I really enjoyed reading this book. The Cure is dark, twisty and thrilling, with scattered moments of love and joy. The plot was well thought out and executed brilliantly, leading to an interesting and not confusing read.

I felt the characters were well developed and instantly loveable and that they were realistic. The multiple POVs gave us insights into the catastrophic lack of rules and order that the world descends into, as well as making it a more interesting read. The clashes and arguments between characters felt realistic, and so did the affection and friendship between others.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy medical books, thrillers and dystopian societies.

A thought-provoking and utterly relevant read that has you on the edge of your seat, rapidly turning the pages to read more. Fantastic and original plot, that will have you hooked From start to finish. So glad I tried a new author!

A dark dystopian medical thriller set in the near future. Fast paced and realistic, it is a disturbing and compelling read of a society broken by terrible events. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a very dark and terrifying book which delves into a lot of medical facts that were well described for the general reader. It was a slow start with an interesting thought provoking premise. When I chose this book I did not realise that it was categorised as sci-fi, a topic that I do not normally read. It is well written and although there were lots of different chracters being introduced throughout, they were all clearly described.
The main things were the horrors that people faced and what they become when they lost their memory. For a reader who likes the end of the world stories then this is an ideal read as it shows clearly the diversity of people and how they cling onto life.

The Cure by Glenn Cooper
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Cure is a terrifyingly timely medical thriller built around a nightmare scenario: a highly contagious virus that destroys people's memories and sends society spiraling toward collapse. Dr. Jamie Abbott is racing to find a cure while his own daughter becomes one of the first victims.

What really stood out to me was the premise. The idea of losing not just your memories, but your ability to function and recognize the world around you, is genuinely frightening. Watching the virus spread while normal society begins to break down created a constant sense of unease.

I also appreciated that the story wasn't simply about stopping a virus—it was about family, desperation, sacrifice, and how far someone will go when the person they love is at risk. Jamie's journey gave the story an emotional core and kept me invested in finding out whether he could reach the other half of the cure.

Some of the medical details were a little dense for me, and the pacing slowed in places, but the underlying concept was fascinating and thought-provoking. Given everything we've experienced with real-world pandemics, some parts felt especially unsettling.

Overall, The Cure is an intense medical thriller with an incredibly frightening premise. If you enjoy virus-outbreak stories, apocalyptic thrillers, medical suspense, and books that make you wonder “What if this actually happened?”, this is one to check out.

A chilling reminder that sometimes the scariest thing isn't death—it's losing everything that makes you who you are.

#NetGalley #TheCure #GlennCooper #AdvancedReaderCopy #ARC #MedicalThriller #Thriller #BookReview

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read a proof copy of this book pre launch.
Here is the official blurb to give you the background to the book and why I chose it
Baltimore, 2029. Dr. Jamie Abbott helped discover NSF-4, the transcription factor behind the first gene therapy that could treat Alzheimer's disease. He was there when the first dose went into Patient One. He wasn't there two days later, when her grandson flew home from Japan with a fever, walked past an isolation sign, and leaned over her bed.

Two viruses met inside one woman's brain. What came out doesn't kill. It erases — every memory, every face, every year a person has lived — and leaves the body walking around without them. Whole. Curious. New.

An X-ray tech carries it onto a flight to Miami. A cruise ship carries it into the Caribbean. Within months there is almost no one left who remembers how any of it worked.

Jamie's fifteen-year-old daughter Emma looks at him. She has no idea who he is.

The strain that can undo it sits in a freezer at Fort Detrick, and the road there runs through a country where the men who still remember have become the most dangerous thing in it.

Jamie will reach the cure. That was never the hard part.The hard part is Emma, who has decided she likes who she is now.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I had heard great things and was not disappointed.
Loved the pace of the book. I read it in literally three sittings.
I think given the World we live in we can imagine this happening.
It’ keeps you on the edge of your seat for sure and hoping that Dr Abbott can save the day.

If you’re looking for a fast paced book and gripping storyline. Look no further.
Highly recommend

Thought provoking, exciting and an amazing look at what could happen when adversity strikes. Glenn Cooper continues to write excellent books with original ideas and characters that grab a piece of the reader's soul.

The evolution of medicine is astonishing. Robot-assisted surgeries, weight-loss shots, and pills: diseases eradicated. Each advancement came with scientific discovery, development, and testing. Doctors believe they have a medication to help Alzheimer patients. The human testing phase goes awry, developing a new virus with only 20% immunity. Two of the doctors involved with the original virus race against time to develop a cure for this horrible virus. Can they succeed?

This medical thriller by Glenn Cooper brings to mind the uncertainty and fear we had during COVID. The virus in this story becomes a global pandemic. Cooper has two likable protagonists who hope to save the day. The numerous roadblocks to these two people meeting are frightening and believable. It becomes increasingly frustrating that one doctor could face so many difficulties and dead ends. The ending is unexpected yet heartwarming. This bumpy trip ends well, leaving the reader with hope for humanity.

Robin Cook readers will appreciate this new thriller. The medical jargon may be off-putting for some; don't give up—the story is worth going through it. Glenn Cooper has crafted another great book for thriller fans!

This is a thought provoking medical thriller that was a little hard to get into but left now doubt that it is full of surprises. The book explored societal breakdown and the impact of a terrifying virus. As the story developed it raised more questions- the what ifs, the how would I etc and left me reflecting on what could happen if another deadly virus spread.

Wow, this book was so much more than I thought it would be. I assumed it was going to focus mostly on the medical aspect like being in a lab but it went so far beyond that. It explored human behavior in extreme crisis and Jamie, the main character was relatable in his ongoing struggles/roadblocks. I think it gave apocalyptic vibes and I am here for it. I did think it ended really quickly though. It was like, bam the end. I wanted more. Not to say that I didn't love the ending because I did! It did have some pretty dark scenes so check trigger warnings. I will definitely be recommending! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for allowing me to read this fast paced thriller!

I am a sucker for a pandemic/apocalyptic story line and this book delivered on multiple levels. Firstly, the Alzheimer’s/memory stealing virus was something new I haven’t yet read or watched so I was intrigued. Secondly, the dark aspects of societal decline are ever present and will have you on the edge of your seat wanting to help our main characters prevail. Thirdly, there is hope placed strategically throughout the story that helps the reader get through all the dark. I highly recommend this book!

I got a copy of this book to review from Netgalley.
Overall I enjoyed The Cure. It’s a near future dystopian following the rapid spreading of a virus that wipes the memory of a large percentage of the world’s population and all the struggles that follow.
I won’t give away any of the finer details. There’s a lot of bloodshed. I almost would say it’s a little unrealistic but on the other hand it’s almost scary because I can see it all could really happen in those major disaster times.
If you like this genre it’s definitely worth a read.

I thought this was a really interesting thriller. I liked the idea of a virus that causes people to lose their memories because it made the story feel different from a typical outbreak story. I felt bad for Jamie having to travel across the country while trying to save his daughter and find the cure. There was a lot going on, but I liked the suspense and the race against time. Some parts were a little slow for me, but overall I thought it was an exciting and intense read.

Well, I'm still processing what I read, and I still have mixed feelings about a few things. Overall, I liked it, but some of the situations in the book are controversial, at least for me. I think it is a freaking amazing book to reflect on and debate, though.

As is usual in any dystopian novel where governments collapse and law is an empty word, we see society unravel around the world, and people doing unspeakable things to each other.

The title is enough of a hint to guess how everything starts. A virus that sweeps language and a big part of people's memories, leaving them unable to fend for themselves.

Since I have a lot to say about the plot and themes, I'm going to skip talking about the characters. Just know that even though some of them are either lovable or odious, most of the characters fall in the morally gray area.

Before resuming my review, I want to share some TW before you decide to read this book. There is mention of r4p3, slavery, teenage pregnancy, c4nn1b4l1sm, deleting, and the death of a pet.

Now, into the plot. I loved it, despite the difficulty of some of the themes and scenes, because it raises difficult questions and pushes readers to their limits in some ways.

Something that was meant to be a cure for Alzheimer's patients became the end of society as we know it. It happened because meeting deadlines was more important than safety. And by doing so, someone removed the only thing that could "kill" this cure if things didn't turn out as expected.

This raises questions about ethics in science: Who sets the rules of what's safe and not? On what basis does somebody get to decide if something is worth the risk?

Other interesting themes in this book are: how intertwined memory and identity are, parenthood and its difficulties, especially for single parents, identity and agency, and last but not least, moral ambiguity.

Moral ambiguity is my favorite theme because it allows us to know ourselves better in the safe space of a story, at least that's what I think. Especially when doing the right thing goes against our sense of survival and/or keeping our loved ones safe and alive.

About parenthood, there was one particular decision I feel was controversial, and after giving it a lot of thought, I still don't have an answer that satisfies me. Nonetheless, I still think something was not right.

Last but not least, about autonomy and agency. If you revert to a childlike state and need to learn language and what words stand for, once you learn enough to name your feelings and your likes, does that mean you can make life-changing decisions, or should somebody make those for you if they must? Having the minimum sense of oneself, is it enough to claim autonomy? Where is the line drawn?

It was quite an emotional rollercoaster, mind-blowing in some ways, and 100% engaging and interesting. This book has characters that will make you question where you stand, a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and topics that will have you reflecting on it for days.

My only complaint is that I would've appreciated a TW list to prepare myself mentally for what was coming. Other than that, this book is a yes for me. If you are confident the book's themes won't trigger you, I highly recommend giving this book a chance.