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Better Than None
“The conversational style that Olivia Jake uses in her book Better Than None will surely make this a fan favorite. It gives readers the feeling of sitting across the table from their best friend and sharing some of their most intimate thoughts. I particularly enjoy the wry wit that offers I-totally-get-what-you're-saying moments that are nestled in between the more dramatic events. While this book shows extremely emotional losses, it also gives readers hope of being able to get through whatever comes their way. Jake has an uncanny ability to touch on all of the senses and take emotions from one extreme to the other — from sobbing to laughing and everything in between.”
Judge, 2nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards
“Is half a loaf better than none?” From an early age, Stephanie Lawson knew the answer to her mother Barbara’s rhetorical relationship question. As close as they were, Steph never wanted to be like Barb when it came to men: someone so desperate that she routinely settled for crumbs. So Steph built walls long before she truly understood why and thought she was protecting herself by using sex as a weapon. But by 37, she realized that her own self-destructive behavior wasn’t protecting her at all. All it did was prevent her from ever getting close to anyone.
Ready to remake herself with a new job, the challenge isn’t the work, but rather creating her new identity and trying to be the person she wants to be. Unlearning everything she ever knew is difficult, but it doesn’t compare to the news that her mother and best friend has cancer.
The diagnosis creates a new reality for both Steph and Barb. Their quality time goes from shopping and errands to a gut-wrenching maze of procedures, hospitalizations and suffering. Like with anything else, they tackle it the only way they know how: together.
The disease not only gives Steph perspective, it also introduces her to her mother’s prick of an oncologist, Dr. Brad Rosenberg. Perhaps because she recognizes a broken soul when she sees one, Steph begins to slowly let Brad in. Their budding relationship isn’t without hurdles, but dealing with Barb’s illness accelerates the changes in Steph’s own life. If only it didn’t take losing her mother to start finding herself.
Judge, 2nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards
“Is half a loaf better than none?” From an early age, Stephanie Lawson knew the answer to her mother Barbara’s rhetorical relationship question. As close as they were, Steph never wanted to be like Barb when it came to men: someone so desperate that she routinely settled for crumbs. So Steph built walls long before she truly understood why and thought she was protecting herself by using sex as a weapon. But by 37, she realized that her own self-destructive behavior wasn’t protecting her at all. All it did was prevent her from ever getting close to anyone.
Ready to remake herself with a new job, the challenge isn’t the work, but rather creating her new identity and trying to be the person she wants to be. Unlearning everything she ever knew is difficult, but it doesn’t compare to the news that her mother and best friend has cancer.
The diagnosis creates a new reality for both Steph and Barb. Their quality time goes from shopping and errands to a gut-wrenching maze of procedures, hospitalizations and suffering. Like with anything else, they tackle it the only way they know how: together.
The disease not only gives Steph perspective, it also introduces her to her mother’s prick of an oncologist, Dr. Brad Rosenberg. Perhaps because she recognizes a broken soul when she sees one, Steph begins to slowly let Brad in. Their budding relationship isn’t without hurdles, but dealing with Barb’s illness accelerates the changes in Steph’s own life. If only it didn’t take losing her mother to start finding herself.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2014
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Olivia Jake
7 books61 followersHaving worked in the entertainment industry for almost the last 20 years, I’ve met my fair share of characters. Some genuinely lovely people, some, shall we say, less than lovely. But mostly, I’ve met a lot of exceptionally strong women. Professionals with impressive careers in a very demanding field. Over the years, I’ve had the honor to get to know many of them. Over these same years, I’ve also become a romance junkie, turning to books for an escape from the stresses of daily life. And the more I read, the more I wondered where were the women like the ones I knew? Strong, successful women in their 30s and 40s who are in complete control in the boardroom but would happily give it up in the bedroom. Now, my escape happens not just in reading romances, but writing my own too.
I am a native Angeleno and animal lover, especially pit bulls. Some women fall for men like their fathers, I fell for one like my dogs: smart, strong, loyal, protective and unconditionally loving.
I am a native Angeleno and animal lover, especially pit bulls. Some women fall for men like their fathers, I fell for one like my dogs: smart, strong, loyal, protective and unconditionally loving.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 21, 2014
AFFIRMATION
When we build walls to protect ourselves we arbitrarily lock ourselves in and lock others out . In the meantime, life goes on and we play "the hand that is dealt". Better Than None is a mesmerizing tale. It grips , commands our full attention and leads us into moments of reflection. This story is a journey of life and death; of love and forgiveness. It affirms that "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will not grow." We are stronger than we know. This is the story of our lives told through the fictional character Stephanie Lawson, a 37 year old professional, who attempts to become someone other than what her past defines her as. When her mother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she becomes acquainted with the adage you can run but you cannot hide (from life experiences).Until faced with the mortality of her best friend and mother, Steph had not faced her own frailties. Better Than None reminds us that we all have a story and we can be certain our own is not an exclusive - for that which we have not lived we can still empathise and learn from. This book is said to be different from the author's previous books, but it is still undeniably Olivia Jake. She has taken her personal experience of loss and transcribed it into a conduit of hope, encouragement and understanding that leads to forgiveness. She shows us that death is not just an end but a beginning as well. This is an unforgettable story. I highly recommend it to book lovers of every genre' and to every person who seeks understanding of his fellow man.
When we build walls to protect ourselves we arbitrarily lock ourselves in and lock others out . In the meantime, life goes on and we play "the hand that is dealt". Better Than None is a mesmerizing tale. It grips , commands our full attention and leads us into moments of reflection. This story is a journey of life and death; of love and forgiveness. It affirms that "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will not grow." We are stronger than we know. This is the story of our lives told through the fictional character Stephanie Lawson, a 37 year old professional, who attempts to become someone other than what her past defines her as. When her mother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she becomes acquainted with the adage you can run but you cannot hide (from life experiences).Until faced with the mortality of her best friend and mother, Steph had not faced her own frailties. Better Than None reminds us that we all have a story and we can be certain our own is not an exclusive - for that which we have not lived we can still empathise and learn from. This book is said to be different from the author's previous books, but it is still undeniably Olivia Jake. She has taken her personal experience of loss and transcribed it into a conduit of hope, encouragement and understanding that leads to forgiveness. She shows us that death is not just an end but a beginning as well. This is an unforgettable story. I highly recommend it to book lovers of every genre' and to every person who seeks understanding of his fellow man.
January 29, 2021
Great read
This is my first from this author and I enjoyed it very much. I liked that the characters were older and mature, but still steamy and with enough substance to make a great story. I was a little confused as to what brought oh the Stephanie's change. What happened that she was starting at a new place and that made her change her interactions with men? Other then that the story was touching and the emotions dealing with caring for a parent were realistic. Pick this one up today!
This is my first from this author and I enjoyed it very much. I liked that the characters were older and mature, but still steamy and with enough substance to make a great story. I was a little confused as to what brought oh the Stephanie's change. What happened that she was starting at a new place and that made her change her interactions with men? Other then that the story was touching and the emotions dealing with caring for a parent were realistic. Pick this one up today!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews