, but he agrees to do a temporary pop-up. If the restaurant doesn’t work, he can still decide to sell the Brodsky’s building.

Ari does a WinProv seminar at NeverTired, a company where she worked for low wages before her WinProv job. She learns of Radhya’s plan to work with Josh and confronts her friend; Radhya counters that Ari shut Radhya out since leaving New York, which is why Ari didn’t know about the collaboration. When Ari returns to work, she hears the executives planning ways to exploit their workers without paying them. She directs the executives to play an improv game where they insult one another, which results in her getting fired.

Several months after that, Ari attends the opening of Josh and Radhya’s pop-up, Shaak + Schmaltz, which combines Radhya’s background in Gujarati cuisine with Brodsky’s history as an iconic New York Jewish deli. Josh and Ari speak for the first time in months; Josh recognizes that he should not have pushed her into a relationship but also claims that he cannot return to being friends, as he still loves her. When they leave, Ari assumes that she will never see him again.

Ari spends the next several months repairing her friendships with Radhya and Gabe, a friend with whom she does improv. She returns slowly to performing comedy, something she finds healing. Josh, meanwhile, debates whether he should stay in New York and continue with Shaak + Schmaltz or sell the Brodsky’s building and start over.

On New Year’s Eve, Ari attends Gabe’s open mic. When a couple gets engaged, she realizes that she wants to be with Josh. She runs to Central Park before midnight, where Josh is preparing to run a race that starts at the stroke of the new year. She texts him as she pushes through the crowd, insisting on her love and apologizing for taking so long to admit her feelings. The two kiss, return to Josh’s apartment to have sex, and proclaim themselves an official couple.

A year later, Ari and Josh propose to one another, which Ari confirms is because she loves Josh, not because she feels like she has to prove herself to him.