This book was just ok for me. I didn’t love it - I didn’t hate it. I do want to thank the publishers for this arc!

Thank you @harlequinbooks and @netgalley for the Advanced Reader eCopy of Ava Robinson’s Definitely Better Now.

I can count the funny moments in this book in one hand. I was expecting Eleanor Oliphant or I Hope This Finds You Well vibes from this one, and did not get it.

Learned a lot about sobriety, addiction, AA, and one’s recovery journey. I liked Emma and Ben’s relationship progression, and the highlight for me was Emma’s reconnection with her father. There was not enough moments of redemption to balance out all of Emma’s first person self-deprecating internal monologues, and that for me was the weak point of this book. I did appreciate the anecdotes on power, and our human nature to seek control despite not having any.

What a great read! I found myself thinking of this and what would happen next in the moments I was unable to read it. Of course, it’s difficult subject matter and being inside Emma’s head can be hard sometimes. But, I think this book provides such insight into what the struggle may look like for someone struggling with addiction and the anxiety it brings to try to be a “good, normal” human with the social challenges life can bring. The introduction of HG and the Big Book also added a complexity that I enjoyed. The whole book introduces characters that opens up a debate of what makes a good or bad person. Maybe as Ben said, there’s no villains or fools, just people. Also speaking of Ben, heart eyes forever!!

*Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is a heartfelt read that dives into addiction, sobriety, mental health and family.
Emma is navigating sobriety, dating, navigating friendships and family issues. I enjoyed Emma's journey and her relationship with Ben.

This book took me by surprise in the best way possible! It was one of those books that had me stopping to reflect. It is depressing at times due to the heavy topics, but there is a lot of dark humor mixed in. My favorite kind of books are ones that deal with messy characters who experience growth and this delivered. It was tender and thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin trade Publishing/MIRA for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Emma, 26, has just celebrated her first year sober and with her new adopted lifestyle, she is ready to put herself out there. Emma is open to dating, she’s on the party planning committee at work and she’s even working on her difficult familial relationships. This witty, relatable, and heart-felt debut novel effectively captures what it is like to be a young woman in NYC living a newly sober life, including all of the ups and downs.

I enjoyed it. There are some really good moments that make you raise your eyebrows and think “damn” but then there are moments that are a bit slow or repetitive (in nature) but don’t aid or contribute to the progressing narrative. Emma is a complex and vulnerable character who lays bare so many dark and emotional moments from her past; however, I had a hard time connecting with her. It felt as if she had one foot in the door and the other out.

Instead of Emma’s romantic relationship with a co-worker (Ben) being a big theme in this book, I would have much rather enjoyed seeing how her relationships with her mother and “work friend” Vanessa played out, especially because her previous rocky friendship with Susannah had a big part of who she was as an alcoholic and how she approaches friendships now.

Overall, this was an impressive feat for a debut novel and Ava should be proud for accomplishing such an important topic in a healthy, realistic yet empathetic way. I was cheering Emma on in the end when she left her somewhat toxic AA group and found one that seemed much more her speed! I am excited to see what Ava has in store for us next!

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I came in expecting a train wreck main character; which, who doesn’t love? But I ended up with a deeply relatable, touching story. I loved Emma and seeing her growth through the story. And Ben is one of my favorite book boyfriends I’ve read. While I really enjoyed the relationship aspect of this book, I loved that that wasn’t the main focus of the story. This book is about so much more than the romance. It’s about growth and acceptance, and grief and family.
I’m so glad I got to read this book and loved it so much I was able to pick a physical copy through BOTM. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author.

⭐️3.75
One year sober and Emma is ready to celebrate and take on the world. She soon realizes that just because she’s sober, doesn’t mean life isn’t complicated.

This one is a cross between a Rom-com and women’s fiction. There is an overall theme of “growing up” while navigating friendships, worklife, and dating while still newly sober. An unresolved, difficult relationship with a parent brings a heaviness to the last part of the book.

I liked the workplace drama and seeing how Emma handled some pretty awkward situations. Overall, loved watching Emma discover her OWN truth, apart from all the other people in her life, including her parents. I look forward to reading more from Ava Robinson.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...

Pub date: December 17, 2024

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. My opinions and review is my own.

This book was a look into the mind of a woman dealing with the grasp of becoming sober and basically starting their life over again. Throughout the book it is interjected with past stories and humor which made this an enjoyable read. I thought it was hard to get through sometimes so it took me longer to enjoy.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Contemporary novel following a young woman navigating both life and relationships as a recovering alcoholic. While this novel has romance in it, the story primarily focuses on the other types of relationships that Emma has distanced herself from as she’s tried to rebuild herself. Written so well it is hard to believe this is a debut. So much heart and honesty is seen in this fictional character. Emma was written as a relatable young woman during a transitional time of her life.

Ava does a great job at tackling the seriousness of alcoholism and blending it with the right amount of humor for this somber topic.

I adored Emma with her hopeful, yet honest, approach to sobriety. She was easily relatable and her character was just so authentically raw and emotional. I loved how she was able to look objectively at her life and choices and still want to do and be better.

Her journey was not easy and her growth was incredible. She also had an amazing support system in Ben and her new found family. Ben was a great supporting character and provided just the right amount of romance to the story. He was someone that really made Emma want to blossom. He was so respectful of her recovery, never judging and always patient with her.

A Year of Emma is a poignant and heartfelt debut that explores themes of addiction, sobriety, family trauma, and self-discovery. At 26, Emma is one year into her sobriety journey, supported by her sponsor and the HG group. As she navigates her relationship with her free-spirited, alcoholic father and grapples with her identity, Emma’s path is both painful and transformative.

The story shines in its portrayal of Emma's internal struggles and the challenges of rebuilding her life. Her interactions with Mitchell, an office adversary, and Ben, the kind and steady IT guy, highlight her growth and vulnerabilities. Ben, in particular, stands out for his patience and respect for Emma’s boundaries, even during frustrating moments.

While there’s a hint of romance, this book leans more toward women’s fiction, focusing on Emma’s emotional journey. The story delves into the intricacies of AA, offering an authentic look at the path to recovery. Though not a light read, it’s a realistic and satisfying tale of resilience and self-acceptance.

I tore through this book in 24 hours and thought it was delightful and honest. Emma as a messy 20 something navigating sobriety and workplace relationships felt loveable and relatable in spite of being impossible sometimes. Lots of AA talk and family addiction stuff woven in but I found it interesting and true to life.

Fans of stream of consciousness, slice of life style narratives will enjoy this.

I really enjoyed this author’s writing style and prose and felt the introspection (albeit too brief for my preference) was well done.

I quite liked the way this author wrote the romance aspects of this book. If the author writes a full Romance in the future I’ll be the first in line to preorder. It was sweet. In fact I think had this been heavier on the romance it may have worked better.

Actually that brings me to my largest critique - this book tried to do A LOT, rather than focusing on and diving into a single, or maybe two aspects/plot points we got a tiny snippet of too much at once.

Not only is she dealing with navigating dating post 1 year sober but there are at least 5 other major struggles for the FMC. While I understand that real life often does have a plethora of struggles at once, presenting them in this manner in such a short book gave me little to no satisfaction. We only saw surface level exploration of each topic, and I wanted more.

It felt like every time I really started to get into the narrative of drama unfolding we’d switch gears, and I was left wanting more.

My other critique is that this is marketed as being funny and I just don’t think it was that.

I think this had the potential to be a truly spectacular book. In the end the narrative pulled me in too many different directions and failed to give any one plot point enough attention.

I will certainly check out more from this author in the future and I think as a debut it’s quite decent.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was such a delightful book to read!! This was such a heartfelt and comforting read, even when everything was falling apart in Emma's life, and I found myself rooting for her success and happiness by the end of the book. I also SOBBED through the last few chapters, I felt all the emotions!

Definitely Better Now follows Emma, a woman who has just reached her 1 year mark of being sober. At the 365 mark of being sober, Emma is finally ready to put herself back out there and try dating again, but this time, as the boring, normal, calm Emma. As Emma attempts to start dating again, she is forced into a new role at work, learns horrible news from her estranged father, and has to face another big life change with her mother moving. However, all these changes bring her closer to Ben, the IT guy from work, and learning more and more about the type of person she wants to be, and how she wants to interact with others.

This book was such a refreshing breath of air to read. Emma is the type of character who is messy, flawed, funny/witty, and just trying to make it one day at a time. Her perspective on wanting to be sober, the different missteps along the way of her sober journey, and trying to navigate her adult years was so relatable. I really loved how much I could connect to Emma and her insecurities with dating and interacting with others as an adult who feels socially awkward but wants to be herself. Her experiences navigating her difficult family dynamics, and seeing her choose to put her father first in his time of need made me really happy. This was a book of growth, healing, and finding yourself, all while dealing with the bumps life gives you along the way. I had so much fun reading it and it was a very emotional book.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the free book!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a good book. It was definitely a deeper read than I expected. The main themes of the book, in my opinion, are about love. Loving yourself, and letting others love you.

You're probably thinking the main theme is alcoholism. And yes, you're correct, in part. But behind alcoholism there are so many layers. Love being a major one.

I would recommend this book. It goes deep, but it was worth it.

Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson
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Emma has officially been sober for one year. On her one year anniversary she happens to meet Ben from IT at her work and is completely and utterly awkward. Now she is on a party committee with Ben, and it’s fine, everything is fine.
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What I liked:
-I was able to listen to the audio and it was such a great way to read the book. The narrator really did a great job with Emma’s voice in this story. I felt like I was Emma’s bestie sitting on her couch just listening to her tell her story.
-This book was so much more emotional that I thought it would be going in! I teared up several times.
-My heart went out to Emma. It’s hard enough trying to figure out life without throwing addiction into things.
-The story with Emma’s dad was heartwrenching.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Emotional and hopeful, I really enjoyed Emma’s story. She had a great arc and I was really happy to see how the book ended. Trigger warnings for death of a parent.

It put me in a 3-month book slump. Do I need to say more? I will possibly never get over this book. I'm definitely not better now.

thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/MIRA for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book. The description wasn’t a must read for me, but I figured I would give it a chance. I’m glad I did.

This is a debut novel from author Ava Robinson, and honestly it felt so fresh and different. It felt so real to the experiences of many. The story intertwines with the 12 Steps and Big Book from AA. While there are pros and cons to AA and other 12 step programs, they do typically work. I’m familiar with them because the steps are useful for all kinds of things not just alcohol and drugs, but betrayal trauma or anything we feel “addicted” to. It would have been easy for the writer to just gloss over the ins and outs, but the fact that she didn’t made the character seem more real and gave her depth. People who are working the steps, don’t just stop. They come to mind, they are referenced, and sometimes shared.

The idea of having a “work Emma” resonated with me. I have many “personalities” because while I’m not fighting addiction, I am still recovering from trauma and abuse. I tend to hide the real me from so many in order to conform and not cause issue.

While the romance was a more minor aspect to the story than I expected, it felt genuine. The conflict felt believable. It felt like an accurate depiction of two people who both have heavy things coming together. The way Ben holds space for her is brilliant.

Only negative was I could not stand her sponsor, Lola and much of the activities of the Hudson group. It felt like Lola treated Emma with kid gloves. I can see this being a good aspect from a sponsor for a sponsee who needs it, but it was clear Emma didn’t feel that connection. The activities of the Hudson group made me want to cringe and have bystander anxiety for people. Oh booooy the feelings I had about forced discussion, the Watch, the men and women sitting separate, and really so much more. But, it became clear later on why this was the group Emma was with at the start as Emma learned more.

I appreciated most the growth and change Emma went through, and that no her past as an alcoholic didn’t have to be her identity, but would always be a part of her. That the skills of a 12 step program could be applied to so much, and we just have to live one day at a time.

Emma is officially one year sober. She goes to work, goes to meetings, and goes home. She also hasn’t dated for a year. Her sponsor finally convinces herself to go out with her co-workers. The create a dating profile for her on an app. One of her co-workers in on it, but a gross one. Then there’s Ben, one of the head IT guys. He’s quiet and shy. But Emma is really scared to date. But the path she is on isn’t easy and life does throw her some curve balls, including her second guessing herself.

I struggled with this book a lot more than others. I understand what this book was trying to do, but I just think that the execution of the book could have been better. While I normally like first person point of view books since we really get in the heads of the characters, this one felt like it was one long monologue. There was hardly any dialogue, which is just something that I don’t like – a personal preference is to have dialogue.

I think part of my issue is that on Amazon it is described as a witty take on romance and to swipe right into her complicated life. But this book is really Emma learning how to live her sober life, including dating again. But, the romance parts aren’t really at the forefront of the story. Or at least it didn’t feel that way to me. I also didn’t feel the chemistry between Emma and Ben.

I appreciate what this book as trying to do. I do realize that I am an outlier, other reviews rave about this book and others have really enjoyed it. This is only my opinion. I do think this book will resonate with others, it just didn’t work for me.