As always, Shusterman excels at blending philosophical themes with gripping storytelling. The book encourages readers to reflect on the importance of all emotions—both positive and negative—and the balance needed for a truly fulfilling life. It’s a nuanced exploration of happiness, loss, and the ways in which they shape our lives, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.

I don't read a lot of YA, but I'm glad I read this. Dystopian YA is such a fun combination of a book and All Better Now was everything I wanted it to be: interesting, page turning, and with some emotiona resonance.

What a mind twister!

I’ve never read Schusterman before, but I loved this book so much. I was a little unsure if I would like it, not knowing what to expect. I was completely blown away by the plot and the storytelling.

It was so thoughtful, this idea of happiness being both a cure and a disease. I mean, it made me think and kept me hooked, especially with the various POVs. They are so distinct and fit together so well to build up that tension.

There came a point where I didn’t want to put the book down. The storytelling just hooks me. This is a must-read, hands down.

Neal Shusterman has written another wonderful book! All Better Now is a riveting tale about another global pandemic, one that is lethal, but which also has surprising after-effects for the survivors. Those that make it through the disease seem happy, charitable, and docile; perhaps abnormally so. Maybe catching Crown Royale virus isn't such a bad thing? Or is it?! The main characters find themselves hunting for answers and discover things about themselves and about the world that are surprising and frightening. There is a subversive plot against mankind, there is violence and romance and a wonderful adventure for the intrepid reader. I would recommend this book for upper grades on up. There is strong language, scenes of peril, death and suicide.

I received an advance reader copy for free. All opinions are my own.

No one does Sci-Fi quite like Neal Shusterman. After the COVID-19 pandemic, I never thought I'd choose to read about a pandemic ravishing society, but Shusterman came up with a concept that was thought-provoking without feeling too real. Based on the synopsis, I thought Crowne Royale was supposed to be a stand-in for COVID, but I really liked Shusterman's decision to acknowledge COVID as its own pandemic while developing this completely new disease. One thing I love about Shusterman's novels is how seamless his world-building is and how easy it is to imagine going along these journeys with his characters. I'm in awe of how masterfully Shusterman juggled so many different storylines in this novel before expertly and seamlessly weaving them together.

This is a fantastic and thought-provoking dystopian that is very timely in post-COVID times. The story follows 3 people from different walks of life as a virus that causes utter contentment as a long-term effect. It was an interesting look at how people may take advantage of those who are not happy and don’t want the world to be fully content. It really made me think hard about whether I would want to catch the virus or not.

I love how much thought and care went into crafting this story and bringing in such different perspectives on the world as things develop. This is a must-read for all dystopian fans and is certainly a great addition to this new wave of dystopian.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

I was looking forward to reading this book. I imagined it would be a bit more apocalyptic. Instead, it was another pandemic that the author kept comparing to covid, except this sickness (if you survived it) transformed you into a euphoric person with no worries. The premise is that those in power want to stop this pandemic at any cost. Having people in a constant state of bliss, walking away from consumerism and materialism, is not good for business. The story is basically the rich and powerful creating a super vaccine to stop anyone else from getting sick and transforming. The characters were ok, but I didn't really connect with any of them. The book is long at 528 pages. I often would stop reading and finding it difficult to want to continue. However, the plot was interesting and I'm glad I didn't DNF it. It does look like the book ends with a too be continued...not sure how I feel about that...
I received a complimentary e-book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

All Better Now is a provocative read that will give you whiplash. Every character has a compelling reason for their actions, whether you agree with them or not. This rollercoaster ride was over far too soon!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A viral love story that makes you question the trajectory of the human race and whether we’re worth our own salvation. I loved the social commentary, the dry wit and the nuanced character dynamics that came of the very close to home plot. A great work of speculative near fiction!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Interesting concept with good worldbuilding but flat characters that I had no connection to, whatsoever. The pandemic topic didn’t bother me but it didn’t hold my interest. I ended up not finishing this book.

I've not had super good luck with YA recently, so I wondered if I might just be ready to move on from it. But no! I just had to find a good story with writing I vibe with. And my guy Neal Shusterman brought it! I loved the Arc of a Scythe series, and I found ALL BETTER NOW similarly compelling. I agree with other reviews that many of the characters seemed a little one-note, and I wonder if keeping the story to one or two POVs might have helped. Still, I had a great time with this and would recommend if you can do pandemic fiction!

I have been reading Neal Shusterman since I was a tween, so I went into this with high hopes and was NOT disappointed. Equally funny and scathing but never feels too preachy or try-hard. I really enjoyed how far this book is willing to go, and I really can’t wait to read the next one!

A super interesting book centered around the idea of a pandemic where the people who get sick and recover become deeply content and start shedding/donating etc their worldly possessions. There's a lot of interesting and thought-provoking ideas here around what it means to be happy, can society survive if everyone is compassionate and giving? What if some are and some aren't? What's moral and can you sacrifice some to save many? and so much more. Shusterman is an exquisite author and this book is no exception.

with gratitude to netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another really interesting dystopian book from Shusterman—the exploration of what would happen if we were able to magically disappear our worries and problems was thought-provoking and page-turning.

"All Better Now" by Neal Shusterman is a thought-provoking YA story set in a post-COVID world grappling with a new pandemic. This virus leaves the few that survive free from stress and negativity. This unexpected consequence challenges what our world should be like and raises ethical questions about happiness. Shusterman has created, once again, a dystopia that leaves the reader with questions about while being entertained. There are moments of humor surrounding the plot

4.5 stars rounded up

While this isn't my go-to genre, I LOVED this one. Dystopian vibes with a twist of a new pandemic that makes people happy. It had SO many twists that just kept reeling me in. I completely devoured this 500+ page book in two quick sittings because of that. It was intriguing to see things from both sides of the coin. While this is a fiction novel, it had so very interesting topics that are eye opening about us a human race, as us as individuals, societal needs versus mother Earth's needs plus our morals and values. I'll take away from this, to try to see the "blue" in every day and stop taking so much granted, but also always choosing kindness and happiness along the way. This is action-packed, tons of crazy twists from start to finish. You'll be on the edge of your seat several times. You'll laugh. You'll get teary-eyed. You'll open your eyes to some things happening in this world. All in all, it's a fantasic read. Highly recommend!!

I received this book by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. But I think the global pandemic plus corrupt government, plus the social divide of "us vs them" was a little too close to real life for me to really enjoy this book. However, I do think it is a great book for teens to open conversation about the aforementioned issues and current events.

The premise of this book is an interesting one - a virus that makes you feel content and happy. We see how different people react to it and the consequences of it, similar to how we watched society react to COVID. With some editing, I believe the book could have been better. I don’t mind long books, but this one did drag, especially around the middle. I also had a hard time connecting with some of the characters; there were so many and they didn’t have much depth. All in all, a good story, but not my favorite.

*Followers may like this so I did include a book spotlight on my page. Link included.

Thanks for the opportunity to read!