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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 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

What listeners say about Better Luck Next Time

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Profile Image for Sarah

adorable, feel good love story

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

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Fun Romance

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

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Profile Image for Jessica Bird

Not for me

Just found it cheesy and annoying. Not the story for me but gave the story 2 stars as actually listened to the whole thing.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

A little bit fun and a little bit annoying

I was a bit disappointed but this book in comparison to others by this author. Fun continuation of previous book with wormhole concept, but characters didn’t quite hit the mark. Lots of fun banter, but lost interest part way through since the story really wasn’t going anywhere.
Still a fun listen, the great performance really pulled this story over the line.

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Profile Image for Bianca

always a pleasure

I adore these, sweet immersive love stories with great narration and yeh, easy 5 stars for cosy, interesting feel good vibes

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Profile Image for Claire

Enjoyable

Sci-fi is not my usual jam but I quite enjoyed the "Sliding Doors" vibe to this audiobook. The characters were great and their chemistry was awesome.

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Profile Image for Susan

Didn't exceed my expectations....

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.

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Profile Image for Jess from aust

Another charming full cast audio from Cara

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.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Another great story

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

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Profile Image for Renee Vargas

Was hard to get through

Lacking any real depth… was very hard to get through, which was disappointing as I usually enjoy this author’s stories.

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