3.5 stars

Headlines:
A different kind of pandemic
Relationship reactions to impending risk
Melancholy, sometimes sad and definitely not happy

Firstly, I just want to say that I do not read pandemic books, it's too early for me but this isn't like anything we experienced in recent years, apart from how humans behave. Most people will feel safe reading this in my opinion. I'm not going to spoil what format the events this book is built around take but suffice it to say, it's a clever concept.

This book was full of quirk and weirdness while being rather engrossing. The characters were completely eclectic and apart from Andrew who I liked, the rest I just observed with popcorn. Yun who I initally liked, didn't cope with what the world was offering and that ending was strangely surprising. Emory I liked more early on but her characterisation lost a bit of shading as it went on. Fin was an interesting addition later on.

This book's strengths lie in the telling of human reaction to fear, risk and resilience. It's fascinating how life rolls on in some ways and how relationships form and crash along the way. Societal reactions to what happened were very in the background and I thought that was missing a bit from the narrative.

I'm aware this review is somewhat vague but I think this is a read best served without prior knowledge.

Thank you to Viking Books for the review copy.

“That this was the trade off. The price of happiness. In order to feel happy he had to feel everything.”

In 2023, I’d imagine that most of us are sick (and getting sicker) of stories about pandemics. Mass illness has been all encompassing for three years now, and we’re still in the midst of it. We’re still getting sick, but we’re living our lives as best we can.

And so comes Hanna Jameson’s novel Are You Happy Now. Yet another story about illness, about how we continue to live despite, and in spite of, the world being on fire. Only this one’s different. Because people are simply sitting down in the middle of the street as if the wind has left their sails, stopped pushing them forward into an inevitable future. Imagine if sitting down became the next thing to be afraid of. Is your friend sitting down just because she’s tired, or is she sitting down because she has to, becoming entirely unresponsive except to lash out violently when encouraged to eat or practice any form of self care? Is it the type of sitting down from which she won’t ever get back up again? This is the premise of Jameson’s novel, but if you’re looking for an apocalyptic story in which the world is ending, you’ve come to the wrong place.

The premise is interesting, but this is entirely a novel which is centred around its characters. It’s a coming of age story in many ways, as much as a story about twenty and thirty somethings can be a coming of age story.

This is a novel about relationships, romantic and platonic. It’s a novel about loneliness, about illness, about fear, about unmatched expectations. It’s about art, music, society and philosophy. It’s a novel about our daily interactions, about how we interact with and care for the people around us, be they strangers or loved ones.

We follow four main characters. First Yun and Andrew, old friends, followed by journalist Emory and dancer Fin. If I’ve unlearned anything about ingesting stories over the past number of years, it’s that I don’t have to love a character to love their story. Which was a necessary perspective when it came to this novel, because our first protagonist is Yun, a jaded musician who is just almost likeable, but somehow never quite made it there for me. His relationship with Emory is interesting, in that it’s imperfect, and sometimes bland and often confusing, and reflects how sometimes we feel most lonely beside the person we’re supposed to be closest to.
I found Andrew and Fin’s relationship to be more interesting. Although their dynamic is in some ways more straightforward (but not entirely), I found myself wanting to delve more into their interactions than any others.

Jameson’s writing is so easily digestible. Some of her prose delivers a punch directly to the gut, a left hook swinging from out of nowhere.

Some of the story at times almost feels too clean, as though some plot points are at times too convenient, and it’s certainly an imperfect novel.

That said, it’s certainly not unenjoyable and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to experience it for myself.

This seemed like it would be a dystopian/epidemic story, however it was much more about peoples relationships. I didn’t really find any of the characters likeable or enjoy their interactions with each other. It wasn’t a bad read but it was definitely too slow for my liking.

This is the second book that I've read from this author and I enjoyed it. The cover is not inspiring, but the story and characters are much better than you'd expect at first glance!

I really enjoyed The Last and I think I was hoping for more of the apocalyptic thriller vibe with this. It certainly sounds apocalyptic but is actually much more an observation of modern life and Gen Z; needing cheap thrills to become ‘happy’ but then unable to hold onto it, becoming unsatisfied and hopelessly lost and whhhhhiiiiinnnnyyyyy.

I didn’t like any of the characters; they were all so far up their whiny backsides I could not connect with them. But maybe this was the intention (and I’m not Gen Z so maybe a younger reader would resonate more).

Jameson is a great writer. It’s interesting that this started life as a screenplay as I can see it working on film.

Overall I was glad to read this but it didn’t grab me in the same way that The Last did & I found it a slow read.

Thank you to Netgalley & Viking for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a bit different from what I was expecting but it was a good read albeit a bit too close to home in our post covid world despite it being a dystopian book.
The book starts at a wedding where someone collapses in a catatonic state. She never recovers.
Throughout the book more and more young people succumb to a virus which leaves them unable to eat or to function. One thought is that these people are depressed and are simply choosing to give up on life.
The book is seen through the eyes of the young who see the mess the world is in. Many young people today will be able to relate to these issues. Today’s parents worry about their young just as the parents of these young people worry.
Some of the young are Asian with their own issues and some are questioning their sexuality.
This is not an easy read and there are no easy answers but it is interesting nonetheless. Thanks once again NetGalley!

This was a very strange book. At times it made jumps and I wasn't sure where I was and was left not knowing who was the subject. Overall though it mademe stop and think

I thought the premise was potentially very interesting - basically a mental health 'epidemic' - and the central question of whether this was caused by people becoming victim to an infectious agent or simply 'giving up' on life was very brave of the author.

However, I didn't particularly enjoy the story. The characters were 20-30 year olds living in New York city and we were witness to their thought processes, motivations and desires, but they mostly seemed selfish and unstable (although perhaps this was the point...) The book focused a great deal on their sexual relationships, which happened to be mostly gay or bisexual, much to the detriment of the main story. Progress was slow and it did unfortunately become rather tedious to read at times.

I didn't get the ending - I understand what happened (sad!) but not why or how, which left me feeling unsatisfied with the book. Maybe the whole thing went over my head. I was expecting pandemic / dystopia and I got angst-ridden young people and their many problems instead. Sorry, not one for me. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for a review e-copy.

Love the cover and title, love the premise, love the characters...but the pace is too slow. Think this book is for a much younger reader. More relatable for the 20-something age group than the 50+ - i could not connect with the story.

After contemplating for a while decided to gove it a shot as I was unsure about this book after reading the reviews. Amd let me tell you for me it was a big nope. No offence to the author but reading this book left me asking what did I just read? Not that the plot was complicated or there was anything mind blowing, it was just the way it was written. I need books that tell me what exactly is happening, plain and simple. If you enjoyed this book great for me it wasn't it.

When I read the synopsis I was looking forward to reading it. However, I was disappointed with it. The premise of story was good it was such a slow read and I found it boring.

I enjoyed this unusual book which is primarily a coming of age friendship novel looking at a group of young friends living in New York trying to make their way in the world . what makes this novel different is that it is set at the time of a pandemic when large groups of people are struck suddenly down by a condition that causes them to become aggressive then unresponsive and is ultimately quickly fatal
As a Doctor I found the details of the condition not very believable there are times when it takes on an almost mystical or supernatural explanation , it didn't matter ultimately as the story telling is so good and the relationships between the young people and the cast of characters that you meet and remelt throughout the novel are so interesting and real . This element of the book was what came over most strongly to me .
Coming so soon after the Covid 19 pandemic it was hard not to draw comparisons between the pandemic in the story and what happened with covid . I found the similarities and differences interesting
The author has a lovely flowing prose style and I found the book an easy enjoyable read .
I enjoyed the book more than the authors previous novel The Last which was published in 2019
I read an early copy on Netgalley Uk this review is published on there and on my Goodreads account and my book blog
The novels published in the uk by Penguin fig tree on 2 February 2023

I so wanted to love this book - the title and the cover alone are fantastic. So my disappointment is natural when I realized I didn't like it and actually I didn't finish reading it, I put it down around 30%.
I didn't like the pacing, nor the characters, I felt like this book is more for YA audience and not adults. Though I think the concept is really good, the delivery just wasn't for me. Also, the timeline was often confusing. The very start of the book was somehow too depressing as well, which was personally a big turn-off. The 30% I've read was really messy, as if the book or story itself didn't really know what it wants to tell, or how. Concepts are hard to grab, and unfortunately I feel like this book also struggled with it.

After all attending a wedding, life is not the same for Emory, Yun, Andrew and Fin, as they manage their relationships in an uncertain world. I really liked the pace of this book and found it a compelling read. I like the premise and I think the concept of the pandemic linked to mental health is interesting, but as I read on, I felt opportunities were missed to go further and I still had unanswered questions at the end. I’m not a massive fan of dystopian, and unfortunately, I think having had a pandemic so recently affected my ability to suspend my disbelief. In terms of the characters, I found their relationships moved at a fast pace, which I found annoying and somewhat unbelievable. I liked the ending, although not totally unpredictable, I thought it fitted with where the story was going

This book sounded really interesting and the story was good. The characters all felt real, each with their own faults, however following all of the narratives became quite confusing and the stories moved slowly.

This story is so real, such a topical issue, it comes across as bizarre. I felt I was in the pages with them, this book was so magnificently written.

Post pandemic there’s a new craze sweeping the nation - people are just sitting down and refusing to get back up. Becoming aggressive when forced to move. They’ve given up and most die within two weeks.
We follow four characters; Yun, Emory, Andrew and Fin as they navigate this new world after witnessing case zero at a wedding they all attended. They reach out to one another and connect on a very deep level, depending upon one another to keep themselves going as they ask themselves the question; is it too late to be happy?

I was immediately drawn into this novel, I felt I was in the pages with them, it was so magnificently written. The ending was sad and so, so perfect for me.
Definitely read this if you want a take on the injustice pushed upon todays youth, to feel the anger inside of you for them.

Are You Happy Now is a very unique book. This definitely isn't for everyone, it is difficult to read and you really need to suspend all disbelief to enjoy it. I personally struggled with it, and perhaps couldn't appreciate it for what it is.

The concept around a pandemic of mental health is different, and I liked the originality.

The characters didn't feel like the main focus, and it was difficult to form an attachment to them. I thought they might be the next to die, and so did they.

This is a very intriguing book, which is very difficult to rate and review. I appreciate its uniqueness, and the daring of the author to attempt such a book.

Billed as appealing to fans of Emily St John Mandel and Kazuo Ishiguro, Are You Happy Now is dystopian fiction based around a mental health pandemic.

The story focuses on four characters, only one of whom I found interesting (Emory). Emory is an up-and-coming, ambitious journalist attempting to get to the bottom of what appears to be a psychogenic catatonia taking hold across the world and affecting mainly young people under 40.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. The pacing was off, the characters were not terribly interesting or well-developed and the storyline was lacklustre and vague. This is one that may appeal to a younger readership.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the advance digital copy of the book.

It all begins with a wedding - Yun, Emory, Andrew and Fin attend and witness one woman who sits down in the middle of the dance floor and refuses to get up again. It’s the first time they encounter what is soon to be a pandemic of people who become catatonic, seemingly giving up on life and die two weeks later.

I struggled with this book. It’s such a unique and interesting concept, to centre a pandemic around mental health. I like the writing style too, which led me to carry on reading when I was tempted to DNF. However the pace is so slow and Yun is so unlikeable that reading this felt like a real slog. I am glad to have finished it but it’s not one I would recommend.

I was offered this ARC by the publisher as I had read and enjoyed Hanna Jameson’s previous novel The Last.
This novel continues the theme of the end of the world in the form of a unknown “psychogenic catatonia” which causes its sufferers to sit down, give up and ultimately pass away.

The novel begins in a Wedding Reception and one of the guests sits down. It goes on from there with the confusion of her friends, rumours of other people doing the same, and then a global phenomenon. But like our recent pandemic life goes on and people become fatigued with it.

The end of the world theme is played out between the relationships of some of the wedding guests. Yun and Emory who meet at the wedding. Emory is a journalist who publishes an article the Sitting Down phenomena and their relationship in the backdrop of the end of the world. Yun’s friend Andrew who is the nice guy of the novel. He seemed so kind and genuine that I wished we got more of him.

For me this novel started really well, and I was gripped. Her characters are normal people, with faults and as is usual in groups you care more about some of them than others. But there was a philosophical attempt to make sense of everything – the pandemic, the loneliness and alienation of living in a major city, and the fact that some relationships simply don’t work out.

I really wanted to love this book, but maybe its just to close a real pandemic that it was a bit close to the bone. Or maybe my annoyance at Yun is clouding my judgement.