Editorial Content for Definitely Better Now
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Reviewer (text)
Emma is celebrating her first full year of sobriety after being a long-time user of drugs and alcohol. She is committed to keeping her life on the right track and staying away from anything that will destroy her.
To that end, Emma has joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Part of the process for new members involves them not entering into any new romantic relationships for the first year of their sobriety. Because of her past, Emma is quite hesitant to open up to any member of the opposite sex without an alcoholic drink in front of her. So this dating prohibition is not a problem for her.
"Lively writing, a compelling storyline and lots of memorable dialogue keep the narrative moving right to the very end. It is a true page-turner that is not to be missed."
But now that her first year is behind her, and she is allowed to date again, Emma is still reluctant to do so. She’s not sure how to be honest with a man because she’s afraid she’ll be either judged or rejected, or both.
Nevertheless, Emma is willing to give it a shot. A couple of her coworkers set up an online dating profile for her. She’s not comfortable putting herself out there like that, but before she can delete it, several men have expressed interest in her. One of them is a supervisor at the same company where she works. He’s basically a jerk, and she doesn’t want to go out with him, but she doesn’t know how to tell him that without looking bad. Meanwhile, she’s getting attention from another co-worker. It's clear that Emma’s recently uncomplicated life is now full of distractions and pitfalls.
Debut novelist Ava Robinson presents readers with a deeply flawed character who is also quite relatable, especially to young, single women. But rest assured, DEFINITELY BETTER NOW will appeal to a wide audience, no matter your age or gender. Along with being a love story, the book addresses such topics as alcoholism, drug abuse, cancer, dating, sexual harassment, workplace dynamics and parenting.
Lively writing, a compelling storyline and lots of memorable dialogue keep the narrative moving right to the very end. It is a true page-turner that is not to be missed.
Teaser
Emma is an alcoholic, but she’s been officially sober for an entire year. That’s 12 months of better health. 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. Being assigned to plan her office’s holiday party feels like icing on the suddenly very overwhelming cake until her estranged father reappears with devastating news. 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 just might be the perfectly imperfect path she’s meant to be on.
Promo
Emma is an alcoholic, but she’s been officially sober for an entire year. That’s 12 months of better health. 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. Being assigned to plan her office’s holiday party feels like icing on the suddenly very overwhelming cake until her estranged father reappears with devastating news. 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 just might be the perfectly imperfect path she’s meant to be on.
About the Book
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 been officially sober for one entire year. That’s 12 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.
Except --- was dating always this complicated? And did Emma’s mother really have to choose now to move in with her new boyfriend? Being assigned to plan 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.
Bittersweet and darkly hilarious, Ava Robinson’s debut novel about navigating sobriety and complicated family dynamics is witty, heartbreaking and profoundly relatable.
Audiobook available, read by Karissa Vacker
