"Better Luck Next Time" is a road trip through the what-ifs

This post was originally published on Audible.com.

In Better Luck Next Time, two ex-best friends, Mona and Duncan, accidentally drive through a wormhole and land in a timeline where they’re married. What follows is a sharply funny, emotionally layered story about missed chances, unresolved feelings, and the kind of connection that refuses to disappear. Written by Cara Bastone and performed by Mae Whitman, Colin Woodell, and a delightful cast of supporting players, this Audible Original blends chaos with heartfelt romantic tension.

Patty K Rivera: Better Luck Next Time uses a playful time-slip setup to explore some deeply emotional moments—family rifts, career regrets, and what it means to truly know someone. How did you approach balancing the fun of an alternate universe with the more serious layers of Mona and Duncan’s story?

Cara Bastone: In all the love stories I write, I want to balance the fun elements of falling in love with the genuine and honest personal work required to make that love last. When you're falling in love with someone and deciding whether or not you're going to step into your future life with them by your side, you have to face many alternate-universe versions of yourself (what would life be like if I were single? If I were with someone else? What if we get a divorce? Will we prioritize their job over mine? etc.).

Using time-slip allowed me to play with the metaphor of that emotional process but not be too self-serious. In real life we might panic and "go through the rabbit hole" over those sort of inner-world considerations; in Mona and Duncan's life, they panic and get sucked through a literal wormhole over those sort of outer-world considerations. Which was so fun to write. I felt like their friend as I was writing them, and how many times, when listening to your friends perseverate about their love lives, do you just want to shove them through a wormhole and yell, "Just be happy already!"

Mona and Duncan’s relationship feels messy, funny, and real. What was most important to you in building their connection?

At different points in the story, Duncan and Mona are family friends, they grow into a true and meaningful friendship, they develop romantic feelings, become rivals, and they remain loyal to one another even when there is no label for what they are. I really wanted to show that in lasting romantic relationships, there are many layers and versions of love. Romance is sparked from chemistry and attraction, sure, but lasting romance has many ingredients. And because bickering will always be the way that the two of them flirt, I wanted to showcase all the ways that their romance is stable and built on strong foundations.

It even surprised me (and certainly Mona) that when it seemed like they were growing apart, they were still building a foundation for their future romantic relationship. The short answer to that question, though, is that pretending-to-fight-while-actually-flirting is extremely fun to write, and Mona made me laugh many times while writing their love story.

What was it like hearing Mae Whitman and Colin Woodell bring Mona and Duncan to life in audio?

Otherworldly! I couldn't believe how well it worked! I really felt like I was listening to Duncan and Mona. The best part is that each actor was also able to imbue their character with something unique and new that I couldn't have planned or thought to ask for. That is the best part of making scripted Audible Originals—the end result is magical, a surprise, the result of so many people mixing their own personal brand of fairy dust. The chemistry you hear is in the script, yes, but it's really because these talented actors are here to channel it from the universe for us! It feels like a real privilege to get to listen in on that. Sidenote: Mae Whitman sings in this story and her performance is stunning. So much more than I ever could have hoped for when I was writing the lyrics in my living room! (Huge shoutout to Sara Pagluica and Joe Dell’Aquila for composing and recording the music ... and the entire story! They are geniuses.)

Family plays a big role in the story. Why is it important for you to show how family dynamics shape your characters?

I wouldn't say it's an explicit goal of mine, it's more like, because the characters are real human people who live and breathe on earth, family dynamics shape their characters. Stories that don't involve family members at all usually feel a bit hollow to me. There's a richness to mine in family dynamics, the characters are who they are, mostly, because of their families. It was especially fun to play with that in Better Luck Next Time because both characters are trapped in a house with their entire families, so all those dynamics are turned up to 11. Also, because family relationships are so deep and come with so much history, they are a very useful tool for showing who your character is. Just one little inside joke with a sibling and suddenly you know exactly who the main character was as a kid. It's like a cheat code!

If you could meet an alternate version of yourself, what’s one thing you’d be curious—or nervous—to find?

Oh, gosh. Honestly, I live in fear of this. I'm a very lucky person and I literally wouldn't change a single detail of my life (especially since I had kids). If I met an alternate-universe version of myself I would literally jetpack/speed skate/swing on vines in the other direction for fear of doing anything that would alter my current reality. If AU Cara Bastone is out there, she should mind her own business! I'm busy!