This was a wonderfully written debut novel by Lauren Okie surrounding one woman’s infertility struggle.
Nicole and Gabe have been going through years of infertility, and are on their last attempt at a gestational pregnancy with a surrogate. Only for Nicole to come home one day from a trip to discover her husband having an affair with their dog walker. In her haze of her marriage blowing apart, she comes into contact with Logan, an old coworker who always held a torch for Nicole.

I learned so much and felt the emotional turmoil of this novel in my bones. The ache of her fertility struggle; the way that Nicole realizes that she doesn’t know who she was without her husband; who she was outside of being Gabe’s wife. I sometimes have issue with mutiple flashbacks in books, but it absolutely worked for this novel to have the full backstory.

Would recommend this novel!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager & Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Short review?
For the love of all things good and holy in this world, it is my civic duty to tell you to read this immediately because it is soul alteringly beautiful and good and funny and mind numbingly sweet.

Long review?
I love this book so much my stomach hurts thinking about it. I am head over heels in love with Logan. I love everything about him- the yearning, the respect, the intelligence, the ADHD, the peanut butter jars. Logan is everything good and pure and loves Nicole in such a healthy and incredible way. We all deserve to be loved by a Logan, and we all have been Nicole when she wasn’t ready to accept that kind of love because we felt we didn’t deserve it.

And Nicole!!! My sweet, sweet, Nicole. I love this woman. I knew immediately that the author had put a part of herself into this story when the pain of infertility and trauma on the page was such an accurate representation of my own trauma. Nicole’s opinion of being broken and not good enough could have been pulled from my own brain. I KNOW her because I WAS her. I loved seeing her shine with confidence in ways that surprised me because it reminded me that I, too, can be confident. I, too, am more than the cards life has dealt me. I, too, can love big and deserve to be loved even bigger.

I am going to scream into the void about this release for years to come. This story feels tattooed onto my heart. If Nicole was 3D printed just for Logan, The Best Worst Thing feels like it is being printed just for me.

Lauren, thank you for writing this. Thank you for sharing yourself within these pages and for giving these characters life and setting them free to change hearts. And to Avon and Harper Collins- thank you for giving this broken but healing girl a chance to read this early because wow. WOW! What a gift.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for an advanced copy of this book! This was a book that I had seen multiple times on instagram and I was so excited to read it! You know when you start to read a book and from the first few pages that you are going to absolutely love this book and will spend every waking moments thinking about it? That was me for this book, I could not get enough. The banter between Logan and Nicole was so entertaining, as well as all of Logan’s stream of consciousness thoughts. I felt the pacing of this book moved the story along well, without dwelling too long in one time period. The author does a good job of redeeming some of the worst behaved characters in the book, and I appreciated how it all came together in the end.

This book does deal with some heavy topics such as infertility and infidelity but it was written very well. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen for a very long time!

I was lucky enough to receive an e-arc of The Best Worst Thing on NetGalley and I was BLOWN AWAY. Not only does Lauren Okie deliver a compelling and incredible love story (the years and years of YEARNING!) via her own version of Jim & Pam's love story from The Office, but she dives into the realities of infertility and all of the ways it can make or break a relationship in a way that feels natural and not heavy (aka so, so well done). As someone who suffered in the infertility trenches for a long time, I related so much with Nicole's story and the feelings she felt. I have whole chunks of the book highlighted and I've preordered it so I can reread when it comes out in October (and so I can have a physical copy sitting on my shelves bc that cover is beautiful!)... I'll probably be shouting about it until then.

For years all Nicole has ever wanted was to have a baby with her husband Gabe. She even started a podcast to document their journey. When she finds out he's cheated she plans to end the marriage and ends up in the doorstep of her old boss. A strange pull she's had to him for years has her feeling like her old self. When she finds out the transfer worked and their surrogate is finally pregnant she realizes she has choices to make and her dream of being a mom will finally come true.

I was incredibly proud of Nicole's character. She's strong and funny and so sure of herself for the most part. I loved that she asked the hard questions and didn't just give in because she thought life would be easy and stick out with her family.

I loved Nicole and Logan's relationship. Logan was such a good guy and those are hard to find in books. Their relationship was fun and laid back but also just so emotional that it felt so real.

I already recommended this book to a friend and can't wait to tell more about it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I saw an Instagram story about this book and immediately ran to NetGalley. After finishing chapter one, I knew that this would be a five star book. The banter between Nicole and Logan was fantastic and I wanted another 300 pages of it. The characters felt so raw and real and I could not put this down. As someone also struggled with infertility, I related so much to Nicole. The author clearly had experience with the topic based on how she tackled many aspects of infertility. I would probably classify this as second chance romance, which is my favorite trope. I was rooting for these characters from the very beginning.

I will be buying this one when it comes out in October for a re-read. I can’t wait for more people to read this so I can talk about it with someone!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for an advanced copy of this book,
The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okie.
I absolutely devoured this book. I read it one sitting and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I loved Logan! He was so amazing to Nicole. I loved the banter between him and them. I don’t love a 3rd act breakup but I do understand it in this case. Nicole had so much going on, she definitely should have figured some of it out prior to pursing Logan. She frustrated me at times but I also liked how she was a realistic character. Loved the ending and epilogue.
4.5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this e-arc early copy!!

This book is centered around Nicole and her struggle with infertility, which was so raw and so real. Just when she thinks her life is as hard as it’ll get… it’s just turned completely upside down.

This book had me in tears, as well as just gigging the rest of the time. THE BANTER!! The two teasing as a love language is just so good and I never fail to eat it up. I just adored Nicole and Logan’s story going literal years back in time, like they were meant to be at some point or another.

She doesn’t see how worthy she is, she pushes despite the fact that he’s always pulling her closer. His patience and care is literally unmatched as he breathes Nic back to life in the midst of her grieving.

Second chance romance is really hit or miss for me, but this was done SO well. This was a romance, but more-so a story of self discovery, struggling, and growth!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

Lauren Okie's debut novel The Best Worst Thing is an incredibly well written, gut-wrenching, and beautiful story of love, heartbreak, trauma, healing, and growth. Please check trigger warnings before reading! There are some heavy themes in this book, so please take care of yourself!

The Best Worst Thing follows Nicole as she navigates infertility, the destruction of her marriage & her life as she knew it. Throughout all of this, though, is a journey of healing, growth, and love. This story is incredibly raw, messy, beautiful, and vulnerable. Lauren Okie does an incredible job at conveying the difficult emotions, the female rage, and the fears & beauty of falling in love.

Nicole is such a complex and genuine character. For a fictional character, she feels incredibly human. Her emotions, her thought processes, her humor, her hopes, her heart. All of it is laid out for us to learn & understand her as she navigates the countless curveballs life throws at her. I loved her so much, I was rooting so hard for her. I hurt for her & with her. There were times where I wanted to reach through my kindle, shake her & ask "WHAT ARE YOU DOING???", but I think Nicole is a character that is meant to frustrate you at times. Because being a human is messy, it calls for mistakes, bad decisions, and complexities. That frustration exists because we are able to understand her so well.

Logan Milgram, the man that you are. Did someone say hot nerd? Here you go!!! Logan deserves a spotlight in this review because 1. I love him to death, 2. he is a wonderful beautiful, lovely character. Logan is a goofy, intelligent, caring and gentle man. Everytime he spoke I was kicking my feet in the air and twirling my hair. GOD I LOVE HIM.

Truthfully, I could talk about Gabe, but Gabe is just Gabe. You just have to read it to understand it.

The romance in this book is delectable. It's filled with undeniable tension, chemistry, and a connection between two people that is so raw it's practically indescribable. Literal SOULMATES. The banter, the yearning, the CHEMISTRY. My god I love them so much. They took me on an absolute rollercoaster ride but I loved every second of it. I loved the route Lauren Okie took in incorporating a bit of dual timeline into their story as well, giving us insight into their past!!!

Lauren Okie's handling of the topic of infertility was beautifully done. The way it can affect ones mental health, relationships, and everything in between. The hard, debilitating emotions, the pain, the despair, and the anger. The "why me?'s". It was a raw, emotional depiction of a reality so many face.

Overall, this is one of my favorite reads so far this year. It made me feel every single emotion. I knew from the first chapter that this book would be one that stuck with me. I can't recommend it enough, but I do want to emphasize the importance of checking the trigger warnings!!!

♾️⭐️
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I could tell in the first few chapters that this one was different. I know I’m a sucker for second-chance, but The Best Worst Thing is just straight-up god-tier. I could honestly go on and on forever about why I love it, but I’ll keep it to a couple main points…I hope.

Very early on in reading, I messaged Lauren to tell her how amazed I was that in under 40 pages, she made me absolutely hate one man and completely adore another. Logan. LOGAN. What an absolute character, in every meaning of the word. Full of useless knowledge, cereal marketed toward children, endless genuine friendliness toward everyone he meets, and love for Nicole. Logan is the epitome of a golden retriever MMC and he might be my favorite to ever fit the trope. This man has yearned - respectfully and without hope - but boy, has he yearned. And when he sees this second chance, he still waits. He cares so much about Nicole, he doesn’t push her to tell him what she’s going through. He’s just there for her, constantly - maybe to a fault, but we love him for it!

Nicole! This woman has been through so much even before the events of the novel. I felt for her during every interaction, every new, crushing realization or infuriating confrontation. Part of the reason I love romance books so much is getting to experience and learn from these women as they develop strength through hardships. Having experienced only the barest fraction of Nicole’s issues, I can’t imagine how she was able to get up and stand on her own two feet, let alone deal with everything she has to in this book. The way she struggles to do the right thing during the actual best and worst moments of her life as they all happen at once is so heart-wrenching and believable.

Last thing - the setting, the weather, the moving parts of every scene, all create another layer of emotion to the story. A sudden downpour after an ultrasound, a whistling kettle on the stovetop, an appropriately timed heatwave. Each of these subtle elements add such depth and feeling to almost every scene whether it was heart-breaking, hopeful, steamy, or rage-inducing. It was these moments I found myself highlighting and mooning over the most.

Lauren, I don’t know where you’re been my whole life, but I am here for what is bound to be a long and successful career. Thank you for this book and for putting up with my messages about it over the last month. Gonna go cry and continue building my TBWT Pinterest board ✌️

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the early e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

reading this had me in tears for the main characters and what they went through. i was hooked from the beginning and I felt for the female main character.

while i was reading this book i was feeling all of the emotions! the romance had me hooked and their banter was playful and such a push and a pull. the tension was so delicious and the flashbacks really helped provide background for the relationship that logan and nicole had! their relationship at work was friendly, toeing the line towards flirty which made the stakes so much higher bc she was married! i think through the entire book we can see how much logan loved nicole. he was patient, kind, compassionate, a shoulder to cry on and continuously there for her when she needed it. he was one of the highlights of this book for me. he was so quippy and sarcastic and had this energy that had me loving him immediately!

nicole was really going through it and even though this is told in third person it’s so easy to empathize with her. her thoughts about how her body let her down and feeling like she lost everything in her life just to end up alone was devastating. when she finally stood up to gabe i CHEERED! gabe is truly one of the most despicable husbands i’ve ever read. even thought there’s reconciliation towards the end i simply couldn’t forgive him.

i think this book discussion topics of infertility and pregnancy and will touch so many people! the characters are messy and complex and this is a perfect imperfect story.

although a lot of of aspects worked for me there are a couple of things i can’t overlook. while nicole can’t get a divorce bc it could mess up her ability to get custody of her child and she is for all intents and purposes separated from her husband she is still married while with logan and he doesn’t know this for a majority of the book. i feel like she was unfair to him and a bit selfish. he constantly showed he was understanding and i wish she would have told him. additionally, i feel like we jump into her friendship with logan. yes they were coworkers but they weren’t even really friends. their initial friendship felt unrealistic and i just kept thinking about that. although i adored their relationship i can’t stop thinking about how the beginning felt so strange.

overall i did enjoy my reading experience but as i look back there are some issues i just can’t overlook. i do think so many people will like this and i will definitely read what lauren okie writes next!

I absolutely ate this book up and couldn't put it down! It was a beautiful representation of infertility and miscarriage (Trigger Warning), yet somehow became a perfect love story. Logan is the real MVP and shows love to Nicole like you've never seen. The characters were so realistic and beautifully written. My heart ached, I laughed, I cried..and cried and cried. This book was perfect.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The yearning in this book should be studied. I’m convinced Logan might be the most perfect fictional man of all time. She made him a list of books to read and he read every single one even when they were not together? Swoon. I found Nicole to be so relatable and her struggles incredibly raw/honest (much of that based on the author’s own fertility journey). I adored all of the book references and banter between Nicole and Logan. Their journey together throughout this book was heart-rending. This is a second chance romance done so flawlessly. This book will be out October 14th and I suggest you mark your calendars!

When Nicole separates from her husband after finding out about his infidelity during many disheartening and exhausting experience trying to get pregnant via a surrogate, she reconnects with a past colleague, Logan, and begins to feel that spark of peace, love, and joy in her life again. But then she finds out her last embryo transfer with her husband was successful and the surrogate is now pregnant with their child after lots of trying.

As she tries to process this news, wrestle with her feelings about Logan, and learn to accept that her body was not fit to carry her own child, readers are invited into every feeling and emotion alongside her because of Lauren Okie's immersive writing. Full of heart and humor, this book will really strike a chord with those that can relate to Nicole's story!

My dna is altered after reading this book. My o my complaint is that this is a debut and I can’t go read the authors backlist - it was THAT good. Five stars to this heart wrenching yet hopeful story about finding love again when you least expect it - or when you think you don’t deserve it. Literally, inject this book into my veins so I never stop feeling the high from reading it. This one of the girlies who love it when he falls first and hard!

I wasn't quite sure what to think at the beginning of this book, as I've never found much of an interest in pregnancy related journey's however I was quickly pulled into Nicole's story and found myself wanting to read "just one more page" far too late into the night, again. Throughout this book, I found myself in all the stages of emotions. Things made me angry. Things made me smile and laugh and even cry.

We've all found or known a Logan, and if you haven't, I sure hope you do. His character was so much fun, and the banter had me smiling each time.
The fact that he had and read the books she mentioned??? Perfection.

I truly enjoyed this book and I'll definitely be adding it to my "re-reads" in the future!

Thank you net galley for providing this ARC.

I did not want to get to the end of this book! It was soooo good! It was not predictable and I constantly was trying to guess what was going to happen. This book had so much spunk and it really tugged on my heartstrings…. I must have been in my feels since I shed some tears multiple times!

The story is a love story not just about romance but also about loving yourself and I was all for it.

Although it didn’t end how I thought it would I enjoyed the outcome.

The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okie is an upcoming romance novel set to be released on October 14, 2025. It tells the story of Nicole Speyer, whose seemingly perfect life unravels after discovering her husband's infidelity. As she navigates the challenges of starting over, Nicole reconnects with Logan Milgram, a former colleague, and begins to rediscover herself and her capacity for love. The novel explores themes of second chances, self-discovery, and resilience, offering a heartfelt and intimate narrative.

This is THE best Persuasion retelling I have ever read. Logan is everything. He is so emotionally available, communicative, and understanding. Nerdy but sexy as hell. This book had me GIGGLING.