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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Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for allowing me the privilege of reading this story. It was a beautiful story another the journey of a girl with bi-polar disorder. I highly recommend.

Never Been Better by Leanne Toshiko Simpson was a fascinating rollercoaster of a book.

Goodreads mischaracterizes it as a romance, which it is definitely not, and the logline on both Amazon and Goodreads refers to it as a comedy, which I think is also a mischaracterization. With its strong theme of self-discovery and growth, I'd describe it as women's fiction. That said, the book has lots of humorous dialogue and is well-written and poignant, with characters I variously wanted to tell off and hug. For much of the story I wondered if it would be my first review containing the words "unlikeable heroine"--but Dee, like several other characters, was NOT totally unlikeable, and she learned and grew throughout the book, so that by the end I could fully appreciate her good qualities, which include protectiveness toward her loved ones, an occasional blazing honesty, and her quirky off-beat sense of humor.

Dee's friends (engaged couple Misa and Matt) and her sister Tilley also have moments where they shine brightly enough to redeem past wrongs and capture readers' hearts too.

I very much appreciated the book's focus on the challenges of mental illness, of finding truly helpful resources and balancing the pros and cons of strong medication, all while dealing with the sometimes unreasonable and overwhelming expectations of loved ones who haven't had to face the same struggle--all at a time when your brain is torturing you and your personal energy reserves and resilience are at their lowest.

4.5 stars, rounded to 5.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book and these are my honest thoughts on it. Thank you to the author and publishers for the opportunity to read it!

This is a beautifully written story about the challenges and successes of a mental health journey. The author does an amazing job capturing the lows, highs, heartbreaks, joys and stigma from hospitalization to life in the real world.

I thought the story was beautiful, and though I don't think I was the right audience for the book (hence the three stars), I could still appreciate the author's intent and would highly recommend it to anyone who has or is struggling with mental health.

This was fun! It’s definitely messy but was a pretty quick read. I enjoyed the premise of the book and watching all the situations that the main character finds herself in. I also really enjoyed the exploration of all the family relationships, especially with the sister and cousin. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book but unfortunately I found it difficult to read because of the issue involved.
Its about friends at a mental facility who attempted suicide. I found it disturbing and for that reason I could not finish.

An honest and heartfelt story of friends and family struggling to deal with mental health issues.
Dee, Matt and Misa meet in a psychiatric hospital, support each other and create a needy but wonderful friendship bond.
After Dee is booted from rehab, Matt and Misa fall in love. When the wedding invitation arrives, Dee spirals. Her attraction and love for Matt causes her to question her mental stability.
Dee’s sister, Misa’s cousin and grandmother and Matt’s best friend are all supportive of their diagnosis and difficulties.
The destination wedding is a chaotic challenge, conflicted feelings, demanding parents and medication issues force some very important conversations and decisions.
I felt the author was very respectful of the challenges of mental health and the need for supportive caring and honest family and friends. Good read!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

A story about 3 friends at a mental facility- all had attempted suicide. I don’t think I am the right audience for this book and I stopped at 35%. I just didn’t care about any of the characters.

absolutely fantastic book, not exactly a romcom as much as it is a general fiction about grief, mental health and love. thanks for the arc.

Refreshing book to enter the rom-com scene. Appreciated the more serious subject matter of mental health being woven throughout the story. Original characters and setting. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity!

This was a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 for me. It has a very refreshing take on mental illness that affords it gravity and attention without taking on that morose tone people often use. Kudos to Leanne Toshiko Simpson for attempting the brave feat of writing a rom com where the primary relationships are formed during a psychiatric hospitalization! The main character, Dee, was well-developed and I empathized with her struggle and feeling of stuckness. How well she was written may have contributed to my disappointment in how other characters were written, though. For instance, Misa felt really distant to me. There was all this suggestion around generational trauma stemming from Japanese internment during WWII but apart from it being referenced a few times, nothing much comes from it. Likewise, I never felt like I got to know Matt apart from what he meant to Dee (though that may have been intentional). In my opinion, Dee's sister Tilley got the short end of the stick as she was instrumental in moving the plot forward while given very little opportunity to be more than the "hot mess" who clearly had some stuff going on too. There were other ways in which issues were brought up but then not followed up on, such as Dee's thoughts about the impact of tourism and the class differences on Turks and Caicos. It would come up as more than a simple observation, but then would turn out to be just that. It left me feeling a bit confused, like it was an unfinished thought. But all in all, for a rom com that seeks to address mental health, this was an enjoyable. Folks struggling with their mental health also experience romantic struggles as mundane as jealously, and their stories are worth reading too.

a cute rom com with some very heavy mental health topics (suicide attempts, bipolar, anxiety, etc).

I loved the mental illness rep in this, and how it showed real struggles and hurdles, but I couldn’t get fully into the book. Not sure if it was the plot line or the characters or what exactly, it just didn’t suck me in.

Gave me “My Best Friends Wedding” vibes, but I loved that it was so much more than girl loves guy but everybody else is just background noise. This book goes deep into friendships, sisterhood, and even parent/grandparent relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam Son’s for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review!

This book is full of comedy and 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 and her sister Tilley make the trip to the wedding and Dee plans on telling Matt exactly how she feels. Except if she does that, the only support system she has will fall apart.

Never Been Better is unlike any book I've ever read. It's sort of a romance, but not in the traditional sense. The chapters flew by. My favorite character was Tilley, she was laugh out loud funny. 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!

Thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dee is devastated by the fact that her best male friend (and love of her life), Matt, is marrying another woman (Misa). Dee, Matt, and Misa met in the psych ward and forged the tightest of relationships in a very unlikely setting. Each struggles with mental illness and some have contemplated/attempted suicide. Dee boards a plane to the destination wedding of Matt & Misa with her quirky sister, Tilley, who has become her quasi-caretaker. Dee is contemplating letting Matt know of her true feelings...What could go wrong?!

I really enjoyed all aspects of this book - the main characters and their struggles, the fun bunch of side characters and their personalities, the witty banter they send back and forth, and the setting (Turks & Caicos). I especially loved that each chapter of this book has a corresponding song listed at the start and that when placed together, the book has a soundtrack to accompany it.

Mental illness is a daily (sometimes hourly) struggle and the experiences of the three main characters were delivered delicately but honestly. I was struck by two sentences in Chapter 17: "We're all just trying to make the best decisions we can, trying to drown out the loudest internal scream you could imagine. The craziest thing I've ever heard is when people tell us we're not trying hard enough." Kudos to Leanne Toshiko Simpson for writing a stellar story and, in turn, sharing some of hers.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing an advanced copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book tackles some really big subjects and man were they heavy. Between suicide and bipolar...but a romcom sort of setting? IT just never felt like the two meshed for me.

I liked it. The writing was really well done, I just couldn't really get into the story.