The themes of this book are mental health issues, love, friendship, self-compassion, and setting boundaries. I also loved all the references to Japan. This is a fabulous debut novel and I would recommend it! This book is full of comedy and a sense of humor while addressing deeper issues. Dee, Misa, and Matt met while hospitalized in the psychiatric ward. Matt and Misa are planning a wedding in Turks and Caicos, surrounded by guests who have no clue how they met. Meanwhile, Dee is secretly madly in love with Matt. Dee brings her spunky and hilarious sister, Tilley, as her wedding plus-one, who provides a bit witty one-liners that keep the story humorous. First-time debut and I enjoyed this book, I would recommend it. !!

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book was like watching a train wreck waiting to happen and not being able to turn away - in the best possible way!!! With some of the greatest mental health rep I've ever read (the three main characters meet and become friends while staying in a psychiatric ward) this was one incredible debut!

Released early from treatment for breaking hospital rules, Dee is still struggling with her bipolar disorder and coming to terms with the fact that her two best friends got engaged and want her to attend their destination wedding.

With the help of her younger sister, Tilley, who wholeheartedly thinks this trip is a terrible decision, Dee agrees to go to the six day Turks and Caicos wedding extravaganza. What follows is a My best friend's wedding type situation where you won't know who to root for and won't be able to stop flipping the pages as hilarious and heartbreaking antics consume you.

I loved all the Canadian references, especially the Scarborough-isms and the classic early 90s/2000s hit song chapter titles. This book is going down as one of my favorites of 2024 and I can't recommend it enough, especially for fans of Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler (one of my 2023 top reads). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: multiple mentions of suicide attempts, depression and suicidal thoughts

4 solid stars for "Never Been Better", all about the Canadian "three musketeer's" formerly in the psych ward, and now two are getting married & one realizes she loves the groom (or does she?). Funny & heartfelt, but not really a romance per see, more about friendship, "found family" & with a very healthy dose of mental health and self-care. Enjoyed it a lot, especially the non-USA characters & tropical setting. . My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the auto=approved DRC, my pleasure to review it.

I’ve been thinking about this review for days, because I didn’t really like this book but am having trouble pinpointing what exactly it was that gave me so much trouble. I guess I feel that it just didn’t realize its’ potential. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or empathy for their situations. I didn’t care for the main character, Dee, and I didn't like her motives at the beginning of the story. Although she redeemed herself at the end, I felt it was too little, too late.
The book deals with the weighty subjects of depression and suicide, but I feel other books I’ve read recently have done a better job of portraying mental health issues in a realistic yet compassionate way. This one just fell flat all around.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mental illness is a difficult topic to portray well but in Never Been Better, author Leanne Toshiko Simpson channels her own personal experience with bipolar disorder to give the readers a glimpse of what it’s like to live with it. Main character Dee met her two closest friends in a hospital after a suicide attempt. The story flashes back to the time in the ward, which was about a year after the main story takes place. Dee is in love with fellow former patient and friend, Matt, who is marrying the third member of this group, Misa. At first set on skipping the wedding, Dee is convinced by Matt to attend the destination event in the islands, bringing her watchdog sister Tiilley along to help her make it through the mentally and emotionally taxing event.
Throughout the story, the reader is given a peek into the thoughts and reasons behind the actions and reactions of three main characters who struggle with their separate mental issues. Having people whom I love experiencing similar diagnoses, I found this book to have helpful language to understand how they might feel and what they might mean. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a different modern love story that is more than a romance.
I did have trouble remembering who all of the side characters were at the destination wedding because there were so many of them. I found the plot (heading out of town to try to break up a wedding) an overused trope, best done in the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding. Overall, it was an enjoyable and quick read. Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Y'all know that some of my favorite books are the deeply authentic ones - real people dealing with real shit, because as we all know real life is messy as hell.

Dee, Matt and Misa met in a psych ward. They formed an incredible bond, and a year later they are all out and in very different places. Misa is now raising money for the facility where they all were treated, though she has yet to share those details with her parents. Matt proposed to Misa and has exchanged his rockstar fantasies for a 9-5 working for Misa's parents. And Dee is outwardly struggling the most, living with her sister Tilley and walking dogs. When Dee receives the invitation to Matt and Misa's wsedding she feels like it is just another sign of how her life is still spiraling. She has long pined for Matt, and feels like the impending wedding is truly the year. So naturally she plans to skip, until both Misa and Matt beg her to go.

Next we know, Dee and her sister Tilley are on their way to Turks and Caicos for the wedding. We meet Misa's very straight laced family, Matt's mom and best friend from childhood, and follow Tilley's wild antics. It is ridiculous yet endearing to follow these characters as they each work through their own issues. It was quirky and heartfelt. And a very illuminating look at mental health - giving light and space to the things we were long taught should be kept quiet. I couldn't put it down and was captivated by this cast of characters. What a journey for Dee and the gang.

Happy Publishing day to Leanne Toshiko Simpson and this absolute RIDE of a book! Big thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for allowing me the pleasure of reading it early! Y'all will enjoy this one.

Will post my review on retail sites, goodreads and my bookstagram @scottonreads

Dee met Matt when they were patients together in a psychiatric hospital . They became really close helping each other through their daily struggles; one day a new patient arrives, Misa. The three of them become close and some what co dependent upon each other.

A year has gone by and they are all out of the hospital but are not as close as they used to be, well Dee isn't. Matt and Misa are getting married and have invited Dee to the wedding. With the help of her sister Tilley, Dee accepts the wedding invitation and they embark on a vacation where Dee plans to stop the wedding by professing her love to Matt.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC!

Matt and Misa are about to get married at a beautiful resort in Turks and Caicos, and they can’t imagine doing so without their best friend Dee. Dee can’t imagine Matt marrying anyone who isn’t her - but of course she’s never shared that tidbit with anyone other than her sister Tilly. Tilly has no idea why Dee is so into Matt. You see - Dee, Matt and Misa all met in a psychiatric hospital and are all diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Matt and Misa started dating after they were all released and got engaged afterwards - seemingly getting “better” while Dee feels like she’s stagnant at best and deteriorating at worst. Dee and Tilly head to the wedding after much convincing - mostly so Dee can prevent it from happening. Once they get there, she learns how much more complex her feelings are for Matt, Misa, Tilly and even herself.

This is a beautifully written somewhat-dark comedy focusing heavily on mental health. There were heartbreaking moments but also many times where I laughed out loud. I was shocked to learn that it’s a debut novel and of course bad to know how the author wrote about bipolar and mental health issues so well - turns out she has first-hand experience and it really shines throughout the book. I found myself highlighting so many parts as I read this on my kindle and I’ve already ordered a copy for my favorites shelf.

This was definitely not the norm when it comes to the books I choose and what I look for in a book. Lately I feel like I gravitate towards lighter fare, considering the world has enough heaviness in it, but I was pleasantly surprised with Never Been Better. When reading the synopsis I thought it was going to be your typical rom-com, along the lines of My Best Friend's Wedding, or The Wedding Singer. I thought for certain that at the end of it all there would be a standard happily ever after, now that's not to say that there wasn't, but Leanne had some tricks up her sleeves that left you wondering where was this storyline was going! I enjoyed the dynamic between Matt, Dee, and Misa - but even more so enjoyed the characters that surrounded the trio, Tilley, Kai, Obachan, Elinor, Vik and even some of the staff at the resort who added color and humor. Overall I felt the book was enjoyable, and there were some great laugh out loud moments, even in the midst of the heaviness of mental illness, medication, and therapy. I liked seeing the growth that all three of the trio had from the beginning of the book towards the end, and I would love to see a possible sequel, possibly with more Tilley, Dee, Vik and even the rest of the gang!

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

I recently finished reading this book and even though it was in my to read list for a while, I’m glad I was able to finally read it. I didn’t expect to laugh so much while reading it and I just loved how the characters intertwined. Such a great read!

Never Been Better is a zany attempt at comedy about a love triangle (2 gals and one guy) that involves three crazy people. And when I say crazy, I mean they met each other in a mental institution. It all goes haywire once a wedding is planned, but no one knows how they met, and the discarded gal isn’t taking things very well. But then again, she’s never taking things well because she technically has bipolar disorder and other problems. I’m not a fan of stories that, even if mildly, try to be funny about people who have life or mental issues. This book did not change my mind.

I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: March 5, 2024.

#neverbeenbetter #mentalhealth #netgalley #fiction #romance #book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader reader #reviewer

I don’t often give a book 5 stars, but I thought this book was so very well done given the heavy topic of mental health and bipolar disorder. Thank you you the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. It really pulled at my heartstrings, and so achingly described issues I know impact people with bipolar, and it is unflinching in how the author tells the story-the good and the bad, messy, sad parts. You root for Dee and for her band of friends from the hospital and their discoveries as they struggle can resonate with everyone regardless of their mental health. While it’s not a romance, it’s certainly a well done look at how to strengthen relationships, both with friends, families and lovers.

This book was well written but not for me. I liked how she evened out the serious topics with humor, but it was still rough to get through in parts. The journey of all the characters had you cheering them on and good to see their happy endings.

“But that’s the thing about mental illness. Whatever you lean on the most is in the greatest danger of disintegrating beneath you.”

“I wondered if perhaps Elinor would understand—in a way my own parents never seemed to—how it felt to carry around the potential to harm the people you loved best, just by nature of your being.” 🥺💔

This book is so important! Wow. If you have mental illness, love someone with mental illness, or treat those that suffer…this book was written for you. I would read this again, honestly, and I never do that.

Never Been Better is simultaneously educational, emotional, and eye opening. Although #gifted a copy of this book I will be purchasing my own physical copy to place on my shelves. The audiobook was great too, as I both read and listened to this one. It’s wrought with emotion and that really comes through in the narration. 10/10, man. 10/10.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Putnam Books, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC.

Never Been Better is a thoughtful novel about Dee, a woman in her late 20s, learning how to live again following a stay at a psychiatric hospital. Dee is such an authentic, funny, and flawed character. At the hospital, she became close friends with Matt and Misa. Dee fell in love with Matt, but Matt and Misa are now getting married. Since they relied on each other so heavily during recovery, they want her to be part of their destination wedding. Dee now lives with her sister, Tillie, who is protective of her but also wants to see her thrive.

The characters are fantastic! I especially loved Dee's sister. Tilley is no nonsense but sometimes parties too hard. Matt and Misa are wonderful characters as well. I loved the deepening of Dee's friendship with Misa. Dee and Tilley decide to attend the wedding week and issues are brought to light. The characters are so relatable and some of the situations and dialogue are so funny. The novel really tugs at your heart strings. You root for all of the characters to find their way and help themselves. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly narrated by Kym Miller.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Audio for the audiobook and Penguin Group Putnam for the ebook.

Dee, Misa, and Matt were the "three musketeers" of the psych ward. A year after discharge, Matt and Misa are tying the knot, surrounded by guests who have no idea where they met, and the secrecy isn’t sitting well with Dee, who has been hopelessly in love with Matt since before she got kicked out of the hospital.

The level of humor in this book was intoxicating. I loved how the author hanfled the serious topics with grace and care but simultaneously also being hilarious.

Dee was the highlight of this book. Her internal monologues and dry humor were everything. I enjoyed how the dynamics of each relationship were depicted; some of them were complex & some were easygoing. Definitely check out this book if you want to read something different!

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭑ wrongfully labeled as a romance, but still a great read with vulnerable characters to laugh and cry alongside.

this was very different than I anticipated, but I still enjoyed it! this is a book filled with vulnerable characters that are oftentimes unlikable (hello, victim complexes) but relatable enough that you cannot help but like them.

I wish we got a little more explanation from matt on his feelings for dee because that felt very underdeveloped, and his lack of response to her unrequited love felt a tad cruel in the end. I’m happy for misa and matt (as is dee), but I can’t help but feel a tad discouraged on behalf of dee and her feelings.

I also wish there was an epilogue because I want to know if dee and vik could’ve made a perfectly messy life together.

A sensitive funny novel about three people with mental health issues who are in love- and two of them are getting married. Dee doesn't want to go to Matt's wedding to Misa in the Turks and Caicos but he asks her and her sister Tilley (love Tilley) is determined that they go. Dee's not found her feet since leaving the hospital; Matt and Misa are doing their best but are both hiding their issues from Misa's family. Everything and everyone collide at the resort. These oh so relatable characters shine (and don't miss Misa's cousin and grandmother who have incredible insight). It's thoughtful, insightful and addresses serious issues in a light hearted way. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A terrific read.

This book was NOT for me. I gave it to 35% and I was not captivated nor did I care about these characters. I feel bad for feeling that way given the subject matter. I wanted to love these characters. I wanted the laugh out loud shenanigans that were promised, and didn't get up to that point. The story dragged for well over 20%. I found Tilley to be way over the top and not at all realistic. I have mental illness in my family, so the subjects were not lost on me, however it also makes it difficult for me to have characters trying to joke about it and laugh it off, at least from the POV of a family member who tries to help those that suffer from mental illness.
I'm thankful to Netgalley & Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. This is my honest review for the 35% that I read. I do feel like this is one either people will like or simply dislike. It will find it's audience.

Amazing Debut for Leanne Toshiko Simpson! At first I wasn't sure about the story, and characters, but then as you slowly dive into the wedding week, POW. The background, personalities and family drama start spiraling into an exciting finish of the best ending possible. This novel opens a door to mental illness and support systems for first hand knowledge of different ways to deal with being bi-polar. I highly recommend #Never Been Better and look forward to reading more by #Leanne Toshiko Simpson. Thank you to #NetGalley for the e-book arc.