Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #AtriaBooks #ABetterWorld #Sarah Langan
Title: A Better World
Author: Sarah Langan
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 9, 2024

Themes: environment care, dystopian/utopian, thriller, small town horror, bullying
Trigger Warnings: Bullying, friendship, family, cult,

This dystopian novel is a captivating allegory for environmental changes as well as corporate greed. There’s something inherently creepy about American suburbia, especially when it appears too perfect. That’s on full display here! Very Stepford Wives meets Wickerman. The Farmer-Bowen family has been accepted into the very exclusive Plymouth Valley, the ultimate gated community. Each home is a state of the art smart home. There’s no money and food is readily available. Everyone is healthier due to the healthy food and clean air! Cars are provided. Schools are excellent. What could go wrong? So why is Linda so uncomfortable? Is it the hazing she and her family are receiving? The mandatory “festivals”? The weird obsession with the genetically engineered bird that Plymouth Valley uses as a mascot as well as food source? They just have to get used to it, right? Right?

This story is a slow burn. It actually took me a while to get into it but I’m SO glad that I did. “A Better World” takes its time weaving in dread and subtle terror along with the vivid imagery. I’m thrilled to say that I wasn’t able to guess the whole ending either. This is the first dystopian novel I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Dystopian/utopian fiction isn’t my favorite sub-genre but I’m glad I gave this one a chance as it didn’t have the same feel. This one felt much less predictably desolate as many novels of the same subject do. I also enjoyed the fact that there were multiple themes at play here which is another thing I tend to miss in dystopian novels. I do wish it had moved a little more briskly.

Overall, I liked this book a lot. It had compelling characters and a definite creep factor that I enjoyed very much, along with the relevant allegory. This was my first book by Ms. Langan but certainly not the last.

This was an odd little book and one that definitely kept me hooked. There was an underlying sense of foreboding and pervasive feeling of unease that came through every page.

I love dystopian thrillers because they really make you think and take you out of your comfort zone. This one was well done in that it felt somewhat realistic. In 100 years, it's easy to imagine that the world's resources will be depleted, cancers will have altered our genes, disease will run rampant, and unemployment will be at an all time high. Segregated communities of the elite where new governments and new religions are formed doesn't feel out of the realm of possibility.

Langan's writing was really transportive and conjured so many amazing images. I could see the labyrinth and caladrius roaming the streets, I could feel the hazing and segregation, and I could empathize with wanting to fit in while also feeling like something was off.

This is a thought provoking novel. There were some parts -- particularly toward the beginning -- where I had a bit of a hard time following conversations and trains of thoughts. It wasn't clear to me if this was intentional or I was missing something.

The main characters were fairly well developed and totally unique and PV felt like a character in and of itself which I always like. That said, there were a lot of characters and I sometimes had a hard time keeping them straight and understanding their roles in the bigger story.

Overall, this book was entertaining and kept me questioning things. I like that it opened my mind and made me think.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the copy.

A Better World continues the effort Sarah Langan started with Good Neighbors, turning contemporary society inside out and round so the only sane thing a reader could attempt is to examine how they treat others in their life. Langan delivers from page 1, showing there are undercurrents running through Plymouth Valley and anyone unwary risks being pulled under. The opening reminded me of Stephen King's The Shining, where Jack Torrance meets the Overlook hotel manager. A Better World offers up Jack Lust in place of King's Ullman, but where Ullman was an officious manager, Lust epitomizes the corporate malaise in this company town and an adversary for protagonist Linda Farmer.

I had read Good Neighbors by this author and I really enjoyed it, so I thought this would be the same or better, it's good, just not as good as the first book I read, though I finished reading and it has stayed with me. In the near future Farmer-Bowens, Russel, wife Linda and twins Hip and Josie were living in an area that had been adversely affected by climate change, Linda was having issues with breathing. They are offered the opportunity of a life time, to live in a company town, where all the residents are enclosed in a town with big walls to keep the outsiders out. They don't have to work (though Linda is a doctor and soon takes shifts at the hospital and a clinic just outside the town), Russell is a genius numbers guy (he was why the people controlling how entered the town wanted), the kids are happy to live in a clean safe place. Things start off well, except that everyone seems to shun them, not talking to them, avoiding them, Josie was a star soccer player, but is regulated to the bench or if she does play the ball is never given to her. Things change when Linda is able to befriend one of the chosen who along with several others run the town. Overnight they are accepted and everyone wants to be their friend. Though Linda is still not sure if this was the best place to be, she's finding some of her patients have cancer and other diseases and she thinks they got it from the water. There are parts of this story that did drag a bit, establishing the bad guys and the ends they will go to to ensure their life continues as is takes a while. It's interesting, just a bit long, and then the family is singled out to run a gauntlet of sorts with someone chasing them, a very thrilling ending. I enjoyed and I would recommend especially if you enjoy dystopian stories. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atriabooks for the ARC, I will be looking the the next book by this author.

Wooah now. I love a good cult vibe and this had all the creepy vibes! The book goes a bit off the rails and I went into this blind without really reading the synopsis. I think the end might have been a bit rushed but, truly a gem here!!

Thank you to the publishing team and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked this one up! I think I enjoyed that better though. The book was eerie and a little creepy, and full of mystery. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. I loved that while this book is dystopian, it also seemed realistic, which made it an easy read. It did feel a bit slow at times, but overall it was a great read!

This was such an interesting take on a future dystopia. I loved the mixing of this modern community with pieces of folk horror. The world building in this just feels so lived in and believable

An incredibly unique dystopian thriller - this left me feeling so uneasy and I continued thinking about this for days after. Recommended!

Loved the idea of this book, but the story didn't quite live up to what I was hoping for. The pace was very slow and most of the plot is pretty much telegraphed from the start, so there weren't really any surprises (other than how long it took for Linda to figure things out). This was my first book by Langan, and I'd try another book by her, even if this wasn't my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the eARC! Sarah’ Langan is such an underrated author. Her works are genre-bending and this novel was no different. I loved the dystopian premise, this novel was suspenseful and eerie because it felt like this was something that’s not too far outside of the realm of possibility.

This novel was a roller coaster in the best way possible. I absolutely loved this and found it to be utterly compelling. Now I anxiously await Sarah Langan’s next novel,

Linda, Russell and their twin teens move to Plymouth Valley when Russell receives a new job there. Plymouth Valley is a safe place to live with its clean air, great schools and everything is taken care of. But, everything isn’t exactly as it seems.
•
I love a good dystopian novel. This one had such a creepy feel to it and I couldn’t get enough. Everything else in the world is falling apart and here is “beautiful” Plymouth Valley. This book was thought provoking and scary. I loved the themes of class, popularity, bullying, status etc that were all found within this book.

This book was bizarre - in the best way! I love a satirical thriller, and this one was great. I went in somewhat blind, and I recommend others do as well. This book had dark undertones and I was clueless as to what would happen next. The ending blew my mind. This is a fun, wild read!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Linda Farmer and her family are offered the chance to relocate to a company town. While the US is falling apart, they will be living in paradise in Plymouth Valley where the air is clean, there is plenty of food, safety is guaranteed, and the schools are top tier.

What a wild ride! This book was well written and kept me on my toes. It also doesn't fit one specific genre since it was a little bit of everything ranging from horror to thriller/suspense. I would love to see this adapted into a movie or a tv series, because I could see every scene play out in my head.

I would describe this as climate fiction meets the Stepford Wives. Very eerie vibes that fans of When No One is Watching will love!

I enjoyed Good Neighbors by this author and A Better World definitely kept me at the edge of my seat as well. I enjoyed the suspenseful writing and found myself surprised by some moments in the book. Excited for more from this author!

A little disappointed with this book because I usually like this author. A family is chosen to move into an exclusive community but all is not as it seems and there's a hefty price on entry. It just moved way too slowly for me. There was the mystery of what exactly is going on that keeps you reading but the climax wasn't very climactic because it's been done before. I'd recommend to people that like their reads quietly unsettling.

This was a fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Vivid descriptions. Kept me captivated from the first page to the last. A uniquely-cool read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

So I liked the first half of this book, but then for some reason, it suddenly got really slow at the end where it was supposed to speed up. And I’m not sure why it flipped. The parts of it that reminded me of the handmaid’s tale were hearing about the collapse and what led up to the collapse after it happened. It was OK read for me. I think this is going to be a hit or miss one, either you’ll love it or it’s meh.
* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

I enjoyed this dystopian story set in a world ravaged by war and climate change. The Farmer-Bowen family is given the opportunity to live in Plymouth Valley, a community without the problems of the outside world. As things progress it becomes obvious that the community is far from the blissful utopia it presents itself as.

I found the world building in the first half the most interesting. The second half felt a bit all over the place and the finale was rushed. It was an interesting premise though and a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the ARC!

This was my first novel by Langan, and unfortunately, I'm not sure it was for me. I was expecting more of a thriller here, and instead it's definitely a slow burn dystopian story, which isn't my favorite. This is on me for not reading the synopsis better before clicking the widget. I just wasn't invested in the story and did DNF. I know this author is loved and for readers that I know like these kinds of stories, I will absolutely be sharing this title with them.

Okay so this cover is deceiving. 😂

This is a sci-fi dystopian and horror.

The Farmer-Boyens are struggling to find work and stay afloat so they move to Plymouth Valley on a trial basis a community/work place that will house them and give them the community/family they have been secretly wanting. However when they get there they are once again not fitting in and maybe more heinous things are going on as they start to ask more and more questions.

We have cults, monsters both human and creature and some family drama. I found the first half where more of the world building was to be extremely slow and dull and didn’t really that interested until the last 25% when all the shit hit the fan.
Overall I didn’t enjoy most of my time but I can see people liking it especially if you like an extreme slow burn.

Thanks to netgalley and atria for an eARC