Edit! But, despite the moments I wanted a red pen, I loved this. The story, the characters....it all worked for me. I laughed with (and at) the characters, I believed Mona, and I couldn't wait for more conversations with her aunt.
This was a great summer read for me. Good times.

This book was pretty decent. I liked the book the thing was there were several parts of the book that I just could not get into. A.) The whole Doug situation. How could he be so ugly but, have a great body and perfect lips...That made absolutely no sense to me. B.) The book stayed in the same place it felt as if it was going no where. I honestly felt like there were certain parts of the book that dragged. I did like the characters and I like that all of the girls were different and I adored Aunt Lily she gets 5 stars all together and needs her own book!

Fun read about a woman whose husband declares he's having an affair and is leaving her. She needs to learn how to live without him and her daughters inform her she needs to start dating. Though she is wary of this get back on the horse idea, she gives it a good go.

It was fun to read about her different dates. The good, the bad and the ugly ones. You are kept guessing throughout the book who (if any) of her dates will make it and will she find her next long-term love with any of them.

The book includes several fun characters like her crazy Aunt, her hot plumber and her sophisticated, "I-got-your-back" friends just to name a few.

A fun book and one that demonstrates that we are sometimes better of without him!

Chick lit

Better Off Without Him by Dee Ernst is a terrible romcom of a book about a white New Jersey mother (of 3), wife, and romance author who gets dumped by her caricature of an unkind and cheating husband. I learned the term hen lit (also, hen flick) from this book, and the fact that modern romance novels have as little to do with real sex and real life as the trashy romances of old. Our supposedly hilarious protagonist (she’s not funny, just outspoken) is 40-something yo, not gained more than 10 pounds since marriage but eats whatever she wants, never exercises, and drinks often (what magical middle-aged metabolism is this?). She never suffers hangovers, has her pick of single men, calls the one black character in the book Oprah, has a token gay friend (also a caricature and occasionally mocked), lashes out repeatedly at the woman her husband is having an affair with (also a caricature), is ready for sex all the time, has orgasms at the drop of a hat, has a beach house in addition to a big regular house, loads of money from being a successful author, friends who are basically interchangeable because they just say what the banal plot needs them to say, and basically has most everything go her rich privileged way. I started it only because I found it on my Kindle - I hope I didn’t spend money buying it. And I finished it only because I appreciated that the protagonist wasn't 20-nothing years old, and I want to write a book that might have as thin a plot but focuses on people of colour with better dialogue and more dynamic characters. Here’s hoping.

I needed something light and cheap for gymnastics read (daughter goes to gymnastics and I wait). This one hit the spot. It's light, funny, and touching at times. I'm not in my mid-40s, but soon enough I'll get there and it's nice to read about a mature woman trying to make it on her own after her husband of 20yrs dumped her. One thing I can't quite figure is this bit... is Mona an average mid-40yrs old woman or is she a foxy 40 something years old woman? The author made it seem like she's just the average lady but good gosh, for an average woman, she sure could get men easily! Then again maybe all the men in the book were just lovely mature men who values intelligence and wittiness, which Mona had.

I liked this book a lot! It's all in the title

Better Off Without Him by Dee Ernst Narrated by Gillian Vance

Romantic Comedy/chick lit/Older Heroine. Stands alone, but there is a sequel that is available.

If you like older heroines with kids, get ready to laugh!

Sometimes a narrator can ruin a book. Sometimes they make it better. In the case of Better off Without Him by Dee Ernst, I have to say the narrator made the story even better. In fact, this is a rare case that I can’t really separate the story from the narration because I just loved her so much. Did I love the way 45 year old Mona Berman was written? Yes. Or was it the narrator’s amazing acting skills? It was the combo, and I totally loved her.

Mona is a successful historical romance author. She has 3 teenage girls, and I love her attitude about them, she clearly loves them, but has no problem saying one of them is a bitch (because really, what teenage girl isn’t?) She has been married 20 years, happily, or so she thought. Until her husband came home one day and told her out of the blue that he was leaving her for a much younger, skinnier, blonde french girl named Dominique.

“Mr. Arnold,” I said between clenched teeth, “looking into a lighted make-up mirror with a plus-seven magnification is a humbling experience. Having your husband leave you for a younger woman just plain sucks.”

While it threw her for a loop, Mona’s pride seemed to take more of a hit than anything. Better Off Without Him leans a little more chick lit than romance, because most of the book is about Mona’s adventures in “practice dating” after 20 years off the market.

As a bestselling author, Mona is having a lot of trouble writing romance after what happened, so she decides to write a book about a 45 year old woman whose husband leaves her, and she discovers herself, and that she is better off without a man. Convincing her agent and publisher is a whole different story. So we have a story within a story.

The side characters were great too. Her gay assistant was fun (though a little cliché), her friends were were people I wanted to hang with, I even liked her girls. But the best was her crazy Aunt Lily, and the way the narrator voiced each of the characters made it even more fun. Because Mona lived in a historical house, she also had a plumber on call to fix the numerous problems. Ben was a total hottie, and I loved how Mona would drift away in her fantasies (or scenes from her books, as he was her muse) about him. The narration would change and sappy music would play during her fantasies.

Honestly, Mona’s inner thoughts were the best part. She was an honest, down to earth mom that said the truths many might think but won’t say so they don’t sound shallow or uncaring. She wasn’t either of those, she was just honest and normal. I got so carried away with laughing at this story, that I forgot to stop and clip highlights (I thought I had more than one though, because there were so many great lines!) and I wish I could re-find a few to share here. Just know that it's real, and it's funny.

Likes:

• •Mona Berman is totally a friend I want to hang with.


• •The narrator made a fun book amazing.


• •Her inner voice was honest, sarcastic and hysterical.


• •Beyond the first chapter, Mona never really felt sorry for herself.


• •I laughed out loud a number of times.


• •The heroine is an author, and her career is covered quite a bit.


• •I liked the girls and Mona’s snarky attitude towards them.


• •Great side characters, especially her aunt and the gay couple.

Dislikes:

• •I honestly didn’t even realize it till a friend mentioned it, but there were no good sex scenes. They were fade to black. It was still sexy, and sex was talked about with no problems.


• •I am so disappointed that the follow up book is not available on audible. I don’t think I want to read it after listening to and loving the first. (This stands alone though).

The Down & Dirty:

Better Off Without Him may be one of my favorite audiobooks. Gillian Vance, the narrator, made this fun book amazing. She was a bit more of an actress than most narrators but it never seemed overacted. Her different vocalizations for other characters were amazing. If you don’t read audiobooks, I think Better Off Without Him would still be a great fun read on kindle or print.

I loved to read about a pretty cool mid-forties mom who is hip, sarcastic, smart, sexy and funny. Mona was totally someone I would want to be friends with. I enjoyed how she took the time to test the waters, and that this book wasn’t really a whirlwind romance, but more of a chick lit book with a romance. If you like a book with older couples with kids, I totally recommend Better Off Without Him. I have already grabbed a few more audiobooks from Dee Ernst, narrated by Gillian Vance.

Rating: 5 Stars (May have been 4.5 but the narration brought it up), 2.75 Heat (sexy but mostly fade to black), 5 Narration

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I don't see book 2 on audible :(

Funny and genuine

I loved this book. The characters all felt so real and genuine, and I laughed at several points. A quick read with a HEA.

Let's say 3.5. Chick lit for older babes lol. It's written with a good sense of humor. That's what kept me engaged. Although the plot is a little contrived and some characters are a little unbelievable [it echos the romance writer theme so perhaps appropriately intended], it's a nice little romp through the mess of middle-aged divorce and dating. The balance between loser and prize men tips far toward the "L" side - reality or myth??? You decide. A nice find via Kindle lending library!