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.