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.

This book was heavier than I was expecting. Emma was interesting and I thought her journey showed the rough sides and some of the funnier sides of life as well. This story was easy to follow but just felt a little too much for me. If I had been in a different state of mind, it might have hit better but still good writing!

📖 Book Review: Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson

‘You can be nostalgic for things you haven’t lived through.’

My thoughts 💭

Please check for trigger warnings. ‼️

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Ava Robinson for providing me with an ALC of this book. As always, all thoughts are my own.

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.

Emma was a fun character to follow. Following her journey through sobriety, work life, and romantic pursuits was both hilarious and dark. I would consider this more of a women’s fiction book vs. a romance read. I learned a lot about the struggles people trying to stay sober can face as well as how often their past life seems to catch up to them. I found this book to be very quirky and enjoyable. 3/5 ⭐️

There were several heavy issues in this novel, which definitely is more women's fiction than it is romance. The intracies of AA meetings/sponsors/etc was very interesting, as was Emma's journey to process the role of alcohol use/abuse in her life. The characters were likeable, but some of the decisions were frustrating. Though not a happy book per se, it was a good read, and there were several moments in the story I will remember.

📚Definitely Better Now📚

The FMC, Emma is navigating life through sobriety; dark feelings, fears, struggles, tiny victories, relearning how to make friends and forming relationships in AA recovery.. and still manages to get through life without picking up alcohol. Never have I ever seen alcoholism and recovery portrayed more accurately. This story was so powerful with the office drama to finding out that her alcoholic father that wasn’t really there for her gets terminally ill. Emma finds a way to maintain her composure and does not pick up alcohol and let it destroy her life again. She finds herself without the substance and it’s one wild ride.


I personally think that this story was written with so much emotion and depth. You can definitely feel the tension and emotion when you read the whole book. Changing yourself for the better is not always easy but having the right mindset and support is always key to success.

This book is a beautiful story about a socially awkward woman who has struggled with alcohol abuse previously and is not one year sober. This book was a short and sweet story that I could not stop listening to from the moment I started it! I loved the main character of this story and felt very connected to her, I cared very much what happened to her. Definitely recommend this book!

Ava Robinson’s debut novel delivers a bittersweet and darkly hilarious take on sobriety, complicated family dynamics, and the struggle of starting over. While the story has a lot of heart and some great moments of humor, it also has some flaws that held me back from loving it completely.

Let’s start with the highlight: Ben. If you’re a fan of Jim from The Office, you’ll adore him. He’s charming, kind, and exactly the kind of steady presence Emma needs as she stumbles her way through early sobriety. Emma herself is a complicated but relatable protagonist, constantly doubting herself—a trait that makes sense given her recovery journey but, at times, felt a little repetitive.

I didn't love the AA aspect. I'm wondering where the author got her view of AA from? Emma's sponsor Lola came across as controlling, creepy, and self-righteous. Every time Lola guilted Emma into going to a meeting she didn’t want to attend, I couldn’t help but feel like Emma had just swapped one form of dependency for another.

The writing itself leans heavily on telling rather than showing, spelling out emotions rather than letting them unfold naturally through body language or dialogue. While this made the book easy to follow, it sometimes felt like it didn’t trust the reader to pick up on emotional cues.

That said, for a debut, Robinson shows a lot of promise. While this wasn’t a perfect read for me, I’d be interested to see how her writing develops in future books. If you’re looking for a character-driven story about rebuilding a life after addiction—one with humor, heart, and a bit of workplace absurdity—this might be worth picking up.

definitely better now was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital audiobook copy!

I’ve seen mixed reviews on DBN and wanted to try it out myself. I also chose this as my book of the month choice for my last book in December in 2024. I decided to listen to it on audiobook, and after listening it was just okay for me. I know a lot of people could really resonate with the FMC with sobriety / alcohol, but thankfully I am one that is not interested in alcohol, so it didn’t connect as much to me as some others. I did see a lot of people enjoy it and brings hope to others so I’m excited to still share this to those who need an uplifting & hopeful novel!

Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson

I was hesistant about this one, I’ve read a couple other similarly marketed books over the last while and struggled with the predictability messy characters. But this one surprised me and I ended up really enjoying it.

Starting off on the 1 year mark of being sober, Emma’s life is a definite work in progress. I really loved her, and her perspective of perfection, her realistic expectations and her sometimes misguided but always well intentioned actions.

What really won me over was how the idea that life doesn’t stop just because you are going through something was explored. Just because you are struggling, doesn’t mean life will give you a rest. You will still have to deal with curveballs and unexpected twists. Also this is a great reminder that you truly never know what other people are going through.

The narration was great for the audio, it made Emma feel relatable and realistic, I really recommend this one to put things in perspective!

Thanks to @harlequin_audio for the audiobook from @netgalley.

Emma is trying to become a functioning adult. Prior to a year ago, she was a party girl. As an early teen, she became an alcoholic, and lived a life style of drugs, sex, and booze. Black outs and hang overs were a daily occurrence. Her parents divorced at a young age due to her father's alcoholism. His father was also an alcoholic. She accepted it as her destiny. Until she got tired of it. She joined AA, got a real job, and is nearly a year sober. She feels like an imposter though. She is trying to hold it all together and give the impression that she is in control. But she doesn't feel like it.

I was on the fence about reading this, as it is not something relatable to me. Karissa Vacker narrates the audiobook (she is my favorite narrator) and it intrigued me enough to give it a shot. And I was pleasantly surprised. While I could not relate the the drinking, drug use, and reckless sex, I could relate to feeling like an imposter at times. Like you are just pretending to have things under control. I really enjoyed Emma's journey. And she was a 'real' person, filled with insecurities and flaws.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great debut novel! Follows Emma as she navigates her relationships, work, and self-growth while just reaching her first year of sobriety.

This book made me cry, to say the least. I had a feeling I would love it, but it was so truly wonderful, so so glad I read it.

Follows a young woman as she figures out life after one year of sobriety.

Emma is struggling with sobriety as she’s been a heavy substance user since her early teens. She doesn’t know how to have fun, go out, have friends, or date without the crutch.

But she’s figured out staying sober , so she can do this right??

Honestly a pretty sweet book about humanity.

I would love to see more titles in this sort of sub-genre. Adult coming of age, backseat romance... either way, I enjoyed both the author and the narrator for the audio. I would recommend to other readers and it would do well in indie stores.

First and foremost, I think this was written very well. It was very funny at points, very heartfelt and sad at others, and you really get to know Emma as a character. My primary trouble with this was lack of being able to relate to the main character and put myself in her shoes. I think there is an audience of people that are going to absolutely LOVE this book, and it maybe even be a new favorite. This one unfortunately just wasn't for me, and that is okay!

I don’t know why, but I did not think I was going into a romance with this. I expected it just to be a contemporary fiction but I did love it! I thought it was a super cool concept in the drinking culture that we have these days. The relationships were really sweet and really realistic. And the journey was a fun one to follow!

What a stellar debut. The author takes us on an emotional journey with Emma. We meet her as she approaches her first year of sobriety tryin to navigate a sober life. It is an emotional, heartfelt, smart, honest, well researched story as she navigates a world that is foreign to her. She has complicated relationships with…everything and everyone. I was rooting for her all the way while she dealt with some very tough situations while she is figuring out who she is, wants to be and how to live her best sober life and finally finds herself. Not an easy listen due to the subject matter, but a good one.

A book filled with raw emotion and learning to make up for your past. Emma is in AA and approaching her one year anniversary of being sober. She reminisces through the novel how she has changed, but also how her life is different and she is approaching things in a different way. She mends relationships and looks at things through a different lens. A true love story, even if it is just about learning to love yourself.