What if COVID-19 mutated into yet another novel virus...a virus that left people with a more durable "high" than any antidepressant? Would survivors want to spread it, even if most patients felt ill when they had it and about one in twenty-five patients died? Would people want to catch it and feel left out if they were immune? Would there be people who wanted to block it...with a counter-virus that made people feel depressed?

I'm not thrilled with the portrayal of female characters in this book. Three are fully developed as characters: a homeless high school girl, a super-privileged nineteen-year-old girl, and the old woman whose place the nineteen-year-old girl takes for most of the story. The nineteen-year-old, Morgan, is presented as the sort of young person who has absorbed so much envy and resentment that they fail to form any bonds with friends and aren't even close to their parents. Probably nobody in real life is quite as bad a case of this syndrome as Morgan, but the author may not have realized that a lot of women who read e-books online can relate to her. We're told that the younger girl, Mariel, has been the caretaker for her minimally competent mother while her mother was alive, but Mariel's mother dies early in this book and Mariel spends the book floating around in the wake of the boyfriend who bonds with her in a camp for homeless patients. (He's homeless only by choice; his father is one of the richest men in this fictional world, and he's avoiding his father.) Ninety-year-old Dame Glynis has apparently made a career of being spiteful, which is why Morgan wants to take her place, but then Glynis survives the "Crown Royale" virus, becomes happy, and wants to do some good in this world. As a comic character Glynis delights me in every scene, but the message young girls seem likely to get from Morgan and Mariel is that achievers are mean and nice girls have no homes, ambitions, or even family ties and just follow their boyfriends through life.

But, other than that, this is the best of the "COVID book" crop I've read yet. Shusterman is a talented, even collectible, author. The difficult theme of a conflict between opposing good things (Ron and his father are portrayed as good guys with good intentions, but they disagree through nearly all of this book) is presented credibly. The dialogue is believable. The descriptions are just enough to communicate how interesting the landscapes are. Despite the serious themes, most of the actual scenes are funny. This is the sort of snarky book that can make teenagers think, and like it.

I liked this novel so much, as I’ve liked several of Shusterman’s previous works. Captivating premise and readable, good pacing. I think my students will love this one and the recent past pandemic makes it especially relatable.

This was my first Neal Shusterman book. After hearing my students rave about Scythe, I knew I needed to read his most recent book. I wasn't sure I would enjoy a pandemic book, but I really did enjoy it. It was an interesting premise- a disease that makes you happy/content. I enjoyed that this book made you think about what you would do in real situations, and had you thinking about the government, propaganda, and moral dilemmas. I did think that the book was drawn out a bit more than it needed to be, so in what would be a fast paced novel, there were several slow sections. Overall I enjoyed this novel!

Imagine a pandemic that doesn’t leave you coughing, bedridden, or binge-watching TV in isolation—but instead blesses you with pure, unshakeable joy. That’s the setup in Neal Shusterman’s latest dystopian brain-bender, where the world is gripped by a bizarre new condition: a fever that wipes away anxiety, insecurity, greed, and pretty much every negative emotion in the human catalog.

Sounds like a dream, right? Wrong—at least if you’re a power-hungry CEO, a sensationalist news anchor, or anyone whose entire existence depends on misery-driven capitalism. Suddenly, society’s "happiness problem" becomes the threat to the system, and the powers-that-be roll out a vaccine—not to prevent illness, but to undo peace. Because if no one's angry, broke, or dissatisfied, who's going to buy another pair of overpriced shoes or vote for a rage-fueled campaign?

Enter two teens—strangers turned allies—thrown into the chaotic heart of a movement where truths are twisted, agendas are everywhere, and even your inner calm isn’t safe. It’s a wild, high-concept ride with all the thought-provoking goodies you expect from Shusterman: societal satire, moral dilemmas, and a reality just twisted enough to feel eerily close to home.

Now, let’s talk real talk: the concept? Chef’s kiss. Thought-provoking, deeply imaginative, and ripe for book club debates (teen or adult—this one’s multigenerational). But... the characters? Not quite as memorable as the premise. They feel more like passengers in the plot than emotional anchors, which makes it a little tricky to feel the stakes, especially once the high wears off and the world-building takes the front seat.

Still, this book is a conversation starter wrapped in a dystopian shell and injected with just enough chaos to keep you guessing. For fans of Scythe and Unwind, this one will fit nicely on your shelf of mind-melters. Just don’t expect to fall in love with the characters—this one’s more brains than heart.

A sinisterly clever pandemic plot where happiness is the enemy? Count me in. The characters may not have thrilled me, but the ideas definitely did. Highly recommend for fans of speculative fiction and people who like their dystopias with a dash of "what if this actually happened?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for the early peek—this one’s a thinker.

Neal Shusterman always takes very horrifyingly intriguing ideas and somehow manages to create an engaging well-written story. Although I didn't like this as much as his other works (Unwind, Dry, and Scythe), this still has his touch of horrific circumstances packaged to teach YA audiences a fantastic lesson they won't forget. Worth the read!

This book had such a unique premise. A virus that makes you content. That alone is worthy of praise, and it was well executed too. It was a good mix of philosophy and action. I do wish the story could have been wrapped up in one book. Yes spoiler its #1 in a duology.

You'll question what is right and wrong the entire time. Follow three characters on their path to survive a new outbreak from a virus that cures all your depression, anxiety and the like. Things aren't always what they seem though and the journey you go on is one that is fast, twisty, and unexpected.

This might be the second book I've read that deals with COVID. So ALL BETTER NOW is in a post-COVID world but with a twist, a new virus starts to take over. And strangely enough, if you survive it then you're as happy as can be and feeling fulfilled in life. As the virus progresses through the world, everyone is split in two: those who survived Crown Royale and those who would rather die than get it. I will admit this is such an interesting take on viruses and really makes you think. I went into this honestly not realizing it had COVID in it, and almost DNFed until we were introduced to Crown Royale.

Neal Shusterman is one of my all time favorite YA authors for a reason. All Better Now was a POWERFUL story that examines the human experience, capitalism, the power of propaganda, governmental control, and the butterfly effect of it all. I can’t even begin to explain what happens in this easily digestible yet complex commentary on the way of the world, but I won’t stop thinking about the poignant implications any time soon. I did not expect to cry, but you bet the magnitude of this story was a direct hit to my heart—no “brain altering” virus necessary. If you’re looking for a new YA dystopian, speculative fiction story, consider All Better Now. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it.

I RECOMMEND IF:
If you enjoyed the Arc of the Scythe series, Chain-Gang All-Stars, or The Hunger Games, then I recommend checking out All Better Now.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
• YA dystopian, speculative fiction
• multi-pov but follows 3 main characters
• conspiracies and propaganda
• will make you think and question things
• the butterfly effect—for better or worse
• standalone (as far as I’m aware)

In a not-too-distant future, yet another pandemic has sent the world into lockdown. But this deadly novel virus, with its 4% mortality rate, comes with a stunning twist. Those who survive emerge with a renewed lease on life, seeming almost enlightened as they shed their most negative feelings and embrace happiness instead.

Teenaged Mariel Mudroch and her mother Gena are homeless when the virus known as Crown Royale first takes hold in America. Gena scams their way into an overnight stay at a luxury rental unit right before its owner Blas Escobedo, one of the wealthiest men in the world, decides to shut down the service for fear of contagion. Mariel forms an unlikely bond with their host Rón, who also happens to be Blas’ favorite son. Neither expect to see each other again, however, after she and Gena move on.

Fate has other ideas though, as society begins to rearrange itself into those who think that Crown Royale is a good thing, and those who fear it above all else, even death. Blas is one of the latter but Rón isn’t so sure. He’s battled suicidal thoughts all his life and thinks that contracting happiness might actually save his life. Reuniting with Mariel is definitely a bonus, as the star-crossed lovers decide what to do next with their lives while evading his father’s pursuit:

QUOTE
“We still don’t know where we’re going,” Mariel had to remind Rón, refusing to let the winds of fate passively direct them out the door.

Rón smiled from beneath his platinum coif. “Where do you want to go?”

Mariel immediately found herself beaned by the rebounding question. Her mother never asked where she wanted to go. She just up and went until either they were broke or ran out of gas. As much as she had loved her mother, she hated being subject to Gena’s wanderlust whims. Yet, in a sense, being dragged along was Mariel’s comfort zone. Suddenly she was standing on a cliff over deep water. Rón was holding out his hand. All she had to do was take hold, and jump. And so she did.
END QUOTE

But Blas isn’t the only person who fears and loathes the virus, and not the only one ready to take whatever steps necessary to eradicate it. Wealthy and powerful Dame Glynis Havilland has done everything in her power to earn her reputation as a curmudgeon, and would rather die than see her personality succumb to compulsive kindness instead. To that end, she hires the young sociopath Morgan Willmon-Wu to effectively replace her should she contract the virus. She’ll leave the might and reach of the Havilland Consortium to Morgan, so long as the younger woman continues her research into combating Crown Royale.

Morgan is more than happy to oblige, throwing herself into not only finding a cure but also shaping public perception against the pandemic. Towards that end, she’ll use every trick in the modern playbook, even hiring Internet trolls to spread awful conspiracy theories:

QUOTE
The beauty of disinformation was that the more outlandish it was, the more people would believe it, because it was fed by the public’s own paranoia. Amazing how easy it was to cast a fishhook out into the collective consciousness, and watch people take the bait, then writhe and flail on the line. The language of fear! Morgan knew it intimately, and was determined to invoke it like a spell, until Crown Royale was a crushed spider beneath her foot.
END QUOTE

As all these characters are inevitably drawn together, they’ll find themselves locked in a battle for the very future of humanity. Entirely reminiscent of our own battle against COVID-19, All Better Now not only explores our reactions to community health but also throws in a heck of a curveball. What if happiness could be guaranteed? Why would some people inevitably rail against it? And, perhaps most importantly, what are the ethics of choice versus health?

These questions are all grounded by Neal Shusterman’s excellent characterizations in this timely novel. There are certainly heroes and villains in this narrative, but everyone has a point and everyone does some pretty shady stuff to advance their worldviews. Rón and Mariel’s bond is particularly convincing, which makes their choices all the more meaningful and occasionally tragic.

This Young Adult thriller ends on a cliffhanger which indicates that there’s more to explore in this world riven – or perhaps healed – by Crown Royale. Just as COVID-19 still forces us to ask hard questions today, so too does Crown Royale demand more and better of society. It’ll be very interesting to see where Mr Shusterman goes next with this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start by saying that I am a huge fan of Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe Series, and was tremendously excited to jump into one of his worlds again. Unfortunately, “All Better Now,” was not the book for me. I did not find myself connecting with any of the characters, even though there was a huge cast. I wonder if the character quantity was part of the problem. Maybe because there were so many, none of them felt like they were written deeply. They skated on a surface level, remaining unchanged interpersonally, and the changes that did happen felt hollow. It’s like he cast a wide net to show impact, but none of the impact was deep enough to care.

Shusterman is trying to write a topical book about a pandemic, right after surviving a real one. I think Crowne Royal is an interesting disease in the fact it makes people empathetic - but otherwise it wasn’t that interesting. I wish the idea was demonstrated better. Empathy without free will isn’t genuine empathy, therefore making this book super artificial and sort of cheesy. It also felt way too long for what little plot it was accomplishing.

I wanted to DNF, but after reaching 60% I just stuck it out even though the ending wasn’t doing much for me either.

If you liked "Scythe" you're probably aware of this one as well--I enjoyed "Scythe" and have the sequels on my eventual TBR, but the premise of this new book felt timely, so I was excited to pick it up. In this world, there's a pandemic, but not that pandemic. This disease will either kill you or make you perpetually content and focused on the greater good. In theory, great, no problem. In actuality, RIP the world economy. What a change of pace from real life! I did find this plot really interesting, especially the exploration of how things I hadn't considered were impacted. For example, political leaders just being chill with everything and militaries not wanting to hurt literally anyone puts a damper on things. 

Unfortunately, the plot was the best part of this book and it never quite got to the point where I was on the edge of my seat, probably because it's a duology, which I didn't realize when requesting it. The characters were mostly forgettable for me. We're following several people experiencing the pandemic differently. A teen girl who's been homeless for most of her life, a teen boy who's been rich all of his, a rich industry tycoon, a scrappy go-getter who inherits her fortune, etc. The different perspectives on the pandemic and how they shift (or don't) when the characters either contract the disease or don't, were interesting, and the commentary on capitalism was spot-on. Ultimately, though, I wasn't invested enough in the characters themselves, so probably won't be reading the sequel. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

If this book was meant to be satire, then it was too heavy-handed with it. With his earlier series, Unwind, Shusterman was able to hit hard with producing social commentary using a dystopian setting. The voice and writing of All Better Now was mediocre compared to the talent utilized in his earlier work. I had to DNF this one.

I was hoping to love this one, but just really didn't enjoy it and felt a little bored especially after the first couple of chapters.

Neil Shusterman does not miss. I loved challenger deep and This gave me the same feeling. Highly recommend for high school students especially.

I have enjoyed other books by Neal Shusterman, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as I had hoped. There was so much going on but I also felt like nothing was going on because I was lost most of the time. There were so many characters that were being focused on besides the main 3. I wish it hadn't jumped around so much. Even when it was focused on one of the main 3, I didn't feel anything for them. I was unable to connect with them. I also felt that the book was just trying too hard. Overall, this book was just not for me, and I wish it had been done better because it had good potential.

content warning: pandemic, death, death of parent, sucide attempt, self harm

Thank you for this ARC.
I'm sorry that I really couldn't get into this book. I do believe many others will enjoy this dystopian. sci-fi kind of read. Teenagers might enjoy it more than a much older adult. The ideas are good. Not fully fleshed out. Some parts could have also been eliminated. I didn't see a conclusion. Unless there was a key line of dialogue I missed. The plot is a slow read if you can piece it together.

Neal Shusterman does it again. His concepts are always so brilliant. This one is about a COVID-esque type illness that leads to pure contentment if you survive. But is contentment really the best for humans? That is one of the questions that Shusterman asks as we follow characters who are on very different sides of the coin: someone who wants to spread the illness to everyone and someone who is willing to anything to stop it. Another 5 stars for Shusterman!

I loved a lot about this book, but I have to say the second half didn’t live up to the first half. I loved the characters and their storylines, but it started to drag as it went on. I also wasn’t super satisfied with the ending in comparison to his other books.

The scythe series is one of my all time favourite series to exist. I love his dystopian stories - one of the best genres to exist! So when I found out he was yet again coming out with a story within the same realm, I knew I had to pick it up. And pick it up I did, I loved this!!!! Our leading man, Ron, has seen the world through a very different eye view than his father, who’s one of the wealthiest males in the world. Ron has been through it all, and unfortunately fell victim to multiple attempts at taking his own life while struggling with his inner demons, and turmoil with depression. But an unlikely cross between Ron and a young woman tangles their lives in ways both believes once impossible. We also follow many other characters that I both came to love and absolutely despise. I had a lot of fun with this. It made me anxious but my eyes were hooked to my kindle the entire time. The themes of mental illness were handled with care. If you’ve read any of Shustermans previous books, you’d know that he writes mental illness in a very relatable and respectful way that deeply resonates with so many adults and teenagers. But overall, this was an incredible read.