This was a good read about a woman who struggles to have her own children. Her and her husband decide to have a surrogate to have a baby . When the woman comes home she figure out her husband has been cheating on her for a while. She rekindles a friendship with a friend that throughout the summer she falls in love with, but is hurt and not able to trust her feelings so there is a lot of on and off with them. Until her surrogate makes her realize that she is ok to love someone and she should not be ashamed. With the help of her podcast she gets him to come back to her , where they have a happy and loving relationship with her kid . With a small twist at the end.

It was definitely a good book just at times hard to keep up with when it flips back and forth from present to past.

Heartfelt, voicey, commercial. The main character is grappling with a pregnancy after years of infertility and a shocking discovery of infidelity. Her big mess of emotions is further complicated by legal advice pertaining to the surrogate and impending divorce, as well as a budding romance with a goofy previous coworker.
The romantic premise is certainly unique but I found myself missing romance tropes. The B Story seemed to swallow the romance and dim the otherwise witty chemistry between the MC and love interest. The pregnancy, cheating, and flashbacks didn't create a harmonious or compelling storyline for me personally. I think memoir readers and those with similar lived experiences will love this novel.

3.75! The Best Worst Thing is Laurie Okie’s debut novel, and it takes readers on quite a ride. Nicole Speyer is going through it—and that's putting it lightly. Just after completing an embryo transfer to her surrogate, she discovers her husband, Gabe, has been cheating on her. Somehow, following the advice of a friend, she ends up outside the house of Logan, a former colleague. From there, everything unravels, and Nicole can no longer recognize her life.

From the very beginning, my heart hurt for Nicole. Everything was falling apart, yet at the same time, she learned her surrogate was pregnant—news that should have been a joyful milestone. But given the circumstances, she couldn’t fully embrace the moment. And Gabe? Absolutely awful. The more I learned about him, the more I hated him. One thing is for sure, men have the audacity. So when Nicole showed up at Logan’s door, I was fully in support because she deserved something good.

As for Logan and Nicole’s relationship, I have mixed feelings. Nicole needed Logan more than he needed her, and while I loved their connection and the moments they shared, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nicole took advantage of him. She was going through so much, and unfortunately, Logan got caught up in it. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if Nicole had communicated better, though I understand why she didn’t. While I appreciated the story and the themes it explored, I don’t feel that Nicole experienced much growth by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. This has been my first 5 start romance of the year and I can already tell that it will be very hard to beat! As someone who went through infertility and IVF myself, this book perfectly captured that heartache and self loathing that can take place and the affects that it has on a marriage. I loved the dynamic between Nicole and Logan and the intimacy scenes between them have been the most realistic that I've read. I cried both happy and very sad tears and I cannot wait to ready more from this author!

A+ banter, A+ characters.

When Nicole reconnects with a former colleague after discovering that her husband has been cheating on her, they become buddies who don't want their meandering days together to end, and neither does the reader. Their relationship evolves as she tries to compartmentalize her life, solitarily dealing with her groveling ex, his mother, and her own parents, with the added complication of the fertility journey they had embarked on years prior.

Maybe one too many instances of self-sabotage, but I gobbled this up in one weekend.

Thank you to Avon and HarperCollins for the ARC!

This book was stunning. So much yearning without being cheesy. Like is Pam and Jim from the office had much more complicated lives, jobs, and relationships. Normally I'd be turned off with the pregnancy aspect of the romance but I couldn't put it down! The fertility journey was moving and helped the love story be more honest and raw.

This is the best book I have read all year and one of my favorite romance books ever read . The way this book breaks everything and everything is pieced back together is such a lovely portrayal of life itself. This book is not a fairytale romance, but better. It shows us that our most imperfect parts or what we see as our own personal failures can be overcome and that we can be loved despite them. Nicole's journey to motherhood is heartbreaking and beautiful. The relationships in this book- all of them(her sister, best friend, parents, Logan, Gabe) are all written so well. I would pre order this book or run to your bookstore on October 14th to buy it. I am very thankful that Lauren Okie wrote this story and to HarperCollins and Avon for this ARC!

I loved The Worst Best Thing by Lauren Okie, stay up until 4 am to finish it type of love. This novel is a beautifully written, creative masterpiece that follows the infertility journey and new found romance of Nicole.

Nicole’s character arc and growth was so well done. At first, I couldn’t tell if her banter and snarky comments to Logan were real or putting on a show to impress him. But by the end of the story, it was evident that Nicole was so stifled in her marriage, that her behavior around Logan was her true self.

Nicole and Logan’s flashback and early relationship were so full of yearning that I haven’t felt since Jim and Pam in the Office season 2.

I love a grand gesture and this book had the biggest one yet. The epilogue put a perfect bow on the story.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this early copy. I will not stop recommending this book to everyone.

This book was not your typical warm & fuzzy romance. It was complex & also sad in parts. You watch Nicole go through so many horrible things, but then you get to see her experience falling in love again. She begins a process of healing from her trauma. Nicole was a wonderful heroine to root for… You only want the best for her. I especially loved the ending. This was a debut, & I am excited to read more from this author.
4.25/5

Thank you, NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Nicole Speyer has a podcast where she logs her journey with infertility and the struggles that go along with it. She is making one more attempt at having a child with a surrogate mother across the country. She learns that her husband has been having an affair. Nicole is now without a job, child, or husband. She meets up with an old friend while she’s starting her new life which brings much joy back to her world. Her life ends up nowhere close to what she expected.

This was a well-written story that had some sensitive topics that the author handled delicately. The characters have lots of depth and it’s easy to become attached to them. Logan has golden retriever vibes, which is my personal favorite.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance with a lot more depth and heart. I like that they marketed this more of a literary fiction with a subplot of romance which helps the reader understand the pacing of the story.

The Best Worst Thing is an incredible story. It's unique but realistic. The characters and their hardships all felt authentic. Its pages come to life. It's raw and emotional.

I devoured it in a day, couldn't put it down.

Lauren Okie is an excellent writer, I felt everything. The angst, the tension, the sadness, the chemistry, and the humor alongside these characters. I was rooting for some, wanted others to step on legos barefoot *ahem Gabe*.

Nicole has been trying to have a baby, but she's struggling with infertility and has had a couple of traumatic losses. She and her husband of over a decade give it their last shot with a surrogate. While waiting to see if the transfer was successful Nicole finds out Gabe has been cheating with their 20-something dog walker. As she comes to terms with the end of her marriage and the partner she thought she knew, while also connecting with an old coworker who may have been more than a friend to her, she finds out her surrogate is pregnant and she's finally going to be a mother.

I adored Logan, one of my favorite book boyfriends ever.
I loved Nicole's journey of reinventing herself while embracing new beginnings.
I highly recommend picking this debut up. It's one of those stories that will stick with you.
Thank you Netgalley, and Avon and Harper for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of The Best Worst Thing. I highly enjoyed it and recommend others to read it as well.

An absolutely extraordinary book! Embarking on this story reminded me why I love reading so much.
This book is filled with charming characters and has a unique story. Thank you for allowing me to read it in advance.

The Best Worst Thing is an angsty and authentic romance novel. This book dives DEEP into the trauma and challenges of main character Nicole’s experiences with infertility. While by no means a light read, this sensitive subject (and the others addressed in the book) is addressed with the appropriate amount of care.

The main characters felt a bit asymmetrical in their degrees of imperfect humanity. Logan is more or less a picture-perfect book boyfriend whose inner journey is mostly opaque to the reader, while we see all of Nicole’s flaws and turmoil in close detail. This made me wonder at times whether their relationship could really have survived the repeated conflicts and breakups. We see Nicole healing her relationship with her ex to some extent, but I would have appreciated more personal growth in her as an individual.

I think readers of Cara Bastone would enjoy this book; Bastone’s books Promise Me Sunshine and Ready or Not each have parallels to The Best Worst Thing.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Definitely check your trigger warnings before diving into this book as it deals with infertility and miscarriage. This book deals with very sensitive topics but I feel like the author showcased the raw emotion associated with a woman's fertility journey flawlessly. It truly took you through all the stages and emotions a woman goes through during such a vulnerable time. The book is written in 3rd person which is not a preference of mine so it was a little difficult to fully immerse myself into the book but I would still recommend this book to others.

“Bringing all the angst,” said this book. A romance and fertility journey of a LA transplant. Features a finance douche estranged-husband and former colleague what-if guy. Off-the-charts chemistry and relationship turmoil. Expounds on fertility issues/pregnancy and fighting/making peace with your body. The prospective in relation to fertility is a privileged one which the narrator/author recognizes. A worthwhile romance read!

Ok, this is a gem! The story is authentic and believable. I could feel how much desire the main character had regarding wanting a child. The action moves at a great pace and the story flowed well. I think Okie is a masterful storyteller and hope to read more works from her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

5 stars 🌟 This book was unreal. I couldn’t put it down. It’s beautifully written. I was crying and rooting for Nicole the entire time!!

FYI - This book deals with infertility and miscarriage but it’s handled so well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you love to laugh and also cry and then laugh again, boy oh boy do I have a book for you.

Infertility podcast host Nicole discovers her husband is cheating on her with the f-ing dog walker. Not only that, she also learned her surrogate is pregnant. But also, there's a hottie in her office she's kinda always had a thing for, so maybe things aren't as bad as they seem?

Lauren Okie has something most romance writers would kill for--she can handle sensitive topics with care and also humor. Her dialogue is a TREAT, and she might be one of the funniest authors I've read. The chemistry between Nicole and Logan is unbeatable, and I was rooting for them the whole time.

I'm so excited To See what she does next!

The writing is fantastic, the story compelling.

While I know I was supposed to love her, I despised Nicole. Logan, I adored. Nicole was wildly immature, and intensely unlikeable - I don’t need to always like main characters to enjoy a book, but I despised Nicole; I utterly loathed her and her stupid, fake vocal fry and it did affect my reading enjoyment.

Every other review I’ve seen has been so complimentary, and I’m sorry that mine isn’t as but I wasn’t able to really connect with this one because Nicole was so annoying and I didn’t even have the happiness in reading a lot of character development.

I will read the author’s future work - she’s definitely one to watch and most other readers are sure to love this. Recommended.


Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the DRC