I thought this was a great read and my high school students would love this one!! Will definitely be buying for our library and recommending to others to check this book out!! I think the doomed play and all the other factors made for a wonderful story indeed!!!

Mona Awad knows pain. She gets it. She really gets it. She really, really, really gets it, in excruciatingly exacting detail, page after page, totally nailing it. On the one hand, I totally identified with Miranda Fisk and her chronic, invisible pain. I have wished that throbbing, red network of hidden pain could be made visible, the way bruises are, and wounds gushing with blood, so that others would believe it's real, not in our heads. And I know, all too well, this endless parade of doctors, physiatrists (not to be confused with psychiatrist), the testing, the procedures, the false hopes, the blank stares and this weird insistence that pain is mostly mental. ,Yes, Awad really knows her stuff and articulates it vividly. 


We all fall, one of Miranda's physiatrists reminds her. "But sometimes we want to hold on to the pain. Sometimes we have our reasons for not being able to let go."

I had just read those words at a website on Buddhism and in a chapter of Echkhart Tolle's Power of Now, the ridiculous chapter on pain. Also, I had been reading the New Age or Buddhist or Catholic mystic concept, "All is well, and all shall be well." These ideas were left in open tabs on my screen. Then came this NetGalley ARC titles "All's Well," and it's praised by Margaret Atwood, author of "The Tempest," a hilarious tale of a theater director getting prisoners to put on a Shakespeare play. So, this Simon and Schuster novel (not a self-pub!) must be good, right?

Well, the words are cleverly strung together in pretty sentences and vivid prose, but man, oh man, does the self-pitying Miranda wallow in her pain, page after page,  I identify with her and those doctors and all those well-meaning friends and loved ones who try but just don't get it. But I don't like being in Miranda's head, her pain body, her Point of View, even after her pain goes away and her body feels young and alive again.

The shift begins when Miranda, perhaps in a drunken haze, meets three men in a bar.

I know, that sounds like the start of a joke. But these men! They're like modern-day, male incarnations of the witches in Macbeth, and they're also more up close, in your face, and personal. They notice Miranda. They notice her pain. They see that she is hurting! "It's a wonder you can stand at all," one says. Who are these men, these men who see her, who know her? They see her pain. More than that, they tell her that pain can move. Yes, really. Pain can switch, easily. "From house to house, form body to body. You can pass it along, you can give it away. Piece by piece." Did I mention that they remind me of the witches in Macbeth? Oh, but they're so much better. They know what to do with trouble. You can give your pain away to someone else. "To those who might need it."

And this is when things get creepy.

We don't understand how it's possible, but it happens. With a mere touch to the wrist, Miranda transfers her pain to one of her most obnoxious acting students. She transfers some to her awful physiatrist, the annoying Mark. She even passes some of it to her beloved (but annoying, of course!) friend Grace. I will not describe how these people shut down, or how Miranda reacts to the reversal of fortune. I will only say that she doesn't strike me as a very nice person.

One weird aspect of the book is the way Miranda left her husband, who tried so hard, but she was this pathetic, sexless, damaged, pain-ridden woman. When she starts feeling miraculously good again, she's all over a guy who reminds her of ex, to the point that she keeps calling this guy the same nickname she had for her husband. It's one of many really weird things about Miranda and her hazy, spacy, feverish new outlook on life. She thinks out loud, it seems, or people read her thoughts, and her thoughts are way out there, and I almost wonder if she's tripping out on some new pain killer.

The crippling aches and pains Miranda apparently transfers to others (who maybe "needed" this eye opener, this suffering) make me wonder whether Miranda really deserves such a long reprieve. Her attitude continues to be self-absorbed. The three men show up again, and again, bringing more miracles, making it possible for Miranda to stage The Tempest when her mutinous students want to put on Macbeth, and all through the novel, references to the Shakespeare plays kept me reading. We keep hearing about Helen, poor martyred Helen, and the jerk who doesn't deserve her love, Bertram. We keep hearing how young Miranda, prior to her descent into pain, played Helen on stage like no other actor before or since.

A subplot involving Ellie and her bath salts kept me wondering. What's the point? Ellie believes Miranda's recovery is thanks to these bath salts which Miranda says she has been using, but for no good reason, she has not. Nope. No salts in her bath, but Miranda lies, routinely. She lies to Ellie. She tells her health care team "Yes, I feel better now," because they apparently cannot accept it when shell tells them their treatments make her pain worse. If something had come of this sad subplot, in which women lie and say they feel better when they don't just to get people to let up already, if some insight or wisdom had unfolded from it, ok, those scenes would justify the amount of space they take up in the novel. But all these long, repetitive, dragging, wearying pages of pain just go nowhere. Oh, Miranda transfers her pain to others, and fear not, these mysterious victims will not remain incapacitated with pain for the rest of their now-miserable lives. There's more "magic" coming. From whence, we will never really know.

And that's unfortunate. Readers invest a lot of time in a writer's flight of fancy, aka a novel, and authors do have some burdon of proof to offer, some way of explaining, of making the impossible seem plausible. No such attempt seems to be made here. Creepy, weird magic happens, and Miranda feels guilt for being an inadvertent practitioner of black magic. Ellie seems to be a more active and cognizant practitioner, getting the universe to comply with her wishes, but it's all hastily summarized, and not even Ellie's concoctions and bath salts can be credited with some of the bad juju or voodoo.

The climax is so weird, I won't even go there. Suffice to say, I found it all disappointing. It all strained credulity past the breaking point. Past the sounds of bones literally breaking, and the person who falls-- to what looks and sounds like certain death-- just gets up and walks away. Why? What is the point of this impossible plot twist?

There was no one I could like, not even the three men, who go so far as to make "The Tempest" come to life again with Miranda, only to walk away disappointed. No, this is not a spoiler; Just when it seemed the three men were figments of Miranda's imagination, someone else describes them, exactly as they had looked to Miranda, so who are they and what really happened here? A more astute reader than I may be able to tell.

Awad can write beautiful prose, but she needs a judicious editor, someone to help her sort out the plot and let the reader escape into a story without all the snarls, pitfalls, and knots.

-`ˏ 4 stars ˎ´˗

“Where was all this tenderness when I needed it most when I was lying on the floor dreaming of touch like this, of a voice that would say something, anything, kind? Nowhere.”

Storyline: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
The stage is where she belongs, but not directing students as they silently mock her for her inability to properly carry out her duties as a university drama professor. Miranda was once admired by everyone, now those very eyes see her only with pity and doubt. Due to a tragic incident on stage, Miranda now suffers from chronic back pain. This resulted in the end of her acting career as well as her marriage. She tries various methods to alleviate her pain but they were all unsuccessful, giving the impression to many that her pain was only a figure of her imagination.  Feeling completely overwhelmed in all aspects, her only wish is to put on Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. Problems arise when students disagree with her play choice, at this point, Miranda has had enough, she will get what she wants and those who are trying to stop her would face misfortune. Nevertheless, the show must go on. 

Characters: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
Miranda is an unreliable narrator. She constantly misuses her medication with alcohol that makes her mind blurry. We spend the majority of our time listening to her inner thoughts, which makes it difficult to believe what she says. Not only us but the other characters she interacts with feel the same way, her mind tends to drift away and she forgets previous conversations. 

Atmosphere: -`ˏ 8/10  ˎ´˗
Creepy but enthralling. The implication of magic makes the book take a dramatically dark and dreary undertone.
There were times when I felt extremely uncomfortable about Miranda's internal dialogue, some of the comments she made about her students and coworkers were unpleasant and weird. It continues to escalate the further you read. Trigger warnings: drug abuse, suicidal ideation, physical violence, and explicit language 

Language: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗  
Some sections were very repetitive, making the story longer than necessary.

Enjoyment: -`ˏ 8/10  ˎ´˗
It became quite intense when we focused on Miranda's pain, it was almost as if we could hear her screams when she interacted with the physicians. It's heartbreaking to see the extent to which people didn't believe her discomfort. When things took on a mystical twist, it was amazing how people responded to her differently, but it was also quite terrifying. Overall, it was a very interesting read, I think my only drawback is that I probably miss some of Shakespeare's references that would have had a greater impact on the experience.

This was wild. I really, really enjoyed it. It is so unique as far as thrillers go, and I definitely am running to go buy Mona Awad's Bunny after reading this. She perfectly captured amazing themes of female desperation in the face of a male dominated world and it was just SO smart.

This book is so. hard. for me to rate. Honestly, it feels beyond all traditional star rating establishments, because it truly seemed like a dream I could have had put down on paper. this was one of my most anticipated 2021 releases and while 3 stars might seem like a low rating, I really did enjoy it. It took a long time for me to be pulled into the story, but the last 25% really flew by in a feverish whirlwind that feels just about indescribable. If you've read Bunny, you know that Mona Awad is the master of all things weird and horrific and strange and incredible. And this book didn't disappoint in that aspect! Half the time i had no idea what was happening, but it almost felt like i had taken the place of Miranda, and that it was easy to accept the awful things crumbling around her as a part of the truth. 

In the same vein, I wish that the dark aspects hinted at throughout the book (repeated goat symbolism, witchcraft, sacrifice, etc etc etc) had gone even futher. As everything was ramping up at the end I had a hope that the whole scene might flip and end up in some kind of sleep no more daze, and while the direction it went was still haunting and strange it seemed kind of lackluster in comparison to the build that was happening. I'm still not sure how to rate this, so I'm sitting at around a 3.5, and recommending it to anyone who's ready for a fever dream. I loved it but I also wanted just a little more.

Stunning, cunning and maniac. All of Mona Awads greatest talents in one novel. I enjoyed every turn I took with Miranda. I loved watching her be angry at the world, resent her job and body, and go thru her chronic pain journey. Then one drunken night in her local bar she meets three mysterious men who know everything about her and I get to enjoy another version of Miranda. Fun, talented and happy. Miranda character arc is one for the ages!! I felt as though the three men were all in Miranda’s imagination and she made everything up in her mind until the last couple of chapters whenever grace and Ellie saw the men as well. Who knows and who cares. I enjoyed every turn Mona took and I’m going to miss Miranda. I hope she is well.

What a shame! I absolutely love Mona Awad's previous novels, but "All's Well" left me feeling frustrated and underwhelmed. The main plus of this novel is Awad's writing style. She really understands how to write impactful characters and dark and demented storylines. This book started really strong but around the 55% mark, I was feeling annoyed with the switch in premise and tone. The overall vibe started to become over-the-top and satire-ridden and not in a good way. I think I was just basically confused what was going on since I am not a huge of Shakespeare's plays. I haven't read Shakespeare since high school (late '90s) so I'm not familiar with all his material at the drop of a hat. The protagonist, Miranda is a college theatre professor at a liberal arts college. She also suffers from chronic pain after taking a tumble off the stage when she used to be a theatre actress in her younger days. At times, I thought the writing even though it's strong became repetitive and draggy. I felt like things were explained to death. Also, this book is way too looooooooong! The author should've cut at least 200 pages worth. Also, the ending was not satisfying. I was like, that's it?! I think Mona Awad hadn't written this, my rating would be lower. Overall, it's an interesting story but the pay-off is not worth this long and bumpy ride. It's a mixed bag for me. 

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

not sure what the FUCK i just read but i loved every minute of this trippy journey and Miranda Fitch is a character i’ll think about for a long time. favorite book of the year so far

My reactions are all over the palace for this book. It started off slow, but I started to really enjoy it a few chapters in. The writing of being consumed by chronic pain, being ignored by doctors, having people around you not believing you and hopes constantly crushed for new medicines or therapies was spot on. I was interested to see where the story was going to go after meeting the “three men”. By the last third though I wasn't sure what was happening and what the point was. Admittedly, I'm not a Shakespeare stan so I'm sure I missed a lot of the allusions to Macbeth (which I haven't read in over twenty years) and All's Well (which I don’t think I’ve read). The story does help you remember the plays through the dialogue.

We see Miranda start off as a Helen, the constantly ignored victim with no control, and turn into a Lady Macbeth, someone who is untrusting and trying to regain their status. While this worked thematically it was one of my issues as a reader, Miranda's lack of agency throughout. You could say that at the beginning it makes sense with her chronic pain, but so many times she would think one thing and say the opposite (like not wanting a procedure but getting it done any way). But once her transformation begins, she still has no control of ‘the trick’. She has control of the play, but even then I feel like she doesn't really know what's going on. 

I also worry that parts read a little dismissive about her pain (is she faking it?). The three men almost seem to think so. If pain can just be moved magically does that mean you can just change your mind on it? I don't believe Awad is dismissing chronic pain but I’m leery someone could read it like this. 

I love Awad’s writing, she writes surreal scenarios so well. A lot did read like a fever dream. The ending was anticlimactic. While this book is smart and, I didn't connect to it like I did to Bunny. I was never a theater kid.

While I am still new to Mona Awad, I bought Bunny earlier this year and am determined to read it soon, I was incredibly excited to hear about Awad's latest book, All's Well. As a Theatre Major and Fine Arts teacher, a referential story of a Theatre director putting on a Shakespeare show written by a weird and sinister author sounded like everything I needed.

All's Well stars college teacher Miranda Fitch, a former actress until a fall left her with chronic pain, as she directs this year's Shakespeare production, All's Well That Ends Well. Miranda is dissatisfied with many areas of her life, from her pain, the people in her life, and her revolting students set on performing Macbeth instead. On the brink of ending her own life, Miranda is approached by three mysterious men who offer to change her fate.

The story really centralizes on a lot of similarities from All's Well That Ends Well and Macbeth, as well as theatre culture in general. With references to many of the characters from both plays, parallels between some of the plot points, and some of the textual writing styles, it is clear that Awad did her research and crafted All's Well as a love letter to Shakespeare and his works.

However, much of this book is really carried by the strong characterization of Miranda, as she slowly grapples with the consequences of her encounter with the mysterious men. Her struggles with chronic pain and the conversations around it are brutal and incredibly difficult to read about. The way she's also portrayed in her descent into madness, whether it be from her perception or the world around her, is extremely well handled. I would argue that Awad was capable of creating a modern-day Shakespeare woman, with all of the trauma and themes that are commonly involved, better than any other contemporary author of our generation.

Miranda's transition from her own perception of being Helen, the relenting victim within her own uncontrollable circumstances, to becoming the Lady Macbeth, desperate to regain her status and untrusting of the people around her, is mostly seamless in its execution. I would also argue that there are elements of Ophelia’s blind innocence and how the world views her thrown into Miranda's characterization as well.

My biggest struggle with All's Well was the pacing. A majority of this book is spent existing in the head of Miranda without much dialogue. There is a large build up to understand Miranda's psyche, which works better when new stakes are incorporated but begins to feel tired after running into the same problems. After the main conflicts are set into motion, we begin to lose connection with the concrete reality of the story, and we can begin questioning what is happening. This is never truly corrected leading to many moments feeling rushed and the resolutions becoming anti-climactic.

I did enjoy All's Well and I found meaning and relatability to the Shakespeare and theatre of it all. Miranda Fitch may also be one of the most well-formed characters of this year in my opinion. I look forward to this book’s publication to read about the opinions and scholarly essay's that are bound to be created from this. While the story lacked in parts for me, this wouldn't deter me from recommending this to others and discussing the characters with others. I look forward to my read of Bunny later in the year!

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect mix of surreal and offsetting. 

Full review linked on my goodreads page. Link provided below.

This book leaves me with so many more questions than answers. And I guess that was the point? 

I was so absolutely enthralled with the idea of this novel. I am a big Shakespeare fan, and I was excited to see the modern take on putting on a Shakespeare play. However, that was not the novel that I got. It’s about “All’s Well that Ends Well”, without it ever actually being about that. 

The major points I got away from this book was that I loved the characters, I loved their development, I was so invested in everything that happened to them. I am just confused by what happened to them. Is this book just the result of an unreliable narrator? The author wrote beautifully and clearly put a lot of work into this. 

One major concern I have about the book is the disability representation. I am not someone that deals with chronic pain, but I know people that do. The author actively fights against the narrative that the pain is all in your head. But the book ends with the pain coming and going at the whim of a magic college student. The reality of someone with chronic pain was realistic until her pain just magically went away. 

I gave this book three stars because I was actually interested in the plot, but I am unsatisfied with the ending. I am left in a simple state of confusion

“Pain can move, Ms. Fitch, it can switch. From house to house, body to body.”

Miranda Fitch is a former stage actress, currently living a life of chronic pain after an accident that ended her acting career (and marriage). When we meet her, she is a shell of her former self. She spends her days in pain, popping pills and directing plays for a college drama program. Their latest play is “All’s Well That Ends Well”, the very same play Miranda was performing when she tumbled off the stage and into her new painful reality. The problem is, no one else wants to do this play. That is until Miranda meets three mysterious men, three benefactors that not only help fund her play, but give her what she needs to get back to her old self. 

This book started off slow, the early chapters showing us who Miranda is. We meet her coworkers, her students, her physical therapist. We see and feel Miranda’s pain and how well she is coping with it (not well). After Miranda meets the three gentlemen and gains her “power”, the book really picks up. Miranda is able to give her pain to others, people who may or may not deserve it. Though she becomes healthy again, she almost seems possessed with wellness. She’s a whirlwind and a spiral of manic energy, as out of control of her body as she was when she was riddled with pain. 

I loved all of the characters in this. I loved the vivid descriptions of pain. I loved watching Miranda and rooting for her and then being afraid for her. I found this book to be thrilling and just a little bit magical, and would definitely recommend it. 

*I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review!*

“All’s Well is the story of a woman at her breaking point and a formidable, piercingly funny indictment of our collective refusal to witness and believe female pain.” 

This is my second Mona Awad book, and I’m pleased to say that I’m absolutely hooked! Awad combines surreal elements to set a haunting dream-like stage (pun intended) that is both humorous and completely subversive. There are Chuck Palahniuk elements in both All’s Well and Bunny but still reads as something original. This is the novel I was most excited to receive an eARC for, and it lived up to all of my weird girl expectations (and then some). Do yourself a favor and preorder this book immediately! 

Release date is August 3rd. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster for this eARC in return for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of All's Well by Mona Awad.

Wow, this book was literally a rabbit hole of pain and lunacy and I was INTO it.  What a total fever dream of a read, it took me a few days to let the emotional bruises of this story heal.

Miranda is a tragic character, crippled by chronic pain after a fall off of a stage, she somehow has to keep working in the theater department.  She limps, she drinks, she can't sit or lay down without being slammed with unimaginable pain.  Doctors have failed her, husband and friends keep her at a distance because of how much her pain has changed her.  But amidst all that, her job is to launch a college performance of All's Well, even though all of the actors strong oppose her choice in play.

But at the bar one day she meets three strangers that seem to know Miranda, they understand her pain, they sympathize with her.  After a few encounters with them, she notices a dwindling in her pain.  She has a bit more energy, and she's feeling rejuvenated to work and interact.  But while she gets better, her nemeses are now getting sick.  And soon her healing turns to mania, and now she is pushing people away for completely different reasons...

Like I said, total fever dream, but I really felt it.  This was such an intense and unique read that launches you deeply into the world of chronic pain and how it effects you, as well as the people around you.  The writing was so clear, and I loved all of the characters, even in their terrible-ness.

I love Mona Awad and I was so excited that Netgalley gave me an advance copy of this book... but now I am a bit annoyed that I read it so early and I can't find any thinkpieces on it!! As with any of Awad's writing, All's Well has a LOT to unpack and I'm not sure I unpacked it all.

The book is centered around/told from the point of view of Miranda, a stage actress of middling success who is forced to retire due to falling off the stage during a performance and suffering grave injuries. She visits doctor after doctor to address her chronic pain, none of which are able to provide any relief -- and many of which seem to think it's just psychological. Her husband grows weary of dealing with the hopelessness of her situation and ices her out until she is forced to leave him.

Meanwhile, she has transitioned to the role of director of an uninspired theater department at a small college -- a role she got by embellishing her resume. Her pain makes it difficult for her to do her job, and the students don't like her, especially because she is making them put on a rendition of All's Well that Ends Well when they all want to do Macbeth. She begins spiraling when the students appeal to the dean to override Miranda's influence on the play and allow them to perform Macbeth.

Things take a very mystical turn when, while self-medicating at a local dive, she gets too drunk with three businessmen at the bar and has an extremely disorienting experience (this part reminded me a lot of Twin Peaks, in a good way, lol). The men are weirdly prophetic; they know her name and her situation and act very sympathetically. They seem like a better version of the three witches in Macbeth. She doesn't remember how the night ends, but things really start looking up for her from there.

This book seems to be an answer to All's Well that Ends Well (I had to SparkNotes it to refresh my memory). Both Miranda and the main character of All's Well are "invisible women" to the men in their lives (Helen's husband, Miranda's doctors and literally every other person of influence). No one takes Miranda seriously until she heals and her beauty is restored, after which they fall on her every word. And to that end, she isn't able to heal until she meets the three men at the bar - these men seem to really know her and see her, even though she's never met them. It's a really powerful and unique take on how women need to be so many things before they can have a level playing field, and about how the approval of men translates to feminine power.

I am not really sure I understood everything that happened in this book but I really enjoyed it.

All's well is a fantastic comeback from Mona Awad which delves into the complexity of female pain, and the unwillingness of the world to accept that it exists. While it is not a flawless piece,  All's Well was still fresh and mostly kept me engaged throughout my read. 

The story follows Miranda Fitch, a once-prominent stage actress who, in the present, has been reduced to a shell of her past life. We see a depressed and desperate woman, who wants so hard to regain the life that she had before the chronic pain. Miranda is a very difficult character to like. At times, I felt so hurt for her and I wanted so desperately for her to gain the help she deserves. On the other hand, Miranda felt very selfish and surface level, and I found her interactions with the students she teaches to only amplify her awfulness. Even before her accident, Miranda was not a likable character. However, I do recognize that by making Miranda flawed, Awad tried to show that not all people who are hurting were necessarily angels before their situations. 

The plot of the story could be best described as The Twilight Zone meets King Midas. It was fine, and while parts of it became predictable, it still holds up throughout the book. I did find myself a little bored in the novel, especially in the beginning when the set-up was occurring. Also, the climax of the novel was okay. Nothing crazy that had me gripped to my seat, but nothing mind-numbingly dumb. 

There are plenty of references to All's Well, the Shakespeare play being produced within the novel, but it's not necessary to read the play before reading this book. The ending of the story was a bit meh, but I think that if you read this book as an exploration of chronic pain, it makes sense. Not every story has a happy ending, and I think the ending is appropriate when considering that in the present, the best patients can do sometimes is manage their symptoms. 

I would say that out of everything this book does well, I think Awad nailed the discourse around chronic pain. She writes the experience to be so realistic and eye-opening. Many people in Miranda's life believe that she is exaggerating her symptoms, and at one point the reader feels the same. I remember reading and being like "wow she totally is faking it" and immediately feeling guilty afterward. I also think that the most character growth in the novel was of the people within Miranda's life, who had to experience what Miranda felt and to be in her skin literally. 

The biggest flaw of this novel, I believe, is just Miranda's thoughts. Halfway through the novel, Miranda becomes very very very weird, and as a reader, I just found myself cringing constantly. I know that Awad usually writes really absurd stuff sometimes, but sometimes it's just too much. Miranda's sexual escapades are gross and weird, and the amount of personal investment that Miranda has with her students is uncomfortable. 
Overall, I think this was a solid comeback of a novel. It is not perfect, but I do think that it is refreshing and insightful, talking about a topic that few books can delve into. Another flaw was just how long it takes for the story to really start moving forward. For a good chunk of the book, we are just waiting and waiting for the conflict to happen, but it just takes its time. It is only when you are 4o% through the book does the plot start to roll, and the length of set-up can really set people off especially people who DNF pretty fast. 

Overall I would say that this is a pretty solid comeback of a novel. The novel is not life-changing, but I think credit should be given for being a fresh idea and exploring a topic that few novels really explore. If you like Bunny, I think you would like this book. 

I was given an ARC in exchange for a review from the publisher and Netgalley.

A haunting, complicated story that depicts the impact of chronic pain and chronicles the many ways that the health system can demoralize people who suffer.  We live in Miranda Fitch’s head while she undergoes a variety of therapies including the golden therapy of alcohol while she also directs a student play “All’s Well” at a small college.  Poignantly written, captivating in style . . . we wander her mind, her story, her friendships.  Most importantly we see her need for love both past and present and the devastation of losing a child.  As a psychologist, I was intrigued from the beginning, hope for a “cure,”  wondered about the transfer of physical symptoms to other characters, and cheered with each step of progress.  A clever, inspiring, intriguing read.  May her life end well.

This book was not for me. Which I feel terrible for admitting because Awad’s Bunny was so, so enchanting. Awad’s writing is great, but the plot did not really interest me.  First off, I don’t know much about Shakespeare and feel as if I would have appreciated this text more if I knew about Shakespeare. The depiction of chronic illness is so, so important, but I just couldn’t connect to the Shakespeare and magical realism elements of this text. Although this book was not for me, I will definitely still read anything Awad puts out next.

Fan's of Awad's novel BUNNY will not be disappointed. ALL'S WELL has a similar tone of spooky feminine horror, and it's clever in very similar ways, this time dealing with the community of the theater program at a college. Not only is this book terrifying, but when hearing of Miranda's chronic pain, it makes the reader so grateful to NOT have that kind of pain--and, I imagine, those who do have a similar pain will feel very seen. This literary horror novel is amazing, and I'll recommend it to everyone. I really can't oversell it.