Nothing Feels Better

Better Love, Book 3

By: Brit Benson

Narrated by: Kelli Tager, Noah B. Perez

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Jesse Hernandez has infiltrated my life.

The gorgeous, exciting man who hangs out next door.
Who happens to be younger than me.
And in college.
And heading to medical school in just a few short months.

It started innocently enough.
The occasional run-in.
A few chance encounters.
An offer to babysit.
An offer for…more.

But then, it snowballed.

Now, I only know two things for certain.
One, for the first time in my entire life, I’m not an afterthought.
And two, this will end very, very badly.

My kids. My job. His future.

It’s all at risk.

Jesse Hernandez has infiltrated my life, and if I’m not careful, we will all be in tatters when he leaves.

Nothing Feels Better is the third interconnected standalone in the Better Love series by Brit Benson.

This single-parent, opposites attract romance is sassy, sexy, and has a guaranteed HEA.
It is not necessary to listen to the other books in the Better Love series to enjoy Nothing Feels Better.

©2022 Brit Benson Books (P)2023 Brit Benson Books

Don't skip out on this! I absolutely loved it!

I thought this was a good book. I had the audio version of the book and I enjoyed it. The narrators Kelli Tager and Noah B Perez. I thought they did an excellent job narrating. I loved that they casted Noah to read the part of Jesse and they didn't use someone else. The only complaint was their kid voices were a bit annoying but I can look past that. The narrators themselves as adults were amazing voices.

Now, onto the book! First off, make sure you check your trigger warnings. In this book we have a single mom Jocelyn, who lived with her two kid, June and Jude, in a neighborhood filled with college kids. One night Jocelyn's son sneaks out of the house and ends up across the street where he meets Jesse Hernandez. Captain meatball as Jude liked to be called was not supposed to leave the house and was caught by his mom. Jesse was curious about Jude's mom and asked his friends who the the lady across the street was. They called her the "hot mom". Over the course of time Jesse ends up running into her a few time. The connection between them was almost instant and even when he met her kids too! He is such a positive person for Joss and her kids. I am not going to say to much more! But, you need to read this book!! You will smile, laugh and cry!!

I was provided and audio copy of this book for my honest review of this book.

Beautiful story with great narration

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by Brit Benson. I really enjoyed her this book as it’s filled with love, laughter, hope and new beginnings. Jesse is a college senior with his dreams set on medical school….he’s following in his moms footsteps. He is so sweet, kind and has a heart of gold…he also knits! He is so good with Joss’s kids - June and Jude…he makes them laugh, shows them love and builds their confidence. Joss is a single mom of two amazing kids. She is a hard worker, determined and fiercely protective of those that she cares about. She’s dealing with a jerk of an ex but she is growing stronger and more determined each day. Jesse and Joss are two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. Even though there is an age gap they have so much in common - love for others, career goals and an undeniable attraction for one another. This is such a wonderful story and I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Noah B Perez and Kelli Tager. They are new to me narrators and I LOVED their performance. They gave the characters amazing personalities, emotion and depth. Noah’s voice for Jude may be my favorite. Highly recommend this book.

So so good!

It's no surprise that I'm obsessed with Brit Benson. Her books just have a way of sucking you in and literally pulling every single emotion from your body. I love her writing so so much and will forever shove her books at you unapologetically. (She's also amazing and shoving other books at me and I'm forever grateful for her)

Jesse Hernandez will forever be a top tier book boyfriend. I said what I said. Listen, we all go crazy for a single dad romance but a single MOM romance is so deeply under appreciated. Especially one where the MMC just swoops in and loves her kids like they deserve to be loves. I think I fell for Jesse within the first few chapters. He is just absolutely perfection.

And the narrators for this book were literally the perfect casting. Noah was the literal perfect person to cast for Jesse and I just love his voice so much. And Kelli was amazing. I just can't get over them.

If you're an audio girly, I HIGHLY recommend scooping up this audio ASAP! I loved it so much!

Love ❤️ it!!

Give me a new author to discover and love! This is my first Brit Benson novel and it will not be my last. Just the right amount of angst and romance, a bit of taboo and all around great story line. Joss is a single mother of two. Coming out of an abusive relationship, trying to make ends meet and survive her stalking ex does not have her looking for a relationship.She catches the eye of Jesse, a med student who is visiting her neighbors next door. And our story begins. Jesse is quite the man. He loves the kids, June and Jude, and understands this is just a summer fling. But why can he not get the three of them out of his mind? Joss is loving a man who sees her, has similar interests and loves her kids. What will happen when feelings get in the way of their no strings attached relationship? Will Joss's ex give her the chance to be happy? Will the kids be ok? Benson mixes all the things together, giving all the feels and I loved it! These two had a chemistry that was pure and truly made the love come through. The kids are a blast, their banter exactly as I remember mine. This is a fun listen.

Noah B Perez and Kelli Tager give an incredible performance bringing all the characters alive. Their voice compliment each other, and fit the characters personalities. Tager's children voices are spot on! It's a fantastic listen and one that you will enjoy.

Highly Recommend

Nothing Feels Better is the third book in Better Love. I was so excited to see that Jesse had his own story. I loved Jesse when I read book one so it was so easy to fall into his story. I enjoyed the slow burn of Jesse and Jocelyn’s story. I love how Jesse was exactly what she and her children needed when things were rough. His relationship with her children was so pure and genuine from the beginning. I loved his nickname for the kids (J Squared). I thought it was cute how they kept running into each other and it’s what sparked the big push for their relationship.Jesse's friends treating Jocelyn and her children as if they had always been her friend too was one of my favorite things about this book.

I think a lot of mom’s who read this can definitely relate to Jocelyn's loss of who she was as a person when motherhood took over. I love how slowly she starts to find pieces of herself with Jesse’s encouragement. I thought her character growth was great, especially with all she has been through.

The audiobook was very well done. Noah B. Perez is a new to me narrator and I immediately after listening to this one looked him up to find more. I thought he was the perfect Jesse and that the swap between narrators from the first two was a really great decision. And Kelli has easily become one of my favorite narrators and I hope to listen to more of her work as well. I enjoy listening to her narrate books, she's easy to listen to.

I highly recommend this book and the other two in the series as well.

Everyone Needs to Meet Jesse & Joss

This is the third story in the Better Love series and it stands alone if you’re starting here. But if you read in order you will have such a deeper love of the people in Jesse’s life and what they went through to get where they are now.

I don’t know how to write a review without just gushing “OMG I loved it” over and over again.

Jesse is just as quirky and compassionate as he was in the first 2 books but to the next level now that his life is the focus. He’s just so instinctually caring. He doesn’t know how to take care of kids, so he learns because he wants to be part of Joss’s life and because June & Jude deserve love too. Be still my heart!

Joss has been through hell with her ex and is doing everything in her power to be the best mom she can, but she also wants to be real, to have her own life along side her children. Jesse works his way into her orbit and she doesn’t know how to deal with that.

Jude is 4, obsessed with pirates, full of energy and enthusiasm and completely adorable!
June is 8, observant and withdrawn. She tries to be invisible but is so full of wisdom in her little body.

These characters just grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. I didn’t want to stop reading. And Brit’s writing was so gripping that I was full on crying multiple times because it was all so full and real and heartbreaking and heart mending.

All the things that I loved about this book (when I read the eBook last year) still hold true and I loved it even more this time around with the narration by Kelli Tager and Noah B. Perez. They both made me feel the book in a way reading with my eyes didn't.

Kelli made my skin crawl with the performance of Joss's ex-husband and she made me so freaking proud when Joss stands up for herself choosing to live life for her and her kids after all that she went through to get there. Joss is torn at times between the life she wants to lead and the reality she is forced to deal with. That inner battle was well written and well played.

Noah made me laugh with Jesse's goofball nature, made me over heat with the way Jesse makes Joss aware of her effect on him and also cry with Jesse's back story as well as the heartache through the conflict in the 3rd act.

I requested and was provided with an advance copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.

Perfection

I had previously read this book and will post my review of the story below. I recently listened to it in the audio format and the narrators totally embodied the characters. They were a perfect match and they slayed this performance.

I needed this book. After reading the first two stories in the series, we get Jesse's story. And I never truly appreciated him the way that I should have until this story. He is everything. Sexy, hilarious, unique and so witty. He is loyal to his friends and family but most of all to himself. His background was a total surprise and I love him even more for overcoming it. He has nicknames for everyone (multiple ones even) and I cracked up every single time.
Jocelyn is raising her 2 kids next door to Jesse's friends and they happen to meet one night. Let me first say I don't think that I have read too many single parent romances where there are multiple children vs an only child. And J squared (June and Jude) STOLE my heart. These kids are written so perfectly in imperfect times. I also want to find my own emotional support pirate.
Joss really grew over the course of this book for me and loved watching her come out of her cocoon and discover herself. She is a reminder of all the struggles that victims of DV have every day.
I cried. Hard. When a book moves me to tears multiple times and has me waking up at 4am to read it... that is a definitely 5 star for me. It's so rare to find that kind of book that captures my attention and I can't put the book down these days. I was in the most horrible reading slump and this was just what I needed. Brit Benson is a gift to all of us. Her stories and characters give me life.

Beautiful Cover,Amazing Narrators,Talented Writing

It's cliché but I'm going to say it anyway: if you read romance this book is a MUST LISTEN!! From the first moment when I heard the dedication I knew it was going to check all of my reader heart boxes
-Beautiful cover? Check
-Talented narrators? Check
-Engaging, emotional writing? Check

This story follows Jesse (a senior in college, on his way to medical school) and Jocelyn (a nursing home caregiver and struggling single mom) who start out as strangers and through a few chance encounters strike up a friendship.
This was a completely new to me author/narrators and the 3rd book in the series. I was still able to understand the story (and will be going back to read the other 2 books!). I am so glad I listened to this in audio first because both narrators' performances absolutely brought the characters to life for me. Jesse is just a sweet, playful, complicated man and Noah B. Perez was able to bring that out in so many ways including his accent while speaking Spanish. Joselyn was the opposite of Jesse, being more quiet and careful and Kelli Tager's tones and pacing showcased this so well.
The writing was light and teasing in certain moments and heavy and emotional in others. The way author Brit Benson was able to convey the conflicting feelings about motherhood truly spoke to my heart. Seeing Jocelyn go on her journey of self discovery after being in an emotionally abusive relationship and birthing and raising 2 children was so beautiful. Her strength and quiet determination to make her and her children's lives better really touched my heart.
Also, the book did not disappoint in the spice department. There were some 'hand necklace' moments that almost made my earbuds burst into flames! This book is going on my top tier boyfriend list and favorite couple list! I 100% recommend this audiobook!

Favorite Quotes:

"Her face is clear of makeup, her hair is wet like she just got out of the shower and she smells like flowers. Like a field full of f***ing flowers, and I want to roll around in it."

"His voice is teasing, as if we're all three in on a secret joke, and I wonder if this is Jesse Hernandez's superpower- giving everyone a sense of belonging. Making you feel welcome. Wanted."

I was sent a free audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Another Amazingly Heartbreaking Story

I don't know if there are words to describe how amazing this book is. I have loved all of Brits books but this one is by far my favorite. So many layers to peel back. I laughed, cried and got absolutely irate at many points in this book. Jesse & Joss's relationship is so sweet, both of them navigating their feelings for each other, while each dealing with their own pasts d3mons. I felt like Jess was the perfect pairing for Joss, exactly what a single mom in her situation needs. Someone who can be soft and gentle, but also knows when to be firm and put their foot down. Brit also really hits on the effects of DV not only on the mother but also the trickling effects it can have on children. While she remained true to the subject matter, I still felt she handed it with tender loving care.

I related to Joss so much, as a single mother myself having left a similar situation. When she writes down a "to do" list for herself and add "be a whole person." I felt that on so many levels.

I listened to the audiobook of this and once again Kelli Tager has delivered a tremendous performance, really capturing the essence that is Joss. I have always enjoyed Kelli's performances, I think she is a truly talented artist.

This is my first time hearing Noah B. narrate and I can say without question that he delivered Jess perfectly to a T, he had the perfect growly voice that fit the character.

All in All this was an exceptional book to listen to. I cannot recommend it enough.

**I did receive an Advanced Listeners Copy of the audiobook but my review, thoughts and opinions are all my own**

Entire series is so cute!

this review is for the entire series: I love the storylines, MMC and FMC are both solid characters with really minimal annoyances, communication is pretty open throughout, I hate when a problem can be solved by just taking it out first, spice and dirty talk is nice, I love how in each of Brit's series, you can see her personality and things she might have dealt with in her youth, I'm just really enjoying reading through all her series. On to the next one. Good job BB!

Audio/narrators are perfectly matched, couldn't asked for better. That right there can make or break an audio book.