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Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson

Contemporary fiction

Definitely Better Now

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Ava Robinson, on your first book!

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This is an early release that's only available to our members—the rest of the world has to wait to read it.

by Ava Robinson

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Quick take

A cathartic story of a woman who, one year sober, faces new challenges and learns to accept what she can’t control.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Emotional

    Emotional

  • Illustrated icon, Family_Drama

    Family drama

  • Illustrated icon, Salacious

    Salacious

  • Illustrated icon, NYC

    NYC

Synopsis

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.

Content warning

This book contains mentions of suicidal ideation.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of Definitely Better Now.

Definitely Better Now

ONE

For the past 364 days, I’ve been taking life one day at a time.

Starting tomorrow, my life, my sobriety, will be measured in years.

I looked over my shoulder as I hit the period on my keyboard, making sure for the hundredth time that none of my coworkers at Richter & Thomas Financial Consulting could see what I was doing. I should have been finding the best shade of green for our newest Facebook ad. That was my charge in my critical role as Marketing Assistant #2. To the three colleagues I shared an office with, it was an average Thursday. But to me, it was a very special day. And this very special day required a top secret Word document.

The marketing-and-communications office was a repurposed, windowless conference room tucked away on the twelfth floor of a building in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. We had four desks shoved into the center of the room. Vanessa Zhao, Marketing Assistant #1, sat beside me. Our boss, Jermaine Johnson, sat across from me. And across from Vanessa was Colin Taft, who worked on video and kept his headphones on all day. My desk was the closest to the door, which meant that if anyone had to get up and go to the bathroom, they’d be able to glance at my computer. So writing a top secret speech was a risky choice. But I couldn’t help it—there was no other time I’d be able to collect my thoughts.

When I woke up tomorrow morning, I’d be one year sober. And tonight, to celebrate that feat, my AA group was having a party for me, a party where I’d be expected to speak from the heart. The thing was, I was terrible at speaking from the heart. My heart was shy. It didn’t like crowds. And while my sponsor, Lola, had told me I didn’t need to write anything down, I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to say the right thing, and after living with myself for twenty-six years, I knew I’d never be able to say the right thing off-the-cuff. Maybe someday, I’d get there. Maybe that day would even be tomorrow.

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Why I love it

If a book makes you both laugh and cry, you know it’s good. If a book makes you both laugh and cry at your desk in front of your mildly worried colleagues…well, then that book must be Definitely Better Now, because that’s exactly what happened to me! Despite my office humiliation, I loved every word of this funny, spiky contemporary debut, which offers readers a window into the unique world of Alcoholics Anonymous and sobriety culture while resisting stereotypes and easy answers.

Emma Finley hopes that achieving her one-year sober anniversary at AA will mean all her troubles are finally coming to an end. After all, she’s Sober Emma now: professional, reliable, and a million miles away from the person she was last year. But with a new work assignment threatening to upend her sobriety, a cute IT guy catching her interest, and her alcoholic father unexpectedly reappearing in her life, Emma’s life after alcohol is beginning to look just as difficult as her life before…except this time, she can’t hide behind a strong drink.

Whether AA chips and weekly meetings are a regular part of your life or something you only know from the movies, this hilariously honest book is the perfect read to help you through the emotional highs and lows of the holiday season. I promise you’ll find something to relate to in Emma’s struggle to rebuild her life, construct her brand new self, and maybe even forgive her old self along the way.

Member ratings (254)

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Contemporary fiction
View all
The Last Love Note
What Does It Feel Like?
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
The Wedding People
Honey
The Leftover Woman
The Same Bright Stars
Bye, Baby
Definitely Better Now
Swan Song
The Days I Loved You Most
The Connellys of County Down
Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life
Jackpot Summer
Adelaide
I Might Be in Trouble
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Again and Again
Evil Eye
Black Cake
Maame
Romantic Comedy
Someone Else’s Shoes
Once There Were Wolves
We Are the Brennans
The Bad Muslim Discount
What Comes After
Olga Dies Dreaming
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
Monster in the Middle
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Honey Girl
In Every Mirror She's Black
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?
Sankofa
The Unsinkable Greta James
The Love of My Life
The Five-Star Weekend
A Home for the Holidays
The Wishing Game
Behold the Dreamers
The Mothers
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Little Fires Everywhere
The Music Shop
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
The Reckless Oath We Made
When We Were Vikings
The Girl with the Louding Voice
A Good Neighborhood
Big Summer
All Adults Here
Happy & You Know It
Friends and Strangers
The Comeback
True Story
The Last Story of Mina Lee
Troubles in Paradise
White Ivy
This Close to Okay
The Chicken Sisters
The Prophets
In a Book Club Far Away
The Other Black Girl
Apples Never Fall
A Quiet Life
We Are the Light
The Most Likely Club
The Fortunes of Jaded Women
When We Were Bright and Beautiful
The Hotel Nantucket