Reviews with content warning for Addiction - All's Well

The novel was written in a very clever way; I liked that the protagonist was unreliable and made many wrong and exaggerated assumptions about how people view her. Although she is a very morally grey character and makes a lot of bad and mean decisions, Awad wrote her character so well, that I could not NOT feel for her. Though some scenes made me feel uncomfortable (which was the point) and towards the ending, Miranda really started to get on my nerves, I still could fully relate to her and understand her. The depiction of chronic pain is authentic and feels very real, almost to the point that you start feeling it itself. The novel helped me understand how this kind of omnipresent pain really affects every area of a person's life, how they engage with the world around them, and even how they perceive their surroundings in a different way.
I appreciated the Shakespeare mentions/references and the deeper symbolic meanings and connections that Awad made (and I'm sure I missed a lot of them).
The reason why my rating is comparatively low is that it was not an enjoyable read, it was quite painful to be honest (but which was the point, so Awad achieved it). It made me think a lot and helped me understanding what people who suffer from chronic pain go through, but other than that, I did not really connect with the story nor the characters. I think, it was just a bit too dark (and thus very tiring) for me.

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bdingz's review against another edition

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dark funny tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A wild ride. As someone who now experiences some (comparatively) mild chronic pain, I shared many of Miranda’s frustrations. Despite her not being “likeable,” I felt like I was rooting for her the whole time. This book is kind of genre-defying, but it definitely has horror elements. The end leaves the reader with questions, though at the same time, I don’t think it ends in an unsatisfactory way.

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mantnam's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Surreal/supernatural in a modern setting.

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anna_mayes's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

All’s Well by Mona Awad

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie which we ascribe to heaven.”

I was REALLY looking forward to this book and I hate to say it, but I’m mildly disappointed. I struggled through the first 25%, enjoyed the next 60%, and then struggled through the last 15% (that equals 100 right?). Anyway, there’s just a lot going on in this book. I love Shakespeare and I love books that handle tough issues in a creative way. Mona Awad did an excellent job of building the main character, Miranda. However, I feel like the other characters fell a little flat. I understand that Awad was critiquing how doctors view women and their pain, but I feel like this message was watered down by Miranda complaining about other things. Also, I am somewhat confused. Toward the end, a lot of things about Miranda’s history and her relationship with Ellie are introduced that are never fully resolved. On a romantic scale, there’s no explanation as to why she is seeing Paul and what exactly is happening with Hugo. I have seen All’s Well labelled as a dark comedy, but I don’t see it. It seems to be more tragic and a psychological thriller. Overall, this book was dead in the middle for me. The parts I enjoyed, I really enjoyed. The parts I didn’t enjoy, were hard to get through.

I really don’t know if I recommend this book or not. I believe everyone’s opinion is valuable and that you should read a book to develop your own opinion.

CW: Suicide, Murder, Drug Use, Drinking, Chronic Illness

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rachxel's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really liked the book until the end. it was just kind of disappointing. however, it is worth the read and I loved all the shakespeare references.

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jodyhardy's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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angel_kiiss's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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mena_reads's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I think there’s something to be said here about the medical field often ignoring or diminishing female pain…So what is it? I’m going to have to read this 20 times before I can complete that thesis but there’s something in here for sure!

The main character, Miranda, reminded me of a darker, less likeable Fleabag. There’s a lot of dark humour, but not much to root for with her. Miranda suffers with an inexplicable, chronic pain that can be felt through the page. You carry that burden with her throughout the first half of the book and it can get pretty exhausting, but I think that speaks to the author’s merits rather than making this an unenjoyable read. Definitely not for everyone but I love it.

I truly believe Mona Awad is a master of her craft. Bunny is one of my favourite books of all time and I will read anything Awad puts out. All’s Well is quite similar in that you are placed in this surrealist world that leaves you with lots of questions and not necessarily a lot of answers, but that’s the beauty of it. Both novels showcase Awad’s incredible talent, so I definitely recommend them, especially in a bookclub scenario seeing as there is a lot to talk about!!

I really wished I had read All’s Well That Ends Well before this, so I could try and catch more Shakespearean allegories but alas! Next time. ;-)

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