As we have all experienced the COVID virus this book takes place in the not so near future when the Crown Royale virus has become a pandemic. This virus is similar to COVID but if you are infected and actually survive it changes your personality. You see things in a more positive light. Although sometimes this is a positive outcome, it causes people to do things that put themselves in harm. For example jumping into a rushing river to save a child even if they don’t know how to swim. Two people (one the son of the world’s 3rd most rich men) and woman whose mother has lost her life to the virus.) meet and take ban together to save the world.

Neal Shusterman has been one of my students' most-loved authors, with "Dry" and "Scythe" rarely seeing the library or classroom bookshelves for very long. His speculative fiction is at once believable in its potential, yet horrifying for the same reason. And "All Better Now" certainly meets those previous expectations I had for Shusterman in this genre. This novel immediately brought me back to the summer of 2020--mask mandates, scapegoating, general panic, rumors, vaccine competition--but with a markedly different pandemic. While marginally lethal, Crown Royale makes those infected incredibly happy, no matter the situation, altering not just their mindset, but often their lifestyle as well.

I enjoy the premise of the book and thought there was some good social commentary throughout. However, perhaps through the nature of the disease itself, most of the characters were one-dimensional and almost archetypal, making this 500+ page book difficult to get through. While there was room for conflicted feelings and self-destructive behavior brought on by the goal of serving the greater good, characters with the disease were mostly happy. Their main goal in life was to look on the bright side, help humanity, and sacrifice themselves for what would be best for those around them. This played out interestingly in the beginning, but by the middle of the book, I had trouble caring for one of the protagonists because it seemed they just became a conduit of the disease rather than a person. Even some of the characters who never contracted the disease, and were supposed to be seen as the human villains of the story, didn't feel complex enough besides their desire to hold power and wealth. There is "romance" in this book insofar that there are characters who meet and fall in love. While I admit that trauma and fear tend to create quicker, more immediate bonds for humans, the development of the relationship between the protagonists was too weak for me to care about it, and they quickly became annoying. I wonder if the choice to write this in 3rd person omniscient contributed to some of the difficulty I had connecting to the characters, and wondered if 3-4 1st person POVs would have been better.

Two very important lessons were reinforced for me after reading this book: 1) While we can wish to be eternally happy, it somehow means less when there is nothing to contrast it and vice versa and 2) humanity really shouldn't be messing around with nature...

Ahoy there mateys! The silly but awesome cover and the author is what led me to try this one. A virus is taking over the world and the people who catch it get utter contentment. This happiness leads to unusual circumstances. For example, the richest man in the world gives away his fortune. But there are those in power who don’t want to catch the virus and lose control. What is the proper path forward for Earth?

There are four main characters in the novel. Mariel Murdoch is a homeless teen who lives with her mother in her car. She seems to be immune to the virus. Rón Escobedo is the favored son of one of the world’s wealthiest men but is lonely and feels like he has no purpose outside of his father’s plans for him. Dame Glynis Havilland is an elderly adult who needs someone to run her empire and continue the quest for a cure to the virus. Margot Willmon-Wu is an intelligent but ruthless 19-year-old who inherits this empire. I found the teens to be caricatures. Dame Glynis was my favorite because of her transformation after catching the virus.

Once again the set-up was the better part of the novel. I stopped reading at the 45% mark. Rón ends up becoming a super spreader with no real care about how 1 in 25 people die. While the concept of people people happy from a virus was interesting at first, the consequences of this happiness causes a lot of scary problems. For example, a boat overturns and an entire group is compelled to jump into the water to save them and many die because of the current or not being able to swim. So the virus is killing more people then Covid, is taking away their autonomy, and has horrible irreversible side effects.

Full disclosure, is that I was recently diagnosed with Long Covid and my autonomy is actually being taking away due to the side effects I am experiencing. So when the happy people began to actually die and be controlled like infected zombie ants, I just couldn’t bring myself to read more of this book and actually started to have more PTSD symptoms. What started out as silly turned into a kind of offensive read for me based on my personal circumstances. No more for me. I cannot even recommend this book. Arrrr!

I really liked this book! I will definitely recommend to my teen patrons. It’s such an interesting take on free will, society and global pandemics. The characters were all so fully developed and memorable. It was fascinating to see how they all circled each other then came together in conflict at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

TL;DR: this was a fascinating premise that left readers with a lot to think about. The characters are interesting and while the pace lagged a bit for me in the middle, the story on the whole was engaging and the concepts wild enough that I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Three teens are stuck in a new pandemic-hit world. Their lives are all super different, but they're brought together in weird ways as a result of this virus that makes everyone happy.

That premise alone got me intrigued. I like Schusterman and I especially liked <i>Scythe</i>, so this was an auto-request for me.

The characters are all super interesting. Even the ones that seem to be bad guys are not really all that bad, and sympathetic characters always get me. I really enjoyed watching them evolve throughout the story. I also thought that their interdynamics (both between the three and with side characters) was unique and a nice play on standard tropes.

The story did lag a bit in the middle, but the pacing was mostly consistent, the story was really well structured, and while the dialogue was a bit cheesy occasionally, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It gave me a lot to think about and mull over. The ending was both brilliant and frustrating in the best way.

What would you do if you had the choice to be happy all the time? Would you willingly infect yourself with a disease that would cure your anger, depression, and every bad day? Of course, right? But what if that disease also took away your choice? Your free will, your ability to see both sides of a situation, to play devils advocate, to put you and your loved ones first?

In a dystopian world where this happiness infection spreads as quickly as COVID, Shusterman examines human nature and our desire for contentment, even if it costs us everything. Does society really want world peace, even if it’s at the expense of the economy? Would you really be happy to open your doors to anyone, including the homeless? Shusterman’s always brilliant mind forces readers to contemplate what they would do for happiness, and what they would sacrifice for society. Beyond brilliant, compelling, and mind-blowing—Shusterman NEVER misses.

Morality is all about perspective in a world that struggles to decide if a virus that perpetuates contentment is one worth contracting. Shusterman takes on questions of right and wrong, autonomy, and the very thin lines between selfish, selfless, and reckless. A fast-paced thrill ride that takes all of the fears of the COVID-pandemic and multiplies them a thousandfold. The suspense is the background of a character-study that keeps you glued to the page. An excellent YA read for fans of dystopian tales with complex characters with motivations that you can understand, even if you don’t agree with them. Readers who enjoyed Station Eleven may like this too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

All Better Now takes place in a post-Covid world where a new virus, Crown Royale, is spreading rapidly, leaving people unburdened and content when they recover from it.

I understand the concept of Crown Royale, and the behavior of one of our main characters, Ron -- the idea of the radical spread of joy and peace globally seems great, arguably ideal! But Crown Royale still kills people. Because the virus at the core of this book -- a book developed out of our recent history with COVID-19, a book that has come out in a time where Covid, influenza, RSV, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and measles are running rampant, and where we stand on the precipice of a dangerous avian flu outbreak -- has a death rate, in any capacity, I just couldn't buy what Shusterman was selling here. Even though every death is peaceful, even though the virus gives that final gift to its victims, it felt nearly impossible to root for the "good guys," even though the bad guys were horrible. The whole thing just felt misguided and irresponsible, and like the book was undermining all of the good points about misinformation and the capitalistic value of psychological oppression.

Beyond my qualms with the execution of the book's premise, I did think the characters were interesting, and the writing at a sentence level was rock solid. Shusterman is popular for a reason, and that is clear on the page here. I did think the story was a bit too long, though I did appreciate the time spent on developing the characters early before the bulk of the plot got underway. I wouldn't want to sacrifice too much to trimming the story down, but I would have liked a bit of a livelier pace.

In all I do think people will like this book, especially Shusterman fans. I just think it was a bit poorly timed and insensitively executed.

The fact that Neal Shusterman is on my atuo-read list is beside the point when the book is THIS GOOD. A virus where the after effects are happiness? Sign me up! Kidding aside, this book explores how those in power, money, government, etc. thrive on misery. If you are happy/complacent, you don't need too much out of life. This means people are buying and spending on outrageous things (and everyday things) to feel fulfilled and happy. Of course they would push an agenda saying the after effects were dangerous! This book is close to what reality would look like if something like this were to happen. Is that scary, exciting, terrifying? It's all of the above and more. I couldn't read this fast enough.

Really fascinating premise that is more nuanced than first expected. Who wouldn't want to feel eternal bliss after getting sick? But what really are the ramifications of never feeling loss, regret, pain, or sorrow? Shusterman is a master a the complexity of human experience.

The story got to be a little long. I wonder how it could have been shorted to reach more audiences.

Sadly this was a DNF for me and I love Neal Shusterman!!! This was just a miss. It was slow and I just couldn't force myself to read on.

Another impeccably done hard hitting story by Neal Shusterman. There is not another author that I know of that can present tough topics as well as he can. This one was a bit heavy for me because it’s so pandemic centered. However, it absolutely accomplishes what it sets out to.

Thank you Neal Shusterman, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy! My opinions are my own.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 4
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4

I enjoyed this book. The character build was spot on and made for a very entertaining read, but that is expected for NS. Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

The Arc of the Scythe series is one of my favorite series of all time so I’m always excited to read anything written by Neal Shusterman.

I could see so many things in this book that made me initially fall in love with Neal’s writing style. He is so great at weaving together seemingly unconnected story-lines to remind us just how small the world can be. There is a deadly virus quickly spreading around the world and the reader gets to experience its effects through the eyes of multiple people of varying backgrounds. Just like anything of importance, everyone has a different opinion on the virus itself. Should it be contained, eradicated, spread without concern, etc. The lingering side-effect of the virus is what creates such strong viewpoints — if you survive the virus, you are eternally happy and completely unbothered.

The narrator gives a stellar performance and breathes life into the various characters and their personalities. I started reading this one with my physical copy and finished with the audio. However you choose to read, this one is 100% worth adding to your list!

"Even a crocodile can grieve for its prey, my love."

I just flipped the last page on his newest story. After covid a new viral outbreak is on the climb but this one comes with an altering after effect.... happiness.

Now this isn't horror but it has an almost body snatchers feeling to it as people who recover come out of their fever completely happy. To the point you debate the chemical changes going on in their dna. Its a well done representation of society and the reactions as different people from different walks of life make the decision to be infected, fight against the spread and even profit from it.

The four main povs intersect in different ways. I liked how Shusterman combines the scientific povs (alpha spreader and immune) and the political povs (cure profit and the fight against it). It makes you debate morals, human rights and also makes you wonder if having certain emotions stripped from you still make you who you are in the end. 

I did find that character connection wasn't as front and center as the plot.  I was more immersed in the viral aspects of the story. Some slow portions cropped up but overall an enjoyable science fiction/dystopian read. Perfect for Shusterman fans.

This book had a super interesting concept and I really wanted to love it but I felt like it dragged a lot around the middle. The book is about a pandemic that causes recoverees to be happy and content all the time. People who haven’t contracted Crown Royale are terrified of what it could do to the world as a whole, causing economic infrastructure to crash. But recoverees just want to spread the virus to everyone…

Again, I wanted to love this one but I just didn’t. Parts were too long and the characters weren’t that interesting. Some parts were kinda scary to think about but overall it just wasn’t my favorite.

4.5 stars
I feel like I am the rare Neal Shusterman fan whose favorite series of his is The Skinjacker Trilogy rather than Scythe. So for anyone who loves that series like I do, great news: this book has a lot of the same elements that made that one so great!

All Better Now has the classic Shusterman set up with complicated questions about humanity and the meaning of life packaged in a deceptively simple-sounding YA tagline. While his series like Scythe and Unwind drop you into a world where everyone has long-since been living with the book's key stakes, I think the thing that sets All Better Now apart is that you're watching the new world order unfold alongside all the characters. There's something particularly interesting about seeing the newly discovered reprecussions of a world where everyone is infected with happiness happen in real time, and to see what consequences are immediately evident to everyone, and what things are set up to potentially grow into bigger issues down the line.

The problem I've typically had with Neal's series outside of Everlost is that I've had a hard time feeling invested in the characters, but I felt like the character work in this book was some of his best. It's possible that I connected with them more because they had archetypes that were so similar to those of his characters from Everlost, but regardless, I really liked the particular perspectives that he set up and the variety of roles we got to see each of them play.

I think my only real complaint about this book is that I wish it were a series rather than a standalone. While I think part of the reason that Neal ended the book how he did was to avoid giving anything that felt overly prescriptive as to which side was in the "right", it still did leave off in a way that essentially felt like a cliffhanger despite this book (as far as I know) being a standalone. There were a lot of things set up in this book that could be explored more and that seemed like they would have more of their own causes and effects, and so I'm holding onto hope that there will be more to come from this world in the future.

A new virus emerges in the post-COVID world. This one has a higher death rate and after recovery people are changed. It is not a change like COVID with persistent brain fog or health issues though, instead, all recoverees suddenly have different priorities. They care about others above themselves, they are not interested in material things or wealth. This is terrifying to the richest in the world, who are all working to stop Crown Royal. The book follows three young people and their experiences surrounding the disease. One who gets it, one cannot, and one will do anything to stop it.

Very quickly I decided that I thought this book was genius. I was telling everyone around me all about it, but then the book progressed and lost some of the shine. I struggled with Ron in this book and his motivations. The middle dragged a good bit and I kept setting it aside to grab other books that grabbed more of my interest. By the end, it picked back up.

Overall, a good book but it had potential to be so much more!

Thank you to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the DRC. All opinions are my own!

3.5/5

All Better Now takes place in a dystopian future where another pandemic dubbed Crown Royal is plaguing mankind. People who survive it become utterly happy and pacifistic. Three teens experience the pandemic differently. Mariel, a homeless girl whose mother died from the disease, finds she is immune to it. She meets and falls for Ron, the depressed son of a billionaire, who survives Crown Royale with a changed disposition and is determined to infect anyone who hasn't had the disease. Morgan has been chosen by a wealthy Hungarian survivor, Dame Havilland, to find a vaccine against Crown Royale. Interesting ethical questions are explored as Ron and Mariel travel across the country trying to infect as many people as possible. Meanwhile, Morgan tries to find them, as Mariel’s immunity is key to finding a way to eradicate the disease. The ambiguous ending lends itself to a sequel.

What choice would you make?

The Crown Royale virus seems to be everywhere and it either becomes fatal or creates a happy mindset in survivors. Mariel and her mom are homeless and she believes that the virus would make life great but her mother doesn’t. Ron, the youngest of six children, hosts his rich father’s Airbnb and welcomes people to stay for four nights at the beautiful penthouse for a very cheap price. This will be the last stay before the penthouse closes. His father is wanting to live in isolation so they don’t catch the virus and give all their money to charity because they’re out of their right minds, all caused by the Crown Royale virus. Morgan reaches her internship meeting, where she meets with a very rich woman who has recently been diagnosed with Crown Royale and wants to bequeath everything to Morgan to eradicate the virus. Ron becomes an alpha-spreader, Mariel is immune, Morgan wants to do everything possible to eradicate the virus and after inheriting tons of money and partnering with Ron’s extremely rich father, she has the means to.

Likes/dislikes: I love the inclusion and representation of several different ethnicities and cultures. The stories of random people and encounters intrigued me and helped cement the nature of the virus and its effect on people. I enjoyed how the author explored the choices people made and their actions. Interesting story.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 65 swears and 6 f-words.
Violence: PG for death.
Ethnicity: Ron is of Spanish descent. Morgan is Eurasian, Mariel is white.