This book was about a recovering alcoholic named Emma who lives in Nrw York. Emma’ has not dated in a year so
her friends have decided to make her an online profile. This attracts some unwanted attention from a man in her office. Emma becomes friends with Ben, the IT guy, after a rather awkward start. This book delves into their relationship and confronts issues from the past. I was not sure if I would like this book at first but I did enjoy it. I found the author humorous and also sentimental. I give this one 4 stars. Thanks NetGalley for the early release of this book.

This book caught me by surprise. I resonated with it in too many ways to feel coincidental:
- first relationships
- living in nyc
- working in marketing
- social awkwardness
- navigating death
- even our star signs and our partners star signs are exactly the same

i was deeply in my feels throughout the book, but that last part brought me to tears.

so many of the places were familiar to me - i could imagine exactly what she was describing. the feelings were relatable - the writing was well paced and flowed nicely between descriptive prose that grounds you in the setting, and dialogue.

this novel is filled with beautifully written relationships.

Beautiful prose and story of a 26 year old woman and her explorations of being 1 year sober from alcoholism and in AA. The main character recounts her life and experiences honestly and vulnerably. My only qualm was that it was a slow read but that’s on me as I am typically a thriller reader.

Has someone who has never struggled with addiction, but has had friends that do. This book help me see things through their eyes I had never even thought about. Following the FMC journey really opened my eyes in the world of addiction and the struggles it brings. Thank you so much for letting me be an ARC reader. Will definitely be telling my friends and family to read.

As someone who has never personally struggled with addiction, I was worried this book wouldn’t resonate with me. I was so very wrong! Following Emma through her journey being 1 year sober as she navigated relationships and finding herself as Sober Emma was so relatable even to me. I loved how Ava made an emphasis on the different versions of Emma that people saw and interacted with because I find myself having different versions of myself depending on who I am around. Knowing that others struggle to find their true authentic selves in their adult life was comforting.

I’m so eager for this book to be available to the public! This was a great debut novel by Ava!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, even with some slow part that dragged a bit. I don’t always enjoy books that focus on AA as it goes against their mission but I liked the creative spin it had. It also showed the different types of meetings one can go to. However, I will mention that it does give a skewed vision of AA and what happens at the year mark.

The book explores that it’s not as simple as she makes it out to be at the beginning which is great, but since people learn info from books, even fiction ones, It did get a bit stereotypical and “tropey” with this magical date that would change an alcoholics life. That’s not reality at all. You can be sober for a year and have done none of the other work in AA which doesn’t afford you the “privileges” mentioned in the book.

Anyway, I won’t get bogged down in that. This book can give insight into the process, be a connection for those in recovery all while not getting bogged down in it. The romance part of it lightens it up and makes it an enjoyable tale for many. It’s a journey of self reflections and redemption all while being put on the committee to organize a yearly holiday party for her office. What could go wrong?

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I loved this book so much! Emma is 26 and newly 1 year sober after 10 years of alcoholism. She's trying to be the best version of herself, but she's finding it difficult. It's difficult to know where her boundaries are, how to let people in, WHO to let it, how to have fun sober, how to date sober.

I find AA culture fascinating and this book contained A LOT of that. There was also a very sweet romantic subplot, but I wouldn't particularly characterize this as a romance. It really was a coming of age story about someone who is trying to find herself, but her humanity keeps getting in the way. 100% recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Rating: 2.25/5 stars

Recently, I created a Netgalley account and this was my very first approved eARC (yay!). The premise of this book seemed really interesting because of the way the main character is described. Right off the bat, Ava Robinson makes it known that Emma is far from perfect and her life is not anything close to what she imagined it would be. Maybe it's because of where I'm at in my life right now, but I felt as if I could truly resonate with that. It brought me a sense of comfort to know I wasn't going to read about this perfect, bubbly, outgoing woman who has her life put together. I really enjoyed learning about Emma's past and her struggle with sobriety as the book progressed. It was sad to read that she was never able to reconnect with Susanah (her best friend pre-sobriety), but that's probably very on par with what a lot of alcoholics experience during their journey. While I did really like Ben (Emma's love interest), I felt as if there wasn't any true chemistry between them until the very end of the book when Ben starts talking about his friend who passed away due to an overdose. I thought that conversation really established a vulnerability and connection between the two characters that was otherwise lacking in previous pages. While I'm on the subject of love interests, I would just like to take a minute and ask...why did Mitchell need to be written in this story? In my opinion, he quite literally didn't have any relevance and I thought he didn't add much to Emma's growth. At the end, she still hates him and there's not much else she has to say about him. There were definitely some major flaws in this book, but it was a cute, fluffy read that definitely had me staying up past my bedtime to finish.

Emma, 26 and an alcoholic, reaches her one-year sober anniversary. She's being responsible: her own apartment, holding down an office job and following all the Alcoholics Anonymous rules.

But of course, Emma still has significant work to do. The realizations and comparisons she makes between drunk and sober life can be really mature and insightful. But some of her tendencies to overreact can be frustrating.

Voluntold for the "fun committee," charged with planning the annual holiday party, Emma finds herself in the group with the gossipy HR manager, a "bro" from finance, and the cute IT director.

Learning that life in general is a work in progress, sober or not, seems to be a major lesson for Emma. The story is quite touching, but have some kleenex handy.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Ava Robinson for the ARC.

Definitely Better Now is a really solid debut. My biggest takeaway is that I found it refreshing to have an alcoholic main character who was not an unreliable narrator. I feel like alcoholism is often used as a trope in thrillers to create witnesses to crime who aren’t believed because of their alcoholism (I’m looking at you The Woman in the Window and The Girl on the Train). Obviously, Definitely Better Now is not a thriller, but nonetheless I appreciated that Emma’s experience with alcoholism was redemptive. The description of AA and Emma’s experience felt genuine and I was really rooting for her.

3.5! Definitely Better Now is an eye-opening story that discusses the complexities of life, how we come out of it, and the person we become. We follow Emma’s journey of sobriety after having just celebrated a year of sobriety. Emma has such a big personality and an amazing sense of humor. I loved seeing all of her inner thoughts as she interacted with people because it was so relatable. One specific topic that I think was important throughout the book was Emma wondering whether she was still likable although she was sober. She believed that she was living a great life when she was drinking and doing drugs and many people liked that version of her. Now in sobriety, she questions whether others will like this new version of her just as much as she does. Although Emma was already a year sober I think that the time after this accomplishment is when she truly is healing and feels like she can truly live her life. Although there is romance in this book, it is more of a subplot which I think was the best decision.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who appreciates the complexities of life and the beauty of transformation, I wholeheartedly recommend Ava Robinson’s “Definitely Better Now.” This debut novel is a bittersweet and darkly hilarious journey through sobriety and the messiness of life that awaits us. Emma’s story of starting over sober, navigating family dynamics, and finding love is both witty and profoundly relatable. It’s a touching reminder that life’s biggest challenges can also lead to its most rewarding moments. For anyone looking for a story that’s as heartfelt as it is humorous, “Definitely Better Now” is a must-read!

This one was so many things wrapped in one. It had an element of surface level, girlie rom-com, mixed with Sandra Bullock 28 Days, mixed with powerful tear-jerker. I was kind of just plodding along at first. Ok, a girl is in recovery and is trying to adjust to her new life without alcohol, but somewhere around the halfway mark it just gripped me. I really liked Emma, I rooted for her the whole time. I really like Ben. I liked them together. The family part was very touching. I finished this book last night and I thought about it all night; for me that's the sign of a good book. It was beautiful in a way that is subtly morphed from one thing into quite another and I loved the character development Emma was navigating in her head. One small problem, there was a line that said something about "Sharon Stone in Fatal Attraction"...wrong movie, I really hope someone catches that before it goes to print. All in all, a really great read and I would definitely read another book by Ava Robinson.

Wow, this was a tough raw read but in a good way. There are a lot of triggers for those that might be experiencing some of the same struggles but so worth the read to see that anything is possible.

such an amazing debut novel. i loved it more than i expected too. we can definitely add this book to the list of ones that have made me cry, because i did… cry. i got more emotional that i expected. i loved following emma’s journey after her first year of sobriety and everything that came with that. she felt incredibly real to me. the slow burn of her relationship with ben felt right. the self sabotage in certain moments felt incredibly real too. i loved that ben was understanding, but never made it weird. he was everything i wanted for emma and more. definitely a book i will be excited to physically own. my only downside is that i wish it was longer, i would’ve loved more.

This book. Oh my goodness. I don't wish I could give it infinite stars. The ability to share with the audience how the main character deals with life sober is incredible! This book could help so many people!!!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for making this available to "Read Now" on NetGalley.

Since the beginning of the year, I have searched for a story like this. I read other trending novels depicting some of the same issues featured in this story, and all felt short. Definitely Better Now hit the spot! From the first page, I instantly loved the writing style and felt drawn to the character. I loved being inside Emma's head. She's a complex character, and there are many layers to her personality and life.

With each chapter, you uncover more about Emma's life, her wishes for the future, her dark past, and the complicated state of her life. Emma's self-doubt and self-sabotage can sometimes be frustrating, but I never stopped liking her. There's a wide range of characters, some whom you will absolutely love and others whom you will definitely hate. The romance gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling; I enjoyed every minute of it. This story will spark all sorts of emotions in you.

The themes surrounding alcoholism show a side of recovery that maybe most people ignore. Emma was very confident in her decision to stay sober, but her first year revolved around AA, and she lost a sense of reality in the comfort of her support group. Other themes portrayed are the isolation of recovery, dating while in recovery, damage done by alcoholism, lost friendships, and life with an alcoholic parent. Despite the story being centered on a very specific struggle, everyone can connect with the main character. Ava Robinson gives the reader a story to invest in.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

Definitely Better Now centers around Emma, celebrating her one-year of sobriety and navigating her romantic life amidst a backdrop of family relationships and re-finding herself and who she is. This was such a tender book, with probably one of the realest characters I've ever read-- the amount of detail included about AA, sponsorships, but also about how Emma dealt with and moved through life and her family relationships? It all felt so much like a real person with a real voice. This was just such a compassionate love story about a young woman who is re-emerging from her battle.

I did unfortunately DNF this book - not due to any writing issues or plot, but primarily because I just wasn't in the right headspace for it and couldn't get into it enough to stick with it for its entirety. Sometimes when I read romance books, I want fluff and giggles, and other times, I want a realistic, fleshed out, thoughtful romance. This is the latter. There is just so much time spent on Emma as a character study, and less so on the plot, and I, in the midst of a heavy studying period, was primarily looking for a fast entertainment fix. I think this book is absolutely still worthwhile to dedicate time to, especially for a thoughtful portrayal of sobriety!

This is such an amazing debut! I was really intrigued by the premise, as I've never read a book from the POV of a recovering alcoholic, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Emma is celebrating a year of sobriety, which means she's essentially ready to take off the 'training wheels' and start living her life again- including stepping back into the dating pool. As she starts to build her new life- navigating new friendships, an office romance, and family issues- it becomes clear that giving up alcohol is not going to solve ALL of her problems. This had a coming of age feel to it that I really enjoyed- and Emma was such a relatable character despite having almost nothing in common with her. I really enjoyed the subtle humor and awkwardness, particularly in the office scenes. The romance between Emma and Ben was really sweet and I just loved Ben's character in general. There is some heavier subject matter, particularly the last third of the book as she is losing her father, so that may be tough for some readers who are sensitive to this topic. I will say at times I was a bit confused by lack of dialogue tags- particularly in the texting/IM-ing scenes (which there was quite a lot of)- I think it would flow much better if these were cleaned up a bit. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found the writing to be very impressive for a debut author. I look forward to reading more from Ava Robinson!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book had me feeling all the feelings. I loved the main character, Emma. I found her to be so relatable as a woman navigating the world. I find so many books have leading ladies that say and fo things totally out of the realm of real life - this felt so realistic.. I laughed and cried and would recommend this book to everyone, especially post college, young adults.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for proving a free copy, in exchange for my honest review.

I just reviewed Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson. #DefinitelyBetterNow #NetGalley