This was such a beautifully written book. I enjoyed every twist and every turn this book delivered. I think Sarah has a special thing about her most authors lack.

In a dystopian future where the environment and economy have degraded to the point that the 1% live in walled-off company towns, Linda and her family feel fortunate to have a chance at a better life inside Plymouth Valley when her husband is offered a job there. But just getting in doesn't keep you safe, as they could be asked to leave at any time. As they struggle to fit in, they experience increasingly strange festivals of a mandatory local religion, and Linda finds herself in (and eventually out) with the In Group while questioning the safety of the products that have made the wealth of Plymouth Valley possible.
While the book is undeniably successful as a dystopia, it's at its best read as a domestic thriller or small-town noir, experiencing more everyday moments of isolation and panic with Linda that feel relatable: bringing the "wrong" snack to the soccer team and feeling shamed, realizing your child is potentially in legal trouble, measuring your willingness to stay in a domestic situation based on your bank balance.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy.

this book is like a 3.5. I found it could be pretty repetitive and the absolute bonkers pace the author established in her previous book didn't hold up in this one. I also always wonder, in books like this, what the point of view is of the characters that are trying to fit in. I find myself thinking that POV would be more interesting in the end.

but I can't fault a book entirely for not being what I think would be more interesting, I'm gonna judge it on what it actually is. A Better World really did feel so deliciously creepy most of the time, while also being very funny often as well. the climax is so off-the-rails, and I mean that in the best way possible.

I also love the disgusting-ass birds. and the note about them at the very end.

Be careful what you wish for! Looking for a better life does not always equal a better world, or does it?

Linda, Russell, and their teen twins moved to Plymouth Valley when Russel is hired to work there. Plymouth Valley is touted as being a safe place. It is a company town that boasts fresh air, top schools, and plenty of food. It's an elite place. Everything is taken care of for you - a home, a car, a job, etc. If you have a chance to live in this community, you would be a fool to turn it down as the outside world is falling apart. Sure, you must put up with horrific hazing, the many festivals, and bizarre friendships, but it's worth it, right??? Things might be free but then again, everything comes with a price as the saying goes.

What happens when you rock the boat?

A Better World was a gripping, creepy, and thought provoking dystopian book that reminded me to a small degree of The Stepford Wives and the movie Midsommar. Everyone must act in a certain way, participate fully in festivals and not voice what you are thinking. Is that the cost of breathing fresh air???

I enjoyed the creepy and eerie feel of the book. I kept trying to figure out what was happening and what was going to happen next! I enjoyed the mounting tension and sense of danger that grew as the book progressed. I also enjoyed how the book had themes of power, bullying, popularity, privilege, conformity, and the environment.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book. The ending was shocking and went a little off the rails, but overall, this was an enjoyable and interesting read. I could see this book being made into a movie.


Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

First off, this one shouldn't really be marketed as a thriller. The suspense or the thrill factor just isn't there. Until the very very end. Until then, it's part dystopian, part literary fiction? I was hoping for more from this one. The beginning where the world was being built and I was learning all the drama, the book was really interesting. But then it lost it's steam and the middle kind of flat lined. And then the very very end was a gory-*ss thrill ride. So maybe to sum that up, the pacing was a bit off? And the book was a bit confused as to if it was a neighborhood drama, dystopian or thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read na ARC of this!

Sarah Langan has such a way of creating worlds that I do not want to live in with her writing. She’s just incredible. This book felt like terrifying, never-ending waking nightmare. In the best way.

I can’t imagine living in a world like it but at the same time, it’s hard not to believe something similar to it might actually be a thing and it’s scary. Humans really are monsters. We band together and turn on one another like it’s nothing.

I loved the characters in this book. They were all flawed in their own ways but meant well and loved each other. The secrets and lies in PV were terrifying. I had no idea how it was going to end and was on the edge of my seat while reading the last 50 pages or so. What a rollercoaster ride of emotions! Another knockout novel by Sarah Langan!

I loved this author's first novel, and I was eagerly anticipating this new release. It did not disappoint! Well-written and incredibly creepy.

Even though I wasn't expecting this book to be a dystopian novel, I started reading and couldn't stop! usually when I'm surprised by a genre I stop reading as it's not what I expect it to be. But this one took hold of me and I couldn't put it down.

I was absolutely delighted to have Sarah Langan back with her novel Good Neighbors, which I described as "a little bit The Crucible, a little bit Shirley Jackson, a little David Lynch, but ultimately all Langan." It was her first book in a decade, and I hoped it promised a return to regular publishing for her. And now, two years later, she has another book to devour, A Better World, which marries the surreal social satire of Good Neighbors with her earlier horror work into a wild, bizarre, unsettling ride. A Better World unfolds in the near future, when the planet has truly begun to fall apart on almost every level, and the upper classes have largely started to retreat into "company towns" run by tech firms and manufacturers. But these aren't the factory shanties you're thinking of; these are planned communities, full of "company culture," insular rules and rituals, expectations of providing for the company and the community they represent - and all driven by the thought that the world is doomed and that they're entitled to wait out the crisis within their protected world. Into this world come the Farmer-Bowens, a family of four invited thanks to the father's genius with numbers. But the town definitely isn't thrilled about outsiders, and the company culture goes from "cutesy" to "unsettling" more quickly than you would like, and there are definite signs around the edges that Plymouth Valley is hiding some dark secrets. Langan doesn't hide where she's going; by the time you get to part three, which is entitled "It's Exactly What You Think It Is," it's clear that Langan isn't worried about defying expectations so much as she is in building this vicious satire of elites who isolate themselves from the world, companies that can buy off the consequences of their actions, communities that avert their eyes from the things they don't want to see, and on a more intimate level, how a desire to provide for your family and your children can lead you to make hard choices with no good answers. I'll say that because of all of that, A Better World ends up a little shaggier than Good Neighbors; there are a few characters around the edges of the story who feel like some of their arc has been elided, and some of the personal arcs can be a little bumpy at times (this definitely feels like a book that existed in a much longer form before the published version, and there's some scar tissue left here and there). But ultimately, those minor flaws don't detract from the book as a whole, which is compulsively readable (I have been up late the last two nights, unable to stop), delivers the goods not just as vicious satire but also as pure horror (this is definitely Langan reminding you where she came from), and pulls it all together with an ending that makes clear a lot of what she was going for and shows that, at the book's core, this is a book about what we should do, not a book about what we shouldn't do. It's not quite the absolute knockout that Good Neighbors was, but it's one hell of a read on pretty much every level, and it'll give you a propulsive story that gives you genre goodness, social commentary, a pitch-black sense of humor, and some real nightmares along the way. Rating: **** ½

I loved Good Neighbors so was excited for the opportunity to read this!
This is something I can see happening.. the effects climate change, governments breaking down, corporations stealing our freedoms, With this, who could resist a chance to live in a safe environment.. but these things always come at a cost.
Interspersed through the book are snippets from a history book, written in that book's future, to give some context.. I didn't know if it was needed, but it is a little extra world building

read if you're into climate dystopias, family issues, fucked up "friends"

I just reviewed A Better World by Sarah Langan. #NetGalley

In the near future, with the world besieged by nuclear fallout, climate change and other calamities, private communities for the wealthy have sprung up, promising safety and refuge from the world’s ills. A Better World beckons for the Farmer-Bowens family, as husband Russell, a numbers savant, is offered a job in an idyllic paradise called Plymouth Valley. Soon after they move in, the family is shunned by the townspeople, who view the new family as outsiders, until wife Linda is tasked with running a free medical clinic, and the family is suddenly welcomed with open arms. But Linda soon realizes that living in paradise comes with a hefty cost. They don’t get much better than this folks, a thought-provoking, harrowing thriller that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. The novel delves into many social issues, teeming with moral and ethical dilemmas and family dynamics, all deftly woven into the plot, as the reader battles along with the family as they try to navigate a new world order. A suspenseful, gripping story awaits you. Highly recommended. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

well written, very well thought out and thought provoking, a family struggling in the future, gets invited into this "better" community, but is it really. disturbing and potentially true to our future, it started slow but sucked me in and will be thinking about parts of it over time

Plymouth Valley is an idyllic paradise. This book is set in the dystopian near future, where climate change is ruining the world, people are unhealthy and nuclear war is common. The world outside may be falling apart, but things in PV are perfect.

This is a place everyone wants to be, but it’s very hard to get in (and even more difficult to leave). People who live there all have jobs, but they get no salaries, as everything is free - healthcare, restaurants, cars, houses, clothes, groceries - absolutely everything. They also have air scrubbers, keeping the pollution the rest of the world is dying from away. They have tunnels and a bunker where people can go in the event of a radioactive explosion. There is no crime - nobody wants to be removed from PV. This is a place not for the one percent, but the .0001%.

Families like the Farmer-Bowens are very lucky to get inside the gates. Russell’s work with the EPA, and his wife’s work as a pediatrician, gets them access. They will be subject to annual reviews for 25 years. If they can make it that long and prove they are a valuable member of this small society, they get a Golden Ticket and can stay in PV for life. Fail a review? You have to leave, but at least you’ll leave with a fantastic resume.

Russell gets a job with BetterWorld, a company that makes Omnium - a polymer made from recycled ocean plastics. Everyone wears Omnium and it has replaced plastic in most situations. Soon though, questions arise. Is Omnium as safe as everyone says? Even more questions arise when the family learns about “Hollow”, a quasi-religion based on the strange birds called Caladrius that permeate the village. These odd birds lay eggs, and while little meat is eaten in the future, there is a yearly culling to keep the population in check. I have to admit, I wish these birds were real so I could see one!

This book is about the family trying to fit in with these wealthy people, trying to follow all of the rules (I loved the pamphlets scattered throughout!) and trying to be happy in this strange new environment. It’s clean there, the health problems they were having in the outside world are gone, but the people are difficult to deal with. Newcomers aren’t exactly embraced, and the family is struggling.

While the plots are completely different, this book reminded me a lot of Bentley Little’s “The Association”, and I loved that same creepy vibe. This isn’t classified as a horror novel, but there definitely contain some elements of horror. Overall, this one was fascinating and very original. I’d love to see this on screen! I’m giving it 4.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Atria Books, Sarah Langan and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on April 9, 2024.)

The first half of the book was so strong. It kinda lost me towards the end but I still found it really entertaining. It was a wild ride for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Better World.

Set in a devastated dystopian world in the future (aren't they always?), the Farmer-Bowen family seeks a better life by moving to a company town. The food is better, as is the air and the locals are so polite, too polite.

But something is amiss, and not all is what it seems in Plymouth Valley. But is it too late for Linda to rescue her family from a place she believed would save them, not harm them?

The writing is good, and the author does a good job world building the bleak landscape the family lives in, as well as as the unsettling rituals of the town and creepy, cultish behaviors of the local townspeople.

The narrative is long and for me, the story dragged very quickly though I know we had to see how the family was adjusting or not adjusting to their new community.

The community's pagan rituals, the company corruption, the willingness to look the other way so you and your family can have a better life is just one of the many societal and political themes in the novel.

Readers are introduced to many characters, and we see the tedium and mundanity of their lives, which bored me.

I don't mind exposition, but the narrative got repetitive quickly, and I didn't like anyone.

I didn't even like Linda and her husband, mostly because I felt I didn't know them. Her husband was dull, with a personality to match. I did like Josie because she spoke her mind and wasn't afraid of leaving the community despite the sorrow and fears of the outside world.

I expected the ending, though the death of the big bad guy was abrupt. I couldn't help but think, why didn't someone do this earlier?

I enjoyed learning about this dystopian world the author built but it was nothing new; bizarre rituals a la Midsommar, shady locals, government corruption and coverups. What else is new?

Big fans of dystopian fiction will enjoy this, but I didn't love this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I read one of Sarah Langan's previous novels - Good Neighbors - and enjoyed it very much. Even though I'm not as much into futuristic or dystopian fiction, I gave A Better World a try. Any lack of enjoyment on my part is probably my fault in choosing a book I wasn't sure that was suited for me or that I wouldn't enjoy. Ms. Langan's writing is clear and concise but the subject matter wasn't for me.

Ohhhh my god this book was SPECTACULAR. This is the first time in a couple dozen books since I started using NetGalley that I've been actively bummed that this was an ARC and that I can't tell everybody I know to go and read this book immediately right now. (But if you're reading this review before the book's pub date, please mark your calendars for April 9, 2024 so you can get this in your hands on release day!!)

I'm fascinated to see that this is classified as a mystery/thriller when I'd straight up call it one of the best science fiction dystopias I've ever read, with a fair dash of horror in there too. Also, when I say I want to read more books about cults, this is exactly the type of book I mean! As left field as this comp may seem, I'd compare this favorably to Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth, one of my favorite books of ever, for the way it brings together those disparate elements while grounding it all with some incredibly well-written and complicated relationships and a plot that'll have you on the edge of your seat like I've got a baaaaad feeling about this, you guys. And the "you guys" are the main characters, who aren't real but feel like they are because they're just that well drawn.

This book is an honest as hell portrayal of a marriage, of parenting, of human relationships. It digs deep and faces hard truths in a way that most books, and most people, never do. The main character, Linda, is one of the most relatable characters I've ever come across with whom I have absolutely nothing in common. It's a brutal depiction of the corners we paint ourselves into in our lives, and how the divide between how much of it is your own fault and how much is systemic doesn't matter all that much seen from between the bars of a cage. It's about religion, and how it's all made up, and how that doesn't matter either when people want that badly to belong and believe.

I still feel like I'm underselling how much I loved this book. Everyone should read it, and then take a long look at the world around them, and at their relationships with others, and at themselves. Five fucking stars.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

You’ll be safe here. That’s what the greasy tour guide tells the Farmer-Bowens when they visit Plymouth Valley, a walled-off company town with clean air, pantries that never go empty, and blue-ribbon schools.

This was really good. Very chilling and atmospheric. I enjoyed it immensely.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. The world building was fantastic and the intrigue surrounding Plymouth Valley and their mysterious culture had me rushing through to find out more.

Thank you to Atria for the ARC!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Plymouth Valley, population 4,501, a beautiful place to live and raise a family. Russell and Linda have the rare opportunity to join this perfect town of citizens. After being approved, the small family seems to finally be set for life. Cars, houses, education, health care, alternative food sources and no more money problems. Be that as it may, sometimes what seems too good to be true, is a horrific fact.

Plymouth Valley is a beautiful society that has implemented Civic Associations, a Better World Board of Directors and even provides an uncompromising Resident Guidebook. Included within these rules and regulations are the Plymouth Valley Winter Festival, the Annual 5k race and of course the traditional Crowning of the Beltane King. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Let me start off this review by saying A Better World by Sarah Langan blew me away. It’s one of those reads in the tradition of The Invitation, Midsommar and The Wickerman, where beauty is everywhere, but something just seems…not quite right.

Sarah Langan cleverly lulls the reader into a false sense of security by creating a foundation of goodwill and peace, all the while maintaining a foreboding premonition that something ominous is right around the corner. Religious undertones of devotion and ritualistic summonings are all part of the perfect calm before the storm. Fear is the most divine emotion, ya know.

Oppressive desired futures, unsettling dome type policies and ceremonial savagery, these are the unearthly agendas of this community and what makes this an unforgettable read. Raise a glass and toast to receiving that golden ticket to better living in Plymouth Valley. But always remember…“real gods require blood, not wine and flowers.” A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.