51 pages • 1 hour read
Kate GoldbeckYou, Again
Kate GoldbeckFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Parts 8-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 8: “Two Months Later” - Part 9: “One Year Later”
Part 8, Chapter 27 Summary
Ari attends one of Gabe’s shows to apologize for her abrupt departure from New York. He counters that Ari abandoned the group before her departure, giving excuses instead of being honest about her needs. He reminds her that she feels so bleak in part because she is not “replenish[ing her] well” by doing comedy (393). He asserts that if she wants his forgiveness, she has to perform; he gives her the pseudonym “Freckles McCloud” to let her perform anonymously. When the set is over, she feels excited, even if the comedy only went somewhat well.
Ari goes to Radhya’s house and admits her insecurities; Radhya counters that she, too, is imperfect but still values their friendship. She mentions that Josh is considering seeking a job in California for a “fresh start.” Ari explains her friendship with Josh but breaks down crying because she misses him.
Josh goes to Brodsky’s, which his mother has reverted to its conditions before Josh tried to change it to The Brod. He agonizes over the decision to sell the restaurant, uncertain if it’s a good step or something he will regret. Abby arrives; she and Josh make egg salad together. Abby asks about Ari. Josh, still upset that Abby got Ari the job away from New York, snaps at her about offering Ari another distant job. He cries about losing Ari and his father as his parents’ wedding song plays. Abby thinks that Josh’s father would be proud of Shaak + Schmaltz, and Josh wonders if they should continue the pop-up.
Part 8, Chapter 28 Summary
On New Year’s Eve, Ari hosts Gabe’s annual open-mic fundraiser. Radhya and Gabe reminisce about the previous New Year’s Eve, which makes Ari think of Josh. Fifteen minutes before midnight, a man proposes to his boyfriend. Ari reads a toast from a previous NeverTired job, realizing that she wrote it with Josh and that the details in the toast about who someone should marry apply to their relationship. She decides to go see Josh; Briar’s social media shows that he is preparing to run the Central Park race.
Ari decides to run to Central Park, as the streets will be too crowded to get a taxi. She switches phones with Gabe, fearing that Josh has blocked her phone number. Gabe notes that running to someone she loves on a deadline is a movie trope.
Part 8, Chapter 29 Summary
Ari runs through the crowded streets, worrying over what she plans to say to Josh, what she will do if he has someone with him, and whether she will find him. She finds the race start point and spots him in the crowd.
Josh assumes that he is mistaken when he spots Ari at a distance. He realizes that it is truly her when she yells his name and tries to cross the barrier, only to have the police stop her. Just before the race is set to start, he gets a text. He is unconvinced by Ari’s claim that she has “something to say” but is shocked when she says she loves him (421). He is annoyed when she makes a joke and replies that he refuses to return to being friends. She claims that she has a “whole speech,” which he demands to hear. The race starts around him and Briar, but he doesn’t move. Ari sends him a long series of texts that discuss wanting to spend time together romantically, including sex and day-to-day activities. She apologizes for taking so long to be able to admit her feelings.
Ari frets when she does not receive a response from Josh but is happy when she sees him running against the direction of the race to approach her. His face is serious, however, and she fears rejection until he admits that he still loves her, too. She promises not to recant her declaration of love. They kiss and return to Josh’s apartment.
Part 8, Chapter 30 Summary
Josh is pleased to make Ari breakfast the next morning. He is nervous when he calls her his girlfriend but happy when she calls him her boyfriend. They have sex, which distracts Josh, causing their breakfast to burn.
Part 9, Chapter 31 Summary
Ari and Josh walk down the street, chatting about Briar, Gabe, and Radhya, who is still Josh’s boss. Ari pulls him into the sex-toy shop where they first reconnected as friends. She produces a sex toy shaped like a ring and asks him to marry her. At first, Josh assumes that this is a joke, but when he realizes that she is serious, he asserts that he doesn’t want to get married just so that she can “prove” herself to him. He produces an engagement ring from his pocket, which he has been carrying around. This makes Ari happy, and they agree to get married.
Parts 8-9 Analysis
The final section of the novel shows Ari reconciling with the people she hurt with her departure from New York, including Radhya, Gabe, and, ultimately, Josh. Radhya and Ari’s reconciliation further develops The Rarity and Value of Friendship Over Romance, emphasizing that friendships are important alongside romance. The things that Radhya wants from Ari in terms of friendship are specifically the things that Josh cannot offer Ari without a romantic connection to go with them; Radhya is hurt by Ari not coming to her with her romantic woes, while Josh feels that he cannot listen to Ari’s romantic woes without being hurt. Josh does not want to return to being “buddies,” while Radhya wants precisely this relationship with her best friend. The novel, therefore, indicates that romances and friendships are important relationships when it comes to having adequate emotional intimacy and support in one’s life; for Josh, familial relationships are also important, as he learns to confide in Abby about his personal life and sorrow over his professional failures and aspirations.
Chapter 27 looks at the purpose of food, something that Josh has long held as a cultural signifier of success. In doing so, the author brings The Cost and Benefit of Following Professional Dreams to its final arc. When Josh reminisces about Brodsky’s, a place that he has long maintained an emotional distance from, he thinks of it fondly, realizing that it made others happy. Though Josh does not give up his desire to cook more flavorful food (something that even Abby agrees Danny could have improved upon), he begins to see cooking as something that can generate joy—which, in turn, contributes to his increased joy in cooking.
Part 9 functions as an epilogue to the text; it takes place a year after Ari and Josh have committed to being in a relationship with one another. The single chapter of the part brings other characters’ arcs to a close; notably, Radhya is still Josh’s boss, which emphasizes the continued success of Shaak + Schmaltz. The dual proposal that Josh and Ari give to one another in this final chapter brings their disagreement about relationships (from Chapter 1) full circle and emphasizes The Significance of Timing in Relationships for the protagonists. When Ari is the first to propose, Josh, who has long desired marriage, worries that she is asking him just to prove herself to him. Ari confesses that she still has some lingering insecurities but that she wants to marry Josh for him. Ari’s remaining concerns about her supposed worth demonstrate that Ari does not need to be perfect to “earn” Josh’s love; they care for and love one another as they are. Similarly, Josh carrying around the engagement ring to wait for the perfect moment to propose draws upon his established desire to have things orderly and safe, though his ability to laugh about this penchant indicates that it does not control him in the manner that it once did. The author thus frames Ari and Josh in the novel’s final chapter as characters who not only have grown together but who will also continue to grow together. In doing so, the novel ends on a hopeful note with the proposal.
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