A Better World. With its architecturally outstanding suburban homes, manicured lawns, “blue ribbon winner” schools, maintenance services and clean air, Plymouth Valley provides a better world. Or does it? In the near future in the Era of the Great Unwinding, the world is suffering the affects of climate change, nuclear proliferation and more. Russell, Linda Farmer and their two children have been living on the edge since Russell list his job. Then comes the employment offer from BetterWorld. A new career. A home in Plymouth Valley. A car. Food delivery. Superior schools. But when Russell and Linda move to this dream community, their neighbors are unfriendly, their children are shunned at school, co-workers are uncooperative and all the residents are focused on strange birds and stranger holidays. Linda is accepted into a group of powerful women who will assure that the couple stays successful in PV. But Linda fears a darker side, a darkness that will ultimately threaten her and her family.

A Better World deserves every one of five stars. It is totally unique, blending satire with horror. Biting descriptions of suburban life alternate with slow discoveries of corporate greed and growing dread. This is dystopian fiction at its best. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Sarah Langan for this ARC.

Wow, this was an intriguing, thought-provoking novel. I rarely rate a book five stars, but oh this one came close. I love a good dystopian near-future novel, and Sarah Langan created a fascinating version of this in her novel A Better World. Linda, a pediatrician, and her family struggle to make ends meet in the outside world, where their lives are at risk every day due to flooding, pollution, and crime. When they are invited to join the company town Plymouth Valley, they jump at the chance to live inside its safe, serene, and elite walls. But of course, not everything is as rosy as it initially seems. Delightful and disturbing. Engrossing and enraging. Unique and upsetting.

Linda notes cases of pediatric aplastic anemia among Plymouth Valley's youth. This should be an incredibly rare disease, and yet, she knows of multiple children afflicted among the small population. Aplastic anemia is a blood condition where the bone marrow doesn't make enough blood cells of all kinds--red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells. It often arises due to exposure to a toxin or radiation. Treatment can either be a combination of immunosuppressive drugs or a bone marrow transplant. There are only somewhere in the range of 300-900 cases per year in the entire United States.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the early opportunity to read and to review this novel.
I will post this review on my Bookstagram and Goodreads sites on the publication date for this novel, April 9th, 2024.

A Better World looks at the frightening world of suburbia and examines the cost of wealthy living versus familial closeness.

The Farmer-Bowens want to move into a wealthy world surrounded by a wall. It seems the perfect antidote for a world that has become rather dangerous.

However, mysterious things start to happen and the more the family explores, the more they are warned to stop asking asking questions. The family feels like it is falling It looks like things are coming to a head.

This book is wicked and delicious in that it kept me on the edge of my seat

This is a favorite for the year! This dystopian nightmare will haunt you for many years to come!

When the Farmer-Bowens receive word that they may be able to join the closed community of Plymouth Valley, they are relieved and weary. Linda has struggled with her marriage and with the upbringing of her twins. Taking them out of the crumbling world to a community with clean air and good schools seems like.a dream come true, but she is unsure if she should leave her community of friends and the job that she loves.

Once they arrive in PV the Farmer-Bowens learn that there is a steep price to living in the community. This is a mind blowing story that ties to so much of what is happening in our world today. Best yet, it is a beautiful story of relationships -whether it is the marriage, the children or making friends, Langan takes care with her characters and creates familiar situations with impactful insights.

If you like dystopia, if you like horror, or you are just looking for a well plotted and written story about neighbors and community...
Grab A. BETTER WORLD!
#Atria #Abetterworld #sarahlangan

This was a masterpiece, a story to remember. A walled-off company town, a marriage on the brink, cultish vibes, snobby neighbors, and an ominous feeling that something isn't quite right. That doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of this story that I had to pick up and read every spare minute I had. This was such a unique book with silver screen potential, a mystery with a touch of dystopia. Told with great detail and a phenomenal writing style, this is an author to watch out for. This is one of those books that I feel my review will not do it justice. So I will leave it at that and say that I highly, highly recommend this one and give it the five stars it deserves.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for this amazing ARC.