First, a huge thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. I just finished Better Than Yesterday by T. Ashley, and honestly? I'm still recovering. I cried through at least half of this book. As a thirty-something sapphic reader, I'm always hunting for stories that feel genuinely real—I want messy, lived-in experiences, not just tired tropes strung together. This novel gave me exactly that, though it demanded a piece of my heart in return.

It's incredibly beautiful—raw and unflinching. The way Ashley writes about emotional trauma is breathtakingly accurate. Yesterday Harrington's journey to stand on her own two feet resonated deeply with me, and the depiction of being in an institution was handled with so much care and honesty. It didn't feel sensationalized; instead, it felt like a mirror held up to the very real struggles so many of us face. Then there's Aubrey Baptiste, desperately trying to keep her world from falling apart. Their dynamic is layered with an overwhelming sense of grief that permeates almost every scene, which makes their connection feel all the more hard-won and precious.

(I also have to give a quick shoutout to the cover art—it’s the absolute perfect choice for the story inside.)

When you invest your time and emotions into a book, you want it to move you. You want it to change you just a little bit. This one did. If you're ready for an intensely emotional read about grief, growth, and the sheer courage it takes to live authentically, pick this up. Just make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.