I love a book that intersects romance and women’s fiction!! Really great, strong characters but my interest did wane at times.

It was an emotional read, leaning more towards women's fiction than romance. I learned a lot about AA and appreciated Emma's authentic journey through sobriety. Ben was a supportive and likable character, even when faced with Emma's frustrating decisions. Overall, while not a light-hearted read, the book resolves well without any clichés.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book, and it took me a few tries to get into it. It wasn't as lighthearted as I assumed it would be. I appreciate the vulnerable and honest approach to addiction and recovery.

Definitely Better Now was not the quirky Romcom I expected, but that did not make me like it any less! DBN is a deep dive in AA and the world of sobriety. I did not know much going into this novel, but since reading I feel like I am a better person and understand more of what recovery looks likes, and it's not linear as many believe. The book is well written and the characters are real and likeable. The romance was sweet and slow, but perfect as Emma navigates the world outside alcohol. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a reader copy of this from NetGalley and from Harlequin Trade Publishing.

It took me a while to get into this book. I would start it, stop it, start it, stop it, repeat until my advanced copy of the book was about to expire. So I made myself sit down and commit to reading this and finished it in about three days. I think the start of the book is a little slow, which is why I was having a hard time keeping interest. The start is a bit slow and we meet Emma, but we don't yet have a reason to like Emma and, truthfully, Emma is kind of boring -- because she's a normal person like the rest of us and most of us are fairly boring in our day to day lives. Evenntually, however, while the book remains a bit slow, we end up finding reasons to care about Emma.

I think this novel did a good job looking at some complex issues such as addiction, grief over those in our lives who are still alive, and grief over those who aren't--whether by distance or death--and how we handle and cope with the situations and emotions that arise. It isn't easy to tackle addiction as a topic, but I think this author overall did a good job. When I first requested this book I thought it was a memoir and I love memoirs, but things worked out a little too perfectly too often in the book and you could tell it was following a traditional narrative structure, which isn't a bad thing! But I think I would have enjoyed it more if it stuck closer to a memoir feel than simply that of a story.

All in all, while a little slow and hard to maintain interest at times, I liked the story and liked how the author portrayed it. Thanks to NetGalley, Ava, and her publishing company for giving me the chance to read this story!

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew this book was going to have an underlying darkness to it, given that the FMC Emma is an alcoholic. I was mentally prepared to be emotionally ripped to shreds, but that didn’t really happen (which was perfectly fine to be honest), as Emma’s story of life and exploration of dating after one year of sobriety begins after the majority of the ugliness of alcoholism has subsided for her. Based on the book description, I was expecting more romance and then her alcoholism possibly causing serious issues with that. All’s well, though, I still enjoyed the book. Emma takes things one day at a time and slowly allows herself to open up again at work, and she even takes interest in the IT guy, Ben. I liked the relatability of the complexity of it all. Navigating relationships, being vulnerable, and learning to trust again is so hard in her situation. I think the author did a great job with it. There were moments of humor as well, a welcome reprieve when things are just intense. Overall, I was pleased with Definitely Better Now and look forward to other books by this author.

#DefinitelyBetterNow #AvaRobinson #Harlequin #NetGalley #NewAdult #WomensFiction #AdultFiction #ContemporaryRomance #ComingofAge

Interesting concept, I enjoyed but the MC was a bit hard to like! I’m not sure if this book was for me but I’m sure others would love!

Emma, a marketing assistant, is a people pleaser at work, avoiding parties, drinking, and fun to distance herself from her old self. She is on the path to recovery, however feels embarrassed about her sobriety. She is secretive about it.

She's close to her mom but not her dad. She has major daddy issues that she is still overcoming.

After one year of sobriety, she's learning to navigate life, date, make friends, and have fun. She's discovering that she doesn't have to be boring and self-contained and is finding her balance.

Overall, the book was good. It was straightforward and detailed, but I liked it.

ARC Review 📚📝✨
Book: Definitely Better Now
Author: Ava Robinson
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is so good, I really loved the story and the growth Emma showed throughout her journey.

Emma is marking one year of sobriety, a milestone that marks her being prepared to resume living life to the fullest, including reentering the dating scene. She ill learning to navigate a new life for herself, she is making friends at work, has a love interest and also has to deal with family issues. She also doesn’t know when and how to disclose her sobriety with the new people in her life and that sometimes hinges her new relationships.

I loved reading her journey and how she grows as a person but still makes mistakes. It shows that it’s never too late to start your life and fix your mistakes.

The author did an amazing job with this book!! I had the privilege of receiving this arc through NetGalley, so thank you!

This one was challenging! I had to restart a few times because the unflinchingly honest representation of Emma's alchoholism and recovery is definitely not for the faint of heart, and as someone who has very little familiarity with this world it was quite the wake-up call. However, I am glad I stuck it out as this is a story that needs to be given authentic representation and I learned a lot about the full world (both strengths and shortcomings) of twelve-step programs (specifically Alcoholics Anonymous/AA).

The romance between Emma and Ben was a highlight, even in its messiest stages, modeling healthy vulnerability and communication with an ample dose of witty banter. But the real relationship star of this book was the way Emma rebuilt her complicated relationship with her alcoholic father and her discovery of his struggles with sobriety. I won't give away spoilers here, but there was a plot linchpin that Emma discovers that I thought was breathtaking and exceptionally well-crafted.

Overall, 4/5 stars and I look forward to more from this author after a successful debut!

In this debut novel by Ava Robinson, we follow a newly sober Emma who is learning how to navigate life again and deal with the messes that never really left her.

I will say, I thought this book was going to be more romance-centered based off the description. I would say it is more of a subplot and that left me a little disappointed. To be honest, I found the beginning part of this book to be pretty slow and found myself almost dnf-ing but I forced myself to push through to give a fair review. It did pick up the more I got into it, and I did like the book overall. The story was very touching and I found myself crying towards the end. However, it was a bit hard for me to relate to Emma and that put me out of the story a bit. I did love Ben I thought he was very sweet, but the awkwardness between them at times had me wanting to cringe hahaha. The book felt very real and raw at times which was refreshing.

I wish we got more at the end, it wasn’t very satisfying for me. I also wanted a bit more from the epilogue. Overall, I did end up liking the book and thought the writing was good! It just wasn’t entirely my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for the ARC!!

okay wow. what a powerful, raw, genuine, heartfelt story. an absolute knock out of a debut novel from ava robinson!!
i have never read a book so centered around recovering from alcoholism and it was so interesting to read and learn about and it was done so perfectly. i also just so deeply loved seeing a messy, flawed, mid twenties woman trying her hardest to get through life and grow as a person. it felt so so so special to watch emma’s journey in this book, even when she was talking about some of her darker times and the things she had done, i could not help but root for her wholeheartedly!!
it’s still quite early but i’m very fairly certain this book will be marketed as a women’s fiction novel (as it should) so given that i would like to say, as a romance girly, i was so so so pleasantly surprised with the romance in this book! and while it is most definitely not the main focus of the story it not only had me swooonjng beyond belief, but again it was so heartwarming to watch emma grow in another aspect of her life that she previously never really got a chance to fully experience.
i also just love love love!!! romance with real, messy characters! that are growing and have these things they’re dealing with and working through and aren’t “perfect” because they are just as worthy of love!!!! and i think a lot of times society does make people who do have things they’re struggling with feel like they’re not!! anyways i’ll step down from my soapbox now.

i really adored this and look forward to recommending this lots in the future!! a stellar debut. so excited to see what else ava robinson does in the future!

**thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!**

Wow. This one was good. It touched on heavy subjects such as family dysfunction and alcoholism but was also very empowering and had some romance involved as well. At times my heart felt torn but other times I literally laughed out loud. Very well written!!

Loved this book! I wouldn’t necessarily call it a romance novel, more so general fiction or women’s fiction. But it was well-written and touched on themes of addiction and family issues/dynamics. As someone who has been touched by alcoholism in her life, it was refreshing to be in the mindset of Emma as she journeys through this next chapter.

This is definitely a heavy heavy book. I mean it's a very well done and it's an important story to tell, but it's not a light book to read whatsoever. You deal with the main character Emma who has given up drinking and has officially been sober for an entire year. You learn the process of what led her to why she wanted to quit drinking and the choices that got her there.

This is More of a women's fiction book than a romance book. Whilr there is romance in it. It's more of a subplot than anything else. The writ ings dial itself was a little weird at some points. The dialogue portions got a little confusing . But all in all for a debut novel. This is very well done.

This book deserves infinite stars! The reality of the issues discussed and the beauty of seeing someone who worked the steps was so rewarding. I was rooting for Emma but also there were many times I just wanted to give her a hug. She deserves all the good things and I'm just so proud of her. This book changed my life in more ways than one and as someone who is in a 12-step program the accuracy of everything was so special. This is the type of book that I want t just recommend to everyone, regardless of where someone is in life. This book is for everyone.

🗽 fmc in recovery
🗽 second coming of age through sobriety
🗽 awkward but sweet cinnamon roll mmc
🗽 difficult family relationships
🗽 love letter to new york

★★★★
Spice: 🌶️

This book was entirely and delightfully unexpected. It made me feel like I’d been to the Real New York™️. I laughed at the witty writing, cried at the heart-wrenching prose, cringed over poor Emma’s embarrassing moments, and basked in the descriptive scenes. I just love a book that makes the ordinary, mundane moments of life feel like they’re worth witnessing.

I felt the first quarter was a bit on the slower side, mainly because I wasn’t sure where the story would go—what journey Ava was taking me on. But things really picked up after that, and I was hooked.

The writing, which leaned more to inner monologue than dialogue, was descriptive and beautiful. I had to pause and savour many lines, even repeated some out loud, just because they deserved it.

This isn’t really a romance, but that’s there. It’s more like a second coming of age for the fmc who has just gotten sober and is learning to do life without alcohol and figuring out how all the relationships in her life will change now.

This book is lovely and heartbreaking all at once. I wish I could hug everyone in the book because I think they all need it (except one person but I won’t spoil anything).

Thank you to Ava Robinson and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

tw: cancer, addiction, death of a parent

This realistic, workplace romance wasn't something I thought I needed - but couldn't stop reading it!
A slow-burn romance between Emma and Ben was cute and engaging and I kept cheering them along as I read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for providing me with a digital review copy of this novel.

Ava Robinson’s debut novel is a touching and deeply funny story about starting over sober only to discover life’s biggest messes are still waiting right where you left them.
The story centers around Emma, a 26-year-old New Yorker who has been sober for a whole year. That’s twelve months of better health, fifty-two weeks of focusing on her nine-to-five office job, group meetings, and avoiding bad decisions. But it’s also been 365 days of not dating, and with her new dating profile, Emma 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? Planning 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.
I’d say you found it both heartwarming and hilarious. Emma’s journey through sobriety, complicated family dynamics, and the ups and downs of dating likely resonated with you. The balance of wit and heartfelt moments would have kept you engaged, and you probably appreciated Emma’s realistic and relatable struggles.
Robinson’s writing is witty, heartbreaking, and profoundly relatable. The characters are well-drawn, and the plot’s twists and turns keep the story engaging without feeling overwhelming. The humor adds a light touch to the more serious themes, making the book an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
Overall, this debut novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys stories about personal growth, family dynamics, and finding love in unexpected places. I’d rate this book 3.5 stars for its engaging plot, relatable characters, and perfect blend of humor and heart. Thank you to the NetGalley team for providing me with the ARC to review.
🌟🌟🌟✨
(No chili peppers, as the focus is on personal growth and relationships rather than romance)

This book wasn’t really my style. There was nothing specifically bad about it, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters or anything that was going on with them.