Definitely Better Now

By: Ava Robinson

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

A touching and deeply funny debut about starting over sober only to discover life’s biggest messes are still waiting right where you left them.

The very last person anyone should worry about is Emma. Yes, hi, she’s an alcoholic. But she’s officially been sober for one entire year. That’s twelve months of better health. Fifty-two whole weeks of focusing on nothing but her nine-to-five office job, group meetings, and avoiding the kind of bad decisions that previously left her awash in shame and regret. It’s also been 365 days of not dating. And with her new dating profile, Emma, 26, of New York is ready to put herself back out there.

Except—was dating always this complicated? And did Emma’s mother really have to choose now to move in with her new boyfriend? Being assigned to plan her office’s holiday party feels like icing on the suddenly very overwhelming cake until her estranged father reappears with devastating news. Icing, meet cherry on top. But then there’s Ben, the charming IT guy who, despite Emma’s awkwardness and shortcomings, seems to maybe actually get her? Sobriety is turning out to be far from the flawless future Emma had once envisioned for herself, but as she allows herself to open up to Ben and confront difficult past relationships, she’s beginning to realize that taking things one day at a time might just be the perfectly imperfect path she’s meant to be on.

Bittersweet and darkly hilarious, Ava Robinson’s debut novel about navigating sobriety and complicated family dynamics is witty, heartbreaking, and profoundly relatable.

©2024 Ava Robinson (P)2024 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Amazing

This was so good. As a person in recovery I found a lot of myself in the lead character. The 2nd guessing the thinking I'm crazy. Worried constantly what ppl wld think of me if they knew. This book felt real in ways that hit my heart. I laughed I cried I cared through the whole thing!!

Love the narrator

This story had a way of having a slow plot but still being captivating. I when to tell my friends about this book but while trying to describe the plot there wasn’t much to tell. It still had me saying “one more chapter.” I also loved the narrator they made the whole story Easier to get absorbed in.

Heartwarming

Emma has a great story and you feel all her feels. I love that you get to experience her new relationships with her and navigate a new norm.

Wonderfully Human

You know it’s a good book if you sit in your driveway an extra five minutes once you’ve already arrived home. She somehow captures how you can be drowning in grief one moment and then feel this strange flicker of hope or connection the next. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful, and it just feels so human.

Excellent insight

Many themes in this book…
Finding the individual apart from the addiction, finding your own path among the many different styles of AA that are out there, and how to be vulnerable. I loved this book.

A book of forgiving

Definitely Better Now :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ might want to read triggers first. Generational alcoholism and living without alcohol 🍷 a book of forgiveness

A beautiful heartfelt and honest story

This story was so beautifully written. Whether you are sober or not, every aspect is to relatable. This book moved me, brought me to my knees with tears and sorrow but left me with so much hope. Highly recommend