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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 Heartfelt Witty Feel-Good

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

All stars
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I have loved Cara Bastone’s work before. In fact, if I could give her “Call Me Maybe” 6 stars, I would. This book had an extremely unlikeable female lead. I could not see what was attractive about her all the through and wanted to tell the male lead to run. The female lead also had a very strong accent. Very disappointing.

Disappointing

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I really enjoyed this Audiobook as a little filler between other longer audiobook series, almost as a little cleanser. I found the female voice actor was speaking a bit fast, which was in line with her character but made it hard to understand sometimes. the story is cute and I thoroughly enjoyed this Audiobook

adorable, feel good love story

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title pretty much says it all. I love Cara Basfones mini stories that are like a TV show for your ears. this one was no exception but the plot lacked a little. I loved the Dr Einestin reference though.

not the best one but still loved it

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I just loved this story, including, or possibly especially, because of the link to her other solar flare multiverse jumping world. Snarky, completely oblivious to her own feelings heroine, stalwart, gives as good as he gets despite being lovelorn hero. What more could I ask for? Just more of this. Keep 'em coming Cara!

Another outstanding production from Cara Bastone

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Loveable characters, easy listen. Very entertaining story great for listening to while doing house work and chores.

Fun Romance

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS AUDIO!!
Fully cast with a fun and quirky storyline that had me laughing the whole way through.
Spending new years with the family doesn’t seem out of the ordinary until they find themselves in a different universe where long time friends actually find out they are married and set to get a divorce WHAT THE???
Now they need to find out how to get back to there universe while also working around a family that wants to know why their marriage isn’t working.
The twists the turns it’s just a great listen
Highly recommend

Imagine jumping universes to find out your friend turned enemy is actually your husband!!!

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I didn’t enjoy this Audible as much as some of Cara Bastone’s others, which was a little disappointing. It felt like there was an attempt to recreate the charm of "Maybe This Time" - one of her earlier titles that I absolutely loved - but it didn’t quite land the same way. I didn’t dislike this one, and I really wanted to enjoy it, especially since Mae Whitman is such a talented performer. But her character came across as overly neurotic, and it wasn’t until the final third of the story that I really began to engage with it.

I stuck with it because I was holding out for the happy ending and hoping Mona would finally realise her feelings for Duncan. Unfortunately, the audio production felt overly busy at times—with too much background noise and chaos—which made it difficult to fully connect with the story. Overall, it was okay, but I felt the plot spent too long building the “enemies-to-lovers” tension and not enough time exploring how the relationship actually came together.

Didn't exceed my expectations....

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I was excited when I saw a new audio book from Cara was dropping and didn’t hesitate to make sure it was in my library as soon as it was available. I didn’t get to listen on the release day and when I read the reviews I came into it with slight trepidation, I needn’t have though, because Cara always delivers. Funny and heartwarming, I was left feeling warm and glowy when I finished. I actually think I enjoyed this one slightly more than ‘maybe this time’. Highly recommended for an easy, mood lifting listen.

Another charming full cast audio from Cara

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Loved this short quirky and fun story from Cara Bastone. Beautifully performed by the talented cast. I loved the lead narrators.

Another great story

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really surprised me, the dialogue is great and the delivery really well done. I'd love to hear more

funny!

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