What a road trip this was! And I’m so glad that i got to tag along. I loved the vivid cast of characters.
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Any Better Than This" is a fast-paced, compelling and amusing ride back to the Summer of Love along the California coast. Two unlikely companions find themselves thrown together (through no fault of one of them), and unwittingly risk their lives over the course of the story.

I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to fans of satire, mystery and humor novels. Or to those who just feel like trippin'.

Thanks to Black Rose Writing and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read the digital ARC.

A plot-driven, semi-biographical novel set on the cusp of the 1970’s. It’s divided into several parts, each prefaced with a short chapter with commentary from the author. The setting is a major focus and is vividly described and often overtakes the plot. The start of the story is slow to fully immerse the reader in the time period and introduce the characters, but it picks up at the twenty-percent mark when Morning Star meets Elliot.
Elliot is one of the first computer scientist, working for a company called Pacifidyne. Due to unfortunate circumstances, he gets involved in trafficking drugs, becomes a target of a bumbling, hypochondriac assassin, and garners the attention of many incompetent government agencies.
The main themes of the story involve fate, love, and the absurdity of life. I particularly liked the critique of capitalism, bureaucracy, and the inclusion of the universal cat distribution system. This story had lots of good ideas, funny moments, and an interesting plot, but was bogged down by having too many characters, point-of-view changes, and a lack of cohesiveness to tie it all together. Too many things are introduced without enough elaboration/discussion.
Though this novel was somewhat entertaining, it needs some editing to really reach its potential.