I absolutely loved this book, with occasional moments of wondering what I was doing spending my time in this way. LOL. Here is what I wrote on Goodreads, where I have it four stars.

I did not know how to rate this book. I am sure that some people will be, "No ... 4 stars ... I don't even know what this is," and others will be "No ... 4 stars ... How could you? If this is not 5 stars, nothing is."

I started. And I kept going willingly. Happily. Wondering whether Miranda would survive? thrive? fall apart? be in a drug-induced coma? spinning along wildly on hallucinogens?

You can read other reviews and get a good sense of the plot, so I am not going to bother. I guess the main thing here is that I loved the manner in which the language wrapped me up in every aspect of Miranda's life.

This book was weird- interesting, page-turning, magic (or mental?).... I couldn’t tell. Miranda suffers from chronic pain from a stage injury she suffered some time ago. There seems to be no cure for it and it’s weighing on her as she prepares for the Shakespeare play she is directing, “All’s’ Well That Ends Well”. The events that happen from that point forward get a bit eerie.
Miranda is somewhat of an unreliable narrator so it left me questing what was happening, what was real? The ending left me with many unanswered questions so I’m hoping the author will divulge the answers in future interviews.

Miranda Fitch is in pain. Very real, 10/10, makes-you-want-to-die, everyday PAIN. The pain is so bad that it keeps her from practicing basic hygiene and she is often wearing the same clothes day in and day out. She takes a ridiculous amount of pills everyday and is disrespected by her students in her theater class. Her pain is real and the way she suffers is unreal. It's all just absolutely horrible for Miranda...until one day it's not. Can her pain come back? Maybe. Can she give her pain to another person? Maybe. Are physical therapists demons that are here to suck health and inflict pain? Also, maybe. This is a Mona Awad book, so pretty much anything is possible...and impossible.

Aside from this being off-the-wall book that catches you completely off guard, I need to say that I know that the pain that Miranda feels in this book is a reality for many women in the world. Miranda has suffered emotional and physical injuries that have left her pain invisible to others and untreatable by professionals. This type of pain is often not understood by peers and can lead to the person feeling isolated from the world. Suicide is common. Even though this book has a slew of unrelatable problems that range from probable witchcraft and magical baths to strangers in bars serving stranger drinks, this book still focuses on the very real problem of invisible pain and how it can destroy a person's life.

An ex-actress turned drama teacher suffering with almost debilitating chronic pain is struggling to keep her job and maintain her authority over her students as they war over which Shakespeare play to perform. Enter the three mysterious weird men who seem to know all about her and suddenly everything in her life changes!

Just when I was so sick of hearing Miranda go on about her pain and lack of sympathy from those treating her, the whole thing changes and Wow! -- What a crazy, unexpected story. Enjoyed this very much!

This darkly funny story explores the world of the theatre and how to deal with seemingly insurmountable pain. This book will especially resonate with readers who catch the references to great works of theatre - and Shakespeare specifically - written throughout the work.

Readers follow the story of Miranda from a wildly inauspicious start to - ultimately - new beginnings. Readers are left wondering how good or bad those new beginnings might end up being.

I wouldn't characterize this as a "light read" by any means, but would highly recommend this work for those people who love theatre and can appreciate just what happens literally behind the scenes as a production comes to life.

Book review time!

In 👑 All’s Well 👑 Mona Awad has created another totally unhinged, absolutely fantastic masterpiece. I’ve been a huge fan of her writing since Bunny, and this book was right up my alley - Shakespeare and teaching? Sign me up!

All’s Well is about former actor and current college theater Professor Miranda Fitch, attempting to put on a production of All’s Well That Ends Well. But she’s had debilitating back and hip pain since a fall off the stage, and her crew of student actors are staging a mutiny. I think this book is better if you don’t know much more, so I’ll leave it at that, but I’ll just say that synopsis barely scratches the surface of what this book is about.

I am obsessed and fascinated by Awad’s story creativity, which I remember from Bunny, this time compounded by literary allusions and references. There was a lot of Shakespeare, a little Dorian Gray, and maybe a few connections to The Wasteland at the end - or that might have been my over-eager former English major brain reading into it! Though the plot itself is wacky enough to make readers want to devour this text, the thing that made it for me was the little stream-of-consciousness asides. Every once in a while we got a section of Miranda’s rapidly spinning out thoughts, and wow, those were incredible.

This book was everything I hoped for and more from Mona Awad, an author I really enjoy, and in a Shakespeare book, a topic I’m equally into. It’s not easy to make a book so full of great literature feel so fresh, but this book did. Check it out when it comes out on August 3rd!

Formerly a stage actress, Miranda Fitch is now an assistant professor in the theatre department at a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts. Miranda has been struggling with chronic pain since a fall from the stage ended her acting career, and is constantly confronted with scrutiny and disbelief from medical professionals, colleagues, and family. Hoping to relive her glory days where she played the role of Helen in All’s Well That Ends Well, Miranda plans a production for the college’s annual Shakespeare production. She’s facing mutiny from her students, who are lobbying for Macbeth instead.

Heavily influenced by All’s Well That Ends Well and Macbeth, All’s Well is a wild ride. Shakespeare features heavily in this novel. Though the book lays out some of the basic plot elements of All’s Well That Ends Well, I felt that my knowledge of Shakespeare was inadequate to carry me, as a reader, through the book.

All’s Well started out strong, and I found myself laughing aloud multiple times in the first few pages. As time went on, I lost interest. Miranda lacks agency and growth throughout the course of the book. There were places where I thought the storyline was taking dark turns or that we were following Miranda into psychosis, but ultimately ended up finding myself frustrated that many plot points turned out to be circuitous.

The strongest part of All’s Well was Awad’s exploration of chronic pain. The early parts of the book portrayed the ways in which people experiencing chronic pain are often dismissed across systems and relationships, and it was interesting to see Miranda fall into the same patterns when another character begins to experience similar symptoms.

This one wasn’t quite for me, but I’d recommend it for readers with a stronger Shakespeare knowledge base than I have.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of All's Well for review.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

What a journey! I loved Bunny and have been telling everyone to read it for ages so I was very excited for this. It's got the weird, bizarre, and eerie feel that I find very unique to Awad. While I'd recommend this to anyone who liked Bunny, I think it fell short for me with the ending -- too many questions, not enough intrigue.

All's Well is about Miranda, a professor in the failing theater department suffering from intense chronic pain after a stage accident. No one in her life really believes her pain and in fact, almost everyone makes it worse. She wants to put on All's Well That Ends Well this semester, but her students want Macbeth. Strange, unbelievable things happen and all of a sudden Miranda is feeling better and her students are willing to go along with All's Well. But, reader, all is most certainly NOT WELL.

I really enjoyed the narration style -- Miranda is such a great unreliable narrator, especially when things start to go off the rails. She's cruel, she's impatient. she's losing her grasp on reality. But I also saw a lot of truth in her experiences with chronic pain, with doctors, with people around her not taking her seriously. It's a dark take, sure, but a realistic one. Pairing that voice with the absolutely bonkers events of the book makes this read, like Bunny, haunting and compelling. I also really enjoyed the cast of characters here in Grace, Hugo, Miranda's ghostly ex-husband Paul, her slew of doctors, and of course the students. The relationships in Miranda's life are so fraught and sometimes excruciating to read, but they add to the constant skepticism of her own narration.

Without saying too much, the ending left a little to be desired to me. It wasn't as sharp as I expected it to be, and I still had a lot of plot questions about Ellie and Paul and obviously the three mysterious men from the bar. But overall, this is a 4 star read for me. It's got such a unique tone and I think still makes Awad an automatic read for me.

See my full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3861112765
A somewhat surreal story mixing elements of the supernatural with Shakespeare and the theatre.

I thought this was a great read and my high school students would love this one!! Will definitely be buying for our library and recommending to others to check this book out!! I think the doomed play and all the other factors made for a wonderful story indeed!!!

-`ˏ 4 stars ˎ´˗

“Where was all this tenderness when I needed it most when I was lying on the floor dreaming of touch like this, of a voice that would say something, anything, kind? Nowhere.”

Storyline: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
The stage is where she belongs, but not directing students as they silently mock her for her inability to properly carry out her duties as a university drama professor. Miranda was once admired by everyone, now those very eyes see her only with pity and doubt. Due to a tragic incident on stage, Miranda now suffers from chronic back pain. This resulted in the end of her acting career as well as her marriage. She tries various methods to alleviate her pain but they were all unsuccessful, giving the impression to many that her pain was only a figure of her imagination. Feeling completely overwhelmed in all aspects, her only wish is to put on Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. Problems arise when students disagree with her play choice, at this point, Miranda has had enough, she will get what she wants and those who are trying to stop her would face misfortune. Nevertheless, the show must go on.

Characters: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
Miranda is an unreliable narrator. She constantly misuses her medication with alcohol that makes her mind blurry. We spend the majority of our time listening to her inner thoughts, which makes it difficult to believe what she says. Not only us but the other characters she interacts with feel the same way, her mind tends to drift away and she forgets previous conversations.

Atmosphere: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
Creepy but enthralling. The implication of magic makes the book take a dramatically dark and dreary undertone.
There were times when I felt extremely uncomfortable about Miranda's internal dialogue, some of the comments she made about her students and coworkers were unpleasant and weird. It continues to escalate the further you read. Trigger warnings: drug abuse, suicidal ideation, physical violence, and explicit language

Language: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
Some sections were very repetitive, making the story longer than necessary.

Enjoyment: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
It became quite intense when we focused on Miranda's pain, it was almost as if we could hear her screams when she interacted with the physicians. It's heartbreaking to see the extent to which people didn't believe her discomfort. When things took on a mystical twist, it was amazing how people responded to her differently, but it was also quite terrifying. Overall, it was a very interesting read, I think my only drawback is that I probably miss some of Shakespeare's references that would have had a greater impact on the experience.

This was wild. I really, really enjoyed it. It is so unique as far as thrillers go, and I definitely am running to go buy Mona Awad's Bunny after reading this. She perfectly captured amazing themes of female desperation in the face of a male dominated world and it was just SO smart.

This book is so. hard. for me to rate. Honestly, it feels beyond all traditional star rating establishments, because it truly seemed like a dream I could have had put down on paper. this was one of my most anticipated 2021 releases and while 3 stars might seem like a low rating, I really did enjoy it. It took a long time for me to be pulled into the story, but the last 25% really flew by in a feverish whirlwind that feels just about indescribable. If you've read Bunny, you know that Mona Awad is the master of all things weird and horrific and strange and incredible. And this book didn't disappoint in that aspect! Half the time i had no idea what was happening, but it almost felt like i had taken the place of Miranda, and that it was easy to accept the awful things crumbling around her as a part of the truth.

In the same vein, I wish that the dark aspects hinted at throughout the book (repeated goat symbolism, witchcraft, sacrifice, etc etc etc) had gone even futher. As everything was ramping up at the end I had a hope that the whole scene might flip and end up in some kind of sleep no more daze, and while the direction it went was still haunting and strange it seemed kind of lackluster in comparison to the build that was happening. I'm still not sure how to rate this, so I'm sitting at around a 3.5, and recommending it to anyone who's ready for a fever dream. I loved it but I also wanted just a little more.

Stunning, cunning and maniac. All of Mona Awads greatest talents in one novel. I enjoyed every turn I took with Miranda. I loved watching her be angry at the world, resent her job and body, and go thru her chronic pain journey. Then one drunken night in her local bar she meets three mysterious men who know everything about her and I get to enjoy another version of Miranda. Fun, talented and happy. Miranda character arc is one for the ages!! I felt as though the three men were all in Miranda’s imagination and she made everything up in her mind until the last couple of chapters whenever grace and Ellie saw the men as well. Who knows and who cares. I enjoyed every turn Mona took and I’m going to miss Miranda. I hope she is well.

What a shame! I absolutely love Mona Awad's previous novels, but "All's Well" left me feeling frustrated and underwhelmed. The main plus of this novel is Awad's writing style. She really understands how to write impactful characters and dark and demented storylines. This book started really strong but around the 55% mark, I was feeling annoyed with the switch in premise and tone. The overall vibe started to become over-the-top and satire-ridden and not in a good way. I think I was just basically confused what was going on since I am not a huge of Shakespeare's plays. I haven't read Shakespeare since high school (late '90s) so I'm not familiar with all his material at the drop of a hat. The protagonist, Miranda is a college theatre professor at a liberal arts college. She also suffers from chronic pain after taking a tumble off the stage when she used to be a theatre actress in her younger days. At times, I thought the writing even though it's strong became repetitive and draggy. I felt like things were explained to death. Also, this book is way too looooooooong! The author should've cut at least 200 pages worth. Also, the ending was not satisfying. I was like, that's it?! I think Mona Awad hadn't written this, my rating would be lower. Overall, it's an interesting story but the pay-off is not worth this long and bumpy ride. It's a mixed bag for me.

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

not sure what the FUCK i just read but i loved every minute of this trippy journey and Miranda Fitch is a character i’ll think about for a long time. favorite book of the year so far

My reactions are all over the palace for this book. It started off slow, but I started to really enjoy it a few chapters in. The writing of being consumed by chronic pain, being ignored by doctors, having people around you not believing you and hopes constantly crushed for new medicines or therapies was spot on. I was interested to see where the story was going to go after meeting the “three men”. By the last third though I wasn't sure what was happening and what the point was. Admittedly, I'm not a Shakespeare stan so I'm sure I missed a lot of the allusions to Macbeth (which I haven't read in over twenty years) and All's Well (which I don’t think I’ve read). The story does help you remember the plays through the dialogue.

We see Miranda start off as a Helen, the constantly ignored victim with no control, and turn into a Lady Macbeth, someone who is untrusting and trying to regain their status. While this worked thematically it was one of my issues as a reader, Miranda's lack of agency throughout. You could say that at the beginning it makes sense with her chronic pain, but so many times she would think one thing and say the opposite (like not wanting a procedure but getting it done any way). But once her transformation begins, she still has no control of ‘the trick’. She has control of the play, but even then I feel like she doesn't really know what's going on.

I also worry that parts read a little dismissive about her pain (is she faking it?). The three men almost seem to think so. If pain can just be moved magically does that mean you can just change your mind on it? I don't believe Awad is dismissing chronic pain but I’m leery someone could read it like this.

I love Awad’s writing, she writes surreal scenarios so well. A lot did read like a fever dream. The ending was anticlimactic. While this book is smart and, I didn't connect to it like I did to Bunny. I was never a theater kid.

While I am still new to Mona Awad, I bought Bunny earlier this year and am determined to read it soon, I was incredibly excited to hear about Awad's latest book, All's Well. As a Theatre Major and Fine Arts teacher, a referential story of a Theatre director putting on a Shakespeare show written by a weird and sinister author sounded like everything I needed.

All's Well stars college teacher Miranda Fitch, a former actress until a fall left her with chronic pain, as she directs this year's Shakespeare production, All's Well That Ends Well. Miranda is dissatisfied with many areas of her life, from her pain, the people in her life, and her revolting students set on performing Macbeth instead. On the brink of ending her own life, Miranda is approached by three mysterious men who offer to change her fate.

The story really centralizes on a lot of similarities from All's Well That Ends Well and Macbeth, as well as theatre culture in general. With references to many of the characters from both plays, parallels between some of the plot points, and some of the textual writing styles, it is clear that Awad did her research and crafted All's Well as a love letter to Shakespeare and his works.

However, much of this book is really carried by the strong characterization of Miranda, as she slowly grapples with the consequences of her encounter with the mysterious men. Her struggles with chronic pain and the conversations around it are brutal and incredibly difficult to read about. The way she's also portrayed in her descent into madness, whether it be from her perception or the world around her, is extremely well handled. I would argue that Awad was capable of creating a modern-day Shakespeare woman, with all of the trauma and themes that are commonly involved, better than any other contemporary author of our generation.

Miranda's transition from her own perception of being Helen, the relenting victim within her own uncontrollable circumstances, to becoming the Lady Macbeth, desperate to regain her status and untrusting of the people around her, is mostly seamless in its execution. I would also argue that there are elements of Ophelia’s blind innocence and how the world views her thrown into Miranda's characterization as well.

My biggest struggle with All's Well was the pacing. A majority of this book is spent existing in the head of Miranda without much dialogue. There is a large build up to understand Miranda's psyche, which works better when new stakes are incorporated but begins to feel tired after running into the same problems. After the main conflicts are set into motion, we begin to lose connection with the concrete reality of the story, and we can begin questioning what is happening. This is never truly corrected leading to many moments feeling rushed and the resolutions becoming anti-climactic.

I did enjoy All's Well and I found meaning and relatability to the Shakespeare and theatre of it all. Miranda Fitch may also be one of the most well-formed characters of this year in my opinion. I look forward to this book’s publication to read about the opinions and scholarly essay's that are bound to be created from this. While the story lacked in parts for me, this wouldn't deter me from recommending this to others and discussing the characters with others. I look forward to my read of Bunny later in the year!

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect mix of surreal and offsetting.

Full review linked on my goodreads page. Link provided below.

This book leaves me with so many more questions than answers. And I guess that was the point?

I was so absolutely enthralled with the idea of this novel. I am a big Shakespeare fan, and I was excited to see the modern take on putting on a Shakespeare play. However, that was not the novel that I got. It’s about “All’s Well that Ends Well”, without it ever actually being about that.

The major points I got away from this book was that I loved the characters, I loved their development, I was so invested in everything that happened to them. I am just confused by what happened to them. Is this book just the result of an unreliable narrator? The author wrote beautifully and clearly put a lot of work into this.

One major concern I have about the book is the disability representation. I am not someone that deals with chronic pain, but I know people that do. The author actively fights against the narrative that the pain is all in your head. But the book ends with the pain coming and going at the whim of a magic college student. The reality of someone with chronic pain was realistic until her pain just magically went away.

I gave this book three stars because I was actually interested in the plot, but I am unsatisfied with the ending. I am left in a simple state of confusion