Better Believe It

Fern Ronay

Dec 2019 · Red Adept Publishing, LLC

About this ebook

Jada Marlone’s life appears to be perfect on social media. She has a loving husband, a beautiful child, and a successful career. What she doesn’t post about is the disconnect she feels in her marriage, the difficulties of motherhood, and her strained relationship with her mother.

Resigned to never being truly happy, Jada runs into an ex-boyfriend. While trying to decide whether the coincidence is her second chance at happiness, Jada begins having dreams that feature her dead cousin Gina.

With Gina’s help, Jada starts to uncover the real reasons behind her life decisions. As Jada tries to figure out her future, uncontrollable events threaten her resolve. Will she be able to draw from all she learned from Gina, or will she risk making the same mistakes twice?

Ratings and reviews

Better Believe It immediately grabbed me and led me down a rabbit hole into Jada's world. The beginning chapter shared so much that it was impossible to put down! There was so much angst and dissatisfaction that my curiosity piqued, and I had to read on. I think this is because the story jumps immediately in the middle of Jada's revelation that was "meaty" from the get-go. The tone is brilliant and catchy. The book reminds me a bit of A Christmas Carol as Jada goes back into her past and "peeking into the future" as she tries to dissect her life - in finding what she ultimately wants for herself, but all at present. I liked a few elements of the book, and these are:- The discussion on life, its meaning, and happiness was a memorable topic. It is one thing to be married and has everything but still be unhappy while seeing the flip side of seeing others find their happiness in their situation. Take, for example, motherhood is a beautiful experience, but it may not be for all. There is also talk about marriage - while some have perfect partners (or so they say), others love their singleton. Bottom line: it is all about finding and pursuing one's happiness. The author gives readers a glimpse of the various relationship dynamics that made me think of Jada's situation and compare what is missing in her life to make her dissatisfied. Because this book is from Jada's POV only, readers will sympathize with her, and the impact of her actions is heightened. Jada discovers herself, then grows and matures into a new person - very different from how she started in the book. The internal discussions of Jada with her subconsciousness (i.e., talk to her dead relatives) are my favorite parts. There were many "eye-openers" for Jada; simultaneously, they were revelations for me too - regarding inner conflict and outer turmoil. A few were evident to what she wants to achieve but is afraid of, but the startling ones are the wisdom shared by her dead cousin, Gina. I felt like Jada, surprised and stunned all at once, especially the prediction of her ex-boyfriend coming into her life and not how I expected it to be. It is a nice touch that in reconciling (internally) Jada's lessons, Gina is also helping Jada wrap her head around what happened to her. Gina helps Jada find the inner peace that Jada did not know was missing that helps her move on and be better - spiritually and mentally. Although based on the blurb, readers might not realize how gut-wrenching Jada's situation is. The story deals with more gritty issues on what happens when the marriage and family structure, initially thought stable, comes down like a stack of cards. Jada had to deal with a lot in and outside her home that will overwhelm her. She hits rock bottom, but balancing out the "still-doing-okay" façade on the outside was the most challenging part when all Jada wants to do is scream in frustration. Jada was so unhappy yet realized later that she would have to ensure much pain and sorrow before finding her redemption, a second chance to the life she deserves. The book will make readers think and empathize with Jada and the rest of the book's characters. In summary, Better Believe It is a witty yet poignant story about approaching life. Readers can expect witty storytelling, clever comebacks from Jada and the supporting characters, well-intentioned but crazy family members (as expected) as Jada navigates and reassesses how she can improve her life and find a better meaning to her situation. Several elements made the book a worthy read and insight into further self-reflection to Jada's lessons. The author touches on many lessons as we journey through Jada's life - love, relationship, happiness, and second chances. I cannot wait to see more from this promising author.

About the author

Fern Ronay was born and raised in Belleville, New Jersey. She is a lawyer and CPA as well as a writer, reporter, and blogger. After six years in Manhattan and six years in Chicago, she now lives in sunny Los Angeles with her husband.

In addition to writing novels, Fern authors the blog Stop and Blog the Roses and is a co-host on AfterBuzzTV. When she is not writing, reporting, or blogging, Fern can be found eating something, reading something, or running.