I'm torn in writing this review. It is a tale of what was promised versus what was delivered.

Never Been Better was described as a rom-com in a tropical paradise. While there was a definite unrequited love angle between Dee and Matt, the rom-com elements were overshadowed by the mental health focus. As a rom-com, this book did not deliver for me. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, this book was well done as an examination of mental illness and its affects on the patient and their family and friends. It is powerful and authentic with plenty of comedic moments.

I truly felt for Dee and her struggles trying to balance her illness and recovery with the desire to have a life where mental illness was not a driving force. Her relationships with Matt, Misa, and Tilley were raw and complex. The author did a fantastic job of putting us inside the mind and heart of Dee; making her a sympathetic character. Had my expectations been framed against this backdrop, my reaction to the book would be different.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and G.P. Putnam Sons for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this book. All opinions in my review are my own.

I really enjoyed this one a lot and found the topic super interesting. The books follows Dee and her two friends Misa and Matt. All three of them have recently been released from an in patient psyciatric hospital due to suicide attempts and bipolar disorder. They have formed a bond with each other due to their shared traumatic experience and learning to navigate life with mental illness. When Misa and Matt get engaged, Dee feels lefts behind in her recovery. The book has so many up and downs for all of the main characters and truly was beautifully written. I don't personally struggle with mental illness but I felt like the author wrote about it in a way that was both relatable and easy to grasp. I would read other books by this author in the future. Thanks for the opportunity to review it.

Never Been Better, follows the lives of 3 friends who met in a psychiatric hospital. Misa and Matt, meet, have a whirlwind romance, get engaged and plan a wedding all in the matter of months. Dee, is invited, but terrified to go on vacation etc. Dee also harbors feelings for Matt.

The book really focuses on mental health struggles and how society views this as well. Overall, I enjoyed the book and reading about how to get "there" from different perspectives.

This was the story of Matt, Misa and Dee - who met in the psych ward and became friends. Dee thought she loved Matt, but Matt and Misa were getting married. They were all out in the real world but they were all experiencing issues. Dee's sister Tilley helped her, but Misa and Matt helped each other. Dee and Tilley went to the wedding anyway so she could put it behind her. The story went back and forth between present day and when they were in the hospital. It was a good story, but I felt bad for all they all went through.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Never Been Better was just ok for me. Maybe I’d have enjoyed it more, if I had read it poolside.

A lot of the story was all too convenient and really just super unbelievable. All these people who are near strangers are having super-deep, emotionally driven, heart-to-hearts while on a tropical island resort?!

Dee is struggling with life out of the psychiatric ward, where she formed some super codependent friendships. Her recovery attempt is derailed when those 2 friends get engaged. Dee and her sister fly to an island resort to attend the wedding. The story is basically Dee’s journey to find herself…and there was SO much potential with the plot and location. But for me, it just fell short. I felt the whole first 75% was laying the backstory… for what? A slow burn that fizzled out.

The chapters had clever song names… but they were also long AF. There were decent spaces/stopping points throughout, though!

Like I said, a fluffy read with “feel good” summer, poolside potential.

This one for me started slow, and heavy. It was advertised as a rom com, and to be honest I was so weighed down with the mental health aspect it was hard for me to see.

What I liked: it's unique, the raw mental health and how the characters share this information with those they care about, the choices at the end that are made to a healthier path.

What I didn't like-- honestly the book was good! But I don't think it was advertised correctly.

It's funny, some people said if you have a mental struggle this is the book for you-- I disagree I think this is for those with or without mental struggles to empathize and understand, as well as to not feel alone if you are struggling. It was very well done, and the characters were a lot but likeable. If you have a loved on with bipolar I think this really has a lot of moments to learn with the characters

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this.
This was a really touching, deep, interesting story on mental health, found family, friendships, and a love "triangle". I did really enjoy it, and thought it was super unique to set the scene in a mental hospital. It has moments that are actually laugh out loud funny (which is rare for me), great character development, and a lighthearted tone despite the very real 'heavy' bits about psychology and trauma.
The only thing I think that's really critical ahead of pub day: this is shelved as a romance and it really truly isn't. I hope they move it because I think thats super misleading.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

This book was a unique twist on contemporary romance novels. Starting from the perspective of 3 individuals who met and fell in love at a mental institution after attempting suicide, the book takes this subject, which could be quite dark, and turns it into a sometimes funny, sometimes emotional tale of a destination wedding and the personal journeys to get there.

I would read another book by this author as I found it to be entertaining which really surprised me given the foundation of the story.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This was a beautiful story about friendships and having a support system.

This story touches on mental health ALOT and I highly recommend checking the trigger warning before reading as the 3 main characters meet at a psych ward and their journeys of recovery are talked about throughout the whole book.

Parts of this book had be laughing others had me in deep thought.

overall I liked the 3 main characters ( Dee, Misha, and Matt), and while I feel they all need to work on their communication skills I think that was also the point of the story. To show people you have to communicate with others in order for them to support you and you support them in the way that you all need .

I wasn't a big fan of Tilly(Dee's sister) and found her to be a little annoying.

I think this book does a good job showing the importance of friendships, healthy support systems and boundaries.

I loved every second of this novel. Never Been Better follows a group of three friends who meet in a psychiatric hospital dealing with their mental illnesses. At some point, Dee falls in love with Matt, and Matt falls in love with Misa. Later on, Dee finds out they got engaged and her world breaks down. She remains secretly in love and starts ignoring them both, despite being close friends. When she is invited to their destination wedding, Dee runs out of excuses and finally decide to attend.

This book obviously talks a lot of mental health, the struggles and appareances they have to put up to and how it really depends on the day regarding their progress. Despite the seriousness of the topics, it was also very funny and cute. This would make an excellent beach read.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for letting me be an early reader.

It took me a little bit to get into this story. The depth of the mental health issues the characters are dealing with was not what I was expecting. I'm glad I stuck with the story. The author (Leanne Toshiko Simpson) gives a great glimpse into the life of people suffering from bipolar issues. The misadventures and relationships of these friends and family are thoroughly entertaining with all their quirks. I would definitely read the next novel from this new author. Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read #NeverBeenBetter.

Never Been Better revolves around a trio of friends, Dee, Misa and Matt, who met as patients in a psychiatric hospital. When Dee is invited to the wedding of her two friends, she is thrown into turmoil—she has been in love with Matt since they were in the hospital, and besides deciding if she’s even strong enough to go to the wedding—is she strong enough to confess her feelings to Matt? There are some very tender moments in this book, along with some offbeat humor. What fascinated me the most, though, was watching as all of the complicated, messy relationships in this book unfolded. There is a lot of love between them, but there is also a lot of hurt, deception, and misunderstandings. The author does an amazing job of making this relationships feel real, as emotions surface. Dee, Matt, and Misa are written with a delicate but honest and raw touch, as they come to terms with their illness, how it affects their own lives along with everyone around them. Congratulations to the author on her debut novel, for giving a voice to those who are often lost and misunderstood.

How often have you answered "Never been better!" to a generic inquiry as to your well-being? Chances are quite a few too many times, I'm guessing, And more significantly, how often have you responded in this way when those three little words couldn't have been further from the truth?

Well, now, imagine having to live the falsity of those three little throw away words, while also dealing with the internalized and oft-times purposefully concealed yet devastating effects of mental illness? Of suicidal ideation and suicide? Of voluntary and involuntary hospitalizations?

Not only does Toshiko Simpson reveal just these things in her debut novel, but manages to do so with grace, humor, and dignity! Three things that all people could use more of in their lives, but most decidedly those folks whose mental illness steals so much of those very things from them on a daily basis.

"Never Been Better" is Leanne Toshiko Simpson's debut novel and enjoys a publish date of March 5, 2024. A romantic comedy (bet you didn't see that coming!) that also takes an unflinchingly honest approach to the decidedly important issues of identifying, managing, and living your best life alongside mental illness is a book that I didn't know I needed to read. But now that I have, I truly can say that I have never been better!

It’s really refreshing to see a positive bipolar story. Like, really refreshing. Most of the time, characters with bipolar in either books or movies, no matter how relevant their diagnosis is to the plot, are portrayed one-dimensionally, either as loose canons that are burdens to everyone around them at best and violent or harmful at worst. Depression and anxiety feel fairly “normalized” in media depictions at this point, but rarely does bipolar disorder get the same treatment, with characters finding stability or independence or even just healthy coping mechanisms. Bipolar characters are never “normal.” I’m not going to lie, it hurts sometimes! It makes me feel ashamed!m to share the diagnosis!

But Never Been Better shows readers bipolar disorder in a way that’s ……. never been better (womp womp). Its portrayal is realistic in that the main character, Dee, is frustrating at times as we watch her stumble through a period of her life post-hospitalization that is defined mostly by her perceived inability to move forward, but she is still a full character outside of her illness, or at least she is on her way there. It’s messy as hell, but it’s altogether positive and forward-thinking, which isn’t what you get out of most depictions of bipolar disorder in film or literature.

The author doesn’t ignore the realities and the truths that all the aforementioned depictions are rooted in, but it aims to add a much needed, lighthearted “however” to the conversation. Plus, the messiest, most toxic character in here isn’t even one of the ones with bipolar! It’s her cringey bull-in-a-china-shop sister! Now that’s what I call equality

I could tell that this story is deeply personal to the author, as all mental health experiences are, but it did leave me feeling a little “left out” at times — some of the relationships or feelings felt like “you had to be there” moments, which you can still appreciate for their significance even if they aren’t relatable.

My biggest criticism (and more just a question) is how much this is marketed as a rom-com or even just a love story. It isn’t. And I think it’s better for it because it’s refreshing and realistic, but it did throw me off a bit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC ❣️

This book almost lost me in the first half, but closer to the end I was rooting for all the characters! A cute story about growth and personal development. Tilley was the best part of the book, she was hilarious.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Dee, Matt, and Misa meet when admitted to the psychiatric ward. All three of them end up becoming the best of friends. The events of the story begin one year later, when Matt and Misa are getting married in a stunning tropical location. However, there is a catch. As a result of Dee's feelings for Matt, she is unable to accept the fact that her best friend, whom she loves very much, is going to marry someone else. The question of how she will respond and what she will do is one that you will have to find out for yourself.

The narrative encompasses not only the present day but also includes flashbacks to the period when the three characters were residing in the psychiatric ward. Initially, I anticipated similarities to the plot of Julia Robert's film, "My Best Friend's Wedding." However, the author has skillfully steered the storyline in a totally different direction. The ending turned out to be surprising.

The development of the characters is, in my opinion, the most significant flaw in this story. It was undeniable that they required additional development; however, this would have resulted in the lengthening of the narrative, which would have also resulted in the elimination of the lighter moments and the addition of the more weighty topics.

It’s a cute story, and the writing style was suitable for the overall theme. Despite delving into weighty subject matters such as mental health and suicide attempts, the story retains a lighthearted tone. The main dominant themes of love, loss, friendship, and self-acceptance are skillfully interwoven. I think readers who are looking for something light and entertaining will enjoy this book the most.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Never Been Better is a poignant exploration of the intricate web of emotions surrounding mental health, unrequited love, and the backdrop of a destination wedding. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Turks and Caicos, the novel delves deep into the complexities of human relationships and the power of resilience in the face of adversity.

Many thanks to the publisher Penguin Group Putnam, author Leanne Toshiko Simpson, and Netgalley for providing me the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This title will be released on March 5, 2024.

5 STARS — GO READ THIS NOW!

Never Been Better is like My Best Friend’s Wedding tropical resort edition but not a rom-com. Three friends met in a psych ward. Two are getting married. The third, our main character, has been invited but is secretly in love with the groom. She goes with her devoted but wild sister as her plus one, and the wedding lead-up goes anything but smoothly.

I loved the rich family and friendship dynamics. The love and memories were beautiful, but the author also layered in the rocky parts of relationships. There’s also bipolar rep. I love that we get some dark humor and sarcasm for levity but also the serious, meaningful discussion of mental health. The author even addresses such topics as Japanese-American internment, cultural heritage, and diaspora.

Never Been Better is definitely my favorite fiction read of recent memory. It’s heartwarming, poignant, well-paced, and centers on very real feeling characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the story was cute. I can imagine it would be a nice beach read. I may consider reading other books by this author in the future.

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