Better Luck Next Time

Audiobook Review:
Listening to this as an audiobook, at timesespecially at the beginningit was hard to keep the cast of characters straight. The story revolves around siblings and cousins, with the mother of the siblings being a feminist icon. Unfortunately, I did not feel like the matriarch was as fleshed out as the younger generation. There werent any chapters from her viewpoint, if I recall correctly, so we only saw her through the eyes of her children, niece, and nephew. The book charts what happens to this family over the course of a year, from one Christmas to the next, month by month. And, my, what a year it was for the family! Two divorces, new romances, an old family secret unearthed, betrayal, death, new jobs, a teenager discovering his father, etc. I’ll admit I thought it was perhaps a little unimaginative to have two divorces happen right off the bat. Surely, the author could have come up with another issue for one of the women to grapple with. And the two women who divorced… do actual women get involved in new relationships so soon after or during a divorce? Still, I actually enjoyed listening to this book and the piling-on of family drama. The narrator did a fantastic job voicing all the characters differently. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the story less had I read it as an eBook because I think the narrator added that much to my enjoyment of the story.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Thank you to Harper Audio and Harper Collins for my Advance Listeners Copy of Better Luck Next Time in exchange for my honest opinion.

Better Luck Next Time is a family drama that has a strong soap opera feel to it with the divorces, secret relationships, and hidden truths. There was a messy, tangled web of connections between the characters in the story. It is told over a years time, with monthly snapshots of what is going on in their lives. Each member of this extended family has their own drama and so many secrets. I loved the relationships between the siblings and cousins though, and how they were snarky and supportive of each other when they needed to be, They were one big (sometimes) happy family that I was immediately drawn in by.

I also loved the message of resilience that I picked up from the story. So much can happen in a year.

The story is told from multiple points of view. Rachel Fulginiti did a great job with the narration and changing the tone with each character, It definitely helped to keep up with who was ‘speaking’ during the story. I will be keeping an eye out for other books that she has narrated in the future. I do listen to audiobooks a lot and was easily able to speed this one up to a faster speed.

All adult children Mariana, Nina and Beata under the spotlight of their mother Lydia Hennessey, with cousins Zoe and Zack also in the mix. The two families, parents and children alike, were in somewhat of a mixed crisis. Beatas son Oscar, now a teenager and a surly, resentful one at that, had just discovered the father he didnt know about and who didnt know about his son. Ninas return from overseas pleased the family, but Nina had changed. And Mariana was in the throes of a divorce, with her twin daughters not coping at all well.

Meanwhile cousin Zoe was also going through a divorce the outcome which would make her a happier person, but she couldnt see herself getting there any time soon. And Zack, Zoe’s brother, with his chaotic past, was being a stalwart supporter of all who needed him.

Over the period of a year, the angst, drama, family dynamics and chaos all collided. Would anyone come out of what was happening a better person? Or were they all destined to fail?

Better Luck Next Time by Kate Hilton is basically an extended familys drama which occurs during a small period of the characters lives and their efforts to make things better. With divorce, careers, parenting, bitterness and love all vying for a place, it was a quick read and reasonably light. Recommended.

Better Luck Next Time by Kate Hilton is a great story about a family.

Lydia Hennessey is preparing to celebrate her career. Her three daughters Mariana, Nina, and Beata are all going through difficult times. Zoe and Zack are their cousins. Better Luck Next Time starts at a difficult Christmas. During a tense conversation Zoe throws out that she is getting divorced. Mariana decides to leave her husband. Nina is not in the story as much as the other characters but her story is very impactful. Beata has a teenage son that finds out about his Dad. Beata also has been in a relationship, but hasnt told her family about it. Better Luck Next Time is told through multiple characters perspectives.

Better Luck Next Time is a great book with excellent characters. I was immediately drawn to the characters and wanted to hear more about them. I really wanted everything to work out for the characters. Hilton does a great job telling all these characters stories in a way that makes it interesting but isnt too much. The book encompasses a year.

Better Luck Next Time discusses many different family issues and how they affect family dynamics. Divorce, infidelity, dating apps, dating after divorce, and marriage are all discussed. A teenage boy also discovers who his Dad really is and starts to develop a relationship with him.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rachel Fulginiti. I really enjoyed her narration and thought it added to the story.

I loved Better Luck Next Time and recommend it to anyone that likes fiction novels about families.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio/Harper Collins Publishers for Better Luck Next Time.

There is some wit and humor in the foibles of the main characters and their interactions. Nevertheless, the book did not come close to the glowing reviews it received.

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