A single mom who’s made a career of finding love for everyone else will put herself first this summer—if she can finally get real about what she wants—in this sizzling dual POV romance from the author of Don’t Tell Me How It Ends.
Three years after launching an indie matchmaking service and giving birth to her son, Zola Harper’s business and baby are both thriving. When her company is acquired and her son starts spending weekends with Zola’s ex, she finds herself flush with two things she’s gone without for so long—extra money and spare time. She’d planned to spend that time revolutionizing the online dating space, but if there’s one dating space that needs revolutionizing…it’s her own bedroom.
Even if Zola can be convinced to have some flirty fun on her child-free weekends, she won’t let a short-term fling distract her from continuing to build a future she can be proud of. She won’t let it distract her from real life—the real mom life she hopes to keep separate from her soft girl summer.
Venture philanthropist Vaughn Butler spends more time serving the communities he loves than his own interests…until a beautiful woman slides into his DMs. At first, Zola Harper seems too good to be true. She doesn’t even mind Vaughn’s bicoastal work schedule that leaves him with only weekends available. But despite their undeniable chemistry, there’s something missing. Something Zola’s not telling him.
Everything in Zola’s life is high stakes and too real. This whirlwind summer romance is just for fun…or so she thought.
For those meeting the Harper sisters for the first time, welcome home! And if you've already read Don't Tell Me How It Ends, I'm so excited to bring you Zola's story.
This book is for those of us who know feeling safe has to come before feeling soft. Those of us who gave ourselves away—little by little—without even noticing. The ones rediscovering our womanhood and selfhood. The ones who CAN do it all alone...but don't always want to.
This love story is more grown up, more sensual, and more romantic...but just as messy and fun as ever!
First off, I love how this book touches on the changes you experience as a woman, from motherhood to life itself. I could definitely relate!
My heart went out to Zola after finding out that she had to face rejection during one of the most vulnerable times in her life. I understood how that could influence some of her choices when it came to Vaughn, but I wasn't a fan of her hiding the truth from him. Especially when this book had so much potential for some cute found family moments! 😩 I would have LOVED to read some of that.
Vaughn was such a gentleman, and the positivity he poured into her was heartfelt. However...I just couldn't fully connect with their relationship.
Overall, this was an okay read for me. I just found myself craving more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc. All opinions are my own.
I really liked this!! I really admired Zola’s’ character and her character development, the challenges she faced as a mother and a businesswoman were very real and made the story really engaging beyond the romance. I liked Vaughn as a character too and appreciated that there wasn’t really any drama with him for the most part, he was just a supportive presence in her life. I hate that Jason got his happily ever after too after what he did, but that’s just me and my strong dislike for that trope. It wasn’t the best book I’ve read, but I still really enjoyed it!
It’s so good to be back with the Harper sisters!!! Thank you, Dial, for the eARC! I fell in love with these characters in Don’t Tell Me How It Ends, and I have such a deeper understanding of Zola now after reading her story. This story is about love, but also a testament to the love of sisterhood and finding yourself.
Zola has dedicated her time and energy to making sure her son is taken care of and that her business, XO by Zo, is flourishing, so she may have been neglecting herself without realizing it. Her sister, Kaia, takes matters into her own hands and slides into Vaughn’s DMs to help her sister out. When Vaughn and Zola actually hit it off, it’s hard to resist the urge to continue to seeing him. She is ready for a summer of fun, but when unexpected feelings start to develop, she has to figure out what she really wants and whether she’s ready to open up.
I really enjoyed that this story was told through dual POV because it really helped me understand both main characters. Zola is very introspective and has been the person people depend on her whole life. She isn't used to depending on anyone or even wanting that, until now. She has to figure out how to pursue this relationship and open up when it goes against her nature. Kaia is there to keep her accountable and push her to figure out what she wants. She’s also at a crossroads in her career after selling XO by Zo and needs to decide her next steps. While Vaughn is almost too good to be true, he’s dependable, interesting, caring, and giving. He wants to make sure his people are taken care of and want for nothing. He wants to be the person that you depend on. He’s trying to keep his company’s latest philanthropic venture from collapsing in on itself, which could require him to move across the country. He immediately feels drawn to Zola and doesn’t want to let her know, no matter how many times she pushes him away. He respects her boundaries and still tries to understand her, even when it's difficult. His impending move makes it hard to figure out their next steps, but he’s willing to see it through.
I enjoyed seeing Zola’s growth throughout this book. It’s a prime example of how you're constantly changing in life, even after you think you have it figured out.
There was some miscommunication toward the end that slowed the pacing for me, but I still enjoyed the relationship development and each character's personal growth. I completely understood the reasoning behind the communication disconnect, so it was more enjoyable when I could clearly see the character’s reasoning behind their actions.
Overall, I had a great time reading this one! I did a buddy read with Alicia (@lesseonbooks), which made the reading experience even better! If you are in the mood for self-discovery, strong sisterhood, a single-mother relationship, and slow-burn romance, this is the book for you!
Thank you Dial Press for providing this book for review via NetGalley!
Can a summer fling turn into forever?
After reading and LOVING Don’t Tell Me How It Ends, I was dying to get my hands on Adrienne Thurman’s newest book. I feel so honored and grateful to have the ability to read Better in Real Life ahead of release. I can’t wait to recommend this book to as many people as I can because I simply love Adrienne’s writing.
In this book, Zola, a single mother of a toddler and a business owner, tries out a summer fling to try and reclaim her identity. Vaughn, the other person in said fling, is a venture philanthropist who is IMMEDIATELY hooked on getting to know Zola. But how can he get to know Zola while Zola is unsure if she fully knows who she is at this juncture of her life?
Although I am not a mother nor a business owner, I fully believe a lot of people are going to feel deeply seen by Zola and her thoughts and experiences. I loved being in her head and even when I knew the “right” decision to make, I completely understood what would motivate her to choose the more imperfect and human action. Adrienne did an excellent job developing these characters and making them feel like real people I know.
I especially loved Vaughn’s POV chapters and watching him grapple with saving a business near and dear to his heart. He was equally as stubborn and hesitant to ask for help as Zola was, and it made me laugh to think of how perfect they were for each other in that way.
Honestly, in terms of my favorite part about this book, the romance between Zola and Vaughn was closely rivaled by Zola’s relationship with her sister, Kaia. Their bond was SO heartwarming, it made me want a sister so badly.
The only thing I would’ve wanted from this book was more on page interactions. There were a lot of key moments between various character pairings that I would’ve loved to experience rather only being told what happened. There were so many different subplots in this book that I feel like we could have gone much deeper into the plot and truly feel the romance and character growth if there were less plot lines.
All in all, I am so happy we have been gifted with Adrienne’s poetic writing and fun characters and I cannot wait for whatever she gives us next!
Adrienne Thurman shows that the successful, single moms out there deserved to be loved hard for everything they are in this story about the oldest Harper sister, Zola.
If you read Don't Tell Me How It Ends, you will know Zola as the aspiring entrepreneur who used who sister Kaia, to test out her matchmaking business, as well as the pregnant woman who was recently abandoned by her HS sweetheart (if you haven't read it, do it because Kaia and Ro are everything!) After spending the last 3 years building her matchmaking business and raising her son, Zola Harper is making moves to find out who she is without the constant grind of being a mom-trepreneur. Better in Real Life takes place at crossroads in Zola's life where she is unsure of her next career step and also learning how to co-parent with her son's dad. Her sister, Kaia is there to help push Zola out of her comfort zone by opening up communication with a stranger using Zola's own business model.
Enter Vaughn Butler. A man too good to be true from the moment they meet. Vaughn is also going through a rough period, holding on to a unstable philanthropic venture that could require him to move across the country permanently.
These two fall fast and hard, but their paths in life could mean a fast and hard heartbreak is imminent.
Zola has an incredible journey. It was amazing to see her shine and receive the flowers she deserved after losing so much of herself over the years for the sake of her ex, her career and her son. As for Vaughn, I admire a man who doesn't quit a good thing and Zola was most definitely that good thing he was missing in his life. They had such a strong bond and this mutual respect for one another that remained, even when things got a little hard for a moment.
Ultimately, Better in Real Life is a story about learning to put yourself first, letting go and taking advantage of the opportunities that can be scary in order to find that the grass can be greener, if you make it so.
Thank you to the author and the Dial Press for the eARC via NetGalley! I cannot wait to get my hands on this beauty next year!
After reading and loving Adrienne Thurman’s debut earlier this year, I knew she would be an author to watch. Better in Real Life brings the reader on a journey of love and self discovery. It’s a realistic, relatable story that covers the difficulties of single-parenthood, and the strength that comes with choosing something for yourself.
Our FMC Zola is a strong lead. I love the compassion she shows for her family, and the drive she has to continue her successful career. Vaughn is the perfect MMC; a confident (but not cocky) man who is determined to show Zola that he’s in it for the long haul. Their chemistry is fantastic, though I wish we could’ve seen some more flirty banter.
The plot felt a little drawn out at times. It would’ve been nice to see a bigger tie in between Zola’s vision for her dating website and her relationship with Vaughn. They tested out a few date ideas but I would’ve loved to see that explored more. I also wasn’t sure how I felt about Zola’s son not being a large part of the story. While I understand that this is Zola’s story, I think including more of her relationship with Zane would’ve given her character more depth.
I find Thurman to be a very talented writer, and I look forward to reading her future books. I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a relatable, low-stakes romance with good spice and substance.
Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the gifted eARC!
I always end up rooting hardest for the older sister who has to fix everybody else's messes, which is probably why I cared so much about Zola Harper in Better in Real Life from page 1. After seeing everything she dealt with back in Don't Tell Me How It Ends, it felt good catching up with her 3 years after she started her matchmaking business in Connecticut. She just sold her company for a great payout, and her 3-year-old son is finally spending Friday through Sunday at his dad's house. For the first time in 3 years, Zola actually gets her weekends back.
She sends 1 bold DM to Vaughn Butler (a guy in venture philanthropy who travels between 2 coasts all week) because a weekend-only fling sounds easy to control. The problem is that she's so protective of her weekday routine as a mom that she doesn't tell him she has a kid. That secret stressed me out. Adrienne Thurman wrote this one from 2 points of view, and Vaughn's chapters made the whole story hit way harder for me. He genuinely wants to know the real her, even when he notices she pulls back every Sunday at 8 p.m. Zola frustrated me in 2 chapters near the middle by pushing him away, though after how badly her ex let her down while she was pregnant, her fear of depending on a man again made sense. ARC via NetGalley and Dial Press.
This story follows Zola, a single mom entrepreneur who stumbles into dating Vaughn, a successful philanthropist. He comes off as pretty much flawless but in a non-annoying, semi-realistic way. Even though their journey into solidifying their relationship had a few obstacles, it’s clear from the jump that they have something special.
Though the love story between those two was quite sweet, I would argue the best part of the book was following Zola’s character growth. Witnessing her journey of self-discovery and regaining her confidence was really nice to see.
Overall, this was a nice, cute romance with a lovely ending, but the side plot of Zola recently selling her matchmaking business felt underdeveloped and like a distraction at times.
Zola is strong, independent, high-achieving and very passionate about her family and her career but needs to learn to love herself again after having her heart broken by her HS sweetheart. It hits hard to all moms, and oldest daughters to see her grow within the pages and accept what she wants, and what she needs.
Vaughn is another green flag of a man. Supportive, gentle, kind, and let’s Zola go at her own pace. Even when he has a minor freak-out about what he thought was going on, he pivots so fast into how he can help her. We love to see it.
Adrienne is a beautiful storyteller. Loved the epilogue and the bonus chapter at the end, and how it all wrapped up. Looking forward to reading more from her in the years to come.
Thank you to Dial Press for the opportunity to read this eARC.
This book is a love letter to single moms and to any woman trying to find her way back to herself after a loss. This story is so freaking good! I kept starting and stopping this as I read it because it was too good to stop but also so good I didn’t want it to end. I found myself trying to savor each chapter. Zola and Vaughn’s story is electric, sexy, and so delicious. I mean the sexual chemistry was jumping off the page. But it’s also incredibly tender, patient and a bit messy. I enjoyed very second of this book. Thank you so much for Dial Press and Netgalley for giving me an early read of this book. I am in awe of Adrienne Thurman and her storytelling. I’ll be buying everything she writes from now on.
NetGalley ARC Random House Publishing: 4.5⭐️ This book follows a single mother who is learning how to navigate some of life’s biggest hurdles as an adult. Co-parenting, job ventures, family, and a relationship that wasn’t planned. To me this book was one of the most realistic examples of an adult relationship with so much else going on in the background of your life. It was messy, raw, romantic, and so emotional. The way these characters were brought together and how they showed growth not only in themselves but also with each other was so beautiful to read. I absolutely loved this and I will be going back to read this authors other book as well now!
This is my first book from the author and in the Dial Delights series and I wish I read the first one first! Not because this is hard to understand without I just wish wish I hadn’t waited to long to experience this wonder!
This was well paced and sexy. I can’t wait to read more.