Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

This was a charming book of mental health and self discovery- not your typical rom com read but enjoyable all the same.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads!

Leanne Toshiko Simpson’s ‘slow-and-steady’ book that she started writing during her own hospitalization was the sweetest read. It’s not often that an author’s Acknowledgments make me cry, but these ones got me.

Now, back to the book. Never Been Better is a sweet story following Dee, Matt, and Misa, who spent time supporting each other in a mental hospital. Dee feels like she’s falling apart, while Matt and Misa have gotten together and are planning their wedding. How can she tell Matt that she’s in love with him when his fiancé is her friend?

This book feels so cozy with all the found family and cute sister moments, but it’s also super raw and real and I saw myself within these pages. It’s not a book I’d recommend to everyone, but I definitely think that those on their own mental health journeys or those supporting loved ones on their mental health journeys could find some lessons within this book.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!

Wow, Leanne Toshiko Simpson just surprised me in the best possible way! I’ve never read a romcom that centered around mental health, so I was a tad weary that it wouldn’t work, but Leanne Toshiko Simpson knocked it out of the park with Never Been Better! The storyline was extremely original, and remarkably relatable! The main character, Dee, was so endearing, and I found myself rooting for her from the start. I enjoyed watching Dee’s journey throughout the novel, and thought both her tragedies and triumphs were well communicated. I truly look forward to reading more from Leanne Toshiko Simpson in the future!

An upfront look at mental health and how it varies between three friends still connected through their time at the hospital. Their paths of recovery look different for each of them but the destination wedding is where they’re headed.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read Never Been Better as an ARC. This is a good well written book. It is not a laugh riot rom com romp as some of the blurbs seem to indicate. It is dense thoughtful and complex. There are a number of story lines that run through the book. Dee, Matt and Misa met at the hospital for treatment of their mental health issues. Matt and Dee met first, and Dee had feelings for him. Then Misa came to the hospital and Matt and Misa fell in love. Dee left the hospital fist( she was kicked out ( a fairly twist part of the story that doesn't get explained until late in the book) and she is still struggling a lot . She moves in with er sister, gets a dog walking job and tries to overcome her suicidal feelings. Matt and Misa are discharged and get engaged. They plan a destination wedding and want Dee to attend. She agrees and brings her sister Tilley, a loose cannon, no filter type, with her. There are a lot of characters in the plot, family friends and staff at the resort. Sometimes I was really confused as to who was who. Dee comes to the wedding wanted to tell Matt how she feels , hoping he will feel the same. She finds a lot more in play that she had anticipated and needs to decide where her loyalties and love lie.Reading the authors note, it is clear that much of this is autobiographical, or at least based on past experiences. It is a beautifully written story of a subject that needs to be discussed openly, mental health.

This is cute! Self discovery and mental health awareness over anything else but I enjoyed the characters and the plot.

At first, I didn't know what to expect, and to be honest, it took me a while to get into this book and quite some time to finish it.

But by 3/4 of the way through the book, I found myself rooting for the characters and genuinely hoping for their wellbeing. It was a fascinating story of self discovery, loving one's self, and figuring out your life in the face of adversity. With that said, I think there was a lot of fluff and I spent the first 3/4 of the book annoyed at the characters but eventually came to understand and appreciate them.

This is not your typical read, but it was enjoyable!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnum, and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a set up!
Dee, Misha, and Matt met in the the psych ward.
It's one year later and Misha and Matt have planned a wedding! Dee, still struggling is happy for her friends but still in love with Matt. Dee's sister Tilly manages to become a plus one and drags her to the event - The Events actually, as Misha is quite wealthy and a long weekend of parties, get together and lavish dinners have been planned at a resort.

Will Dee survive? Should she reveal her feelings to Matt? Join a hilarious and heartfelt weekend with the crew. Lots of mental health discussion and of course revelations and flashbacks to the ward so this book is not for everyone. #Penguin #NeverBeenBetter #LeanneToshikoSimpson

This book was one that I couldn't help but love. I know that Dee was making bad choices, but I wanted to give her a big squeeze as she figured out how to be true to her heart and move towards the healthy future that she deserves. Her sister, a loveable lush named Tilley, was by far my favorite character and I would love to read a spin off of her as a sequel. Ultimately Dee figures it out and I was honored to be along for the ride.

Drama!! I thought this book was good. And it was a great read that kept me entertained.
I just reviewed Never Been Better by Leanne Toshiko Simpson. #NeverBeenBetter #NetGalley
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Cute book less romance than I was expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed the plot and the character development. I loved that it had songs for each chapter! I appreciated the mental health aspects of the book and they felt very real and authentic. I wish I could read this again for the first time! It will hold a very special place in my heart.

I wanted to love this book but it fell flat for me. Parts of it, such as Tilley’s outburst just felt downright unbelievable to me. I felt like the author was trying to cover too many topics within the story, and as a result it made the book very forgettable. I liked the idea behind the story, but it is not a book I’d be recommending everyone read.

Wasn’t sure how I would feel going into this book since the mental health was such a big part of the introduction. But wow! I loved it and loved the character development of the story. Only thing I wasnt super crazy about was the MC fell a little flat for me I would have loved to see more of her branch out but still a great read!

This delivered on the comps! Mixing my favorite things, mental illness and romcom sensibilities, and had a really satisfying ending instead of leaving me hanging. Loved the weirdo cast of characters and flow of the story

Dee takes her sister Tilly to the destination wedding of her two friends she met when the three of them were in a mental institution. Dee has a crush on the groom to be and plans to tell him before the wedding.
I enjoyed the character growth in Never Been Better. At times I was frustrated with the choices several characters made, but the exploration of their mental health journeys was riveting.

This book covers the full gambit of trigger warnings, so do yourself a favor an look them up <3

Friends who meet in a psychiatric facility. A sort of love triangle/'My Best Friend's Wedding' vibes.

There is some major development that takes place. A lot of emotion. A lot of hard topics.

A great setting, a wedding, and mental health topics! The three mc’s were written so well. I liked this story a lot. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Book Review
Never Been Better
By: Leanne Toshiko Simpson
Pub Date: March 4, 2024
**Trigger warning: this book contains mental illness, attempts of suicide, struggles of living with mania and depression.
Thank you to @Netgalley and @putnambooks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Dee, Misa, and Matt meet and become friends in the in-patient psych ward. They make the time go by a little easier and support each other through their struggles. But Dee has a secret…she is in love with Matt or at least she thinks she is.
Dee is the first one to be discharged first and keeps in contact with her two besties. But life outside the ward is not going well. She still struggles daily with things like getting out of bed and remembering to take her meds. That’s where Tilly, her wild yet caring sister, comes in. She watches over Tilly, talks to the doctor, and manages Dee’s care. Things start to look up for Dee until she gets the invitation.
Misa and Matt’s destination wedding in Turks and Caicos is a week-long of activities leading up to the wedding. Dee knows she needs to avoid all communication with the lovebirds because they won’t take no for an answer. Since they can’t reach Dee, they call Tilly and there’s no way Tilly is refusing a free trip. The week at the resort proves to be worthwhile, as Dee realizes maybe Matt is preventing her from healing and reaching her full potential. Dee also notices Misa and Matt are not doing well, so why are they getting married?
My Thoughts:
There were some funny parts mostly at the resort but there were also a lot full of heavy topics. The thing that kept me going was the good storyline and I needed to find out the outcome. I also feel this book discusses important topics including shame of mental illness, needing to be in a psych ward, hiding mental health from family. These are topics that need more discussion and exposure. Congratulations to Leanne Toshiko Simpson on her debut novel.

This book opened up a window to help me see and understand people in a way that I hadn’t before. It helped me feel the feelings and cry them out, and know that’s okay. It was real and raw and I appreciate that. The sisterhood and friendship that are one of the driving factors in this book are probably my favorite parts. I also enjoyed the songs at the beginning of each chapter, that is such a fun little thing that I don’t see much in books. I will definitely be picking this up again. I recommend!
(Before reading, please check content and trigger warnings as it can be difficult to read about the topics prevalent in this book!)

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Never Been Better is a unique twist on the holiday romance trope. Dee travels to a destination wedding in the Caribbean to celebrate the union of her two closest friends from the psych ward. The only problem is, she's in love with one of them. Or is she? The setting is beautiful, and I appreciated the story was not just a romance, but more self discovery. My one complaint is that I actually found Dee the most flat of all of the characters. Her sister Tilley, Obachan, and Kei all seemed to have more personality than the main character herself. But I enjoyed the book!