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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great premise! I hate miscommunication tropes and this was filled with it. Ugh. But the story redeemed itself and I generally really enjoyed this!
This was a good book!! It was soft and vulnerable and messy and heart wrenching and full of so much love!! I loved seeing Nicole finally find someone who really and truly loved her for her! Logan was honestly SO GOOD! He loved Nicole SO MUCH it made my heart ACHE. Nicole’s entire infertility journey was written heartbreakingly well. I read the acknowledgements so I know how much of herself Lauren put into this and it was BEAUTIFUL!
But all of that to say, I just didn’t love this book and I’m annoyed I can’t quite figure out why. The pacing felt weird. It felt like there was a lot unsaid? And I don’t know do that’s just because it was written in third person? It was very much in Nicole’s POV, or the narrator telling the story from Nicole’s side of the story??? I don’t even know if that’s a thing?? But also sometimes it was hard to tell?? The one this I can pinpoint that I disliked the most, and this true for any book/story/whatever, is when they’re like okay all cards on the table no more secrets!!! And there’s one more secret…even if it’s seemingly for a good reason…I just don’t like it!!!
BUT i will try again with the author!! I wanted to love this one so bad, so I want to give this author another try!!
Thanks so much to Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nicole and Gabe have been together for a decade and have been dealing with pregnancy loss and infertility. Nicole discovers Gabe cheating shortly after their surrogate gets implanted for the last time. Nicole is devastated and turns to a former coworker Logan. This is more than a book about a bad spouse and even worse timing. It’s about a flawed woman who is ripped apart by a selfish man and puts herself back together.
The banter and chemistry between Nicole and Logan was superb and i genuinely loved how mean she was to him, it was done in such a real and loving way. Logan did come across as almost too perfect but i guess compared to the trash can that Gabe turned out to be, it’s not hard to come across that way. Nicole and Logan had great supportive friend groups and I was so interested in the podcast she eventually created with her surrogate.
Overall this was such an emotional roller coaster but it was so sweet to read about two people who were clearly always into each other finally getting a chance to try it out. I also enjoyed the short chapters and surprisingly the third person point of view worked for me. The epilogue was also very well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book comes with an undoubted trigger warning for infertility and loss; there were many tears to be shed throughout this novel.
This book will repeatedly rip your heart out and then put it right back again. It’s messy, it’s exciting, it’s filled with love.
Exploding with love.
The goofy, childish love. The serious love. The hard to face love. The contagious love. The passionate, perfect, love.
An added side note: I love the authors writing style. As a mom who struggled to get back into reading postpartum, the chapters are short and sweet. It makes it easy to pick up for a few minutes and put it back down, and easy to keep saying “just one more chapter.”
This book will repeatedly rip your heart out and then put it right back again. It’s messy, it’s exciting, it’s filled with love.
Exploding with love.
The goofy, childish love. The serious love. The hard to face love. The contagious love. The passionate, perfect, love.
An added side note: I love the authors writing style. As a mom who struggled to get back into reading postpartum, the chapters are short and sweet. It makes it easy to pick up for a few minutes and put it back down, and easy to keep saying “just one more chapter.”
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Wow, The Best Worst Thing completely snuck up on me with respect to my connection to the characters. For 3/4 or so of the novel, I assumed that it would be just another easy-to-read novel— that is, one during which I felt ‘meh’, but was able to consume its words rather quickly. Color me surprised (and a bit impressed) that the last few chapters left me charmed and tickled by the fact that it finally clicked for me.
At the outset of the novel, Nicole seemed to be a stereotype of the stay-at-home wife who gives up everything to create the visage of a perfect marriage to her wealthy, ‘dudebro’ type husband. Even as her fertility story unfolded, I felt sympathy and empathy for her heartbreak, but felt little for Nicole herself, as she was devoid of any real personality traits. Logan’s reappearance in her life, nor her developing love for him, still didn’t compel me to feel anything. Indeed, despite the manner to which the narration alluded to the depth of her feelings, Nicole’s fickle nature and inability to be open and honest with Logan gave me pause and I wondered if she would go back to Gabe. Perhaps this was due to an invisible barrier that Lauren Okie’s writing style created— one in which she attempted to make Nicole relatable and authentic, but for over half of the novel, succeeded in only frustrating me due to a veil of superficiality. Every piece of dialogue and action should have conveyed Nicole’s genuine attraction, character growth, etc. Yet, as aforementioned, it was only after the second third-act breakup that I felt her words ring true. Now that I relay this idea, I’m questioning whether or not Okie intentionally chose to portray Nicole’s journey as such.
Logan, thankfully, was much easier to read, although again, I became frustrated, probably because I thought he deserved better than Nicole (until the end). He was endearing and wholly devoted to her, while still being his own person, which frequently seems to work in novels these days. I assume Okie thought that Nicole’s character arc sufficiently established her as an independent woman. It is not lost on me that the majority of such an arc was dependent upon her interactions with men. While Nicole seemed to function on her own, she was still too wrapped up in Logan for me to be confident about her ability to do so. Thus, Logan inadvertently lost a bit of his lustre for me (through no fault of his own).
The pace of the novel was interesting, for the present timeline confused me at times. The summer went by so slowly, while the fall and winter were mere blips on the radar. The flashbacks were well written and thoroughly detailed, though I think for their connection’s sake, it would have been wonderful to read about the moment they met. It would have been even better had Okie chosen to write from Logan’s perspective at least once.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read, despite me not connecting with The Best Worst Thing as much as I would have liked. Anyone who has experienced fertility issues and pregnancy loss definitely should be forewarned, as they are a central focus of the novel.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!
At the outset of the novel, Nicole seemed to be a stereotype of the stay-at-home wife who gives up everything to create the visage of a perfect marriage to her wealthy, ‘dudebro’ type husband. Even as her fertility story unfolded, I felt sympathy and empathy for her heartbreak, but felt little for Nicole herself, as she was devoid of any real personality traits. Logan’s reappearance in her life, nor her developing love for him, still didn’t compel me to feel anything. Indeed, despite the manner to which the narration alluded to the depth of her feelings, Nicole’s fickle nature and inability to be open and honest with Logan gave me pause and I wondered if she would go back to Gabe. Perhaps this was due to an invisible barrier that Lauren Okie’s writing style created— one in which she attempted to make Nicole relatable and authentic, but for over half of the novel, succeeded in only frustrating me due to a veil of superficiality. Every piece of dialogue and action should have conveyed Nicole’s genuine attraction, character growth, etc. Yet, as aforementioned, it was only after the second third-act breakup that I felt her words ring true. Now that I relay this idea, I’m questioning whether or not Okie intentionally chose to portray Nicole’s journey as such.
Logan, thankfully, was much easier to read, although again, I became frustrated, probably because I thought he deserved better than Nicole (until the end). He was endearing and wholly devoted to her, while still being his own person, which frequently seems to work in novels these days. I assume Okie thought that Nicole’s character arc sufficiently established her as an independent woman. It is not lost on me that the majority of such an arc was dependent upon her interactions with men. While Nicole seemed to function on her own, she was still too wrapped up in Logan for me to be confident about her ability to do so. Thus, Logan inadvertently lost a bit of his lustre for me (through no fault of his own).
The pace of the novel was interesting, for the present timeline confused me at times. The summer went by so slowly, while the fall and winter were mere blips on the radar. The flashbacks were well written and thoroughly detailed, though I think for their connection’s sake, it would have been wonderful to read about the moment they met. It would have been even better had Okie chosen to write from Logan’s perspective at least once.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read, despite me not connecting with The Best Worst Thing as much as I would have liked. Anyone who has experienced fertility issues and pregnancy loss definitely should be forewarned, as they are a central focus of the novel.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I could not put this book down. I stayed up until 4AM reading and took the physical book with me while walking the dog. It was truly one of the most readable books I’ve picked up in a while.
One thing that made this book feel even more special to me is that it’s set in the South Bay of Los Angeles, the place I grew up in and still live. I’ve never read a book set here and being able to picture every location made the story feel so personal. There’s something so familiar in the way Lauren writes her characters and reading about them in a setting I know so intimately made me feel deeply connected to them. I miss Logan and Nicole already. I wish I could get updates on their lives like they’re real people.
And don’t get me started on Logan. He might be one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time. He’s been quietly obsessed with Nicole from the very beginning, but the way he cares for her is so respectful, patient, and full of genuine love. The man was reading all her favorite books just to feel closer to her. I can’t even!
Lauren Okie’s writing has such a distinct rhythm to it, almost like poetry. It’s unique, lyrical, and stood out to me as someone who reads a lot of contemporary romance. Her voice feels so fresh and I loved how she approached this story with so much emotional depth.
This book doesn’t shy away from the messiness of life. It explores infidelity, infertility, grief, and the confusing, heartbreaking ways those things can change you. But there’s also so much humor and hope. I especially appreciated seeing a character in her 30s still figuring things out. That kind of growth and exploration feels so honest and relatable.
Knowing that some of this story comes from Lauren’s own experiences made this such a powerful read. I’ll be reading everything she writes and recommending The Best Worst Thing to everyone I know.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the early copies.
One thing that made this book feel even more special to me is that it’s set in the South Bay of Los Angeles, the place I grew up in and still live. I’ve never read a book set here and being able to picture every location made the story feel so personal. There’s something so familiar in the way Lauren writes her characters and reading about them in a setting I know so intimately made me feel deeply connected to them. I miss Logan and Nicole already. I wish I could get updates on their lives like they’re real people.
And don’t get me started on Logan. He might be one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time. He’s been quietly obsessed with Nicole from the very beginning, but the way he cares for her is so respectful, patient, and full of genuine love. The man was reading all her favorite books just to feel closer to her. I can’t even!
Lauren Okie’s writing has such a distinct rhythm to it, almost like poetry. It’s unique, lyrical, and stood out to me as someone who reads a lot of contemporary romance. Her voice feels so fresh and I loved how she approached this story with so much emotional depth.
This book doesn’t shy away from the messiness of life. It explores infidelity, infertility, grief, and the confusing, heartbreaking ways those things can change you. But there’s also so much humor and hope. I especially appreciated seeing a character in her 30s still figuring things out. That kind of growth and exploration feels so honest and relatable.
Knowing that some of this story comes from Lauren’s own experiences made this such a powerful read. I’ll be reading everything she writes and recommending The Best Worst Thing to everyone I know.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the early copies.
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy