The Best Worst Thing is an incredible story. It's unique but realistic. The characters and their hardships all felt authentic. Its pages come to life. It's raw and emotional.

I devoured it in a day, couldn't put it down.

Lauren Okie is an excellent writer, I felt everything. The angst, the tension, the sadness, the chemistry, and the humor alongside these characters. I was rooting for some, wanted others to step on legos barefoot *ahem Gabe*.

Nicole has been trying to have a baby, but she's struggling with infertility and has had a couple of traumatic losses. She and her husband of over a decade give it their last shot with a surrogate. While waiting to see if the transfer was successful Nicole finds out Gabe has been cheating with their 20-something dog walker. As she comes to terms with the end of her marriage and the partner she thought she knew, while also connecting with an old coworker who may have been more than a friend to her, she finds out her surrogate is pregnant and she's finally going to be a mother.

I adored Logan, one of my favorite book boyfriends ever.
I loved Nicole's journey of reinventing herself while embracing new beginnings.
I highly recommend picking this debut up. It's one of those stories that will stick with you.
Thank you Netgalley, and Avon and Harper for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of The Best Worst Thing. I highly enjoyed it and recommend others to read it as well.

An absolutely extraordinary book! Embarking on this story reminded me why I love reading so much.
This book is filled with charming characters and has a unique story. Thank you for allowing me to read it in advance.

The Best Worst Thing is an angsty and authentic romance novel. This book dives DEEP into the trauma and challenges of main character Nicole’s experiences with infertility. While by no means a light read, this sensitive subject (and the others addressed in the book) is addressed with the appropriate amount of care.

The main characters felt a bit asymmetrical in their degrees of imperfect humanity. Logan is more or less a picture-perfect book boyfriend whose inner journey is mostly opaque to the reader, while we see all of Nicole’s flaws and turmoil in close detail. This made me wonder at times whether their relationship could really have survived the repeated conflicts and breakups. We see Nicole healing her relationship with her ex to some extent, but I would have appreciated more personal growth in her as an individual.

I think readers of Cara Bastone would enjoy this book; Bastone’s books Promise Me Sunshine and Ready or Not each have parallels to The Best Worst Thing.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Definitely check your trigger warnings before diving into this book as it deals with infertility and miscarriage. This book deals with very sensitive topics but I feel like the author showcased the raw emotion associated with a woman's fertility journey flawlessly. It truly took you through all the stages and emotions a woman goes through during such a vulnerable time. The book is written in 3rd person which is not a preference of mine so it was a little difficult to fully immerse myself into the book but I would still recommend this book to others.

“Bringing all the angst,” said this book. A romance and fertility journey of a LA transplant. Features a finance douche estranged-husband and former colleague what-if guy. Off-the-charts chemistry and relationship turmoil. Expounds on fertility issues/pregnancy and fighting/making peace with your body. The prospective in relation to fertility is a privileged one which the narrator/author recognizes. A worthwhile romance read!

Ok, this is a gem! The story is authentic and believable. I could feel how much desire the main character had regarding wanting a child. The action moves at a great pace and the story flowed well. I think Okie is a masterful storyteller and hope to read more works from her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

5 stars 🌟 This book was unreal. I couldn’t put it down. It’s beautifully written. I was crying and rooting for Nicole the entire time!!

FYI - This book deals with infertility and miscarriage but it’s handled so well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you love to laugh and also cry and then laugh again, boy oh boy do I have a book for you.

Infertility podcast host Nicole discovers her husband is cheating on her with the f-ing dog walker. Not only that, she also learned her surrogate is pregnant. But also, there's a hottie in her office she's kinda always had a thing for, so maybe things aren't as bad as they seem?

Lauren Okie has something most romance writers would kill for--she can handle sensitive topics with care and also humor. Her dialogue is a TREAT, and she might be one of the funniest authors I've read. The chemistry between Nicole and Logan is unbeatable, and I was rooting for them the whole time.

I'm so excited To See what she does next!

The writing is fantastic, the story compelling.

While I know I was supposed to love her, I despised Nicole. Logan, I adored. Nicole was wildly immature, and intensely unlikeable - I don’t need to always like main characters to enjoy a book, but I despised Nicole; I utterly loathed her and her stupid, fake vocal fry and it did affect my reading enjoyment.

Every other review I’ve seen has been so complimentary, and I’m sorry that mine isn’t as but I wasn’t able to really connect with this one because Nicole was so annoying and I didn’t even have the happiness in reading a lot of character development.

I will read the author’s future work - she’s definitely one to watch and most other readers are sure to love this. Recommended.


Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the DRC

This book was SO incredible, I found myself having to put the book down on several occasions in disbelief. I can’t wait to read everything this author writes!

4.5 ⭐️

I ate this book up. I couldn’t put it down. It was so good.

The storyline was so bingeable and I had to know how it was all going to come together in the end.

I was rooting for the couple in this book the whole time and wanted them to get their happily ever after so bad.

The ending was the perfect ending. The epilogue had me.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
A captivating read! Nichol seems to have the perfect life except for one thing- she can’t seem to have a baby. They finally decide to do surrogacy and just when they find out they will have a baby Nichol comes home to hear her dog sitter calling her husbands name. Heart broken she runs to Logan’- a coworker who has always been there for her, How can she handle her life now- she wants out of her marriage. - they are having a baby - she finds herself falling for Logan! Can she make it work?

ARC REVIEW:

4.5 stars, I went into this book completely blind and I am so glad I did. It made me so emotional throughout and had my heart aching for this character. Everyone deserves a Logan who is just as charming and quirky and loving as he is. My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit scattered for me which is why I dropped it .5 stars.

This book has so many things. It’s a very emotional and a good read. It shows on woman going through a lot. She then has to start over. Nicole discovers that her husband cheated on her. She also struggles with fertility issues. Nicole met Logan and their relationship between them changed.

The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okie is a deeply emotional, beautifully written debut that explores infertility, self-worth, and second chances. Nicole’s journey is raw and relatable, balancing heartbreak with humor. Logan is the perfect golden-retriever love interest, and their chemistry is undeniable. Okie’s writing is poignant and immersive, making this a compelling read for anyone who loves messy, heartfelt stories about love, resilience, and unexpected new beginnings.

Heart warming but heavy hitting, I couldn’t believe this was a debut! I read this in one sitting and definitely recommend.

This story and these characters felt so real and relatable. From the minute I picked it up I knew I was going to enjoy it. Nicole going through her life and feeling her emotions was so raw and inspiring. Everything she was going through with her infertility is easily something so many could relate to and help them feel seen. The writing was great. I enjoyed every page and flew through each chapter. Logan was such an amazing character and I honestly think we all need a Logan in our lives. I really loved their banter and how they interacted! They made me laugh on multiple occasions. It was such a good read and I’m glad I got to experience their world together, I love seeing how characters work through issues together and this book definitely gave me that.

Wow. Just wow. Beautifully written book. What a great novel for Lauren Okie. The emotions I went through while reading this I am still trying to grasp. It had me absolutely hooked from the start. I typically don't have issues with trigger warnings, but my husband and I are going to try for our first child this year so I was hesitant with the concept of infertility and miscarriage in this book, but I am so glad I did not wait and am honored to have experienced this book. It had me laughing and crying, the witty banter was so well done. I will recommend this book to everyone. Thank you NetGalley and Lauren for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC! This was really cute! It felt like it was in the same vein as Ready or Not by Cara Bastone which I read last year and loved. The pacing was great, romance was great. The only thing I ran into that I wasn’t a big fan of was the FMC. She needs lots and lots of therapy. Some of the stuff that came out of her mouth and her thought processes were off the chain. Logan was an angel among men. The short chapters and flashbacks made this go by really quick which I enjoyed a lot