This one was a bit of a challenge for me to rate. Definitely Better Now focuses on Emma, a recovering alcoholic in her 20s, trying to cope with her new life and sobriety. There is some romance in here, which I enjoyed, however it is primarily women's fiction surrounding Emma's life and journey in her sobriety.

First and foremost, I think this was written very well. It was very funny at points, very heartfelt and sad at others, and you really get to know Emma as a character. My primary trouble with this was lack of being able to relate to the main character and put myself in her shoes. I think there is an audience of people that are going to absolutely LOVE this book, and it maybe even be a new favorite. This one unfortunately just wasn't for me, and that is okay!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Emma is a recovering alcoholic who has just reached her first year of sobriety. Other than going to work, seeing
her mother and attending AA meetings, Emma has kept to herself. She now has to learn how to navigate life
without the benefit of alcohol and isolation. It allows her to see how her father's alcoholism impacted her and make peace with him. As the story progresses, Emma's self growth is evident.
A thoughtful interesting read with a relatable character.
#DefinitelyBetterNow #Mira #Harlequin #NetGalley

A timely story about overcoming addiction, and the way that your life can still be a mess even after recovery. I really enjoyed this one, and the layers of character development.

'A touching and deeply funny debut about starting over sober only to discover life’s biggest messes are still waiting right where you left them. The very last person anyone should worry about is Emma. Yes, hi, she’s an alcoholic. But she’s officially been sober for one entire year. That’s twelve months of better health. Fifty-two whole weeks of focusing on nothing but her nine-to-five office job, group meetings, and avoiding the kind of bad decisions that previously left her awash in shame and regret. It’s also been 365 days of not dating. And with her new dating profile, Emma, 26, of New York is ready to put herself back out there.'

Mini spoiler ahead-

This book touches on heavy content. Which I'm comfortable with, but check your trigger warnings.
This was such a a wonderful debut book. In the beginning Emma seems like she's not going to be a good character, but that quickly changes. She turns out to be so wonderful.
Emma is a recovering alcoholic, in NYC, who's done nothing but work on herself for the past year. She quickly finds herself falling for a guy, but she's not sure she can trust herself in a sober relationship. She goes through the motions of life and sobriety. My favorite thing about this book, is even when she struggled so hard with personal issues, she never relapsed, which is wonderful. So many books and movies would've had her relapsing before figuring it all out. Emma though, stayed true to her sobriety, and honestly that made me love this book so much more.

I picked this book up thinking I would feel connected to the characters because I grew up with an alcoholic. I feel like this book is aimed at the 20 something crowd. I had a hard time putting myself in Emma’s shoes. She is in her twenties and realizes that she has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Decides to quit completely and go to AA. As a almost 40 year old I think this is awesome and something to be proud of but Emma is mostly embarrassed about it. She creates this perfect good girl persona at work and hides who she really is. She has a hard time dating or going out and making friends because so much of social life revolves around drinking. This book is about her embracing her new life and jumping back into dating.

This book was definitely out of my comfort zone but was so beautiful in a lot of ways as well. I will say I struggled to get into it in the beginning the start was slow and felt a little aimless (although Emma kind of did as well so maybe that’s the point) but the last 100 pages absolutely sold me. I was sobbing, I was smiling, I was rooting for Emma so hard it hurt. Absolutely stunning work and very impressive for a debut novel!

One thing I really enjoyed about this was the fact that Emma had very real flaws, there were moments that I was really struggling to even like her. I think moments like this made it hard for me to read but they were so so important. It is so crucial to understanding someone to see their flaws as well as their positives. I also think this story gave a really interesting insight into addiction and what recovery means for each individual. I wish the first half had been a bit quicker moving or had a little less exposition but it did pay off in the end.

Truly this book is heartbreakingly honest and hard to face head on at points, but that is where its strengths lie. Definitely Better Now provides a perspective shift for difficult relationships and it showcased empathy and what healing really means for an individual. A slow burn that has really good payoff though.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this ARC! I will be posting my review on my instagram page closer to the publishing date, but I did add the link to my instagram for when it is published! Will definitely be talking about this book on there prior to that full review as well.

In her literary debut, Ava Robinson has created a compelling character study of recovering alcoholic Emma that is honest and occasionally brutal, while injecting humor and pathos to ensure the narrative never becomes overwhelmingly morose. Even as someone who rarely/never drinks, the book feels immediately relatable, with Emma's lack of passion for her work and her search for more substantive meaning and relationships in her life, and the awkward but endearing romance that develops between Emma and her office crush, Ben. I loved that the book always remains grounded and that the romance develops without feeling like it's trying too hard. To me, this is the ideal 'romantic comedy' in that it isn't overly saccharine or obvious in its plotting and machinations. Things unfold in a way that feels organic, and the obstacles Emma and Ben face are motivated and realistic, rather than artificially inserted for no other reason than to keep the lovers apart as long as possible.
Overall, would recommend, and looking forward to reading more of Ava Robinson's work in the future.

This is my first time reading a book from the perspective of a recovering alcoholic. The issues that the main character dealt with throughout the novel felt so realistic. This women’s fiction book is perfect for those who are struggling through their early adulthood. There is a touch of soft romance throughout the book but it is not the main plot point. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book!

Definitely Better Now is a novel that starts out at the one year anniversary of the MC Emma's first year sober. It's a time in her life of celebration but also new challenges as she can now open herself up to new freedoms that could test her sobriety such as date or go out with her coworkers to the bar.

Emma is experiencing life almost for the first time in many ways. Making friends, having sex, and dealing with conflict are all examples of things that she has never had to do sober before. We follow her throughout the book as she gains more confidence in herself and as well as realizing that just because she is sober doesn't automatically mean all her flaws are fixed. She shows a lot of growth and makes a lot of decisions that, while hard, will be better for her in the end.

This book could easily have been a real person's life. The characters in this book don't spout out the perfect one-liners or act smoothly in every situation. They are awkward, raw, and human. I had the strongest reaction to Emma's relationship with her father throughout the book. He was an alcoholic and rather absent father to her and recently reached out to her again. Their relationship was both heartbreaking, complicated, and sweet

Emma and Ben's relationship was tender and gentle. They both were so awkward and unsure. For me, it was such a fresh approach because it felt genuinely real. That said, do not go into this book thinking the main focus is their romance or you will be disappointed. It is definitely a major plot point, but it doesn't follow the way a relationship would be in the majority of romance books.

The first 30% of this book, I was not digging. I found it pretty dry, and I was tiring of the strong AA focus and wasn't quite sold on Emma as an MC. However, I really adored the rest of it and have grown attached! I'll miss Emma and actually find myself wishing the book was longer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an ARC of this book for an honest review.

This review was also shared on my goodreads at the added link.

In this touching first book, we follow Emma, who's 26 and trying to turn her life around after overcoming addiction. With the help of her support group and mentor Lola, she grapples with her dad's denial of his own issues while living a carefree life upstate.

As Emma faces her past and looks towards the future, she learns to control how she reacts to things, even when life throws challenge her way. Along the journey, she deals with unfriendly colleagues and her crush on a coworker named Ben.

When Emma, Ben, and a co-worker named Mitchell have to organize a Christmas party together, things get even more complicated. Through building friendships and acceptance of her family, Emma learns about herself and the person she wants to be.

This story draws you in with its realness and sincerity, making you root for Emma as she navigates self-acceptance and personal growth. It's a heartfelt and motivating read that many can relate to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

In the novel Definitely Better Now, Ava Robinson tells a touching and funny story about Emma who is a 26 girl who lives in New York. She had managed to stay sober for a whole year.
So she has been focusing on her office job, attending group meetings, and avoiding bad decisions. Feeling able to date again - but finding it more complicated than she expected. Her Mom moves in with a new boyfriend, and her estranged Dad reappears with unbelievable sad news. During this - Ben, a charming IT guy, seems to truly understand her.
As Emma navigates sobriety and complex family dynamics, she learns that taking life one day at a time might be the perfectly imperfect path she’s meant to follow. This book is bittersweet, darkly hilarious, witty, heartbreaking, and extremely relatable.

Emma thought life would be simpler after her first year of sobriety, but things don't go as planned. Learning about AA and support groups through Emma's experiences was enlightening. The romance adds a realistic feel and didn't overshadow the main story.

Ava Robinson's debut is a strong one, and I'll be looking out for her future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

I really enjoyed this book about personal growth and learning to love oneself and others! I appreciated reading about the struggles of an alcoholic and trying to live your life in a different way. It was a super easy read, not too heavy, not too lighthearted…it was just right!

I loved this book! Emma and Ben are my favorite! Ben was really understanding and I felt like Emma was really strong and they have a good healthy relationship.

A story from a recovering alcoholic point of view. It is honest, real, heavy, intense, and really pretty. Emma is going through different journeys with sobriety, dating, and family relationships. I really enjoyed this book and so glad that I got to read it.

Thank you author Robinson for writing this!

I really like how it focuses on Emma and not just romance. It really showed how different things affected her and how she dealt with it while she is still recovering. I especially like how it ends, because it really shows her growth and her ability to think about herself during her recovery and not just what others want her to do. Love the mmc ☺️!!!!
And the fact it’s her debut book….AMAZING!

Definitely Better Now
by Ava Robinson
4⭐️

self growth
sobriety
complicated family relationships

Emma’s journey of self acceptance and personal growth was amazing. I initially thought this was a romance book but it felt more like women’s fiction with a romance subplot. I learned a lot about sobriety and AA and it was so interesting to see live through a recovering alcoholics eyes. There’s so much of our daily life/activities that revolves around or near alcohol. Emma’s awkwardness, anxiety and stress about absolutely everything was so relatable! I saw a lot of myself in her struggles to want to be open and vulnerable with Vanessa without actually being able to. I cannot count the times in college I wanted to make new friends with people but had no idea what to say. I love how Emma slowly opened up to Ben! They had a such a sweet romance even tho I was left wanting so much more. Emma dealt with and overcame so much! I truly enjoyed reading her journey.

I had some issues with pacing, I think it would have helped to have a slightly faster pace and less internal monologue. I absolutely loved Emma and Ben and how absolutely everyone knew how bad he was crushing on her. I kinda hoped to get a bit more from them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6577139035
*review will be posted on IG in Nov 2024*

an incredible story told from the pov of a recovering alcoholic - heartfelt, heavy, relatable, honest.

This book honestly turned out so good. It took me a while to get into it but once i did i enjoyed it very much. There was definitely a decent amount of heavier topics like AA, death, mental health and more. There is also a nice amount of romance that just ties everything together. The way the main character is healing and finding herself after becoming sober is honestly really calming in a way. She is just very relatable and I feel like you can see yourself in her and her healing journey. This book is definitely more about romance it’s about self acceptance and healing one self <3 Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA | and Netgalley for this early release!

This was my first NetGalley read and it was the perfect first for me! “Definitely Better Now" is my kind of romance/rom-com novel (and I’m picky). I was immediately pulled into Emma's (MC) character and found myself rooting for her. At the start of the book, Emma is celebrating being 1 year sober! After one long year of weekly AA meetings, she is now “allowed” to begin dating. And this is her first time dating (sober). I loved the focus of her growth throughout the novel. In a short book (300-ish pages) you not only see her challenge herself to be open to romantic love but dive deep into understanding her relationship with both of her parents, and especially complicated relationship with her alcoholic father. Emma’s fight to be “normal” and hide away her past was deeply relatable and kept me turning those pages. This is a romance book that takes itself seriously and is not afraid to talk about the real reasons why love and relationships don't work out.

A beautiful debut about overcoming adversity and taking back your life. I really enjoyed this story and felt connected to Emma and her emotional journey during her second year of sobriety.

Emma is an alcoholic in recovery, having just hit her one year anniversary- that magical one year meaning she can once again start dating. Her father was an alcoholic, and her relationship with him is tumultuous. Emma’s mother and her former friends are moving on with their lives, and Emma is about to start moving on with hers. Emma’s journey through AA, navigating romance, opening herself up to new friends, and being vulnerable to loss is eye-opening, heartfelt, and touching.

I learned a lot about the AA experience in this book, and most importantly that they are not all the same - and it is important to ensure the support is right for you during recovery.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.