Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Pretty good read! This book starts rather slow and has a bit too much background that made the plot drag. But I kept going and was glad I did as the story turned out in the end to be pretty great! I really appreciated how the author handled mental health.

At first, I didn't really know what to expect, and to be honest, it took me a bit to really get into this book—like, it dragged on for a while before I finally wrapped it up.

But around three-quarters of the way in, I started cheering for the characters and genuinely hoping they'd catch a break. It turned into this cool story about finding yourself, loving who you are, and dealing with life's curveballs. Gotta admit, though, there was a bunch of extra stuff that bugged me for the first three-quarters, but I ended up getting where the characters were coming from and kinda digging it.

Not your usual read, but it ended up being pretty fun!

I stopped after chapter 1 (7%). The opening chapter was almost entirely backstory which has me questioning if the author started the story in the correct place and if the author is actually… well, going to “show” a story or “tell” a story via flashbacks and heavy exposition in the same vein. Not for me, wasn’t interested in continuing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

80/100 or 4.00 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was better than I was expecting, given the subject matter. It handles mental illness and mental health in one of the most relatable and realistic ways I've read in a long time.
Outside of that, the storyline was predictable, but it ended in a satisfying way.

I was a bit underwhelmed by this story, unfortunately. While it's marketed as a romance with "falling in love" on the cover, I was hoping for a fun flirty storyline - which this was definitely NOT. I enjoyed learning more about mental health from the main characters in the book but the whole plot fell flat for me :( I didn't feel like the connections between certain characters were very well developed and I felt frustrated by parts of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Never Been Better By Leanne Toshiko Simpson is a well written along with insightful book about a romance and mental health. This book is about a character named Dee and her friends named Matt and Misa who she met during her time when she was in a Mental Hospital. Her friend Matt is engaged and Dee has feelings for him/ is pining over him all the way up until his wedding. It is a very interesting book to read and really learn alongside the characters

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read an ARC of Never Been Better by Leanne Toshiko Simpson in exchange for my honest review.

I feel this book was miscategorized as "romance." Were there romantic moments? Yes; however, this was more a story of love. Loving friends, family, and yourself.

"But that's the thing about mental illness. Whatever you lean on the most is in the greatest danger of disintegrating beneath you." This line in particular really resounded for me, as I feel this is true of anyone.

I loved every one of the characters. I loved the growth of the characters individually and as a whole. The support and understanding they showed each other was phenomenal.

This book was obviously written from the heart, and I will definitely read it again.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun beach read! It is light enough for any time but interesting enough as well!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this book!

This was a tough one but worth reading. There are some TW to be on the lookout for, such as mental illness, bipolar, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and actions. Proceed with caution if those topics are hard for you! This is the story of learning how to navigate life with friends who have been in similar circumstance and also learning to stand on your own again.

I really loved the representation in this book. The way it represented mental health, platonic relationships, and queer relationships. I found myself sucked into this book from the very beginning which I don’t find happens often. I felt the emotions and vulnerability and I appreciated that. It was funny at times but also you felt connected to the characters.

Grateful for the opportunity to dive into the ARC of this book, though it didn't quite captivate me enough to reach the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

This was a charming book of mental health and self discovery- not your typical rom com read but enjoyable all the same.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads!

Leanne Toshiko Simpson’s ‘slow-and-steady’ book that she started writing during her own hospitalization was the sweetest read. It’s not often that an author’s Acknowledgments make me cry, but these ones got me.

Now, back to the book. Never Been Better is a sweet story following Dee, Matt, and Misa, who spent time supporting each other in a mental hospital. Dee feels like she’s falling apart, while Matt and Misa have gotten together and are planning their wedding. How can she tell Matt that she’s in love with him when his fiancé is her friend?

This book feels so cozy with all the found family and cute sister moments, but it’s also super raw and real and I saw myself within these pages. It’s not a book I’d recommend to everyone, but I definitely think that those on their own mental health journeys or those supporting loved ones on their mental health journeys could find some lessons within this book.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!

Wow, Leanne Toshiko Simpson just surprised me in the best possible way! I’ve never read a romcom that centered around mental health, so I was a tad weary that it wouldn’t work, but Leanne Toshiko Simpson knocked it out of the park with Never Been Better! The storyline was extremely original, and remarkably relatable! The main character, Dee, was so endearing, and I found myself rooting for her from the start. I enjoyed watching Dee’s journey throughout the novel, and thought both her tragedies and triumphs were well communicated. I truly look forward to reading more from Leanne Toshiko Simpson in the future!

An upfront look at mental health and how it varies between three friends still connected through their time at the hospital. Their paths of recovery look different for each of them but the destination wedding is where they’re headed.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read Never Been Better as an ARC. This is a good well written book. It is not a laugh riot rom com romp as some of the blurbs seem to indicate. It is dense thoughtful and complex. There are a number of story lines that run through the book. Dee, Matt and Misa met at the hospital for treatment of their mental health issues. Matt and Dee met first, and Dee had feelings for him. Then Misa came to the hospital and Matt and Misa fell in love. Dee left the hospital fist( she was kicked out ( a fairly twist part of the story that doesn't get explained until late in the book) and she is still struggling a lot . She moves in with er sister, gets a dog walking job and tries to overcome her suicidal feelings. Matt and Misa are discharged and get engaged. They plan a destination wedding and want Dee to attend. She agrees and brings her sister Tilley, a loose cannon, no filter type, with her. There are a lot of characters in the plot, family friends and staff at the resort. Sometimes I was really confused as to who was who. Dee comes to the wedding wanted to tell Matt how she feels , hoping he will feel the same. She finds a lot more in play that she had anticipated and needs to decide where her loyalties and love lie.Reading the authors note, it is clear that much of this is autobiographical, or at least based on past experiences. It is a beautifully written story of a subject that needs to be discussed openly, mental health.

This is cute! Self discovery and mental health awareness over anything else but I enjoyed the characters and the plot.

At first, I didn't know what to expect, and to be honest, it took me a while to get into this book and quite some time to finish it.

But by 3/4 of the way through the book, I found myself rooting for the characters and genuinely hoping for their wellbeing. It was a fascinating story of self discovery, loving one's self, and figuring out your life in the face of adversity. With that said, I think there was a lot of fluff and I spent the first 3/4 of the book annoyed at the characters but eventually came to understand and appreciate them.

This is not your typical read, but it was enjoyable!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnum, and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a set up!
Dee, Misha, and Matt met in the the psych ward.
It's one year later and Misha and Matt have planned a wedding! Dee, still struggling is happy for her friends but still in love with Matt. Dee's sister Tilly manages to become a plus one and drags her to the event - The Events actually, as Misha is quite wealthy and a long weekend of parties, get together and lavish dinners have been planned at a resort.

Will Dee survive? Should she reveal her feelings to Matt? Join a hilarious and heartfelt weekend with the crew. Lots of mental health discussion and of course revelations and flashbacks to the ward so this book is not for everyone. #Penguin #NeverBeenBetter #LeanneToshikoSimpson

This book was one that I couldn't help but love. I know that Dee was making bad choices, but I wanted to give her a big squeeze as she figured out how to be true to her heart and move towards the healthy future that she deserves. Her sister, a loveable lush named Tilley, was by far my favorite character and I would love to read a spin off of her as a sequel. Ultimately Dee figures it out and I was honored to be along for the ride.