Release date: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Avon/Harper Audio
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
From a stunning new voice in romance, Lauren Okie’s The Best Worst Thing is an intimate story about starting over, second chances, and two people who cannot help falling into each other’s orbit once again.
All things considered, Nicole Speyer has a pretty amazing life. At least that’s what she tells herself. She’s got a beautiful house, a relatively successful fertility podcast, and a perfect husband, Gabe. The only thing that’s less than ideal is her years-long struggle with infertility—and how, with every passing day, she and Gabe seem to drift a little further apart.
But then, mere hours after a Hail Mary embryo transfer to her gestational carrier, Nicole discovers Gabe’s been sleeping with their dog walker, and her world turns upside down. Suddenly, a jobless, childless, and now-husbandless Nicole finds herself at the doorstep of somebody she tried to say goodbye to a long time ago.
Logan Milgram: a former colleague with serious golden retriever energy who happens to be laugh-out-loud funny, a colossal nerd, and legitimately kind of hot. When Logan opens his door that night, it’s like no time has passed. And as they fall back into each other’s lives, Nicole starts recognizing herself in the mirror again. She even begins to like what she sees. And then, like a cruel joke, she gets the news she’s spent a lifetime waiting for: her surrogate is finally pregnant.
As her relationship with Logan develops from a blast-from-the-past fling into something much deeper, Nicole struggles to balance her past, present, and future. Racing against the clock, she must learn to forgive her body for falling short and recognize that sometimes, it’s the biggest betrayals in life that set us free. With everything on the line, can Nicole accept love from the greatest man she’s ever known . . . even if it’s nothing like the story she’d written for herself?
Review:
The Best Worst Thing is a romance that doesn’t take the easy road—and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. Listening to the audiobook only deepened the experience. Narrated by Kristen Sieh, who I’ve enjoyed before but somehow not nearly enough, this performance is truly standout. This is an emotional, interior heavy story, and Sieh absolutely rises to the challenge. She digs deep into Nicole’s grief, longing, anger, and quiet hope, giving each beat the weight it deserves. Her narration feels intimate and grounded, perfectly matched to a romance that asks you to sit with discomfort before earning its joy.
At its core, this is a messy, complicated love story with real stakes and a long, rocky path to an HEA. Nicole and Logan’s connection is years in the making—layered with missed timing, unresolved feelings, and the kind of emotional baggage that can’t be waved away with a grand gesture. Their romance unfolds slowly and honestly, built on friendship, history, and genuine care, and it feels hard fought in the best way. Logan’s warmth and steadiness balance Nicole’s raw vulnerability beautifully, making their relationship feel earned rather than idealized.
What truly sets this book apart, though, is its depth. Nicole’s fertility struggles are handled with remarkable authenticity and nuance, capturing the grief, resentment, and self blame that so often go unspoken. It’s rare to see this experience portrayed with such care in romance, and even rarer for it to feel this emotionally true. As a debut, The Best Worst Thing is incredibly impressive, it’s heartfelt, brave, and unafraid to explore the harder edges of love, loss, and forgiveness. This is a romance that lingers long after the final chapter, especially in audio form.
Overall rating: 5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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