Ava Robinson's Definitely Feeling Better Now is a charming and relatable debut novel that follows Emma, a young woman navigating the challenges of sobriety in her twenties. With a blend of wit, heart, and humor, Robinson paints a vivid picture of Emma's journey as she grapples with family drama, romantic entanglements, and the complexities of starting over.

What I Loved:

Relatable Protagonist: Emma is a character who feels genuinely authentic. Her struggles with addiction and her attempts to rebuild her life are both relatable and inspiring.
Witty Dialogue: Robinson's writing is filled with sharp wit and humor that keeps the story light and engaging, even during the more difficult moments.
Compelling Characters: The supporting cast, including Emma's family and friends, are well-developed and add depth to the narrative.
Exploration of Sobriety: The novel offers a honest and insightful look at the challenges and triumphs of sobriety, without shying away from the darker aspects of addiction.
While the book does have its moments of heartbreak, it's ultimately a hopeful and uplifting story about resilience and finding one's way. Definitely Feeling Better Now is a must-read for anyone looking for a heartwarming and relatable tale of personal growth.

I really wanted to like this book but it was so hard for me to get into. It wasn't even that I couldn't relate to Emma, the main character, because I can... I have a rocky relationship with an alcoholic parent... but I guess that's it. I can appreciate this subject, made me feel seen. Honestly, I would like more books about/around this. Even though I wanted to love this book, the writing was so slow and boring. Sometimes there would be an overwhelming amount of details and others it was sparse.
I love the cover and it led me to believe this was going to be a romance but that's ok, that might've helped keep my attention more if it was but...
Anyways, Definitely Better Now is about twenty-something year old, Emma, she's a recovering alcoholic. She keeps her personal life close to her chest and has a "fake" persona at work. She has a rocky relationship with her father who is/was also an alcoholic. She has recently celebrated her one-year of sobriety and is opening herself up to life more and figuring out who she truly is without feeling like she's walking on eggshells. She's entering the dating pool, open to having coworkers be more than that; they're becoming friends, etc.
I love the idea of this book and think with better pacing and maybe more romance, this could've been up there for me.
I know the author probably wanted this book to be deeper than a romance but it made it feel mundane without any real development. I felt like even by the end of the book Emma still wasn't happy with her life, therefore I didn't feel complete or pleased with the end either. Others may read the book and disagree with me, but nothing felt truly resolved.
Overall, I'm happy I read it.
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my very first NetGalley ARC! I was so excited when I got approved but it took me forever to actually pick up. Once I did, it took me a bit to get into. I felt like it took me a while to connect with the main character. BUT towards the middle/end I really started to enjoy it. I really loved how she got more insight into her father’s life towards the ending, I think that’s what gave her the ultimate motivation to stay sober. 3.5 ⭐️!

If you are a fan of shows like Mom, then you’ll wanna pick this book up. The banter between characters was great and I really enjoyed the development throughout the novel.

Loved the MC so much, found her so relatable and likable through out everything. She’s felt so fully formed too, like you understood he struggles and rooted for her the whole time. Sprinkle in some romance too just made it even more fun to read, even though this book is so deeply emotional! So to me it was perfection! One of my top reads of the year!

I really loved this book. So often you see the "epiphany" stories, where someone hits bottom and it's about their decision to better themselves, but that doesn't always include the "after." It was so refreshing to see someone work through the rest of their lives and realize that maybe fixing this one thing wouldn't actually fix everything else. I thought it was a beautiful story. At one point the MC comments that everyone has a moment where they realize their parents are just people, but she's always known. I think sometimes we forget that other people are people, too.

I have noticed one trend in books recently that I don't love, and it's an abrupt ending. We're getting somewhere, things are being resolved, and then it just... ends. I love an epilogue as much as the next person, but I think we might be relying on them too much to actually wrap up the story. Anyway, that's my only problem with this book and other people may not agree, so definitely read it.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the character development of Emma and how the book was set up. This book was heavy with real world issues of fighting and breaking the cycle of sobriety. It was written like it actually happened to her because honestly most of this book I could see happening to a person and wouldn’t bat an eye. It was so raw to read how someone could be bettering themselves but not even full be what they believe themselves to be. A very good read overall.

This story follows Emma who is one year sober while also navigating her family, work, and her romantic life as someone newly sober (which comes with a whole new set of challenges). I enjoyed that this book featured real struggles even though they are struggles I do not deal with myself and the romance plot was not the main focus. This book has a little bit of everything and although it was a bit of a slow start, once I got going it flew by! This book was so interesting and authentic and I found myself so attached to Emma by the end of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma is officially one year sober, ready to start a new, fresh life. She considers finding love, and even reluctantly agrees to join her office’s committee for party planning. But she eventually finds that life’s disasters won’t disappear once sober. When her estranged father returns with devastating news and her mother moves out to live with a new boyfriend, Emma must learn how to navigate her imperfect sober life. Ben, the cute IT guy, just may be the silver lining during an otherwise chaotic time.
.This book was also much more emotional than I anticipated—I went in thinking it was going to be a fluffy/smutty rom-com, and instead was met with a story about grief and sobriety. It was a pleasant surprise, but I did find myself needing to take my time with this one! The beginning moved a little slowly, but the last quarter of the book really made it up for me. I don’t want to give away too much before this book releases in December, but you will need to have your tissues ready!

As the child of an addict, this fictionalized story really spoke to me about the pains of generational addictions and the nuances of self-improvement amidst turmoil. The plot did a stunning job of showing how you can take responsibility for your own life despite the choices of those around you. Went in expecting a quirky contemporary romance, left with a new perspective. 5/5

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

"There was a little office in Manhattan, doing work that wasn't particularly important or groundbreaking but could occasionally be fun, waiting for me to come home to it."

I wish there could be required reading for twenty-somethings because this would make my list. I am not an alcoholic, but I felt so SEEN by Emma and by Ava Robinson's writing. This debut poignantly described the trials of becoming sober, of finding your footing, of mental health crises. I love a good coming-of-age when it's an adult, learning that she doesn't know everything. I feel like this generation is used to quick fixes and fleeting feelings, but that's not what adulthood is. Emma learns how to be grown-up, and I am glad I got to learn a lot with her. The narration was flawless, with good touches of humor and a whole lot of gravity. I would be remiss if I didn't include Ben: readers should not go into this story expecting it to be a full-fledged romance, but the romantic elements had a lot of heart to them. Ben was a perfect book boyfriend, but what makes this book extraordinary was Emma herself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ava Robinson, MIRA, and Harlequin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I could definitely see myself purchasing a physical copy of this.

3.5/5 rounded up!

Definitely Better Now follows our main character, Emma, as she navigates her sobriety on top of family, work, and romantic struggles.
I did quite enjoy this book. It featured realistic characters and conflicts, as well as had a romantic subplot that wasn't front and center, allowing the main character to navigate her life without a constant reliance on romance. The story kept my attention until the end, but I waited on a final review because it wasn't the most memorable.

I am not a recovering alcoholic, and I’ve never been to an AA meeting, but this was so interesting. The view of alcoholism through the lens of someone newly sober, trying relationships on for the first time, navigating a workplace without messing it up…this book has a little bit of everything. I really enjoyed reading this one and even though the first 35% kind of dragged on, once I started reading in earnest it flew by. Lovely for most anyone, and although it’s a romance, the spice level is nice and mellow.

I've never read a book with POV of a recovering alcoholic and for it to be of someone so young like Emma I felt it added a unique aspect to it. I really enjoyed this book and was rooting for Emma throughout her journey into getting back into a more a social lifestyle after celebrating her one year of sobriety. I thought this was beautifully written and a very honest representation of addiction and alcoholism. I highly recommend giving this a read!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing & Netgalley for the ARC!
Pub date: December 30,2024.

The book opens with Emma who is just about to reach a year of sobriety. With a full of year of sobriety comes a lot of new responsibility, and as Emma emerges back onto the dating scene, she's finding it to be a lot more difficult to navigate sober.

Wow, I really enjoyed "Definitely Better Now," I think Robinson was able to craft such an engaging, page turning story with a complex protagonist that can be hard to do with a story such as this. Sometimes the "coming of age" in your twenties or thirties novels can lack a vigor that makes you want to keep reading and engaging with the story. They can be bland where the day to day is not made interesting by the author, however Robinson is able to make Emma's day to day so compelling. You just want to follow Emma's every step as she navigates day by day what it's like to be a year sober all the while figuring out dating, work and coming to terms with a dying parent who you inherited your addiction from.

What a debut! I have never read a book told from the POV of a recovering alcoholic before but I was surprised at how interesting and authentic it was. Emma was an easy heroine to like. She was so real and vulnerable in her quest to take back her life and really begin living again post alcoholism and after one year of sobriety. But trying to take her life back isn't as easy as it seems and quitting alcohol doesn't magically solve every single one of her problems like she thinks it will.

Despite having absolutely nothing in common with Emma, I still felt so attached to her in this journey and every single on of her thoughts and introspections felt so relatable. And as Emma navigates new friendships, a budding office romance with adorably awkward Ben from the IT department, and the return of her alcoholic father, you can't help but root for her. Though this book felt heavy at times with themes of grief and past childhood trauma, it felt balanced with the fun and lighthearted moments as well as subtle humor. This story felt so complex, human, and absolutely personal. It was an emotional rollercoaster that I did not want to get off and such a solid first book. I will gladly read more from Ava in the future.

4.5/5 ⭐

I enjoy a coming-of-age story and this one delivered on its premise! Really enjoyed and know this will be a fave this year.

Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to review this title. It was nice to read a Novel about a woman who changed her life for the better, and although she may have had moments of self sabotage, the author knew to keep her head screwed on straight (somewhat) to pick herself back up, be there for those who needed her, get her shit together, and keep moving forward. I really enjoyed Emma 's character and Ben seems swoonworthy enough 😋

This is kind of a romcom but more than that. Emma has just celebrated one year of being sober. This book tells a bit about her story. Her drinking years, her complicated family, and her trying to function responsibly in the world as she hides her past. It is very honest and really a lovely read as you want to cheer Emma along as she stumbles through life sober and figures out what she wants.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful story.. it’s a life affirming story set in New York - in the City and also in the mountains. We find ourselves
with Emma as she celebrates a year of sobriety. We follow her as she begins to navigate her life basically learning how to
interact with her co-workers, her family and, to her surprise, a man! A co-worker, actually. She’s 26, without a date during
her first year of sobriety. When she runs into Ben the story is really well written. The evolution of their fledgling relationship
is so perfect. I look forward to the next installment by this debut Auth0r..
My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley for the download of the book for review purposes.