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Better Luck Next Time by Cara Bastone

 

Summary (from the publisher): Two frenemies find a surprising second chance in this timeslip rom-com, starring Mae Whitman ( Parenthood ), Colin Woodell ( The Flight Attendant ), and a full cast.

Mona and Duncan used to be best friends. Now they can’t stand each other. Too bad that’s not a good enough excuse to miss their two families’ annual trip to the cabin. But things get really complicated when they accidentally drive through a wormhole together on the way. Look what playing nice and carpooling gets you.

Now they’re stranded indoors by an epic storm and stuck in an alternate timeline where things are just slightly ... off. Duncan and his dad aren’t speaking for reasons no one knows, Mona’s mom doesn’t like her hair or her career choices, and their siblings are meddlesome as ever.

Oh, yeah, and apparently they're going through a divorce. Which means that in this universe they are married. To each other.

All they can really do is play along until they figure out how to get back to the real timeline. How hard can it be—they already hate each other, don’t they? But figuring out how exactly Mona and Duncan managed to fall epically in love with one another—and then break each other’s hearts—is easier said than done. Navigating all these big feelings is leading to new ones, but are they destined to hurt each other in any universe? And what happens to this new relationship when they’re back to their old lives?

Review: Mona and Duncan are childhood friends because their parents are close and now their siblings are married to each other. But lately, they don't get along and yet are forced to travel together to their families' annual trip to the cabin. But on the way, they accidentally drive through a wormhole and find themselves in a an alterate version of their lives. And in this reality, they had gotten married and are now going through a divorce. 

I am a huge fan of Cara Bastone, so I am bummed I didn't love this one more. I love that she is always willing to take a creative risk and I admire that so much, it just didn't quite land for me in this one. This was a fun take on a second chance romance with a dash of magical realism. I accept the wormhole/time travel bits of the story. In fact, it was interesting to contemplate how your life might be different with just a few key differences. It was even funny how horrified they were to hear family members talking about how into each other they used to be, since they seem unimaginable to them. 

Also, like all of Cara's books this was so well done on audio with actors Mae Whitman and Colin Woodell in duet narration and subtle sound effects. When they get into the car for their road trip, you hear the car doors slam and the slight rev of the engine in the background. It is delightful and feels truly like a performance. 

However, even this superior audio could not save this for me. I had some issues with the plot, which I won't dive deep into because of spoilers. There was also a scene where they contemplate sleeping together that was SO cringe and juvenile and I just could NOT get behind it. I think it was meant to be funny and in some ways it is but in other ways it just felt supremely awkward and not like the characters were two grown adults that could ever really be interested in each other. Some of the wormhole twists and turn just felt silly and too much for me in the end. 

Beyond that, this just didn't hold my attention. I virtually always have an audiobook playing in the background when I'm able. But despite being such a short audiobook, this took me days to finish because every time I had it playing, I would get bored and switch to music. I loved the audio but the story just didn't keep me interested. 

This isn't part of a series but this book dovetails nicely with two other audible exclusives by Cara Bastone, All the Time in the World and Maybe This Time, which also feature wormholes/time travel and a sci-fi twist. 

Stars: 2.5

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