This one was good! It was a funny and heartwarming read, and I loved that both of the authors were educators in their past lives. It brought a lot of authenticity to the scene of the story. The plot got a little bit convoluted at times. The pacing would either be too slow or too fast, but otherwise, I really enjoyed it!

What does a teacher do in the summer? Read books featuring educators of course! The Better Half by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, now available everywhere, centers on newly minted principal Nina and the challenges she faces in her professional and personal life. This book was thought provoking yet lighthearted, focusing on several big issues in the current world!

Recommended if you like to read about people getting a second chance at a happy ever after, a first generation Black female in a position of power (strong woman for the win!), and the dynamics of raising a family in this day and age. The weak spot definitely comes in the form of underdeveloped characters and relationships, but that did not stop me from being able to enjoy this book wholly! A solid four star read, in my opinion!

I feel like the older I get - the more I can actually enjoy life, and this book proves that! It’s never to0 late to live your best life. It's my 3rd read by this dynamic duo, and once again… I loved it!⁣
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Nina is 43 and she is ready to sit back and enjoy this time in her life when her daughter has left for school, she’s finally snagged her coveted dream job as first Black female head of Royal-Hawkins School, and her best era is just beginning. Or is it? ⁣
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While the private school parents are still as high-maintenance as ever, she finds herself butting heads with a pompous new teacher, her sweet daughter has become angry and rebellious, and when she meets Leo on a girls trip with BFF Marisol - it has left her in quite the predicament... that will most definitely change everything.⁣
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We also get a fun surprise return of Roan from their debut! And this ‘gride-zilla” is getting married, and he is in all his hilariously dramatic and fabulous glory!⁣
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As in previous books by Alli and Asha, it’s packed with snarky laugh out loud prose, so much relatability and authenticity, and I loved seeing life though this strong Black woman’s lens as she navigates a mixed race relationship while parenting a rebellious teen … all when a life altering surprise catches her completely off guard. ⁣
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Is this the end of the best era of Nina’s life? Or could it be just the beginning?⁣
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A wonderfully charming and witty new book.

A delightful and relatable read! Nina's journey as the first Black, female head of a prestigious school is captivating and enriching. The blend of race, culture, and romance, along with witty banter and authentic friendships, makes this book a great read. It addresses relevant topics without being preachy, and the characters come alive on the page. However, the ending may feel too neat for some, and a few plot twists are predictable.
Overall, a humorous and heartwarming exploration of modern womanhood.

I really wanted to love this book but sadly it was just an okay read. Somewhat confusing at time. Too much going on. But overall it was an okay read. 2.5 ⭐ Rounded up to 3⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Mindy's Book Studio for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you to the authors, Mindy's Book Studio and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story about two women who have climbed the career ladders in their chosen fields - education and beauty/wellness - and have a close friendship, is compulsively readable. Their friendship is beautifully captured, although I did find the educator irritatingly self-centered and whiny. Not having had any exposure to what sounds like a high-powered private school (and the admissions policy thereof), this book gave me interesting and at times very funny insights into a world completely foreign to me. However - please don't ask me to believe that a woman like this would have unprotected sex with a one-night-stand, and then not realize that she's pregnant (yes, she has a child, so really should know what that might feel like). As for the budding relationship with the father of her 2nd child: again so irritatingly self-centered. Fortunately, she does wake up toward the very end of the book and realize how wonderful her life actually is.

I’m going to keep my review short and simple bc I wanted to like this more than I did and I’m probably in the minority. And I think my liking it mainly was bc it has Mindy Kaling backing it. Otherwise it probably would have ended up a DNF for me but I figured there had to be something there for her to be behind it because she’s super smart and funny. And yes, there were some smart and funny moments, but overall the main character was boring and self centered and not likeable. She did grow some towards the end, thankfully but what saved the story was her friends and her love interest Leo. He was fab and so were they! He was definitely the better half of the couple and the book.
Thanks to MindysBooks Studio and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

So so good! I loved this - this is really smart romance. There's two very intelligent and focused and ambitious protagonists, social issues, complicated family dynamics, an interracial relationship, professional challenges, blended family, found family, so much going on. There is a neat sub-plot, some useful minor characters, nothing dark or bleak or angsty but plenty to think about....

The main characters are both likeable and sympathetic. Leo is a bit of a Labrador (mostly in a good way) and Nina's type A personality means she is hard on Leo. This can grate a bit, but it reflects the reality of these two getting together when they already have a lot of baggage between them. It's not steamy but there's a tangible chemistry between Nina and Leo which makes their relationship believable.

It's funny and clever and heartwarming and even though I felt impatient with Nina, I just loved seeing her working with Leo towards a HEA. Looking forward to reading more from this writing team.

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I have adored Alli Frank and Asha Youmans ever since I read their first novel together, Tiny Imperfections, and they have knocked it out of the park once again with The Better Half! I love that this was published by Mindy Kaling's imprint with Amazon since she also happens to be someone I am a massive fan of, and if she's got this writing duo in her lineup, I can't wait to see who else she will be promoting in the book world. But anyway, back to the reason I am here - this wonderfully hilarious and heartwarming read. There are a lot of social issues that Frank and Youmans always touch on in their novels, and this story was no exception. Nina is the Black female head of a very prominent school and on top of everything she is dealing with there, she also has a bounty of things happening in her personal life. There is a lot going on, but they are all blended together seamlessly in a cohesive storyline that I couldn't get enough of.

Unsurprisingly, the end of The Better Half brought tears to my eyes, but that wasn't before making me laugh like crazy through the rest of it. Frank and Youmans are masters at blending serious topics and humor together, and it is hard not to laugh and cry as you read this touching story of a woman taking control of her and her school's future. There is some romance tucked into the story as well, but it's not anything too steamy and it was very fitting to both the characters and relationships. Since this is an imprint of Amazon, you can also get both the eBook AND the audiobook through Kindle Unlimited which is something I would highly recommend doing. For anyone who hasn't listened to Bahni Turpin narrate, you will be in for a real treat as she completely embodies Nina’s character as well as all of the supporting characters. I am now even more a fan of this author duo and if you love emotional reads that deal with very real worries, this is a must-read.

4 stars for Nina and her crowd. I liked this story and the characters.
This felt really character driven as it is based on Nina and her experiences, family and life.

I read Mindy's note at the beginning where she says Leo is super swoon-worthy. I missed that in the majority of the first like 50-60ish % but when we see what he has been doing he really does become swoon-worthy! He was one of my favorite characters. I also loved Marisol and her friendship (and honest opinions) always being there for Nina.

I feel like we see Nina go through a lot within herself and grow as a person on her own as well as WITH those in her life. I loved her progression as a character (yet she didn't change as a person, if that even makes ANY sense at all LOL).

Overall I adored this story.

WOW I loved this book so much!

I am a white woman married to a black man, and we have 2 black sons. This was an incredible story, reading about the innerworkings of a mind of a black woman pregnant with a biracial child, worried about her white husband and his ability to raise a black man in America. This is a heavy topic, and something that my husband and I frequently talked about before having kids and still talk about to this day. Leo was such a good guy, and I'm glad Nina was able to see that Leo really put in the effort to learn about her culture, and by extension, his son's culture.

I will ABSOLUTELY be recommending this book to all my friends, as well as reading the other books by these authors. :)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic read that follows Nina, a successful woman whose husband decides to part ways. A novel that follows Nina who is trying to reinvent herself. A wonderful read with a perfect ending.

Nina Morgan Clarke is the first black female head of school at an exclusive private academy in Pasadena. She’s divorced with a fifteen year old daughter at boarding school in NY. She has a summer romance with a white attorney who leaves just as school begins to set up a new office in Asia. Nina is dealing with a new Harvard educated teacher who’s really been hired for his basketball skills, a rogue board member, her new position and an unexpected pregnancy. The authors explore interracial parenting as well as many other current issues in this well-written book. The characters were likable and the situations believable. 4.5 stars from me. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved the beginning banter between Leo and Nina. It really set me up to root for them through the rest of the book!

The community of characters Nina had around her was great, and it was so interesting seeing her journey throughout the school year.

There were some twists that kept the plot interesting and unexpected, and I truly loved the ending.

The reader copy provided was weird formatting and hard to read, like it wasn’t meant to be sent out. Otherwise, I wasn’t connecting to our characters and found the initial romance lack luster

The Better Half by Alli Frank & Asha Youmans is a page turning, realistic, beautifully written story.
This was a fun and feisty read with a realistic storyline and real-world issues, clever and snarky humor that kept a smile on my face.
This was such a great read! I enjoyed the well-developed characters and the plot with humor throughout.
This book is pure entertainment and I can’t wait to her next one already!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

3.8⭐

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

This story revolves around Nina Morgan, the new school head of Royal-Hawkins. At forty-three, divorced, has a daughter, and living in Pasadena with her best friend, Marisol and sometimes her Jamaican father Fitzroy. Before the school year started, she had a supposed to be one-night stand with a man named Leo. One night, one school year, and one life.

Nina is an ambitious, intelligent and powerful woman. She worked hard to where she has become and lived with passion for her career and devotion with her parents.

This book is hilarious, playful, realistic and touching.

I read it fast, Marisol an Nina's friendship is something that is very relatable for almost everyone. Fitzroy is real of all realist. His character sometimes annoyed me but that made me loved him more. His character was so out of the book, I felt like he really is a living character and is a father figure. Leo is the sweetest of all sweets, but I hope he was crafted better. I really am having a mixed feeling towards this book since some characters were poorly written, opposite of others. Nina is beautifully written flawed, driven character. I understood where everything has been coming from but she just totally lacks communication, LIKE ME.

Ninas was very dedicated with her career that I should've known that the book will mostly contain scenes around the book. And the thing is, I am not very fan of that and I didn't enjoyed it as others would.

This book was a total joyful and tactful ride. It showed the upside, downwards and different sides of prejudice, racism, an cultures.

It was almost a 4 stars, and I hope it's just not me. But I hate the gaps this book has. The way there's more saying than showing. Something's about to happen but the next chapter you're in it has already happened and the author will just find a way to narrate what happened through Marisol and Nina's chitchat or summarize it in her head. I really didn't like that, I let those pass in a couple of times but I guess maybe it's how the writer's write and figured it's not my liking.

I'd definitely recommend this book for those who are interested with education, planning to go for a trip because The Better Half is a good travel companion.

When we reach a certain age, we figure that we know what the rest of our lives hold—and it probably looks something like work, travel, grandkids, and retirement. But in The Better Half by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, a middle-aged woman finds her whole world shaken by a completely unexpected turn of events.

Full review published in NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

3.5⭐️ rounded up

I found this to be a well-written and interesting but incredibly frustrating read. I didn’t realize going into it that <spoiler> an unexpected late-in-life pregnancy </spoiler> was going to play a large role in the story, or I probably would have skipped this one. Then watching everyone in Nina’s life ignoring her feelings and trying to force her into making a decision she clearly was at best on the fence about making…. She never stood a chance of deciding for herself. <spoiler> So much for a woman’s right to choose. </spoiler>

The school admissions issues, and the race-related family issues were compelling, and I was also definitely rooting for Nina- just possibly not in the same, more conventional way the narrative expected me to? Definitely eager to hear and learn from others’ perspectives on this one.

Thank you Alli Frank, Mindy’s Book Studio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

A main character that is in my age group? Check! This was a fantastic story to read. The characters are well defined and were enjoyable to read about. I loved the relationship the main one has with her dad. It is a book that unfolded in a smooth way with good pace. Drama and laughter. AMAZING dialogue. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.