"Even a crocodile can grieve for its prey, my love."

I just flipped the last page on his newest story. After covid a new viral outbreak is on the climb but this one comes with an altering after effect.... happiness.

Now this isn't horror but it has an almost body snatchers feeling to it as people who recover come out of their fever completely happy. To the point you debate the chemical changes going on in their dna. Its a well done representation of society and the reactions as different people from different walks of life make the decision to be infected, fight against the spread and even profit from it.

The four main povs intersect in different ways. I liked how Shusterman combines the scientific povs (alpha spreader and immune) and the political povs (cure profit and the fight against it). It makes you debate morals, human rights and also makes you wonder if having certain emotions stripped from you still make you who you are in the end. 

I did find that character connection wasn't as front and center as the plot.  I was more immersed in the viral aspects of the story. Some slow portions cropped up but overall an enjoyable science fiction/dystopian read. Perfect for Shusterman fans.

This book had a super interesting concept and I really wanted to love it but I felt like it dragged a lot around the middle. The book is about a pandemic that causes recoverees to be happy and content all the time. People who haven’t contracted Crown Royale are terrified of what it could do to the world as a whole, causing economic infrastructure to crash. But recoverees just want to spread the virus to everyone…

Again, I wanted to love this one but I just didn’t. Parts were too long and the characters weren’t that interesting. Some parts were kinda scary to think about but overall it just wasn’t my favorite.

4.5 stars
I feel like I am the rare Neal Shusterman fan whose favorite series of his is The Skinjacker Trilogy rather than Scythe. So for anyone who loves that series like I do, great news: this book has a lot of the same elements that made that one so great!

All Better Now has the classic Shusterman set up with complicated questions about humanity and the meaning of life packaged in a deceptively simple-sounding YA tagline. While his series like Scythe and Unwind drop you into a world where everyone has long-since been living with the book's key stakes, I think the thing that sets All Better Now apart is that you're watching the new world order unfold alongside all the characters. There's something particularly interesting about seeing the newly discovered reprecussions of a world where everyone is infected with happiness happen in real time, and to see what consequences are immediately evident to everyone, and what things are set up to potentially grow into bigger issues down the line.

The problem I've typically had with Neal's series outside of Everlost is that I've had a hard time feeling invested in the characters, but I felt like the character work in this book was some of his best. It's possible that I connected with them more because they had archetypes that were so similar to those of his characters from Everlost, but regardless, I really liked the particular perspectives that he set up and the variety of roles we got to see each of them play.

I think my only real complaint about this book is that I wish it were a series rather than a standalone. While I think part of the reason that Neal ended the book how he did was to avoid giving anything that felt overly prescriptive as to which side was in the "right", it still did leave off in a way that essentially felt like a cliffhanger despite this book (as far as I know) being a standalone. There were a lot of things set up in this book that could be explored more and that seemed like they would have more of their own causes and effects, and so I'm holding onto hope that there will be more to come from this world in the future.

A new virus emerges in the post-COVID world. This one has a higher death rate and after recovery people are changed. It is not a change like COVID with persistent brain fog or health issues though, instead, all recoverees suddenly have different priorities. They care about others above themselves, they are not interested in material things or wealth. This is terrifying to the richest in the world, who are all working to stop Crown Royal. The book follows three young people and their experiences surrounding the disease. One who gets it, one cannot, and one will do anything to stop it.

Very quickly I decided that I thought this book was genius. I was telling everyone around me all about it, but then the book progressed and lost some of the shine. I struggled with Ron in this book and his motivations. The middle dragged a good bit and I kept setting it aside to grab other books that grabbed more of my interest. By the end, it picked back up.

Overall, a good book but it had potential to be so much more!

Thank you to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the DRC. All opinions are my own!

3.5/5

All Better Now takes place in a dystopian future where another pandemic dubbed Crown Royal is plaguing mankind. People who survive it become utterly happy and pacifistic. Three teens experience the pandemic differently. Mariel, a homeless girl whose mother died from the disease, finds she is immune to it. She meets and falls for Ron, the depressed son of a billionaire, who survives Crown Royale with a changed disposition and is determined to infect anyone who hasn't had the disease. Morgan has been chosen by a wealthy Hungarian survivor, Dame Havilland, to find a vaccine against Crown Royale. Interesting ethical questions are explored as Ron and Mariel travel across the country trying to infect as many people as possible. Meanwhile, Morgan tries to find them, as Mariel’s immunity is key to finding a way to eradicate the disease. The ambiguous ending lends itself to a sequel.

What choice would you make?

The Crown Royale virus seems to be everywhere and it either becomes fatal or creates a happy mindset in survivors. Mariel and her mom are homeless and she believes that the virus would make life great but her mother doesn’t. Ron, the youngest of six children, hosts his rich father’s Airbnb and welcomes people to stay for four nights at the beautiful penthouse for a very cheap price. This will be the last stay before the penthouse closes. His father is wanting to live in isolation so they don’t catch the virus and give all their money to charity because they’re out of their right minds, all caused by the Crown Royale virus. Morgan reaches her internship meeting, where she meets with a very rich woman who has recently been diagnosed with Crown Royale and wants to bequeath everything to Morgan to eradicate the virus. Ron becomes an alpha-spreader, Mariel is immune, Morgan wants to do everything possible to eradicate the virus and after inheriting tons of money and partnering with Ron’s extremely rich father, she has the means to.

Likes/dislikes: I love the inclusion and representation of several different ethnicities and cultures. The stories of random people and encounters intrigued me and helped cement the nature of the virus and its effect on people. I enjoyed how the author explored the choices people made and their actions. Interesting story.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 65 swears and 6 f-words.
Violence: PG for death.
Ethnicity: Ron is of Spanish descent. Morgan is Eurasian, Mariel is white.

As someone who was an essential worker during COVID, this one hit me personal but in the best ways. Thoughtful, relevant, and exciting from start to finish. All Better Now is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year and days later I am still thinking about it. Loved the characters, loved the questions asked and I’d love to see a sequel.

I will read everything that Neal Shusterman writes! I was so excited about the premise of this book. I thought it would be amazing. Honestly, it was just okay for me. I had a hard time keeping all of the characters and locations straight at times. It also felt a little long in the middle. I think the idea of a new strain of COVID is brilliant and I loved thinking about if the new strain was really all that bad...who is really on the right side of things in this case? But it just kind of dragged in the middle for me. And I say that as someone who lives in-between Kalamazoo and Kokomo :)

(summary start)
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman (releasing Feb 4, 2025) is a YA thriller about a world changed by the Crown Royale virus. While it has a 4% mortality rate, survivors experience lasting happiness, disrupting society. Those in power, fearing loss of control, push a narrative that perpetual joy is dangerous and rush to develop a vaccine. Three teens from different backgrounds find themselves caught in a battle that could redefine humanity. The novel explores themes of societal control, the ethics of happiness, and the true cost of contentment.
(summary end)


i did take my time and really enjoyed this novel. it’s told from a birds eye view so we are seeing how Crown Royale is affecting a lot of different areas (jails, the rich, the poor, the resistance, those fighting against it) and that worked well for this novel. because in my mind when something as big as an infection is going around, I wanna know how it’s affecting everybody who exists.

neal shusterman did an amazing job at making sure I didn’t really know who to root for. But from the beginning, I was hoping Morgan would succeeded with anything that she wanted to, and I don’t know what that says about me as a person. I don’t wanna go into any more details to give away why I feel the way that I feel but just know it’s gonna have you trying to understand everybody’s side and of course probably not picking a side but as a person we always pick different sides.

this was my first novel by neal shusterman so I’m so excited to read his other series.

I really thought that I would love this one, since I have liked Shusterman books in the past. The premise sounds great. I found myself not really engaged with the story though. I found it easy to put down and didn't really care if I picked it up again. I think this was due to a few factors. One, I didn't connect emotionally with any of the characters. I didn't get to know them enough and they didn't have enough of a voice. Maybe it's because of the 3rd person point of view.
And, second, there was just too much. It was too long and it dragged. It was easy to skip or skim and still know what was happening and not miss anything. The ending was also weird and ambiguous. Unless this is a series, it was disappointing.
All in all, I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it and would only recommend it to people that I know don't mind slow stories with deep philosophical questions that don't mind ambiguity.

If you knew that catching a new sickness would change your outlook on life to only find the good, would you chance to get sick? This is the question the characters within All Better Now face as a new pandemic has emerged. We follow characters as they live through a second pandemic and how each chooses to handle the idea of getting sick. I found this book utterly fascinating in the first 30% because, as the reader, we are learning about this new sickness and trying to figure out if it is good or bad. I personally didn't agree with some of the characters and their choices after being exposed to Crown Royal. I think this is a well-written book, and I think that Shusterman does a great job at writing engaging dystopian, but I prefer the Arc of the Scythe trilogy better than this.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: February 4, 2025

I’ve loved every Shusterman book I’ve read, but struggled to get through this one. It’s incredibly well written, but I found myself bored waiting for something to happen. This made me feel like I was on a carousel just going in circles instead of making any progress. Interesting concept and characters, but left me wanting more.

This book is so freaking good. It's creative, imaginative, writing with such humor and passion and emotion while tackling so many real issues and ideas. It mirrors life and how the world works so well, and all the characters are ones that you could root for. It was amazing that so many characters working at different purposes and with different motivations could make me not be able to choose a side - everyone was convincing (and again mirrors so much how society acts). The characters were flawed and vivid and I could not get enough. I love that it's a standalone but also I could just keep on reading. The writing is SUPERB and I adore this author so much. He makes you think while reading while also keeping you hooked and engaged and throwing so many curve balls at you

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman is a Young Adult novel about a pandemic with a twist. The twist is what if the disease had a side effect that when you recovered you had no fears, no anxiety, and were generally happy? A person could notice the slightest details, the only thing you want to do is help people. Just hearing this you would think everyone would enjoy this. But there are consequences like the fall of commerce. The novel asks the question do we need people to work the jobs that they hate to make the world work? Shusterman is great at taking this dream one-sided scenario and realistically creating three sides. The sides are the infected, those who do not want to be affected, and immune people. The novel is a pretty obvious response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mask, vaccine, and conspiracy about the origins and effects of the virus are all discussed. The only thing the novel does not touch on is the hoarding of food and toilet paper. The story is told from five main perspectives and has various short stories featuring random characters in the new world of the virus. The story bounces from a different perspective from chapter to chapter. The way the story is told keeps the pace very steady. All Better Now is a fun fast read with a story that goes in directions you can not predict. Shusterman cleverly writes the bad side of one society that cares so much about saving the other. The boat sinking scene was my favorite, and it opened my eyes to the dangers of a caring society. The characters make this book and I enjoyed my time with 3.5 of the 5 characters. This novel is the first I have read that talks about the Buck-ee's craze and has a crazy scene inside a Buck-ee's. The ending was okay I was slightly underwhelmed by it and wanted more. I read All Better Now thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. All Better Now was published on February 4, 2025.

Plot Summary: Crown Royale is a virus that starts with a fever, then the person gets a good cough and feels the signs of euphoria. Crown Royale kills 1 out of 25 but even the people who die still feel the effect of the virus and don't mind. Everyone else gets a permanent feeling of bliss. People lose stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings. The people who survived call it a gift and want to spread it. On the other side, rich people fear it as they, throw away all their hard work and donate it to charity and live on limited means. Ron is the son of one of the richest people on earth. Ron is a person struggling with depression and has tried to kill himself before he looks at the virus as a cure but his father is fighting it. Ron is color-blind and more likely to die from Crown Royale so he's hesitant but desperate. Mariel is poor and barely scraping she roams the streets with her mother looking for shelter. She meets Ron as a charity case but there seems to be a spark. They are both searching for something but what they do get is thrown into the disease. Dame Glynis is a rich older woman who has been exposed to the virus she wants to give her company away to Margot a young ruthless successor with the only catch is she must work on a vaccine. When Dame Glynis survives the virus she regrets everything and now she must stop Margot. Ron's dad fearing the worst for his son and the virus hires a team to find him and teams up with Margot to make not just a vaccine but something different that will eradicate the virus for good.

What I Liked: The storytelling is very good. Stusterman's plotting is A-plus how all the characters are linked and interact during the novel just works. I liked the budding love story between Ron and Mariel. Dame Glynis is my favorite character the virus might have changed her character to be not selfish, but her character turns her ruthlessness on helping people and it was pretty cool to watch the links that she will go and with limited resources. The sinking boat scene was my favorite. This scene shows the audience the danger of the virus. I like the twists and turns in this novel which there are many. I did like how the Buck-ee's location is used and the description of what Buck-ee's is for readers who may not know. The action at the Buck-ee's was fun, and Buck-ee's was well used in the scene. I loved Dame Glynis and the relationship she has with her long-time butler who gets the disease and continues helping her despite her being broke. I did like the way color is described after the virus and Ron is cured of color blindness. I was a little disappointed color blindness didn't play into the story because I had a theory.

What I Disliked: I wanted to know Margot more and what made her this way at 19 years old. We do get a glimpse but I wanted in her head more especially when she shows one iota of compassion and gets burned hard. The ending did not work for me I think my biggest issue was the setting. The secret lab worked for a while but the ending felt forced with who shows up at the lab at the end. The lead-up to the ending was great but I felt Shusterman did not stick the landing.

Recommendation: All Better Now is an exciting, clever, and fast-paced Young Adult novel. I like a book that makes me think and All Better Now delivered on that. After I read it I thought about how I would deal with the Crown Royale virus. The multiple perspectives storytelling is great if you read the Scythe series it is the same format for All Better Now. I will say if you are a fan of the Scythe book series then All Better Now is for you. I recommend All Better Now to my followers to check out.

Rating: All Better Now by Neal Shusterman 4.1 out of 5.

Ranking: I have read 5 novels by Neal Shusterman. I have ranked them from Favorite to Least favorite: 1) Thunderhead, 2) Scythe, 3) All Better Now, 4) Gleanings, and 5) The Toll.

"All Better Now" by Neal Shusterman is a well-written story that will be polarizing. For some, they will love it, because everything is woven so intricately together, and the story is quite good. For others, COVID trauma will resurface, and they won't be able to surpass it to enjoy the book. The basic premise is that the world has been hit by another "show-stopping" virus. Everyone is masked, society is relatively closed down, and people are strongly encouraged to remain indoors away from the public. Everyone who catches the virus and recovers has their lives transformed into one of extreme optimism, happiness, and joy. They are overcome with the need to help others and make the world a "better" place. All "so-called" grey emotions are eliminated, and depression, heart-ache, and trauma are gone creating recoverees who have an almost naive newfound vigor for life. Those who haven't gotten it see their recovered family members as body-snatched or members of an alien cult.

Throughout the book, Neal forces the readers to wrestle with hard questions: What would a world without anger, pain, envy, jealousy, deceit be like? Is a utopian society where everything is amazing really a good place? What would happen if selfishness didn't exist? Under the current rules of economics and politics, how would society survive?

If you are a reader who lost everything during COVID (homes, jobs, lifestyles, etc.), you shouldn't read this book. It will bring back trauma that you may or may not have successfully dealt with. For all others, it is a fun read that will encourage you to start hard conversations about the nature of society and how we treat one another.

I loved the Scythe books and was excited to engage in another Shusterman novel
The start of this one was slow but ramped up at about halfway. I enjoy how the characters feel very real and distinct. Would highly recommend to anyone who liked the Scythe novels.

This entertaining book is told from several different points of view-a depressed young man, an ambitious but ruthless young woman, a wealthy old lady, a street smart girl, each adds a piece to the glorious puzzle that is this book. There is a new virus in town-Crown Royal- and survivors of the virus end up with a surprising side effect-unbridled optimism. Some people believe this is a blessing and others are determined to stop the virus with a new vaccine. Except that the new vaccine is not exactly that. This is a complicated story, full of lots of themes of mental health issues, power and wealth, family and friendship, what makes life worth living and political power. It's a wild ride of a story and I think people are going to love this one.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman is a fast-paced, gripping read that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story is thrilling, the concept is fascinating, and was hard to put down. Shusterman delivers an engaging and exciting novel that I highly recommend!

This book gave me so many conflicted emotions! Mostly from three viewpoints, one immune, one bent on finding a vaccine for the virus, and one willing to spread the virus to everyone to give them the chance to feel "happiness". I liked seeing it from three different views so you could see both the good of the virus (no selfishness/willing to help everyone), the bad side effect (putting others above yourself even if it kills you and wanting to give it to everyone, taking away choice), the selfishness /self preservation of the those who hadn't gotten sick and how it all effected the world. And then the third view (Mariel) which is in the middle, seeing the good of both and the bad. Personally, I think Crown Royale is good, as long as you can live in a completely safe area. Cause having the compulsion to save another, when you are not capable of doing so and then dying is horrible! Though I also think that I would not want to be unable to feel regret and sadness, because that is part of humanity. And I got annoyed at the leaders of the "embraced" who were exactly like cults though Morgan's hatred of the recoverees was also not fun to read about and her solution had issues too.

I did love Dame Glynis Havilland though. Her character was amazing both before and after catching Crown Royale!

A good book bringing up the humanity of people, freewill, happiness being forced on people along with a suppression of self over the greater good versus being "miserable" and selfish. It really makes you think about what the good choice would be.

A pandemic that results in utter content if you survive the illness? I was so intrigued by this plot and was excited to read this. There were parts of this I loved and parts that dragged on a bit. My main complaints were the characters were lacking depth and I couldn’t connect with any of them. I felt they were all pretty unlikable in their own ways. I loved the “battle” of the two sides and understanding each of their motivations to either spread the disease or get rid of it.

This is my first book by this author and I’m excited to dive into more of his catalog.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!