Before goods and bads, this was my first Neal Shusterman book. I have wanted to read him FOREVER and I was not disappointed. The only shock to me was that this was a series, but that's definitely on me LOL. This is a series. It ends on a cliffhanger, as series usually do. I was shocked so I hope you are not.

The goods:
- Ron, Mariel, and Morgan are extremely unique characters and I think each perspective was necessary.
- Dame Havilland, is someone I can't wait to see in the next book. Her character definitely brings a new thought process to how Crown Royale affects people.
- This was extremely creative and definitely had me questioning what I would do wth Crown Royale.
- I could not guess what would happen next and I really liked seeing all the puzzle pieces fall together, and see which clues are placed for the next books..

The loss of a star:
- The writing style I was not used to and it took me a while sometimes to see who's perspective we were in. Also the random perspectives of people we'd shortly see again later, while clever, did confuse me until I realized what was going on.

Overall, if you're looking for a Dystopian/Sci-Fi book, this should definitely be your next one.

All Better Now follows various characters in a pandemic ridden world, where those who recover from the virus are always happy and content in their lives. There is no more sadness and depression, which leaves people to question if this virus is really a bad thing after all.

I went into this with high expectations - as a huge fan of Neal Shusterman's other works I loved the premise of this book and was excited to dive in. I liked that this book made me really think about the different perspectives around the virus. Is this something that should be spread around to help relive those of their sadness, or will life-long happiness be a bad thing for society? It was really eye opening to see it through the different characters eyes.

Outside of that, I was unfortunately let down by the pacing of this book. I felt like at times it was moving quite slowly, which made it difficult for me to stay immersed. I also never felt a strong connection to any of the characters which definitely caused my attention to waver from the story. I wish there was more of an urgency / higher stakes so I would've felt more of that "I can't put this book down" feeling I've had with his other works.

Overall this was definitely an interesting read, which makes the reader really think about what this world would be like. It just fell a bit flat on pacing for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was disappointing for me because I have enjoyed other books from this author. The premise was interesting, a virus that causes people to become content with their life, but the overall execution fell flat. I found no interest in any of the main characters we followed. It felt like the plot was all over the place and I couldn’t figure out where the story was heading. The story overall just didn’t hold my attention. Anytime I put this down I had no desire to pick it back up. I will try more from this author but this one just didn’t work for me.

Even though there are some things I don’t like about this book, it’s hard to give less than 4 stars to anything written by Shusterman. Without question he’s a standout in YA literature.

This book is basically a nod to the Covid pandemic. Covid is done with, but a new virus has hit the wind currents, and the public response is almost identical. Masking. Social distancing. Shutting down businesses. The difference with this virus is that recoverees are left feeling euphoric about life, more kind and less depressed. So the question becomes: If you knew what you could have on the other side of the disease, would you intentionally risk death (5% chance), to get it?

Mariel’s mother has lost the gamble. Ron has won. When Mariel and Ron’s lives intersect at a commune for the hospital overflow patients, Mariel decides she wants to take the chance. It’s a no-go since she has natural immunity and can’t catch it. Ron is the opposite. He’s a super spreader, continuing to shred the virus despite no longer having symptoms.

Meanwhile, Ron’s millionaire dad, desperately wants to avoid getting the disease and will fund any lab willing to develop a vaccine. British heiress Dame Havilland is also in the vaccine camp, leaving her entire fortune in the hands of a ruthless college student, Monica Willmon-Wu, to carry on her legacy, fully expecting to die after she contracts the disease.

The story kicks into high gear as Dame Havilland survives, Monica pushes her self interest to the limits to develop a “vaccine,” Ron and Mariel run from his father on a cross country escapade, and Ron pursues his own mission to spread the disease. The complete story is told from the coalescing of these alternating perspectives.

It’s mostly well done, but there are a few negatives. 500 pages is a slog for high school kids. A boy’s fan crush on Ron is cringey. And last, Shusterman struggles a bit with the incongruence of recoverees being kind-hearted and yet wanting to inflict their will on others.

Dame Havilland’s recovered personality, in particular, is not convincing, as much of her old selfish will remains intact. Maybe Shusterman’s point is to show that there is no way to achieve a perfectly happy society, and that there is no way to completely let go of selfish will. There’s much to ponder in this book. It’s a sophisticated read. At times I felt like I was reading a book written for adults.

Unfortunately, lame ending. Not the least bit realistic. Definitely points to a sequel.

I love Neal Shusterman’s books. He has a unique ability to think out of the box in the most delightful ways. This book was a wild ride that makes you think about life. Great for book clubs. All Better Now deserves a debate. It was a great read.

I received an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. This is the first book I have read by this author and I was immediately drawn to it when I first read the synopsis and knew that it would be a great book. I love the concept of this dystopian story, which takes place post covid. A new virus emerges, which is slightly more fatal than covid, but leaves survivors in a state of bliss. Those who survive have a different look in their eyes. They see the world differently, are more generous, and are free of emotional pain such as depression. This story is from the point of view of several different characters. This was a fairly lengthy book, but it kept me interested. I can't wait to see if there will be a sequel. I look forward to exploring more books by this author now that I have found him!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the digital advance reader copy.

Shusterman has the gift of turning real-world ethical questions into page-turning teen thrillers, and this one is another.

A new pandemic has hit the world: Crown Royale. It's deadlier than COVID, but if you survive and recover, you are transformed into someone who now prioritizes empathy, kindness, and connectedness. You will put yourself into danger to save someone else. Material possessions no longer matter unless they can be used to help others. It's an evolution into a better humanity.

Or is it? Not everyone is convinced. This new unselfish rule of order will undermine the global economy and end wars and topple authoritarian governments that care more about power than people.

Into this come Ron, Mariel, and Morgan, who are not only on the cusp of adulthood, but are at the center of this global upheaval. Each of them believes that they can fix what's wrong with the world. But are they right?

This book is fast-paced, and it does rely heavily on coincidence and characters who have access to money and power in some way. However, the ethical questions it raises are fascinating, and the plot moves fast. It'd be a great book for discussion with teens or adults - How would society change, if empathy was truly prioritized? If the disease makes society better, should people be given a choice in contracting the disease or not? How many deaths are worth making society better? Good food for thought.

For those like me who prefer a stand-alone, please be aware that this is the start of a series. I'm not sure how many books, but this one definitely doesn't wrap up all the loose ends, and it sets up for a sequel.

I'll definitely be picking up the next book.

*language, sexual references

DNF at 18%

This is actually so incredibly disappointing considering the Arc of a Scythe series is one of my favorites. All Better Now was rough from the start and I have a feeling I am just going to continue to struggle with it. The writing felt cringey and incredibly clunky. The plot was so slow, especially for a book clocking in at over 500 pages. There were way too many character POVs and I didn’t like any of them. The overall idea was super interesting, but with the state of the world being what it is right now, it was also kind of hard to read. I am really bummed out by this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been reading Neal Shusterman’s books for probably ~15 years and I find them just as enjoyable and though provoking now as I did when I was 10. I think I find his books so compelling because while he primarily writes for YA audience, he still deals with very heavy topics like reproductive rights, mental illness, mortality, and power.

All Better Now starts off slower than most of Shusterman’s previous works, but the premise of the book is so intriguing that I didn’t want to put it down. Using the backdrop of a global pandemic, Shusterman asks the question “If you could catch a virus that makes you perpetually happy, would you?”

This book is incredibly thought provoking and wholly unique. If you like dystopian/speculative fiction or fictional books with strong social commentary, then you should book up this book. I can’t wait to see how this series develops.

Hey book lovers! 📚 Let’s chat about Neal Shusterman’s latest novel, All Better Now, hitting shelves on February 4th, 2025. This one’s a wild ride through a world transformed by a virus that, get this, cures depression and anxiety. Sounds like a dream, right? But, as you’d expect, things aren’t that simple. 😅

The story follows three teens:
•Mariel Mudroch: Living in a car with her mom, she discovers something about herself and the virus.
•Rón Escobedo: A wealthy guy battling depression who becomes an “alpha-spreader” after recovery.
•Morgan Willmon-Wu: An ambitious teen tasked with eradicating the virus after inheriting a fortune.

Their paths intertwine in unexpected ways, diving deep into the societal impacts of this so-called “cure.”

Now, let’s get real. I felt the book was a bit on the lengthy side and had moments where the pacing dragged. I did enjoyed certain characters but didn’t form strong attachments to them.

On the flip side, I did appreciated the thought-provoking themes. The novel delves into questions like: Is unending happiness truly a gift? Does humanity need its darker emotions to maintain balance? It’s a narrative that gets your brain gears turning.

Happy reading! 📖✨

4.5/5

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

This book is terrifying because this could totally happen. Maybe not exactly Crown Royale, but the way it’s spread, the reason for pharma to contain and what lengths they’ll go, how the rich view it, the hypocrisy, how the working class view it.

It also puts into perspective about pros versus cons in terms of mortality rate for the greater good, and how even with the best intentions, extremism still probably isn’t the way to go.

Morgan is a scary villain. She’s extremely intelligent, clever, selfish, and radical. That’s a dangerous combo. The ending gave me goosebumps.

I’m only docking it half a star for a few grammatical errors and typos. Other than that, this had me freaking out, lol.

In the not so distant future, another pandemic is sweeping the world. However instead of being a doom and gloom type of disease, this one ends with the survivors full of positivity and love. The disease has attacked the nervous system, changing personalities to only think good thoughts and do good deeds. Told through multiple voices, and multiple perspectives of the disease, in multiple settings, this book left me feeling meh about it–perhaps more editing to make it a more cohesive read would have helped. This one started off quick and then it really dragged and then it picked up again at the end, with the writing style being all over the place throughout the entire saga. An interesting concept, but unfortunately not my favorite by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

4 out of 5 stars

This is my first Shusterman book, and while it's published under Simon and Schuster's children's label, it didn't feel YA. Except the parts where the ages of the main characters were specifically mentioned, I kept forgetting that they were, in fact, all still teenagers. Add to that the side characters who were very old and the billionaires who were definitely not teenagers, it just didn't feel aimed at younger readers at all.

I have to say, the fact that I was constantly on the fence about which side I was on (the unembraced or the embraced) was a testament to how well the book was written.

There's a new pandemic. Crown Royale - a "spider" of a virus that has a low mortality rate and very interesting side effects for those who survive it: the loss of strong negative emotions: grief, anger, jealousy, snarkiness, passive aggressiveness. In fact, those who survive appear to be content in everything. Billionaires are giving their money away or changing focus to help the embraced.

One particular old woman, Dame Havilland who runs the Havilland Consortium, doesn't want to turn into what she believes is a loss of who she is, her personality, her character. So, she finds a young woman who she believes will carry out her wishes once she has turned. She enlists Morgan to take over her money, her company, and finding a cure to Crown Royale.

Meanwhile, Mariel and her mother find themselves the winner of the AirBnB lottery and spend a night at a property owned by a billionaire, and they are greeted by the son, Tiberón. Rón and Mariel hit it off, but Mariel inadvertantly makes Rón anxious, and he leaves. When they meet again, Rón has gone against his father's wishes to hide from Crown Royale, and Rón and Mariel will join together to bring Crown Royale to the masses.

When Rón stops taking Mariel's suggestions about letting people decide themselves if they want Crown Royale or not, she starts to rethink her stance, especially since she has a natural immunity.

Meanwhile, Morgan has been working with Rón's father to locate his missing son, and has also found that his travelling companion may be the answer she needs in finding a cure.

First off, I hated the name of the virus. Crown Royale made me think of purple velvet bags. Did I miss why it was named that?

Second, okay, maybe the characters acted immature at times, but honestly, I kept forgetting they were not adults. These were 17- and 19-year old kids running around trying to break or save the world.

But I did enjoy the story. Definitely. I particularly loved the complicated but ultimately enduring and endearing relationship between Tiburón and his father, Blas Escobedo. Also, like I said, I wasn't sure what side I was eventually going to fall on. I kept expecting some alien invasion type situation with the Crown Royale virus.

The end left me reeling, but it was a damn good ending nonetheless. I expect there to be more. How could the author leave us with that ending without at least another book to answer my questions?! I felt both that it could have been longer but also that it could have been shorter? Either way, it certainly won't be my last Shusterman book.

I loved the pro-social overtones of this near future that focused on a transitional stage between dys- and pro-topia. Shusterman dives into the fragile systems that hold modern society together and pressure tests them with a pandemic that leaves those who survive the virus in a state of perpetual contentment and compassion. Excellent balance among disparate storylines of the ways that the virus affected different populations and individuals and intriguing engagement with ideas about the systems that hold society together without being pedantic. Highly recommend for young adults and adult-adults alike.

This book reminded me why I LOVE the dystopian/post apocalyptic genre!! 🤯
I genuinely loved this book for beginning to end. The story, the multiple POVS (yes please!), the details!
While there are a couple people you follow throughout the story, I enjoyed the random accounts of other people around the world and how they were dealing with the virus.
The ending just leaves you wanting more!! Wondering what happened 😬

You follow a handful of people in the world after a pandemic that leaves half the population feeling utter contentment. Who wouldn’t want to be happy all the time?

This book makes you think! At first you think well of course who wouldn’t?! But it really shows you the pros and cons.

I HIGHLY recommend this book! 🙌🏻

What would happen if a pandemic causes all its victims to be happy and charitable, even to the detriment of the self? That is exactly what this story explores and it is a very thought provoking concept. Each character is quite flawed but they all have redeeming qualities or actions, so I felt my opinions changing about each 'side' of the pandemic over and over throughout the story. I was pleased with the character development and how the ending wrapped up the story but did not give us all the answers. I felt that the lack of answers was very realistic and I know I will be thinking about this book for a long time going forward.

Scythe is my second favorite series ever. Needless to say, I had high expectations. The premise is genius, but the execution felt like a let down. The plot feels circular in that every scene or circumstance seems to be the same but slightly altered. There was no forward movement, and the uniqueness of the central plot therefore wore off quickly.

neal did the damn thing again. i didn’t know if he could top the scythe series and he surely proved me wrong. i can’t wait to read even more from him.

This book is such an interesting concept - a virus that causes happiness. Pure, unadulterated compassion, empathy, contentment, and happiness. It was such an interesting thought experiment and was intriguing when the downsides to this were shown. It makes for many interesting moral dilemmas. I enjoyed the book a lot. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for the ARC!

This was a great read. You could easily have shaved off 100 or so pages and not lost anything, but overall, I really enjoyed it. It makes you think...what would you do? Would you want to catch Crown Royale and live a life free of anxiety, pain, and burdens, or avoid it at all costs and maintain your 'true' sense of self, faults included?

I knocked off a star only because the ending gets pretty far-fetched and crazy. I also would have loved an epilogue explaining what happened 1 or more years down the line, but for the most part, this was an extremely readable book with engaging characters, and I'm so glad I got a chance to read it early. Thanks, NetGalley!