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.
Genre: General Fiction
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.
Genre: General Fiction
Praise for this book
"This smart, heartbreaking, and funny novel tackles the real life human frailty that we bring to our romantic relationships. It left me feeling like even our most broken parts are beautiful. I loved it." - Annabel Monaghan
"Ava Robinson's dazzling debut approaches big life questions with a memorable blend of grit, grace, heart, and humor. Definitely Better Now is a precise and beautifully-rendered portrait of falling in love, finding your place, and getting your act together as a twentysomething navigating the messy magic of New York City." - Courtney Preiss
"Tender, heartfelt, and all too real (in the best way!). Robinson writes with a comforting lightness, and it was immensely satisfying to follow Emma as she learned to open her heart to all the beautiful imperfections that life has to offer." - Natalie Sue
"Definitely Better Now is an inspiring story about finding what's meaningful in life. Ava handles navigating sobriety in your twenties with lightness, and I think it will be an important book to many readers. Touching and relatable." - Ally Zetterberg
"Ava Robinson's dazzling debut approaches big life questions with a memorable blend of grit, grace, heart, and humor. Definitely Better Now is a precise and beautifully-rendered portrait of falling in love, finding your place, and getting your act together as a twentysomething navigating the messy magic of New York City." - Courtney Preiss
"Tender, heartfelt, and all too real (in the best way!). Robinson writes with a comforting lightness, and it was immensely satisfying to follow Emma as she learned to open her heart to all the beautiful imperfections that life has to offer." - Natalie Sue
"Definitely Better Now is an inspiring story about finding what's meaningful in life. Ava handles navigating sobriety in your twenties with lightness, and I think it will be an important book to many readers. Touching and relatable." - Ally Zetterberg
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