4 stars!

Wow... "Never Been Better" by Leanne Toshiko Simpson is quite the book. Don't let the bright-looking cover fool you, this is an emotional, often difficult read, that's for sure. For those wondering, I DO NOT think this book is a rom-com. There are slight romantic elements and a ton of dark humor, but it IS NOT a romantic comedy. This book focuses on mental illness, hospitalization for mental illness and su1cidal ideations, rebuilding your life after institutionalization, and moving on when you can't quite get your brain to function "properly." I feel like these are extraordinarily relevant topics for the majority of us, and this was an extremely eye-opening read. The story of Dee, Matt, and Misa is tinged with dark, self-deprecating humor, a little bit of romance, and a lot a bit of vulnerability. Dee, Matt, and Misa met at a psychiatric hospital and became fast friends. Dee wants to be more than friends with Matt as she is smitten with him. A year after their subsequent releases, Dee is still in love with Matt, but Matt is about to get married to Misa, having formed a deeper bond with her after Dee was released early from the psych ward. Dee is invited to their destination wedding and reluctantly RSVPs, attending with the intention of breaking up their relationship and stopping their wedding. She winds up attending with her sister, Tilley, and things do not go as planned. This book is a beautiful ode to figuring life out when you've been saddled with mental illness. It's almost like the bipolar version of "My Best Friend's Wedding." Each of the characters struggles in their own way, whether it be with simple things like finding a job, recovering from trauma, attempting to balance medication, not knowing what the future holds, and whether or not "getting better" is even possible. This story touched me in more ways than one. In a sense, it felt relatable, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing?? These characters are deeply flawed and are all too aware of that fact, but are working on their recovery in different ways. This story is soft, harshly realistic, and amusing, and I think a balance is maintained well and successfully. I really liked this book, but I recognize that it won't be for everyone. Be sure to check the TWs and be sure to have tissues handy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Leanne Toshiko Simpson, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Never Been Better is a book full of emotion, real struggles, and mental health awareness. I enjoyed the dynamics between the main character, her friends, and her sister. Each supporting character felt authentic and had important stories to share of their own difficulties. The setting was also a great layer because it presented a tropical retreat setting that so many long for, while showing how it doesn’t cure all.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read and review this advanced readers copy.

Rating 3.5/5⭐️

Synopsis: This story follows Dee, navigating her life after being discharged from the psychiatric unit at the hospital for her struggle with her bipolar disorder. Throughout the story, Dee deals with her feelings for Matt, a friend she met in the hospital, who is simultaneously marrying her friend Misa, whomst they also met in the hospital. This is a light-hearted, funny story that discusses the struggles of mental health in regards to one’s cultural identity, social relationships, family and more.


Review: *I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review* I noted immediately that each chapter is titled with a song to match the storyline, and I absolutely loved this unique aspect of the novel. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. As a social work student, I really enjoy books that discuss mental health in a serious way, and discuss it correctly. The book discussed how mental health struggles can affect one’s daily lives, relationships and more. I enjoyed the diverse backgrounds between Dee, Misa & Matt and how they all came together after their hospitalization. Upon reading the author’s note, I learned that the author was once hospitalized and wrote this story about her struggles. This story was super inspiring and I really enjoyed it! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. I was expecting a light summer romance based on the cover, but instead, this was a heartwarming novel about mental health and friendship. Dee has been in love with Matt since she met him at a mental institution. Instead, he ends up marrying their other friend, Misa, at a destination wedding in Turks and Caicos. Dee struggles with watching Matt prepare for a wedding to another good friend, and brings her sister, Tilley, with her to try to help Matt realize that she’s the one he should be with.

My favorite part of this book were the characters. Tilley was an amazing sister, supportive and understanding of Dee’s bipolar disorder. Misa easily could have been unlikeable, but she was a great friend to Dee even when Dee was rooting against her. I loved that this book was more about Dee’s journey with self love and living with her mental illness. This was one of my favorite books of the year so far. 4.5 stars!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Never Been Better is an excellent read that explores the topics of identity, love & being yourself. I really enjoyed this novel even more than I thought I would and can’t recommend it enough to everyone out there. If the premise of this book even sounds a little interesting to you, then I encourage you to pick up this book and read it immediately. You’ll be happy you did.

The writing style for this novel was so good. It’s so readable and easy to devour. The FMC was great, but her sister was my shining star. Im not the one to affirm if this was a good portrayal of mental health but I hope it was because I loved it. The humor with the serious topics is right up my alley.

NEVER BEEN BETTER - Leanne Toshiko Simpson

Fascinating characters - 3.5 stars

Plot - 3 stars - Dee, Misa, and Matt were the three musketeers of the psych ward. A year after discharge, Dee is facing Matt and Misa's wedding in Turks and Caicos, surrounded by guests who have no idea where they met, and the secrecy isn’t sitting well with Dee. She decided it’s now or never to confess how she feels. But disrupting her best friends’ wedding would jeopardize the entire support system that holds the trio together. How can a girl choose between love and recovery?

Writing - 3 stars - I found that Simpson's writing was in a somewhat confusing style, but I'm wondering if that was intentional in order to fit with the subject matter. I particularly enjoyed the excerpts in italics (from their past at the hospital) since they added lots of backstories and helped us to understand a lot more about the characters.

Characters - 3.5 stars - The characters are the most fascinating part of this book. Dee seems to be struggling the most since she's feeling left out now that Misa and Matt are together. She is our main character, but I didn't feel as though I knew her very well because much of her backstory was held back throughout a lot of the book (for a dramatic reveal?). I'll admit that I had a hard time relating to the characters myself because much of what was described as their symptoms didn't seem particularly noteworthy. Perhaps that's my fault as a reader who doesn't have a good understanding of mental illness? The descriptions of heaviness or distracting buzzing sounded relatively normal to me. Is that the difference? That "regular" people just don't place the importance on these feelings that mentally challenged people do? In any case, each of them seemed to have their own challenges to face, and it was interesting to see how they would recognize those signs in each other and would know how to help. Secondary character of Tilley made me cringe most of the time because of her intrusion, her lack of filter, and her coarseness. The use of words like "screeched" or "preened," and bellowed" certainly cemented the picture. However, looking past that, we were also able to see her caring and support for Dee. One negative, for me, was the use of they/their pronouns for Kei. I'm still not sure if Kei is he or she, which made it difficult to picture him/her in my head. It's one thing to be current and use different pronouns, but in the written medium, where the reader's imagination is needed to envision the characters, I felt this was a detriment.

Title - 3.5 stars - I think this refers to the three main characters who are trying to survive in a world after being in the mental hospital, disguising what they've been through and keeping up their spirits, even if it's a facade.

Cover - 3.5 stars - The cover of a person in the ocean makes sense because of the setting of the wedding at Turks & Caicos. And the sharks, I would think, represent the problems that each must overcome (or at least maintain). Clever.

Overall - 3.5 stars - Although the book was very readable, I had a hard time relating to the characters and their problems. Their worry about the wedding plans and living up to family expectations seemed like normal wedding-preparation jitters that happen to all of us. I couldn't grasp the sense of urgency that was probably meant to be there. I did, however, enjoy the shared relationship and bone-deep understanding between the three main characters. Their relationship continued to change and grow even after their release from the hospital, which seems like a healthy thing.

I enjoyed the theme of the book dealing with mental illness and the after effects of leaving the hospital. The characters were good but I felt the writing style was not to my liking.

This book is lovely and messy, which is such a great combination. Beautiful, smart prose, messy characters. I loved this book.

This story was a difficult read for me for several reasons. Loving someone with a serious mental health issue is not remotely easy, and there were times in the past that I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing? Was I enabling bad behavior in the name of "Oh they have a disease" or was I just trying to make things easier for myself or maybe, it made me feel better in the sense that I wasn't that crazy. I saw way too much of myself in Tilley and perhaps that is why I had an intense dislike for her and although I guess she "somewhat" redeemed herself, I still wasn't fond of her at the end. This story takes a very raw look at the inner workings of the brain in crisis, and in the end, the story was well written and enlightening.

GENERAL INFO

Never Been Better-debut novel

Year Pub/Re Pub: 3/5/24, Read 3/1/24

Format: eBook, 320 pages(kindle)

Source: Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC💙 !  I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Adult Fic, Women's Fic, Contemporary Romance, Multicultural Interests

Tropes: mental health, my bff, reimaging of "My Best Friend's Wedding"

AUTHOR OVERVIEW

Leanne Toshiko Simpson-new author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Dee, Misa and Matt are friends who met in a psychiatric hospital in Toronto as patients. One year after discharge Misa and Matt are getting married, and they invite Dee to their wedding in Turks and Caicos. Dee has reservations about going. She's been in love with Matt since they were in the hospital, and never told him. Is Dee strong enough to go to the wedding and confess her feelings to Matt, and will it help or hurt her recovery?

COMMENTS/NOTES

This was such an honest and vulnerable depiction of our desire to be loved. There were some strong female friendships and queer representation that bloomed. I loved the multicultural aspect in Misa’s family history of Japanese Canadian culture. Tilley, Dee's sister, is the MVP of the story for me. She is a great comedic character with a firecracker spirit who is apart of Dee's support system. The flashbacks of their time in the mental hospital reveal their current motivations. This is a lesson of love and friendship while discussing mental health with care and relatability.

Dee, Misa, and Matt became good friends during a stay on the psych ward. When Dee is invited to the island wedding of Misa and Matt (whom she has unresolved feelings for), things get a little intense for Dee. She brings along her emotional support sister to add to the mix.

I really appreciated that the characters are all a bit messy and complicated. While lavish destination weddings aren’t typical, people that don’t have it together are, so I liked that about this book. I think there are good messages of it’s ok to not be ok and we should want to be better/healthy for ourselves over anyone else.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

The themes of this book are mental health issues, love, friendship, self-compassion, and setting boundaries. I also loved all the references to Japan. This is a fabulous debut novel and I would recommend it! This book is full of comedy and a sense of humor while addressing deeper issues. Dee, Misa, and Matt met while hospitalized in the psychiatric ward. Matt and Misa are planning a wedding in Turks and Caicos, surrounded by guests who have no clue how they met. Meanwhile, Dee is secretly madly in love with Matt. Dee brings her spunky and hilarious sister, Tilley, as her wedding plus-one, who provides a bit witty one-liners that keep the story humorous. First-time debut and I enjoyed this book, I would recommend it. !!

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book was like watching a train wreck waiting to happen and not being able to turn away - in the best possible way!!! With some of the greatest mental health rep I've ever read (the three main characters meet and become friends while staying in a psychiatric ward) this was one incredible debut!

Released early from treatment for breaking hospital rules, Dee is still struggling with her bipolar disorder and coming to terms with the fact that her two best friends got engaged and want her to attend their destination wedding.

With the help of her younger sister, Tilley, who wholeheartedly thinks this trip is a terrible decision, Dee agrees to go to the six day Turks and Caicos wedding extravaganza. What follows is a My best friend's wedding type situation where you won't know who to root for and won't be able to stop flipping the pages as hilarious and heartbreaking antics consume you.

I loved all the Canadian references, especially the Scarborough-isms and the classic early 90s/2000s hit song chapter titles. This book is going down as one of my favorites of 2024 and I can't recommend it enough, especially for fans of Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler (one of my 2023 top reads). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: multiple mentions of suicide attempts, depression and suicidal thoughts

4 solid stars for "Never Been Better", all about the Canadian "three musketeer's" formerly in the psych ward, and now two are getting married & one realizes she loves the groom (or does she?). Funny & heartfelt, but not really a romance per see, more about friendship, "found family" & with a very healthy dose of mental health and self-care. Enjoyed it a lot, especially the non-USA characters & tropical setting. . My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the auto=approved DRC, my pleasure to review it.

I’ve been thinking about this review for days, because I didn’t really like this book but am having trouble pinpointing what exactly it was that gave me so much trouble. I guess I feel that it just didn’t realize its’ potential. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or empathy for their situations. I didn’t care for the main character, Dee, and I didn't like her motives at the beginning of the story. Although she redeemed herself at the end, I felt it was too little, too late.
The book deals with the weighty subjects of depression and suicide, but I feel other books I’ve read recently have done a better job of portraying mental health issues in a realistic yet compassionate way. This one just fell flat all around.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mental illness is a difficult topic to portray well but in Never Been Better, author Leanne Toshiko Simpson channels her own personal experience with bipolar disorder to give the readers a glimpse of what it’s like to live with it. Main character Dee met her two closest friends in a hospital after a suicide attempt. The story flashes back to the time in the ward, which was about a year after the main story takes place. Dee is in love with fellow former patient and friend, Matt, who is marrying the third member of this group, Misa. At first set on skipping the wedding, Dee is convinced by Matt to attend the destination event in the islands, bringing her watchdog sister Tiilley along to help her make it through the mentally and emotionally taxing event.
Throughout the story, the reader is given a peek into the thoughts and reasons behind the actions and reactions of three main characters who struggle with their separate mental issues. Having people whom I love experiencing similar diagnoses, I found this book to have helpful language to understand how they might feel and what they might mean. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a different modern love story that is more than a romance.
I did have trouble remembering who all of the side characters were at the destination wedding because there were so many of them. I found the plot (heading out of town to try to break up a wedding) an overused trope, best done in the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding. Overall, it was an enjoyable and quick read. Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Y'all know that some of my favorite books are the deeply authentic ones - real people dealing with real shit, because as we all know real life is messy as hell.

Dee, Matt and Misa met in a psych ward. They formed an incredible bond, and a year later they are all out and in very different places. Misa is now raising money for the facility where they all were treated, though she has yet to share those details with her parents. Matt proposed to Misa and has exchanged his rockstar fantasies for a 9-5 working for Misa's parents. And Dee is outwardly struggling the most, living with her sister Tilley and walking dogs. When Dee receives the invitation to Matt and Misa's wsedding she feels like it is just another sign of how her life is still spiraling. She has long pined for Matt, and feels like the impending wedding is truly the year. So naturally she plans to skip, until both Misa and Matt beg her to go.

Next we know, Dee and her sister Tilley are on their way to Turks and Caicos for the wedding. We meet Misa's very straight laced family, Matt's mom and best friend from childhood, and follow Tilley's wild antics. It is ridiculous yet endearing to follow these characters as they each work through their own issues. It was quirky and heartfelt. And a very illuminating look at mental health - giving light and space to the things we were long taught should be kept quiet. I couldn't put it down and was captivated by this cast of characters. What a journey for Dee and the gang.

Happy Publishing day to Leanne Toshiko Simpson and this absolute RIDE of a book! Big thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for allowing me the pleasure of reading it early! Y'all will enjoy this one.

Will post my review on retail sites, goodreads and my bookstagram @scottonreads

Dee met Matt when they were patients together in a psychiatric hospital . They became really close helping each other through their daily struggles; one day a new patient arrives, Misa. The three of them become close and some what co dependent upon each other.

A year has gone by and they are all out of the hospital but are not as close as they used to be, well Dee isn't. Matt and Misa are getting married and have invited Dee to the wedding. With the help of her sister Tilley, Dee accepts the wedding invitation and they embark on a vacation where Dee plans to stop the wedding by professing her love to Matt.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC!

Matt and Misa are about to get married at a beautiful resort in Turks and Caicos, and they can’t imagine doing so without their best friend Dee. Dee can’t imagine Matt marrying anyone who isn’t her - but of course she’s never shared that tidbit with anyone other than her sister Tilly. Tilly has no idea why Dee is so into Matt. You see - Dee, Matt and Misa all met in a psychiatric hospital and are all diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Matt and Misa started dating after they were all released and got engaged afterwards - seemingly getting “better” while Dee feels like she’s stagnant at best and deteriorating at worst. Dee and Tilly head to the wedding after much convincing - mostly so Dee can prevent it from happening. Once they get there, she learns how much more complex her feelings are for Matt, Misa, Tilly and even herself.

This is a beautifully written somewhat-dark comedy focusing heavily on mental health. There were heartbreaking moments but also many times where I laughed out loud. I was shocked to learn that it’s a debut novel and of course bad to know how the author wrote about bipolar and mental health issues so well - turns out she has first-hand experience and it really shines throughout the book. I found myself highlighting so many parts as I read this on my kindle and I’ve already ordered a copy for my favorites shelf.