I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked this one up! I think I enjoyed that better though. The book was eerie and a little creepy, and full of mystery. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. I loved that while this book is dystopian, it also seemed realistic, which made it an easy read. It did feel a bit slow at times, but overall it was a great read!

This was such an interesting take on a future dystopia. I loved the mixing of this modern community with pieces of folk horror. The world building in this just feels so lived in and believable

An incredibly unique dystopian thriller - this left me feeling so uneasy and I continued thinking about this for days after. Recommended!

Loved the idea of this book, but the story didn't quite live up to what I was hoping for. The pace was very slow and most of the plot is pretty much telegraphed from the start, so there weren't really any surprises (other than how long it took for Linda to figure things out). This was my first book by Langan, and I'd try another book by her, even if this wasn't my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the eARC! Sarah’ Langan is such an underrated author. Her works are genre-bending and this novel was no different. I loved the dystopian premise, this novel was suspenseful and eerie because it felt like this was something that’s not too far outside of the realm of possibility.

This novel was a roller coaster in the best way possible. I absolutely loved this and found it to be utterly compelling. Now I anxiously await Sarah Langan’s next novel,

Linda, Russell and their twin teens move to Plymouth Valley when Russell receives a new job there. Plymouth Valley is a safe place to live with its clean air, great schools and everything is taken care of. But, everything isn’t exactly as it seems.
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I love a good dystopian novel. This one had such a creepy feel to it and I couldn’t get enough. Everything else in the world is falling apart and here is “beautiful” Plymouth Valley. This book was thought provoking and scary. I loved the themes of class, popularity, bullying, status etc that were all found within this book.

This book was bizarre - in the best way! I love a satirical thriller, and this one was great. I went in somewhat blind, and I recommend others do as well. This book had dark undertones and I was clueless as to what would happen next. The ending blew my mind. This is a fun, wild read!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Linda Farmer and her family are offered the chance to relocate to a company town. While the US is falling apart, they will be living in paradise in Plymouth Valley where the air is clean, there is plenty of food, safety is guaranteed, and the schools are top tier.

What a wild ride! This book was well written and kept me on my toes. It also doesn't fit one specific genre since it was a little bit of everything ranging from horror to thriller/suspense. I would love to see this adapted into a movie or a tv series, because I could see every scene play out in my head.

I would describe this as climate fiction meets the Stepford Wives. Very eerie vibes that fans of When No One is Watching will love!

I enjoyed Good Neighbors by this author and A Better World definitely kept me at the edge of my seat as well. I enjoyed the suspenseful writing and found myself surprised by some moments in the book. Excited for more from this author!

A little disappointed with this book because I usually like this author. A family is chosen to move into an exclusive community but all is not as it seems and there's a hefty price on entry. It just moved way too slowly for me. There was the mystery of what exactly is going on that keeps you reading but the climax wasn't very climactic because it's been done before. I'd recommend to people that like their reads quietly unsettling.

This was a fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Vivid descriptions. Kept me captivated from the first page to the last. A uniquely-cool read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

So I liked the first half of this book, but then for some reason, it suddenly got really slow at the end where it was supposed to speed up. And I’m not sure why it flipped. The parts of it that reminded me of the handmaid’s tale were hearing about the collapse and what led up to the collapse after it happened. It was OK read for me. I think this is going to be a hit or miss one, either you’ll love it or it’s meh.
* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

I enjoyed this dystopian story set in a world ravaged by war and climate change. The Farmer-Bowen family is given the opportunity to live in Plymouth Valley, a community without the problems of the outside world. As things progress it becomes obvious that the community is far from the blissful utopia it presents itself as.

I found the world building in the first half the most interesting. The second half felt a bit all over the place and the finale was rushed. It was an interesting premise though and a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the ARC!

This was my first novel by Langan, and unfortunately, I'm not sure it was for me. I was expecting more of a thriller here, and instead it's definitely a slow burn dystopian story, which isn't my favorite. This is on me for not reading the synopsis better before clicking the widget. I just wasn't invested in the story and did DNF. I know this author is loved and for readers that I know like these kinds of stories, I will absolutely be sharing this title with them.

Okay so this cover is deceiving. 😂

This is a sci-fi dystopian and horror.

The Farmer-Boyens are struggling to find work and stay afloat so they move to Plymouth Valley on a trial basis a community/work place that will house them and give them the community/family they have been secretly wanting. However when they get there they are once again not fitting in and maybe more heinous things are going on as they start to ask more and more questions.

We have cults, monsters both human and creature and some family drama. I found the first half where more of the world building was to be extremely slow and dull and didn’t really that interested until the last 25% when all the shit hit the fan.
Overall I didn’t enjoy most of my time but I can see people liking it especially if you like an extreme slow burn.

Thanks to netgalley and atria for an eARC

Normally I don't enjoy any sort of dystopian books. Sarah Langan has been one of the few exceptions. I really liked her previous novel and this one also didn't disappoint. I enjoy the satirical spin she adds to her stories. They're both funny and chilling at the same time, which is hard to achieve. A very creepy idea that was perfectly executed.

I really enjoyed parts of this book and parts of it I found a little slow. The whole world that Sarah Langan created was really thorough and well thought out, and I enjoyed/was terrified by the similarities to our world, as well as the differences. The social and environmental commentary was really interesting -- and brought up a lot of issues that we as a society do need to think about.

Linda and Russell decide to move their teenage twins to a planned walled off community, Plymouth Valley, There are many rules and requirements of living and working in Plymouth Valley, and they quickly realize that things are not as they seem.

Interspersed with the plot are articles about the collapse of the society -- so throughout the book we know that they did not succeed, and it was interesting watching things fall apart. I love reading about cults and the cult aspects of their society were fascinating to me.

I really appreciated the relationship between Linda and Josie -- it felt very true to a teenage daughter and mother relationship and I thought it was depicted well.

I found the end pretty disturbing in a way that the rest of the book wasn't. It was all a little dark, unnerving and unsettling, but the end felt like a big tone change and it didn't entirely work for me.

One of my favorite parts was about the birds, called Caladrius. They are pets, they are food, they seem to represent a lot for the community. I live in a neighborhood full of wild turkeys so reading the descriptions of the caladrius made me laugh.

I will definitely check out future books by Sarah Langan.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a solid representation of how genres/sub-genres can blend together to become a unique story!

A Better World is a mash-up between mystery, climate fiction, and dystopia. Langan delivers a story that is both haunting and plausible with this mix.

Our story is told through the eyes of Linda, the matriarch of a family who finds themselves in a version of New York where they are barely hanging onto survival. When her husband loses his job, an offer to join a company town, Plymouth Valley, lands in their laps. This is an offer of a lifetime. Or is it?

What the family finds in Plymouth Valley is fascinating, weird, and downright unsettling at times. There are a lot of rules and rituals that the reader learns about alongside the family. There are also a lot of secrets being held in this town that readers get to watch come to light as Linda investigates. How far are the Farmer-Bowens’ willing to go to be accepted? How much are they willing to overlook for a chance at a “better life”?

This book is one of those that examines how what looks perfect on the outside can be anything but, as well as how far a mother is willing to go to protect her children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC.

I love a good dystopian novel, I have since teenage years! This one was such an eerie dystopian because it had so many legitimate things happening that could be occurring in our future. The ending I didn't see coming! Woof.

How do I describe this? It starts out like a normal family struggling in a dystopian world. It is really relatable. Our mom protagonist is a pediatrician and her husband is a data scientist. They are brilliant. All around them people are struggling so much they simply "disappear" into homelessness.
Russell is offered an opportunity to move to a company town where they can live in absolute luxury forever if they can prove they will fit in. Unfortunately the town has that small town cult thing going on and the family is struggling. Also there are pictures of the pamphlets about the town throughout the book and I love those.
The ending is so far out there I can't say a thing because I was not expecting it to turn that way. It is all fits together but OMG. You have to read this.