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Better Luck Next Time

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Better Luck Next Time

By: Cara Bastone
Narrated by: Mae Whitman, Colin Woodell, Josh Hurley, Cary Hite, Daniel Henning, Rebecca Stern, Richard Poe, Maria McCann, Art Brown, Petey Gibson, Tim Lounibos
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About this listen

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?

Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2024 Cara Bastone (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC.
Contemporary Editors Select Romantic Comedy Funny Witty Feel-Good Heartfelt

Editorial Review

One road trip, two timelines.
Cara Bastone’s latest is the kind of clever, heartfelt rom-com that had me smiling one minute and tearing up the next. Better Luck Next Time follows Mona and Duncan—former best friends-turned-reluctant road-trip companions—as they get stranded in an alternate timeline where they’re married, heading toward divorce, and stuck confronting the messy “what-ifs” of their relationship. The full-cast narration, led by Mae Whitman and Colin Woodell, brings all the emotion, humor, and tension to life, complete with original songs that make the story even more immersive. If you love characters who fight their way back to each other across timelines, this one’s not to be missed.—Patty R., Audible Editor

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This was exactly what I needed for my reading mood today. A fun and easy listen that had me laughing out loud in public! The full cast audio production is always a little tricky to get used to at first but it was perfect for this story. I adore both main characters and the slightly out there plot! I would have loved a little more to the end and get to see Chrome again.

An absolute delight!

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As above, just a lovely little story. All the feels, great music, and heartwarming in the best non-sappy way.

Gorgeous little story

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I loved the narration and sound effects, amazing as earlier works! I was a bit disappointed by the (love ) story, it felt flat and got a bit boring. The fmc was not likable and the dude was only described as boring and liking numbers. I’d recommend her other books/novellas before this one for sure!

Bit of a letdown!

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Loved everything, it was so funny and the banter was brilliant. Narrators were both excellent.

This was just awesome!

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I really enjoyed the story and the performance. It was quite interesting and entertaining all the way to the end.

Interesting story

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This was so much fun to lusten to and heartwarming. I loved the fast paced. Narrators made the story real. Perfect casting. I laughed, I cried. I felt the story. Thank you. And all the little reasons.

Better luck next time

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Really enjoyed this one, it’s short with a lovely cast. Such an interesting format as well since there’s only dialogue and background noises to set the scene. Mae Whitman is a blessing even if Mona was one of the most frustrating characters ever written. Duncan is just pure love 💛

Quick, entertaining and fun

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The book started with annoying bickering straight away, which carried on too long for me (with just a tiny odd break of a song which was quite catchy). I don’t know how long the bickering carries on for but arguing for long periods of time gives me anxiety and I got to that stage about 20 minutes before I gave up.
I might try again another time as I like the narrators. I’ll edit my review if I do.

Sadly had to stop listening, but narrators were great.

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It was just such a light fun listen and yet the characters developed on their journey of self discovery.

A lot of fun

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I loved it. I devoured it. These characters are so fun. I really liked their counter-parts too.

Cara Bastone... does it again

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