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lololovesthings's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 stars!
Wow... "Never Been Better" by Leanne Toshiko Simpson is quite the book. Don't let the bright-looking cover fool you, this is an emotional, often difficult read, that's for sure. For those wondering, I DO NOT think this book is a rom-com. There are slight romantic elements and a ton of dark humor, but it IS NOT a romantic comedy. This book focuses on mental illness, hospitalization for mental illness and su1cidal ideations, rebuilding your life after institutionalization, and moving on when you can't quite get your brain to function "properly." I feel like these are extraordinarily relevant topics for the majority of us, and this was an extremely eye-opening read. The story of Dee, Matt, and Misa is tinged with dark, self-deprecating humor, a little bit of romance, and a lot a bit of vulnerability. Dee, Matt, and Misa met at a psychiatric hospital and became fast friends. Dee wants to be more than friends with Matt as she is smitten with him. A year after their subsequent releases, Dee is still in love with Matt, but Matt is about to get married to Misa, having formed a deeper bond with her after Dee was released early from the psych ward. Dee is invited to their destination wedding and reluctantly RSVPs, attending with the intention of breaking up their relationship and stopping their wedding. She winds up attending with her sister, Tilley, and things do not go as planned. This book is a beautiful ode to figuring life out when you've been saddled with mental illness. It's almost like the bipolar version of "My Best Friend's Wedding." Each of the characters struggles in their own way, whether it be with simple things like finding a job, recovering from trauma, attempting to balance medication, not knowing what the future holds, and whether or not "getting better" is even possible. This story touched me in more ways than one. In a sense, it felt relatable, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing?? These characters are deeply flawed and are all too aware of that fact, but are working on their recovery in different ways. This story is soft, harshly realistic, and amusing, and I think a balance is maintained well and successfully. I really liked this book, but I recognize that it won't be for everyone. Be sure to check the TWs and be sure to have tissues handy.
Thank you to NetGalley, Leanne Toshiko Simpson, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Wow... "Never Been Better" by Leanne Toshiko Simpson is quite the book. Don't let the bright-looking cover fool you, this is an emotional, often difficult read, that's for sure. For those wondering, I DO NOT think this book is a rom-com. There are slight romantic elements and a ton of dark humor, but it IS NOT a romantic comedy. This book focuses on mental illness, hospitalization for mental illness and su1cidal ideations, rebuilding your life after institutionalization, and moving on when you can't quite get your brain to function "properly." I feel like these are extraordinarily relevant topics for the majority of us, and this was an extremely eye-opening read. The story of Dee, Matt, and Misa is tinged with dark, self-deprecating humor, a little bit of romance, and a lot a bit of vulnerability. Dee, Matt, and Misa met at a psychiatric hospital and became fast friends. Dee wants to be more than friends with Matt as she is smitten with him. A year after their subsequent releases, Dee is still in love with Matt, but Matt is about to get married to Misa, having formed a deeper bond with her after Dee was released early from the psych ward. Dee is invited to their destination wedding and reluctantly RSVPs, attending with the intention of breaking up their relationship and stopping their wedding. She winds up attending with her sister, Tilley, and things do not go as planned. This book is a beautiful ode to figuring life out when you've been saddled with mental illness. It's almost like the bipolar version of "My Best Friend's Wedding." Each of the characters struggles in their own way, whether it be with simple things like finding a job, recovering from trauma, attempting to balance medication, not knowing what the future holds, and whether or not "getting better" is even possible. This story touched me in more ways than one. In a sense, it felt relatable, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing?? These characters are deeply flawed and are all too aware of that fact, but are working on their recovery in different ways. This story is soft, harshly realistic, and amusing, and I think a balance is maintained well and successfully. I really liked this book, but I recognize that it won't be for everyone. Be sure to check the TWs and be sure to have tissues handy.
Thank you to NetGalley, Leanne Toshiko Simpson, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
stevie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
3.75
It’s really refreshing to see a positive bipolar story. Like, really refreshing. Most of the time, characters with bipolar in either books or movies, no matter how relevant their diagnosis is to the plot, are portrayed one-dimensionally, either as loose canons that are burdens to everyone around them at best and violent or harmful at worst. Depression and anxiety feel fairly “normalized” in media depictions at this point, but rarely does bipolar disorder get the same treatment, with characters finding stability or independence or even just healthy coping mechanisms. Bipolar characters are never “normal.” I’m not going to lie, it hurts sometimes! It makes me feel ashamed to share the diagnosis!
But Never Been Better shows readers bipolar disorder in a way that’s ……. never been better (womp womp). Its portrayal is realistic in that the main character, Dee, is frustrating at times as we watch her stumble through a period of her life post-hospitalization that is defined mostly by her perceived inability to move forward, but she is still a full character outside of her illness, or at least she is on her way there. It’s messy as hell, but it’s altogether positive and forward-thinking, which isn’t what you get out of most depictions of bipolar disorder in film or literature.
The author doesn’t ignore the realities and the truths that all the aforementioned depictions are rooted in, but it aims to add a much needed, lighthearted “however” to the conversation. Plus, the messiest, most toxic character in here isn’t even one of the ones with bipolar! It’s her cringey bull-in-a-china-shop sister! Now that’s what I call equality
I could tell that this story is deeply personal to the author, as all mental health experiences are, but it did leave me feeling a little “left out” at times — some of the relationships or feelings felt like “you had to be there” moments, which you can still appreciate for their significance even if they aren’t relatable.
My biggest criticism (and more just a question) is how much this is marketed as a rom-com or even just a love story. It isn’t. And I think it’s better for it because it’s refreshing and realistic, but it did throw me off a bit.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC ❣️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
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