This book was so much more than a romance. It was so literary and wonderfully done. The writing? So descriptive and beautiful and funny.

I really enjoyed the progression of Ben and Emma’s relationship. It felt much more real to me than if it had all just happened all at once, especially considering everything going on. I do wish there had been more resolution with other characters, but the way all the stories ended felt realistic because they weren’t all perfectly tied up. I also liked that part of the plot wasn’t her relapsing, since for this story it would have felt cheap in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the advanced copy!

This is a debut novel?! I loved this book so much. Emma’s journey as a recovering alcoholic felt so realistic (to what I know of it from knowing people in the same position) and while funny at times, it was very heartfelt.

I liked that this book didn’t paint recovering from alcoholism as rainbows and butterflies. It showed her tough relationship with her father, trying her best to heal from that when time seems like it’s running out. Her doubts in dating and the turmoil they came with Ben. I’m so happy she found Ben and that he was able to be a safe space for her. 🥹

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Definitely Better Now starts with Emma preparing for her "Watch Party," which is when her AA group gathers together on the eve of the alcoholic's 1 year anniversary to ring in their new year. After a year sober, the rules ease up a bit and you are officially good to start dating again. After spending a year concentrating on her job and AA, Emma decides to start incorporating other things into her life. So she joins her coworkers out. As she's been drunk or high most of her life in social situations, things are a bit more awkward than she remembers. When some of her coworkers find out she hasn't been dating, they set up a dating profile for her. One of the finance bros in her office, Mitchell, is one of the first people to message her. But she has a crush on Ben, the IT guy who came to solve her computer problem. Of course, Emma is put on the team to put together the holiday party with both Ben and Mitchell. On top of everything else, her mother announces that she's moving in with her partner that Emma didn't even know existed and her father - a non-recovering alcoholic - decides to come visit her.

I really enjoyed the realistic portrayal of Emma and her struggles to navigate the world sober. I especially liked that we met her at her one year of sobriety mark because the main focus wasn't on avoiding drugs/alcohol but on her interactions with people. It does go into her losing her childhood best friend, which happened in the past, but it overall focuses on the present. I also liked how she referred to "Work Emma," "Sober Emma," or "Drunk Emma" throughout the book as it really depicted how we put on different personas in different places or how she had to learn to navigate things. She highlights how things are done with her segment of AA as well as what she likes and what she doesn't. She does end up going to another meeting in upstate NY and is able to decide for herself which style fits her best. Not only is she learning who she is sober, she's learning who she is and who she wants to be in life.

While I really enjoyed the story and thought it was an awesome read, there were a couple of things that kept it from being a 5 star book for me. First, there were several back and forth conversations (either through text or orally) that I had to reread in order to understand what was going on because of the lack of quotations, spacing, or text to tell when one person's thought ended and another began. There were also similar instances where I wasn't sure if I was reading Emma's thoughts or what she was actually saying. Since I received an ARC, these issues will hopefully be cleared up in the final book. I also felt like the book just ended and had expected to turn the page to an epilogue or some kind of wrap up. I'm a little torn on how I feel about this because, while I do love a nice happy ending, now that I know the book ended that way and have sat with it for a little while, it does leave me hopeful for Emma's future.

A mix of witty and real world life, this book was a great read. I loved Robinson's voice and found that it had to perfect combination of sarcasm, wit, and angst as the story progressed. I might also be bias because my name is also Emma but I greatly enjoyed this book

A coming-of-age story about a 20-something woman, living and working in New York, who also happens to be a recovering addict.
Emma Finley has just wrapped up an entire year of being sober. But circumstances, stress, etc. seem to want to pull her back to her old coping mechanisms. But Emma will prevail even though things take a turn for the worse when her father opens up about his fatal illness.
Handled with heartwarming hilarity, you'll definitely relate to Emma and her struggles.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for this e-arc.*

4.5 rounded up

Based on the description and the cover, I thought this book would be lighter and funny. While I really enjoyed Definitely Better Now, i didn’t think it was light and funny.

As the book starts, Emma is living a solo life, her only relationship with her mother. She’s newly sober, after years of extreme partying and distance from her alcoholic father.

As I read more, I was drawn in by Emma’s journey, her growing relationships with those in her life. As the pages continued, the emotions ran high, and I felt completely involved with Emma’s feelings. Compelling for sure.

Advanced reader copy provided by Mira and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

4.5. I’m going to start with a bit of a spoiler for anyone on their sobriety journey and is worried this book features a relapse (so don’t read further if you don’t want to know!!!)
.
.
.
.
.
It does not. And I was SO relieved.

Okay to the actual review. I *loved* this book. And, lemme just say that it made me WEEP in multiple instances because of the gorgeous stories around complex family relationships and grief it wove into the backhalf 😭 This book follows Emma who’s in her mid-20s and has been sober for a year, rebuilding her life in the process. I loved this character and found how she compartmentalized herself (work emma, sober emma, old emma, etc) so relatable. It did get a smidge redundant, but it also reminded me of myself in a transitional period. The love story with the IT guy and unfortunate work relationship thing with the CRO (or whatever his title was) was a bit cringe at first, but in the end I loved how it shook out. I also LOVED the part about the demise of her friendship the prompted her to get sober—my only wish: it would have been a hair more prominent and perhaps gone a bit deeper. I also found the AA relationships and reflections FASCINATING and well done.

Now that I’ve rambled above, really though: this is a great book. It wasn’t perfect, but I don’t want my wishes above to take away from my TLDR that this book had a lot of depth and reality to it. Highly reccomend.

TYSM to the publisher for the ARC!

This felt like a very raw, real book. I think the Drunk Emma could resonate with a lot of people living in their 20s--and the aftermath she leaves behind, and the desire to be better (but still feeling like an asshole). Even if you don't struggle or battle alcoholism or drug/substance misuse, I think it makes you reflect on the bad decisions you make/made during that time in your life. I found the Hudson Group detail interesting--tbh, it felt a bit cult-ish in comparison to what I have heard or thought previously about AA, but I understand that there's multiple ways to host AA, and I like that this novel explored that HG ultimately wasn't for Emma.

The formatting itself was a bit frustrating because it was near impossible to follow text messages and conversations of who was saying what, so that took away a bit from the novel itself. It all looked the same.

This book was so heartwarming. I cried so many times but I loved the story in general. It was so heartwarming being alongside Emma as she found herself and what she wanted to do with her life. I couldn't relate to her struggles with addiction but I could on just about everything else. I highly recommend this book!

I loved this one so much and really enjoyed the FMC. I felt like it was very relevant to many people in their 20s who are starting over without alcohol. It was a touching yet funny story about growing up and finding yourself.

This was your standard growing up, becoming responsible, realize your parents are human type of book. They've been around forever. The age of the protagonists change but the facts remain the same. Emma has decided in her mid-20s to take control of her life. She has completed her first year of AA, she distances herself from a toxic parent, and she keeps everyone at work at a distance. So we know she will face her new reality, confront her parent, make friends at work once she opens herself up, and find love with a man she will not open up to until the very end.

A lot of good books follow a formula. They become formulas for a reason. Emma is a well written main character. She is brutal to herself and assumes everyone else will be the same to her. Her journey doesn't take any drastic turns. Her view of AA is different than other characters I've read, so that is a new perspective. I have my own ideas about it and her particular group has some issues. All more for Emma to face and either accept or change.

I enjoyed reading her journey.

Emma is a young woman in her mid twenties who we meet as she's reaching a year of sobriety. Through the course of the story, we learn about Emma's struggles over the years and how they relate to her parents, particularly her Dad. While Emma appreciated the program she did, after her one year sober she finds that maybe continuing that path isn't what's best for her. We see Emma stay strong in her sobriety but question other aspects of the program. Her sponsor Lola seemed a bit much to me. Emma develops a relationship with a coworker but then pushes him away because she's afraid of him seeing all of her brokenness. This was a really good story, tear jerker, too. 4 1/2 stars.

While I love reading books about people and events that I’m previously unfamiliar with, it’s a comfort to read a story that really speaks to your experiences and your soul. I have been sober from alcohol for three years, and it’s rare that I find a story about a woman going sober in her twenties. I’ve also experienced grief and loss, so I feel like this book hit me right where it should have. It was well-crafted, and I cared very much for the main character. I rooted for her growth, as well as her love story. It was beautifully written, and I particularly liked how the subject of AA meetings was portrayed and handled. Overall, great book, and one I will recommend to other sober people looking for hope.

This felt like the kind of romance I haven't read before, and I liked that. Emma's spent the last year in recovery from alcohol, and when she meets Ben she realizes how much work she's done and also how much work she has left to do. Their relationship is complicated by her own personal hurdles regarding sobriety and unexpected family challenges. Emma is lovable in spite of and because of her flaws. I really enjoyed the insight / exploration of sobriety and AA, and that felt like something that made this book stand out among others in the genre.

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - March 17, 2024
Publication Date - December 17, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @avarson, @htpbooks and @netgalley!

Even though the description of this book may lead you to think otherwise, Definitely Better Now is a literary fiction book that has some romance but romance is not the main plot. This is the type of book that makes you think about who you are and who you want to be. I could not relate to some of Emma’s specific experiences, but I could relate to so many of her struggles, like starting over, managing friendships, navigating difficult family relationships and making big life changes. If you do not like books that mention religion or spirituality, this might not be the book for you. Overall, I really enjoyed how real Emma’s character feels and how Ava does not sugarcoat the difficult issues that so many of us can relate to.

If you are looking for a book that will get you thinking about your life with some romance and humor thrown into the mix, you should try Definitely Better Now!

Get excited to read Definitely Better Now, available December 17! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

Definitely better now was one of my most anticipated 2024 debuts and I really enjoyed this honest, relatable and funny workplace romance set in Brooklyn that features Emma, a recovering alcoholic who is celebrating one year of being sober and trying to figure out how to come out to her co-workers and try her luck at dating again.

I thought Emma was such a memorable and easy heroine to root for. She is trying her best, even when things don't go to plan and she gets appointed to the holiday party planning committee at her work while also having to deal with unwanted advances from her supervisor, a new relationship with her coworker, Ben and growing tensions with her AA sponsor.

Emma also has a complicated relationship with her dying alcoholic father and has to process her feelings with his impending death. Good on audio read by one of my favorite narrators, Karissa Vacker and highly recommended for fans of books like Rufi Thorpe's Margo's got money troubles. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital, audio and physical ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

Definitely Better Now follows Emma, a 26 year old recovering alcoholic living in NY who is celebrating her one year of sobriety. Emma takes the reader through the complex dynamics of her divorced parents and their individual relationships, dating as a sober person, juggling a full time job, her past mistakes and how she is trying to better herself by going through AA and what that process looks like. Additionally, the scariest thing of all, forced corporate fun (having to plan a holiday party for your coworkers)

I thought Ava Robinson did an excellent job of explaining AA through Emma's eyes where it was informative to the reader without coming across as a report done for class.

This book really had it all, laughter, tears, second hand embarrassment, and I found Emma to be highly likeable despite her past fuck-ups and present day blunders. I really enjoyed seeing her relationship form with Ben and her coworkers that became her new friends.

This story was so different and touching! I loved the main character, Emma, and there were very humorous parts and very heartwarming parts. Really loved the writing and Emma’s growth. I will be recommending.

Emma is just finishing her first year of sobriety and is looking forward to continuing on with her life. However, she quickly realizes her life isn't any different now that a year has passed. She's still figuring it all out.

This was an incredibly heavy book, and not for the weak. Watching Emma take on the reigns of our live after hitting one year of sobriety was a kick. Emma realized that becoming sober was not a one solve solves all as she navigated the different relationships in her life.