I loved this book when I got to read the ARC way back in May 2024 and am so glad it is finally out in the wild and being enjoyed by so many. Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators and was perfectly casted in this one. As a single narrator she handles the multiple female and male characters perfectly. She adds a lot to the fun and emotions of this book. Highly recommend in audio format.

This book was great! I loved Emma’s story and her attitude as she went through all these struggles. She was so real and her feelings were all so valid.

4.5. Touching, heartfelt, raw, relatable, and funny. I absolutely loved watching Emma navigate life one year sober. Ben was the absolute sweetest, most supportive character. This was a completely unexpected book and I’m so glad I listened to it. Karissa Vacker did a phenomenal job narrating as usual!

Alcoholism and sobriety: a sensitive topic in our modern society of excess and extremes. In Definitely Better Now, we follow a newly sober Emma as she navigates recovery and relationships.

There are many stereotypes and misconceptions around sobriety, AA, and recovery; many of which are explored in this narrative. But in contrast to the commonly portrayed extremist personality of alcoholics, Emma’s character is quite relatable. She’s a little socially awkward, she’s nervous about dating, and she experiences a moderate swing of emotions throughout the story. She remains carefully optimistic despite hardships, and ultimately becomes a loveable character despite her flaws. You can’t help but root for her! With a healthy dose of dry humor, workplace drama, and messy family dynamics, the plot remained engaging and well-paced.

Overall, quite an enjoyable debut from Ava Robinson. I can’t wait to see more from this author!

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narration by Karissa Vacker was engaging with consistent pacing and clear character differentiation. The production was clean and professional, offering an immersive performance that elevated the overall story.

Thank you to MIRA, NetGalley, and Harlequin Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

A tender, heartwarming debut about 26 year old New Yorker, Emma, who we meet as she celebrates one year of sobriety. Emma is such a flushed out, fully realized character. It truly feels like she could be walking to the subway after a day of making GIFs about saving for retirement as we speak. Even though I am not sober, nor do I feel a need to be, Emma was still a deeply relatable character. She is a young woman still in the process of finding herself and her place in the world. She wonders what kind of underwear you should wear on a first date and overthinks social and workplace interactions. I think this book is a great read for romance readers looking to segue into literary fiction.

Thank you Harlequin for the audio copy! This is a complex read, a set of themes that I was excited to explore as I appreciate an author writing about sobriety and also the long term effort, and self reflection, that is woven into that journey. Robinson's Definitely Better Now explores what it means, and feels like, to be one year sober, telling the story about newly sober Emma's effort, her self growth, and how she has to know reckon with a range of relationships and family stuff in her life. The pace is a bit slow, a little under developed in places (which stands out more to me in an audio when I want to be sucked in) but the themes are powerful and the storytelling, and narration, are strong.

I found this book to be extremely relatable. The author did an excellent job depicting the struggles of being a twenty-something who is trying to make her life better. While Emma's vice was alcohol, I could easily see my own twenties vices in this story. What I appreciated about this story was that Emma's life wasn't instantly fixed when she stopped drinking. While she didn't relapse, she still battled with the ramifications of her alcoholism . Her road of recovery was not linear, which made the story that much more relatable. I also appreciated that the author chose to tell Emma's story of finding herself in sobriety rather than finding her way to sobriety. This was another choice that made the book relatable even to those who don't suffer from addiction. It was also a very interesting character development arc since we meet Emma partway through her growth.

While I cannot speak about the AA program from my own experience, I thought the author did a wonderful job presenting the program from different angles. She did not present AA as the end all be all fix, but she showed how it worked for some people and how differences within the program served participants differently. My only holdup was that I did not quite understand Emma's epiphany when she discovered her father's copy of The Big Book. It wasn't entirely clear to me why that discovery was so important when the program didn't seem to work for him.

The story compelled me the entire way through, and I liked that, while the romance between Emma and Ben was important, it served Emma's character story and was not the center purpose. I found the book to be well-written and expertly paced. The narration by the wonderful Karissa Vacker was perfect as always.

"Definitely Better Now" by Ava Robinson is an emotionally charged yet surprisingly uplifting read. The themes explored in this book are heavy and raw, focusing on Emma's deeply personal journey of self-discovery. Even though the topics are intense, I found myself laughing out loud at the moments of comic relief that Robinson expertly weaves into the narrative. It’s a delicate balance, and I thought it was handled brilliantly.

Emma’s growth felt so real and authentic that I couldn’t help but root for her every step of the way. At times, it felt like I was right there with her, sitting in her apartment, chatting like friends.

And then there’s Ben! I absolutely loved him. His presence in Emma’s life brings a sense of warmth and stability that perfectly complements her emotional journey.

While romance is present, it’s not the main focus of the story. Instead, this book is about Emma finding herself, navigating her past, and ultimately embracing the person she’s becoming. It’s a heavy read at times, but every moment felt worth it. If you're looking for a powerful story about healing and growth, this one is absolutely worth your time.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review!

I almost considered DNF'ing this book. It was a bit slow. However, I ended up powering through and quickly finishing.

This was a heartfelt and emotional book about addiction, sobriety, dysfunctional family, and finding herself through out.

I did enjoy the second half of this book much better. I also adored Ben... he was super sweet and careful and understanding.

While Definitely Better Now had an intriguing premise, I struggled to connect with the story and its characters. The emotional depth and pacing didn’t quite land for me, making it difficult to stay fully engaged. However, the real highlight of this audiobook was Karissa Vacker’s narration. Her voice is effortlessly captivating, bringing a warmth and nuance to the story that kept me listening even when the plot didn’t hold my interest. If you’re a fan of Vacker’s narration, this might still be worth a listen—but for me, the story itself fell flat.

Definitely Better now by Ava Robinson

It’s been a year since Emma has been in AA and she hasn’t told her work that she is a recovering alcoholic. Trouble is she is ready to start dating but she’s never had to do any of these things sober.. How is she going to navigate the delicate world of staying sober and finding a man when all the problems she had before haven’t magically disappeared?

The narration was great. It was a pretty dark humor book and I was here for it all. Emma is so relatable and she owns the fact she’s still an asshole. She was like a brand new foal trying to stand and she was shaky and nervous. The plot was great, it was done with real class and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

4 stars

A realistic story about early sobriety, finding yourself after addiction rips everything away and forming connections as your sober self. I felt an instant connection to the FMC and I couldn't help but cheer for her in this novel. Ava Robinson does a beautiful job weaving heavy topics such as addiction/alcoholism, family struggles, divorce and death in a story laced with humor and laugh-out-loud moments of embarrassment I think many people not in recovery/AA can relate too

The audiobook is so well done. The narrator's pacing and expressiveness really brought Emma to light.

This is a character driven, slower in pace novel about coming of age and self discovery.

Emma is a year sober and she's trying to sort out where that leaves her now. She's officially able to date, enter Ben. Whether she can move past her history to start something with him is another thing.

This book was definitely more fiction than romance. While there was a small romantic element, the story was more focused on her healing and journey towards a new normal. Emma was riding the emotional rollercoaster of regret and progress. She was facing issues with her sobriety, social expectations and opening up to people about her past, her parents, her life changing, and of course, Ben.

I did enjoy this book, though I found it hitting me in the feels and on a personal level for a few reasons. Those things combined made it a 3.5 book for me. I think it has potential to be more for someone else without my baggage.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 12/17/24
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I was super excited to get an ALC for this one and to finally be able to read it. I was intrigued by the premise but really didn't know what I was going to get, but this was a pretty interesting journey.
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Emma was a very strong character. I really loved her healing journey between becoming sober to loss to new friendships and even finding herself. This was definitely a heavy topic; alcoholism is a ever growing issue within our society. I think that Robinson did a fantastic job at navigating this subject with grace and really hit it home with the journey that one will take in order to get sober and maintain that sobriety. There is so much growth within Emma, and I really appreciated what it took for her to get to where she ended up.
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Definitely Better Now is more of a slow burn but there is some wit and humor thrown in to make it feel less like a slow burn. I listened to this one via audiobook while reading my BOTM book. This was narrated by Karissa Vacker - who is one of my absolute most favorite narrators. She was perfect for this role; she brought Emma to life for me, and she was perfect for this book! IF you are thinking of picking this one up - definitely check out the audio!
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Overall, I went into this one semi-blind and I wasn't really sure what to expect but this was a good read for a debut, and I look forward to seeing what else Robinson comes up with! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Ava Robinson, Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Great novel that will have me looking for more from this author. Highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨ALC Review✨

What a wonderfully moving and quietly funny book.

Emma is 26 and a year into her sobriety journey. The person she was before seems a long way off and also her shadow. She works in a corporate office and keeps her head down, not interacting with her coworkers much. She’s not sure how much she can share with them, so she remains Work Emma. Until her computer dies and the IT Director has to come fix it. His name is Ben and Cupid may as well have struck Emma with his legendary arrow.

Ben and Emma begin sharing looks and small conversations. There’s something there.

Emma also has an alcoholic father who has never admitted he has a problem and moved to the Catskills when Emma was young. She sees him occasionally, but they mostly steer clear of any touchy subjects like the one thing that definitely have in common.

This book walks you with Emma through learning to trust people with her truth, learning to trust herself to know what’s best for her, and learning to love without the alcohol filter.

It’s touching and poignant and yes, I sobbed so body-wrackingly at one point, my dog was concerned about me.

Highly recommend and the audiobook narration by @karissavacker was absolute perfection.

#booksbooksbooks #contemporaryfiction #bookrecs #bookreview #definitelybetternow #avarobinson #bookstagram #audiobooks

Definitely Better Now is a book about self acceptance and discovery. Our main character, Emma, learns to forgive herself (and others) as she grapples with life and relationships as a recovering alcoholic. Her story is real and honest, and I love how the author didn’t shy away from giving us the messy details of Emma’s past. I had a lot of empathy for Emma as she was navigating her new sober life - she is such an easy character to root for!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one.

Definately Better Now by @avarson is a 4 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary fiction/romance read. This is a funny and insightful book of Emma, celebrating one year of sobriety while trying to figure out life. Now, how is her dating life different as she is sober? How about changes with her mentors, parents, and colleagues at work? Emma isn’t perfect but as she navigates sobriety with family drama and love as we, as readers laugh and figure out life along with her. #peachypages #readingtime📖 #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #audiobookstagram #audiobook #avarobinsonauthor #botm #bookworm #alwaysreading #bookreview

I am going to give this book three stars just for Karissa Vacker’s narration. I was given an advanced copy of the ebook and dnf’d it at 39%. I was really excited about the premise of the book and am always happy to feature books that represent those difficult subjects like alcoholism. Definitely Better Now started strong and had such promise! But by about 20% I was so bored with the main character I was trudging through because I’m not a quitter and I hate dnf’ing books.

BUT, if you can get THE Karissa Vacker to narrate…then it ups the ante for sure. I was able to finish by listening instead of reading with my eyes. Her narration is just so spot on that it puts you IN the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Audio, and the author for the complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.