Definitely Better Now, Ava Robinson
Definitely Better Now, Ava Robinson
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On Sale: $7.99

Definitely Better Now

Author: Ava Robinson

Narrator: Karissa Vacker

Unabridged: 10 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/17/2024


Synopsis

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 officially been sober for one entire year. That’s twelve 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.


About Ava Robinson

Ava Robinson is the assistant director of Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute and an alum of the New School’s MFA program. Previously, she wrote and hosted the podcastTrace Material, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, for Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design. She has had her short fiction published inSoundings East,Santa Fe Writers Project Quarterly,Little Patuxent Review, and elsewhere. Definitely Better Now is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ on December 23, 2024

4.5 Stars I love train wreck characters, so this book’s blurb was like a siren’s song when I saw it as a December Book of the Month offering. I also was very interested in reading the POV of someone a year into their sobriety journey. I felt a kinship with Emma and enjoyed reading about her experienc......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on April 07, 2025

This heartfelt, engaging, and poignant debut delves into themes of addiction, familial dysfunction, the struggles of sobriety, mental health, and the quest for self-discovery and acceptance. The protagonist, Emma, at 26, embarks on a journey to take control of her life. Celebrating one year of sobrie......more

Goodreads review by ashlyn on April 05, 2025

Boring, yet somehow impossible to put down. I considered DNFing, but I was past 50%, and quitting that far in felt like walking out of a movie right before the big reveal. Emma’s been sober for a year, doing everything right, but life refuses to make things easy. Her mom moves in with her boyfriend,......more

Goodreads review by Violet on January 29, 2025

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love a quirky book. I also happen to love a debut. Check and check! Definitely Better Now not only checks those boxes, but I felt like it checked all the boxes!! It was real and relatable. Dark yet comedic. Helpless to hopeful. The themes are pretty da......more

Goodreads review by Sally on April 22, 2024

This was a heavy read, and while there's some romance in it, it's more women's fiction than romance. I learned a lot about AA and how different groups do things differently, and I appreciated the authentic journey Emma (MC) took to process her drinking and figure out why she wanted to stop for good.......more