Like other reviewers of this book, I was knocked out after finishing Nathan Hill's debut The Nix and jumped on my chance to read his first novel in 7 years. I like to assess books independently of the author's previous works so I will do my best to avoid comparisons with Hill's previous novel, but I must admit that Wellness did not have the same punch as The Nix. Regardless, Hill's prose was, as expected, delicious and to be savored. The connecting themes of intent vs. impact in the context of placebos, of the uniquely human trait of assigning meaning and value to actions that are otherwise insignificant, were interwoven tightly and wrapped up in a satisfying manner. Jack and Elizabeth's non-linear journey provoked reflections on my own relationships with not only romantic partners but also friends and family. Perhaps its length and exhausting attention to detail undercut the overall experience, but in the end, I found it enjoyable enough to finish without it feeling too much like a chore.

Oh my god. When I picked up this book I didn't realize it is 624 pages, but upon finishing it I accept it's the perfect length. I cannot describe this book with other word but masterpiece.

Wellness follows the relationship of Jack and Elizabeth, how they fell in love as newcomers in Chicago and their individual origin stories, Jack came from a rural town in Kansas and Elizabeth from all over the place growing up in privileged circunstances. They both decide to leave their families behind and start over in Chicago as orphans, how they call themselves. The book also talks a lot about their careers, Jack being an artist and Elizabeth being a placebo researcher. Both tellings were extremely detailed and interesting, the author even provides a bibliography list in the end that I for sure will be checking out for further reading.

This book also includes some social criticism on various issues and analyzes why some extremist people think the way they do. It was very interesting to read.

I am completely obssesed with this book, I'm already looking forward to reread it. Wellness is for sure one of my favorite reads of the year.

A massive novel, could this be one of the best of the year? Probably.

This is a portrait of a modern American marriage. Back and forth, from the beginning to now, showing that what shapes us at the start can still affect us in the end.

Nathan Hill continues to write perfect books.

I guess I really missed the boat with this author. I will be immediately finding a copy of The Nix asap. This type of author and this type of book are the reason that I enjoy reading so much. This was quite a large time commitment at 624 pages, but it was absolutely worth it for me. This book resolves around a marriage and covers that many nuances, ups, and downs of married people. At the same time, it explores so many different things and has such a unique voice. This author is a master at satire and engagement and has created something magnificent. This is by far my favorite read of the year. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Wellness follows two folks, Elizabeth and Jack, as they navigate their marriage in middle age. The whole book is kind of structured around them moving into their "forever home" - a condo in a really nice suburb in Chicago that's the complete opposite of what their 20-something counter culture selves would've wanted. The travels in time from the present (which was like, 2014ish, I think?) to various points in their pasts, and it's really an examination of marriage in the 21st century.

I don't read a ton of literary fiction, because, like, if I want to be sad I'll just open up my news app, but I enjoyed this! It was very well written and researched, and I found certain aspects of it (really anything to do with placebos and wellness) to be fascinating. There's a bibliography of sorts in the back, and I'll definitely be looking into some of the books he used to research various topics throughout the book. While I found the book to be generally interesting and bizarrely captivating at times (it's a character development book, so it's light on plot), I did have problems relating to the characters. Weirdly, it's because I'm so similar to them (I'm a basic priviledged white lady married to a basic priviledged white dude) but am like, in a very different place in my marriage. I also felt that it could've been a lot shorter - it definitely got repetitive at times (like with Evelyn - we know where this is headed, can we just get there already?).

4 stars - I enjoyed it and will be recommending it to adult fiction readers.

Absolutely the best book of the year! Lots of background research.supporting the wife (Elizabeth) in her professional life., as owner of the Wellness Clinic where she does interesting studies. Jack, the husband, is a photographer and professor, teaching art to bored and uninterested students. Their young son is prone to tantrums, for which Elizabeth blames herself. Elizabeth grew up in a wealthy family - totally disconnected from reality. Jack, a sickly child, blames himself for his mother’s detachment. They meet, fall in love, marry. Cracks appear. Jack is ‘needy’ (according to Elizabeth. She is remote and unloving (according to Jack). All their cash is tied up in a condo under construction which became a target for local activists. A huge book - 500+ pages- but worth the read. I’d give it ten stars if I could.

I can't even imagine writing a book like this - it is so emotional, yet all encompassing, with so much varied information, from art to real estate, to quasi religious cults and politics, my review can't quite give it justice.
It seems like a work of a lifetime and reads like an epic novel. It is also very long, 624 pages.
The narrative takes us through the lives of Jack and Elizabeth, who meet and marry as college students involved in the art scene in Chicago during the 1990's. At one point, Elizabeth is employed by a type of pharmaceutical company called "Wellness" and her job evolves into offering people placebos in place of actual drugs to treat minor chronic ailments, with very successful results.
The book is totally character driven, there is no real plot, other than the changing perspectives of popular culture and the protagonist's perspectives as they age.
Now, I definitely want to read Nathan Hill's previous book, "The Nix".

This was a long one! And so difficult to rate. There were parts where I was ready to give up and DNF. Then there were parts I couldn't put the book down. Being torn between 2 and 4 stars I settled for a 3.
Wellness is a story of a couple from the early 90ies to present. Their evolving relationship, their past, and everyday life concepts they come across.
I had a love hate relationship with Nathan Hill's writing, as well. Very descriptive, long winded sentences, which made me either soak up all the information presented, or skim over, sometimes, page long paragraphs.
Overall the story was decent, and quite a bit of informative sections on interesting subjects. I actually learned a few things.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

I went in as a full supporter after loving The Nix but Wellness just fell flat for me. Already verbose I felt it circled back on storylines that were already made clear, which felt painful in a near 700 page book. Additionally, a book written by a white man about an about a bit picky mother and aloof husband just didn’t sit right in 2023.

I’m not going to finish this book. I’m only a few pages in and this is too verbose for me. I can’t imagine 624 pages of this. I wish I liked it better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Wellness by Nathan Hill a weird but wonderful book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ebook. This is an epic examination of one couple who meet in the art scene in Chicago in the 90’s and we jump around in time to focus on their married life and careers, the birth of their son and the endless wait for the construction of their Forever Home. A book that’s not afraid to show our two at their highs and lows, and also takes the time to dig into both of their childhoods in a way that shows they could have only become the people they are right now.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! Fans of "The Nix" will relish this. The story of Jack and Elizabeth will leave a mark. This was long (>600 pages) for a fiction but I don't know what I would have left out if I was the editor. Sit back and enjoy some of the best writing I've read recently. Nathan Hill is so gifted. This is a "big" novel. Big, important ideas. A Challenging novel. Dig in. Highly recommended for fiction fans.

I struggled to finish this one and wound up stopping at almost half. It goes off on so many satirical tangents about “wellness” topics that I think are funny and clever and quirky but I lose the plot. I liked the characters, I liked their love story. I wanted to see how their lives together played out but it’s was just so much extraneous information to sift through. The pacing was just off for me. I think this will be exactly why some people will love it. I really loved The Nix. I will continue to try books by this author who is no doubt talented, this book was just not a good match for me. I feel like some people will really love this but for me it just didn’t work. Thank you to NetGalley for the early access in exchange for an honest review.

Not a great book for me -- some pretty interesting social commentary and phraseology that made me think. I liked the beginning and the contrast between the subjective realities each of them inhabited -- it's always interesting to be reminded that what you think you observe going on for another person may not have anything at all to do with what is really going on for them -- but after that it seemed to go into a satirical and cynical look at how mature out of their idealistic youth. I prefer to like characters and be able to empathize with their journey but here I found myself first identifying with them and then backing up and sneering at them instead. Also, lots of muddy, run on sentences -- I'm more of a pithy commentary person myself. I will not be posting this review on goodreads or my blog due to my negative feelings about it. I give it 3 stars because there were thought provoking bits which I appreciated.

I couldn’t get through this book and as such I am not providing a rating on Goodreads. It’s a bit of a social commentary and at times humorous. It shares knowledge and is thought provoking. Some chapters were more interesting than others but in the end I chose to put it down rather than to finish it.

Thank you you to NetGalley for providing this early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wellness is one of those stories that will rip out everything you ever thought you knew about love and the daily dynamic and slowly teaches you how to empathize with people who have been through trauma and struggle throughout their adulthoods to cope with their past in the most humanly way possible. Jack and Elizabeth have been together for close to 16 years and in those two decades their love takes a white to black approach in which you get the details in between through different chapters alternating between the both of them.

From their difficult childhoods to the present - trying to find out their new identities and coming to terms with no longer living like they did as children, but learning how to be the parents they truly deserved, it was a beautiful testament to how parents, in general, always question themselves and try to break the chains and overcompensate sometimes. Sometimes you “just need to let it go”, trust yourself that you are doing the best you can and that everything will work itself out in the end.

This is the first book I’ve read by Nathan Hill and I cannot wait to read The Nix! I loved the writing style and the longer sentences, I could feel the anxiety in the character’s POV but every word had a purpose. The only thing I would have changed about the writing was the way he wrote for all the character’s dialogue: they all sounded really similar, it was hard to tell them apart because they spoke for so long sometimes, so they started sounding like the narration side of the book. Other than that, I was mesmerized and wanted the book to last as long as possible!

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf and Nathan Hill for the ARC, the opinions expressed are my own.

I've never read The Nix, but had heard so much hype and was intrigued by his latest offering that I decided to give it a go. The blurb was really enticing: the '90s, midwest scene, married life challenges, etc. I made it halfway through, but not without struggle. The first 10% flew by and I loved learning about Elizabeth and Jack. The character development was impressive at first, and then tedious. This book has the makings to be great, but it feels to me like it needs to be edited down. I'm curious to know how it all plays out, but I can't continue on, losing interest, at this glacial pace.

Beautiful prose, excellent use of place and deployment of backstory for each of the main characters... but the pace is glacial, and I can't make it past 7%. I'm absolutely certain I'll revisit this book in the future, likely even buying a physical copy so I can take all the time I need with it, because the scant amount I've read is really lovely.

Hill's sprawling new novel is consistently engaging and wildly humorous. It's an intimate look at one couple's relationship, and eventual parenthood, and the power of placebo. Hill's characters feel authentic and the author's wit and storytelling prowess is always on display. A great read.