This was a light, entertaining book about a quirky family and a little mystery always captures my attention. It revolves around the divorce of Allison Clark, her brilliant and rebellious twins, and her difficult dying mother who holds the key to a life changing family secret. There are many other characters who contribute to Allison's quest to find the answer to why her deceased father had been making large payments to someone through his personal attorney and, seemingly, from the family owned company for over fifty years.
The reason I gave it three stars instead of four was that I would have liked to see a little more depth in the characters, a little more time spent on their transitions and growth during the course of the story. That Allison 'put on her big girl clothes' and went to confront her nemesis, completely transformed into a strong and assertive woman as a result of reading her aunt's self-help book did not ring true for me, especially when she brought her best friend, Beth, who was a world class lawyer, as well as Beth's law team, along for the confrontation. Allison's twins were business geniuses at barely 18 years old and able to beat people with years of experience running large companies. But we didn't find out much more about them as characters.
Allison's aunts, as well as her mom's, personalities lit up the page. They were eccentric and fun. All in all, an engaging read during this time of shelter- in-place.

I requested to read and review Better Choices by authors Rod Pennington And Jeffery A. Martin. I requested this from publishing company Integration Press. This book deals alot on family dynamics and how each family is so different. This is told in a fiction setting but can see a lot of nonfiction in it. You can't help but fall in love with the characters and all their quirks from Edna, the twins, Allie, Beth. Aunt Tillie and Jolene. I can picture them in the main house. And can picture what Charles Sr. was like. I love all the twist and turns in this story. Just when you think you have the story figured out, they
throw in a curve ball. It's a great story for any type of reader.

I received a free e-ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I have to say that my enjoyment of this book was rather influenced by a transphobic comment by one of the characters that was totally unnecessary. As someone with transgender friends, this was quite repugnant to me. As the title of the book is "Better Choices," I think the authors definitely could've made better choices in not including that which detracts from the book's main content.

I didn't like the main character because really, the book's storyline seemed to happen to her and not by her as she is swept along. She is not a strong female character. Her daughter was more of a kick ass female at age 17.

Although there were aspects of this book that I liked, as a whole I found it to be very predictable and not at all realistic. The self-help segments throughout the book were helpful to me as they caused self reflection. I also liked the strong sense of family and lasting friendships portrayed in the book. I did not like the way many of the relationships instantly changed and how the schemes were over the top and always worked out perfectly.

This book was totally contrived, far fetched and unbelievable. 18 year olds getting control of a large company, women on the day her divorce is final goes to bed with her high school sweetheart, aunt Jolene going in and out of dementia just to name a few. Sorry to say this book was a total waste of my time.

I was provided an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own.
I had no expectations going in to this book, as I had never heard of it or read anything else by this author. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was lighthearted and an easy read. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Honestly, the plot was a little all over the place, but that is what I enjoyed. I kept thinking it read like a TV show....different story lines each episode or week. I think that is what kept my interest.
I just finished the book and the ending was easily predicted, but still a good one. The characters are definitely a little too perfect and privileged, but it didn't seem to annoy me. It fit into the story line and that was important.
My only criticism is that there were a few grammatical and spelling errors throughout. Nothing major, but I did notice them. I am a little more critical of those things, but it didn't take away from the story for me. The epilogue did have some word tense issues (using present and past in same sentence).
Overall, I recommend this book for anyone looking for a more light-hearted read. Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.

This book is totally different then most books I read. The book is light, funny, and enjoyable to read. It is about a family, it’s extended relatives, and as with all families, the secrets they hold. It has a number of twists and terns, revealing the secrets in the end. I felt the author was good as it was something I never expected. With so much going on in our lives, it was nice to sit down, have a good laugh now and again, and to just enjoy a book without having to think about it to much. I highly recommend it.

I thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book before it is released.

A delightful read from the very first word! Allie has spent her life doing everything expected of her, just to keep the peace. Her husband, Lindsey, is a philanderer. They have agreed to divorce, have written up the agreement but will not make it official until their twins are 18, which happens in a few weeks. Allie suddenly ‘wakes up’, courtesy of Aunt Jolene, realizes she has been walked on by most everyone, and ‘mans up’. The characters are adorable, the story unique, I just loved everything about it. It is a light and fun read. I would read it again.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book for a honest review. I do not typically read male authors, for no real reason, but I really enjoyed this book. I read this book quickly as I wanted to know what happens next. This book is about the O’Connor family. Mom, Edna. Children Allison and Robert. Grandchildren Robert Jr, Charles and Angela. Allison is in a loveless marriage heading for divorce once Charles and Angela graduate from high school. Robert is on his second marriage to a a much younger woman and has a child from his first marriage, Robert. The family owns a business which Robert Sr runs. Edna has a health issue that causes the business and the contents of Edna’s will to come front and center. The grandchildren are portrayed early on in the novel as screw ups but Charles and Angela’s keen business sense comes to everyones attention. Charles and Angela work with their father, Lindsey, to save the O’Connor family business. This book is really about family and how family negotiates difficult situations that every family faces eventually.

Despite dealing with the serious topics of divorce, complicated family relationships and death, this is a lighthearted and life-affirming story full of funny and interesting characters. I enjoyed though it was not my favorite book.

A great story about the many changes that occur in our lives and ways to deal with the good and the bad. Wonderful characters that seem to come to life on the pages of this book. It also shows the importance of family and a woman's friends/sisterhood.

A light-hearted, interesting and fun story of family drama. Allison, who has 18 year old twins and a philandering husband, is the center of the story and we learn about her parents, children, aunts and friends and the complicated web that is family life. Central to this story are Allison’s choices in life that lead to her growth as a person and her happiness and peace. This is an engaging, well-written book.

Allison O’Connor Clark made some poor choices in her life. The biggest mistake was marrying Lindsey Clark. She planned to stick with her marriage until her twins reach eighteen years old. As that day approaches, her mother has a health crisis that leaves Allison caring for Edna. With the help of her zany aunts, Allison changes her thought process and finds herself. She discovers things about her children that surprised her. As Allison goes about changing her life for the better, she figures out how to live life on her terms. She also finds that there is a long-buried family secret that will rock her idea of what her life and family really are.

Better Choices is a quick and easy read. It is entertaining and funny. It’s a good choice for lighthearted entertainment.

What a fun book!! Not my usual genre but definitely an entertaining and enjoyable read! Family dynamics, sibling rivalries, best friends, philandering husbands, old best friends, and sassy aunts combine to create a hoot of a book, just right for taking one's mind off difficult times. Read this book.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thoroughly loved this book. It is about a woman, Allison, who is in her 50’s who’s going through a divorce and has two teenage children going out on their own .

It delves into her different relationships with her mother, aunts, friends etc.

It’s a light read but very enjoy. I’ll be looking at this author again!

Better chances was a predictable read but kept my interest with the diverse characters. I enjoyed the feisty women chapters but was somewhat upset with Allison’s naivety. I had to shake my head several times at her behavior. I was pleased that she finally gained some spunk! This was an enjoyable read.

Family drama with a secret kept in the closet for many years. I totally enjoyed this weekend read.
Big changes for Allison with her twins turning 18 and a divorce finally in her future. The characters were all likeable for me and the bits of humor thrown in here and there added to the story. It was good to see how the family were there to help each other.

The story begins with fiftyish Allison having a really bad day. The school counselor called, again, about her almost graduating twins, she needs to sign her divorce papers, and her mother is in the ER with a cardiac episode and her brother complaining about the estate his parents set up. Alison is one of those people who lives her life "go along to get along" and that makes her fairly unobservant to her surroundings. Her father left his mark on his grandchildren which obviously past her by. Fairly unobserved by her, many things have been going on around her, she just never asked questions or thought much about it until her miserable day takes its toll, and everything hits her in the face at once. Likable characters, very well written with a little self help philosophy thrown in, amounts to a read I very much enjoyed. The mystery was interesting, but hardly potential devastation. Appreciate NetGalley and the authors for allowing me an ARC for an honest opinion.

Nice, light book about a woman facing a new chapter in her life. Her character makes an abrupt change to how she does things, hence the title, "Better Choices".

There is not a whole lot of tension in the book; it is more about watching the main character take charge of her life. There is a little bit of mystery but nothing hard to figure out. It is meant more to show how the characters grow.

A little bit unbelievable are Angela and Charles, Allison's twin children.

Overall a nice, clean, fast read.

I received a free ARC as a reviewer for NetGalley.

A fresh and very engaging noel of motherhood and bad marriages. There was a very easy style of writing which was a delightful read.