Better Choices

by Rod Pennington, Jeffery A. Martin

Allison Clark has made many bad choices. Now, on the cusp of a divorce, she finds herself sandwiched between caring for her often difficult and dying mother and dealing with her rebellious teenaged twins.

When she thinks life couldn’t get any more complicated, Allison discovers her mother has concealed an ominous secret from her for her entire life.

At her twins’ eighteenth birthday party, and nearing the end, her mother checks off the last item on her bucket list and reveals the long-hidden family secret. Allison's world is immediately turned upside down and the revelation stuns family and friends alike.

Genres: Fiction

252 pages, ebook

Published June 12, 2020

About the author

Rod Pennington writes a mixed bag of suspense stories filled with quirky characters, rapid-fire dialogue and whiplash inducing plot shifts. With his off-beat sense of humor and original storylines that do not fit comfortably into any established genre, he has developed a hard-core group of fans.

In addition to fiction, Pennington has either sold or has had optioned seven screenplays and also writes regularly in national publications such as the Wall Street Journal.

You can reach Rod at AuthorRodPennington@Gmail.com

Books by Rod Pennington Available on Amazon.com

The Fourth Awakening Series:
A woman overcomes her mid-life crisis by going a vision quest with an enigmatic billionaire.
The Fourth Awakening
The Gathering Darkness
The Fourth Awakening Chronicles I
The Fourth Awakening Chronicles II
The Fourth Awakening Chronicles III
The Fourth Awakening Chronicles IV
El Cuarto Despertar (Spanish translation of The Fourth Awakening)

The Family Series
A dark comedy about a dysfunctional family of four of the world's best assassins.
Family Reunion (The First Charon Family Adventure)
Family Business (The Second Charon Family Adventure)
Family Secrets (The Third Charon Family Adventure)
Family Honor (The Fourth Charon Family Adventure)
Family Debt (The Fifth Charon Family Adventure)

Stand Alone Books
Indweller
"It is not often you stumble across a new and original character that immediately grabs your attention. This is the case with Gabriel Indweller. A Black ops veteran inadvertently forced into a state of total enlightenment by a botch government experiment, he is now like an Old Testament Archangel with a James Bond style license to kill."

What Ever Happened to Mr. MAJIC?
"Grace and Sunny are sisters but as different as night and day. When their mother dies they find out why. In searching for a lost manuscript and a lost father one of them finds a new way of looking at life."

Better Choices
"Despite dealing with the serious topics of divorce, complicated family relationships and death, this is a lighthearted and life-affirming story full of funny and interesting characters."

Reviews

[Julie Toole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little put off by how naïve the protagonist was. I found her to be a clueless dimwit who, supposedly, all of a sudden develops a backbone. She reads a self help book and then, overnight, she has a stronger personality. In reality, she continues to rely on her friend Beth to make everything better, her teenage twins leave her out of their personal lives and everybody seems to get what’s going on but her.

I felt this was a book to plug Jeffrey A. Martin's self-help books.

Dumb sentence pertaining to the weather: “A Canadian high had swept the heat and humidity south and around six, dinner was served.”

Good quote: “You wouldn’t let an asshole in your house, why would you let them in your head?”

[Char | · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 STARS rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Integration Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows a tight knit family in the verge of major changes in their life. The matriarch, Edna, is dealing with a health issue, her daughter, and main protagonist Allison, is going through life-altering decisions, including her long overdue divorce, and her children, Charles and Angela are about to embark on life after high school.

The synopsis centres on Edna revealing the long-hidden family secret, but really this book isn't about that. The book is about familial expectations, it's about the complicated dynamic of real families. It's about rectifying bad choices and making better ones. It's about Allison realising she does have control over herself, and allowing herself to be more than a mother and a wife.
The side characters in this book, Allison's young sister in law, and her Aunts, are delightful and just so well fully-formed characters.

I really liked this book. However, I would say that the 'revelation' happens so late in the book and I wouldn't say that it held that much impact over the main characters, in fact, I would even go so far as to say they took it in their stride.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, authors Rod Pennington and Jeffery A. Martin, and Integration Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to add Rod Pennington and Jeffery A. Martin to my favorite authors and recommend their work to friends and family. They write a tight tale with sympathetic, compassionate protagonists and gentle lessons in coping tucked amid a story that is compelling.

Written from the first-person viewpoint of Allison O'Connor Clark and occurring in the present time, you are going to enjoy meeting the whole O'Connor/Clark, family. Allison's father Charlie O'Connor, a very successful builder, died a couple of years ago. Her Mother Edna is a feisty, extremely independent woman with many interests - and a recent heart incident with a very bad prognosis and the impossibility of living on her own any longer. Husband Lindsey, guilty of casual promiscuity since Allison was pregnant with the twins, is on the way out of Allison's life as soon as the twins, Charles and Angela, graduate high school - co-valedictorians! - and she files the divorce paperwork. Well, the twins will graduate if they don't get expelled the last week of senior high. Brother Robert who inherited 60% of the very profitable family business on the death of their father is looking for someone to bail him out of a serious financial hole. Lifetime best friend Beth Longway Woodrow is a highly respected lawyer and always there for Allison, especially now that she is watching her mother dwindle away. Every day it seems like there are more pressures and angst and less of her life that is in her immediate control - Allison must find a way to ensure that in future she makes much better choices...

pub date June 12, 2020
Integration Press
Reviewed on June 11, 2020, at Goodreads, Netgalley, Barnes&Noble, and BookBub. Not yet available for review at AmazonSmile, and not listed on Kobo or GooglePlay. Reviewed on June 12, 2020 at AmazonSmiles.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Choices by [Rod Pennington, Jeffery A. Martin]This book centers around Allison and her life. Each day she deals with an unhappy marriage, as she awaits her divorce when her twins graduate high school and turn 18. The girls are intelligent however trouble seems to always be on their heels. Allison knows something is going on with them but is unsure what it is. Included in the story is Allison's mother, who had a heart attack and cannot live alone any more. Robert is her brother who inherited most of the family business. Whereby Allison's father loved the business, Robert does not share this passion
One of the things that makes this story enjoyable is the characters are complex, just like we are. Each story is included in such a way that it makes a great voyage. Watching Allison grow in confidence as she faces each trouble is enriching. The writers have a gift with storytelling and developing rich characters. I recommend this book.
I was given this book by NetGalley and Integrated Press in exchange for my honest review.

[Tiffany www.instagram.com/tiffs_bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmmmmmm I had never heard of this duo author pair until I just happened to see an ad on facebook for their upcoming book. The sypnosis doesn't even hit on all the great points and characters of this story. Really enjoyed this family drama with some feisty & smart characters!!!
We have Allison Clark, a woman who has stayed married to a philanderer of a man for 20+ years because of the twin children they share. What Allison doesn't know is her twins would have much rather their parents got divorced years ago and made each other happy. Alison's family is a self made family who have some feisty and amazingly strong women amongst them. Dealing with her mother's down spiral of health and finally setting herself free, she will finally listen to those amazing women and discover herself in ways that she never imagined. Thank you to Netgalley and Integration Publishing for my honest review.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were to look at a real family's life, you'd find that each member makes contributions to the whole, some good, some bad. This is exactly how Rod Pennington and Jeffrey A Martin have written BETTER CHOICES.

At the center of the story is a mother, wife, daughter who now finds herself losing all these things that she has identified with forever. Her children are graduating from high school, she is getting a divorce from her cheating husband and her mother is ill with little time left. But before she can figure out what will become of herself, there are a few problems she must sort out.

A really well written story that was entertaining as well as educating. We will all be able to identify with the main character at some point in our lives and we'd love to think that our choices would be good ones. You should really add this one to your TBR pile....toward the top, it's that good!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book for a honest review. I do not typically read male authors, for no real reason, but I really enjoyed this book. I read this book quickly as I wanted to know what happens next. This book is about the O’Connor family. Mom, Edna. Children Allison and Robert. Grandchildren Robert Jr, Charles and Angela. Allison is in a loveless marriage heading for divorce once Charles and Angela graduate from high school. Robert is on his second marriage to a a much younger woman and has a child from his first marriage, Robert. The family owns a business which Robert Sr runs. Edna has a health issue that causes the business and the contents of Edna’s will to come front and center. The grandchildren are portrayed early on in the novel as screw ups but Charles and Angela’s keen business sense comes to everyones attention. Charles and Angela work with their father, Lindsey, to save the O’Connor family business. This book is really about family and how family negotiates difficult situations that every family faces eventually.

[Carol Dass · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read from the very first word! Allie has spent her life doing everything expected of her, just to keep the peace. Her husband, Lindsey, is a philanderer. They have agreed to divorce, have written up the agreement but will not make it official until their twins are 18, which happens in a few weeks. Allie suddenly ‘wakes up’, courtesy of Aunt Jolene, realizes she has been walked on by most everyone, and ‘mans up’. The characters are adorable, the story unique, I just loved everything about it. It is a light and fun read. I would read it again.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Erin B SC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had absolutely no expectations for this book, having read no reviews and nothing by these authors prior to reading it. NetGalley provided me with an ARC, for which I am grateful, but all opinions are my own.

I was surprised by this one! It was a quick read and generally an easy one, but dealt with some interesting family dynamics, to say the least. I really liked the characters in this book and was pretty immediately invested in them. I especially liked Charles and Angela, the twins, and their story arc. Allison originally seemed exceedingly gullible and like she had her head in the sand about everything, but as the story went on, she grew immensely and came into her own, becoming a much more likable narrator. I have been reading a lot of multiple narrator and alternating timeline books lately, so it was refreshing to read a single narrator book that progressed so smoothly. The book assumes intelligence of the reader and does not overexplain.

I'd be interested in exploring more of these author's works in the future.

[Francis M. Prensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost I want to thank Netgalley, and Intention Press for the opportunity to read this book.

This book taught me so much, Allison, like some of us, has made bad decisions in her life, now she’s newly divorced, and her kids are getting older and graduating soon. She going to soon be alone, but there is a shift in her life and her mother gets sick and she decides to take care of her.

The characters in this book were AMAZING! Super funny, smart, she has the most amazing best friend, and there is always drama in a family of course, and the drama and the secrets I couldn’t get enough of.

This book has a little bit of everything, and I love surprises in a read. I had so much fun reading this book.

[Rita Corcoran]

an enjoyable read -- nothing heavy

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. I finished the book-despite my reservations, I wanted to see how it ended. The characters were not realistic, the plot was unbelievable, the weird self-help component was odd. The whole thing was just too much, and the lack of realistic dialogue made this a chore to plow through. I should have known there would be issues with a novel being marketed as woman's fiction written by two men.

[Patricia Cassese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light, entertaining book about a quirky family and a little mystery always captures my attention. It revolves around the divorce of Allison Clark, her brilliant and rebellious twins, and her difficult dying mother who holds the key to a life changing family secret. There are many other characters who contribute to Allison's quest to find the answer to why her deceased father had been making large payments to someone through his personal attorney and, seemingly, from the family owned company for over fifty years.
The reason I gave it three stars instead of four was that I would have liked to see a little more depth in the characters, a little more time spent on their transitions and growth during the course of the story. That Allison 'put on her big girl clothes' and went to confront her nemesis, completely transformed into a strong and assertive woman as a result of reading her aunt's self-help book did not ring true for me, especially when she brought her best friend, Beth, who was a world class lawyer, as well as Beth's law team, along for the confrontation. Allison's twins were business geniuses at barely 18 years old and able to beat people with years of experience running large companies. But we didn't find out much more about them as characters.
Allison's aunts, as well as her mom's, personalities lit up the page. They were eccentric and fun. All in all, an engaging read during this time of shelter- in-place.

[Patsye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and it was not quite what I expected. Most of the contemporary fiction I read is written by women, and this had a little different flavor. There were a lot of interesting characters, some a little sharper and less conventional, and some not so believable. Allison really NEEDS to make better choices in her life, so obviously that is the recurring theme. She and her husband should have divorced years ago, but are just now doing it. Her precocious, intelligent, and very unbelievable twins are about to graduate from high school, and her mother’s health is declining. So what should Allison do with HER life besides wander around cluelessly? Fortunately she has a best friend who always knows what should be done, and is the rock who can help do it. The good guys generally win out, and the “bad” guys get their comeuppance, so it is satisfying. It was a fast, fun read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Integration Press for a ARC in exchange for a fair review.

[RoloPoloBookBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better Choices by Rod Pennington and Jeffery A. Martin
Source: NetGalley and Integration Press
Rating: 5/5 stars

Allison Clark previously believed she had her life and her sh*t together. Now, facing a divorce, the eighteenth birthday of her secretive twins, and a mother ready to drop bombshells now that her husband is dead, Allison isn’t at all sure about anything. In fact, Allison is on the verge of facing up to her bad choices and making significant changes in her life.

Like many parents, Allison is having a hard time seeing her twins as near-adults. Though her divorce is relatively amicable, Allison believes her twins know nothing about it; of course, her twins know all about the divorce and are on board with her decision. What’s more, in recent months, the twins have been secretive about their movements and activities. Though they have been careful, the jig is up when the high school calls Allison to report them absent without cause. When Allison tracks down the twins, she is blown away by what she discovers, and it takes everything in her and a stern talking to from her best friend (and lawyer!) not to lose her mind.

Up next on the agenda, Allison’s mother is in critical condition and the writing is on the wall with regards to the end of her life. As is typical, Allison’s mother has no interest in going quietly into the night and fully intends to live out her remaining days in any damn way she sees fit. To accommodate her mother, Allison, her aunt, and her aunt’s life partner all move in and then the fun really begins. Allison’s aunt’s life partner suffers from Alzheimer’s though she still has many wonderfully lucid hours each day. Between the bouts of memory loss, Allison’s coming to grips with the figurative loss of her twins, and the actual loss of her mother, Allison isn’t certain she can handle much more.

The Universe cares not for your emotional state.

On top of everything else, Allison’s ex is throwing a hissy fit about finances which forces the hand of Allison’s mother. When Allison’s mother finally spills the beans, the entire family is impacted and so many things from the past begin to fall neatly into place. With the future of her family radically altered, Allison does everything in her power to keep her sh*t together and not lose her damn mind.

The Bottom Line: Yet again, I find myself befuddled by the Goodreads star rating for a book! I found this book to be refreshingly light and rather wonderful despite all the crazy that occurs. In fact, it is all that crazy that occurs that makes this such an interesting and completely entertaining read. To get through the madness, Allison has to change her mindset and that opens up a whole new world for her. Her relationship with her mother and her twins greatly improves, she learns to be more open and accepting of life and its possibilities, and she finally finds her own voice and begins to use it, forcefully. There isn’t a character in this book I didn’t like, to one degree or another, and I found the blending of the sometimes wildly different personalities to be well-written and beautifully combined. In all, I found Better Choices to be an excellent read with a whirlwind of scenes, secrets, and clever maneuvering. This was a one-sitting and highly recommended read for me!

[Judy Beetem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I'd like Better Choices when I started reading it, but the story of the O'Connor family and their bad choices and complicated relationships drew me in so I soon felt like part of the family. Allison Clark is getting ready to enjoy her empty nest. With her twins heading off to college in the fall, Allison feels like she can finally divorce her philandering husband, Lindsay, and enjoy the slower pace of life. Her mother, Edna O'Connor suffersa medical emergency and Allison was told Edna could no longer live alone. Her brother, Robert, and his second wife, the very young Gabrielle, are expecting a baby. Robert is pushing hard for part of his mother's estate, even though he was given control of the very successful O'Connor construction company. Allison's twins, Charlles and Angela, are graduating high school in a few weeks and for some reason are consistently skipping school, though their stellar academic record shows no effects. When rushing home to get some things for her mother, Allison happens upon the twins conducting business in the driveway selling not drugs, but shoes. Even more shocking is when her best friend, Beth, a gifted lawyer, shows up and not only knows about the "business" but purchases a pair of $700 shoes at the friends and family discount. Allison's only recourse to care for her mother is to move into her childhood home to keep an eye on the wily Edna. Allison is pushed to the limit by almost ex-Lindsay, who continues to carry on with mistresses, her cantankerous mother, and her brilliant children. To top it off, her Aunt Tillie moves in to care for Edna as well. Tillie's companion Jolene, a renowned author of popular self-help books, is suffering the beginning stages of Alzheimer's but can still amazingly lucid moments where she can discuss her work and cook fabulous meals.. As Allison nears the end of her rope, sick of people keeping things from her, Jolene's books help her to take a stand and stick up for herself with astounding results.

Better Choices was such an enjoyable read. Insightful and thoughtful, and funny as all get-out it reminded me a little of John Grisham's humorous works. The characters are very well developed and the plot thickens, and resolves nicely. I appreciate the chance to read the ARC and I look forward to reading more by Pennington and Martin.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Choices...

This, my friends is the kind of book we need right now! A high school Twin run business, hostile takeover, unknown relatives, drama, illicit affairs, long time coming divorce, emancipation, prenuptial agreements and more. I loved this book so much!
We begin this book with the aforementioned twins’ mother being requested for a personal appearance in the assistant principal in charge of discipline and decorum’s office. Say that bad boy a few times and you probably will get your facial yoga workout for the day! The twins’ mom soon finds out that her twins, almost 18 are quite the entrepreneurs and have set up a legitimate business. Essentially, they are helping out the senior community. Oh and they hired an attorney on top of it-their Aunt, who managed to keep this all a secret from their mother, her best friend for TWO YEARS! Their Maternal Grandfather and Grandmother were also in on the scheme and still, no one told her-WHAT!!!?? I am not sure if I would be mad, impressed or just baffled at this point! This right here is what I want to hear from my kids- mom, all that time I spend on Minecraft and Roblox is actually profitable- all those hours that I have been logging actually pays me money-real currency rather than rotting my brain! These twins are co-Valedictorians of their school, manage to run a business and get good grades and play sports- that right there is some serious parenting-does the mother have a guide that I can cheat from?? Holy cow, this is awesome to have kids that would do something that not only benefits them fiduciarily, but also helps out other people! I loved these twins in this book! They made some serious power plays, some may call them underhanded, but with proof and a little conniving, they managed to do some gray area business on the up and up. If kids these days put as much passion into one of these projects as they do into Roblox, Fortnight, TikTok and Minecraft, we would be living in a pretty productive world!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Its one of those books that you don’t always have to try to figure out who did what to whom....you can just enjoy the story! The story begins with the main character, Allison Clark starting off a bad day that only got worse for her.....sometimes in a very humorous way. The main storyline is the personal growth of Allison, on the brink of divorce and and empty nest, which was told in a way that the reader has to both cheer her on and shake their head. The additional characters of the book add much to the story as her friends and family come together as a result of the family matriarch, Edna O’Connor, is found to have a heart condition that will be limiting her days. Enter Aunt Tillie and her significant other, Aunt Jolene....who is a famous author dealing with Alzheimer’s; Allison’s twins Charles and Angela, who are graduating high school and their friend Paige; her brother Robert and 2nd wife, very young Gabrielle, along with his son and ex-wife.; best friend and attorney Beth, and first love Bernie. Allison seems to be the one person who is “clueless” to what is happening around her as three generations live under one roof to care for Edna. The others seems to have a goal of leading Allison to her own enlightenment with a lot of laughs and love along the way, The overall family dynamic is important to how this story evolves. The family is very well-to-do, which helps the characters lead the lives that are a huge part of the story. But don’t let that take away from the love and caring they have for each other as they all learn that there are choices they have to make: do they listen to what they think they should do, or should they follow their heart and mind to do what they know is their best choice. There is a twist that surprises most (but not me). I will definitely recommend this book as a great read to just sit back and enjoy, because that is how I read it! I received an ARC of this from NetGalley and Integration Press in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #BetterChoices

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit down and get comfy for this enjoyable read. The story revolves around Allison and her very tumultous life. To call her family complicated is only skimming the surface. On a daily basis she is dealing with a absolutely miserable marriage to a serial philanderer/jerk of a husband while awaiting their impending divorce as soon as her twins turn 18 and graduate high school. That is if they graduate. They are brilliant, but trouble seems to find them often driving her crazy and she knows something is up, just not exactly what. Yet. Then there is her brother Robert, who inherited the majority of the family business that was her fathers passion, but he is terrible at it. Plus he has a really annoying trophy wife who wants what she wants and allows nothing to stand in her way causing Robert to try to get hold of the rest of the family money. He’s kind of a spineless jerk, but that’s just my opinion. A very opinionated stubborn mother who suffers a medical emergency and requires full time help permanently for which her brother is totally useless, secrets, lies and more people and issues. All of this is woven into a wonderful journey when one day Allison decides she has had enough. She is done with it all and finally stands up for herself. It is really wonderful watching her stand up for herself and feel so good about it. She is for the first time ever putting herself first and loving it. I really enjoyed the writing style and the character development. So be prepared to not want to stop reading once you’ve started. Enjoy the read, I did.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mrs. Varela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Better Choices by Rod Pennington and Jeffrey A. Martin was absolute delight to read. Allison Clark is soon to be divorced from her adulterous husband and become an empty-nester. While she ponders the pending changes in her life she dreads a meeting with an intimidating school administrator to discuss her mischievous twins. She is sidetracked when she learns that her mother has been hospitalized and can no longer live on her own. She quickly comes up with a plan to move herself and the twins in with her sharp-tongued mother who is dying. Extra help comes along when her “tell it like it is” Aunt Tilly and her best friend forever decide to move in too. The only person who Allison has to confide her deepest thoughts in is her best friend and attorney, Beth.

Allison’s never had the best relationship with her brother which is made worse when he challenges her mother. Edna isn’t going to have it and the only way to quell his concerns is to share a family secret that rocks everyone’s world. In the meantime, the twins are up to something that leaves Allison clueless. When it is time to celebrate the twins eighteenth birthday all things come to a head and Allison is challenged to reexamine her life and her relationships. This story is not only about choices, but family, love and second chances at getting it right.

The authors cleverly bridge the events together to make the book a complete page turner. It’s wonderful conversation starter and is packed with humor in the midst of the seriousness of events.

[Anne Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Choices by co-authors Rod Pennington and Dr. Jeffery A. Martin is not a book I would likely pick to read. For one thing, it is written by two people, which, in my experience, usually leads to an uneven manuscript as each author's distinct style alternates with the others. But this was an ARC manuscript from NetGalley and the publisher so I elected to read it. And I'm glad I did. Thank you for the chance to review.

What fun and what a romp of a novel. Written rom the first person perspective of Allison, a 50ish soon to be divorcee, mother of two extraordinary teenage twins, and daughter of a dying curmudgeon.. (The two male authors do a less than spectacular job of being a believable female narrator, but hey.) Allie's almost 18 year old twins are found to be not just brilliant students, but incredibly mature business minds. She discover this when she finds them selling designer sneakers they have cornered the market on and clearing $250,000 while managing a student sales force.

Add to the mix an aunt and her long term lesbian lover who is a world-renowned professor and author and you have a funny and entertaining mix. Add some new age and pop psychology lizard brain/meditation/science and the mix is complete. It's a fast and fun read no matter who you are. ( Only criticism: With a number of people having the same names in different generations, some alive, some dead, it's a constant struggle to keep everyone's relation ship straight.) You might even have some fun looking up the previous books of Dr. Martin.

[Jennifer Ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better Choices is the newest offering by author Rod Pennington and his collaborator Dr. Jeffrey A. Martin. The story unfolds over a few months period of time from a little before Memorial Day until a bit after Labor Day. To put it simply, middle aged Allison Clark is having a bad day, including spilled coffee, errant twins she has been called to a school meeting to discuss, and an emergency phone call from the hospital her ornery mother, Edna O’Connor, has been taken to. Allison, a champion of poor decisions, is just trying to remain invisible and move along. Her philandering husband, her rebellious/enterprising high school senior twins, and her mother have other ideas.
When Allison decides she, along with her twins and aunts, will stay with her mother when the prognosis is dire, there is a real change in her personality after reading some of her Aunt Jolene’s writings. As though a switch has flipped, Allison is a new and surprising person with a take charge attitude. Accompanied by her best friend and attorney, Beth Woodrow, she takes the school by storm, finalizes divorce papers, and is finally welcomed into the O’Connor sisterhood.

This delightful novel, while dealing with very serious subjects such as divorce, dementia, and end of life issues, treats the unfolding story with humor, quirky characters, and lightheartedness, allowing the reader to become a first hand witness. I very much enjoyed this book and have found a wonderful new author to add to my bookshelves. I do recommend this book!

[Lynn Umbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Choices, by Rod Pennington and Jeffrey A. Martin, is a quick and perfect beach read. Allison Clark has had better days. Her philandering husband’s latest conquest just called to say he was leaving her, her brilliant but rebellious twins are in trouble again at school, and her cranky, independent mother has been rushed to the ER with heart trouble. To make matters worse, her brother has been running the family construction business into the ground since their father died, and her beloved Aunt Tillie’s life partner, Jolene, a famous self-help author, is slowly slipping into dementia.

As she navigates the challenges of that day and those following with the help of her best friend and attorney, Beth Woodward, Allison discovers that those closest to her are hiding big secrets. Her teenage son and daughter have become scheming business tycoons, money is disappearing from the family business on a regular basis, and her new young sister-in-law has unexpected news. How could she have missed all that has been going on?

When an old love encourages Allison to adopt her “Aunt” Jolene’s philosophy of making life decisions based on intellect rather than instinct, she begins to realize how others have been manipulating her and she embraces her new realities – including the best-kept secret of all – someone in her life shares a much closer connection than she realizes!

[Pamela Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allison O’Connor Clark is having a very bad day – her twins are in trouble at the high school, her husband’s latest girlfriend is harassing her, and her mother Edna is in the hospital seriously ill. Trying to get everything settled, Allison must make a number of choices and her track record for decision making is not very good.

The O’Connor / Clark family relationships are complicated and when her brothers discovers a family secret, matters become even worse. With the help of her best friend Beth and her aunt’s partner Aunt Jolene, Allison begins to evaluate her decision-making process in order to ensure her family remains secure, financially and emotionally.

I had never read anything by the authors, but I have added their books to my TBR list. From page one, the story and the writing had me hooked. The characters and their dilemmas were intriguing. People were not who they seemed – generally they were more rational and compassionate than they appeared initially. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler.) The book is worth reading just for Edna’s character – she’s a bawdy, creative, dynamic, driven lady who knows what she wants and goes about getting it. Her clean expletives are a hoot. And Aunt Tillie – what a original. She and Edna almost steal the show.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley, but the opinion is my own.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

After receiving word her mother Edna was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, Allison Clark made the decision to bring Edna home, and move in to her childhood home with her seventeen year old twins in order to care for her. Once she arrived at the house, Allison was confused about the line of senior citizens by the back trailer, and also why her children, Charles and Angela, weren’t in school. She was stunned to find out that her children were successful entrepreneurs who had made nearly a quarter of a million dollars through their resale sneaker business. Arriving at the hospital, Allison found her aunts Tillie and Jolene visiting, and making plans to care for Edna once Tillie got her new sneakers from Charles and Angela.

I really liked Allison, and enjoyed the way she learned to roll with the punches and accept the many changes in her life. By allowing Charles and Angela to continue in their entrepreneurial spirit, and include the family in the choices they made, she found a measure of grace that was unavailable to her prior to her divorce from the twins’ father. This was a fun read, the characters were well developed and interesting, and the surprise twist at the end was unexpected but welcome.

My thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher and authors for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stasha Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Better Choices” by Rod Pennington
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received this ARC through Netgalley!
I really enjoyed this book! I’ve never read anything by this author, so I was intrigued. This was a super easy and fast read.
When Allison’s mother gets sick and doesn’t have much time left; herself, her rebellious wicked smart twins, and opinionated aunts move in to help. Her twins eighteenth birthday is fast approaching, so there is no time like the present to make her divorce final. She quickly realizes that she has spent the last 20+ years making everyone else happy, but herself. She picks up her Aunt Jolene’s self help book and
quickly realizes how many bad choices she has made to protect others. She decides it’s time to put an end to it and start making better choices that will make her life happy. In the meantime the family drama over her parents estate rises. Her mother puts an end to the quibble by revealing a family secret. Can they all work together to honor the O’Connor estate and business? Can the company her father built be saved? Can she repair her relationship with her dying mother?
This is a story about a family coming together in a time of sadness. It’s about family, friendship, money, loyalty, and legacy.

[6girlsmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Allison is on the verge of a long overdue divorce. Her twins are about to turn 18, and she discovers them running a very successful business out of her mom’s house (which everyone knows about but her). Her mom just had a heart attack, the family visit is failing under her brother’s leadership, and her brother is threatening to try and break her father’s will.

That’s a lot for one woman to resolve in a short book, but this book packs all that in and more.

This book had a lot of potential, but characters started coming out of the woodwork, and it got a little challenging to keep track of. Although the story ended on a happy (if implausible) note, it was the epilogue that kind of rushed through giving all of the characters some sort of resolution.

I enjoyed the writing (side note: the phrase “Jolene said sweetly” is used in abundance. A minor thing, but after a while, I wanted to smack the authors with a thesaurus.) and found that the story held my attention. It was a quick read, and will be good for throwing in your beach bag.

Thank you, NetGalley, Integration Press, Rod Pennington, and Jeffery A. Martin for the advance copy.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allison is having a bad day. One of her husband's mistresses calls her to tell her that her husband wants to leave her because they are in love, she is being summoned to her twin's school to talk to the vice principal and her mother has been admitted to the hospital with a major cardiac event.

This has quite a cast of characters. Allison just goes along to get along. Her mother tells it like it is and doesn't take any crap. Her sister-in-law, Tillie, is very outspoken and likes sports and drinking. Her long time partner, Jolene, is a professor and well known for her self help books. Add in Allison's best friend, Beth, the twins, Charles and Angela, and Allison's brother, Robert, and his new wife, Gabrielle.

There was a plot but it is not easily summarized. The dialog was witty but the whole idea that Allison would finally read one of Jolene's book and change her whole personality and start standing up for herself is rather far fetched. This was an easy read, I liked the characters and it was a fun story.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thanks to NetGalley and the authors Rod Pennington and Jeffery Martin for this ARC.
Better Choices is a book with the main character, Allison, being a woman (person) who has basically let life just happen to her. She has pretty much gone with the flow and letting others make choices for her to keep the peace. It was as if she had never learned or accepted the fact that it was HER life to make. She is waiting for her upcoming divorce which is already drawn up and waiting to be signed once her twins turn 18 which is very soon. Who does that? It is not as if her kids don't understand what is going on around her! Then her mother has a health crisis and is dying so Allison, of course, takes her in to care for. The book was an easy read and the many diverse characters and storylines made it interesting and fun. Allison was difficult for me to like towards the beginning of the book as I saw her as weak but she was also a woman who grew as the story went on. She, in fact, began making Better Choices.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes women's fiction with lots of crazy family dynamics thrown in.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ebook Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my review. I wish to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the first book that I have read from this duo. It was a very nice quick read, perfect for a beach read. But while it is a fine one, I'm not sure it was enough to make me want to read any others written by this duo.

One of the problems I had with this books was that I could not connect or relate to any of the characters. While they were all well developed and they grew throughout the story, there just wasn't anything that made me want to CARE about them and what happened to them. Once the book was over, I didn't have that yearn to find out what happened to them 5, 10, 20 years down the road or have that overwhelming distress at the parting with the characters that marks a good book for me.

I was torn as to what to rate it, between 2 (it was ok) and 3 (liked it). I was feeling generous and gave it a 3 because it was a decent enough book that I didn't have that "is this book ever going to end" feeling I get with books that I rate a 2.