Review: All Better Now

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Neal Shusterman returns with his latest thought-provoking YA SFF thriller, this one a standalone piece set in a near future with a new pandemic, a bit deadlier than Covid at a 4% mortality rate, one in twenty-five...but those who recover from the Crown Royale virus lose all negative emotion and live in a state of blissful contentment. Happiness might be the perfect antidote to the endless negativity and division in the world today, but this is a Shusterman novel we're talking about, so there's going to be a catch to all the happiness.

In this case, the catch being that the powers that be are bound and determined to wipe out the virus before it leads to people being too happy to toil in their lives. It's a complex situation in which this latest ensemble cast of characters finds themselves, playing at people's emotions and social media instincts.

Sadly, for me, this one isn't nearly at the masterpiece level of Unwind or Arc of a Scythe, and that's on account of the characters. Personality-wise, they just aren't up to Shusterman's usual standard. They're not very engaging or likable, paling in comparison to the likes of Connor, Risa, Lev, Citra, and Rowan. But again, these characters exhibit some moral complexities that really make this book stand out in the YA sphere, and I especially enjoyed the fact that much of the book takes place in San Francisco. It may have been Covid that helped contribute to me leaving the Bay Area, but I'll always have left my heart in San Francisco.

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