“I’m sorry I’m not at my best today,” I mumbled into my palms, wishing that I could be beautiful and sad like a Lana Del Ray song.
Totally unique and bursting with heart, Never Been Better is a great read.
Is she falling in love, or falling apart?
Dee, Misa, and Matt were the “three musketeers” of the psych ward. A year after discharge, Dee is eager to convince everyone that she’s finally turning things around. But Matt and Misa are tying the knot in Turks and Caicos, surrounded by guests who have no idea where they met, and the secrecy isn’t sitting well with Dee, who has been hopelessly in love with Matt since before she got kicked out of the hospital.
So, when Dee arrives at the swanky resort with her high-voltage sister, Tilley, it’s now or never to confess how she feels. But disrupting her best friends’ nuptials would jeopardize the entire support system that holds the trio together. When it comes to happily ever afters, how is a girl supposed to choose between love and recovery?
The topic of mental health is front and centre in this story, and I loved it. You can tell Leanne has lived experience in how frank and honestly it is written. And it’s beautiful. For those living with depression and other mental health conditions, life is messy and hard, and I appreciated reading a story that accurately describes what it feels like. There is no polite skirting around the issue here; it is central, and that feels appropriate. While I’m happy to see more authors tackling mental health issues in recent years, we still need more authors like Leanne, who bring their experience and give voice to characters that tell it like it is.
I loved all the characters in this story, but one of the stand-out characters was Dee’s sister, Tilley. She stole the show for me many times, and I just loved her. Leanne, if you’re listening, please give Tilley her own story!
Yes, this book is heavy at times, but it is also hilarious. The banter between characters, and especially between Dee and Tilley, had me laughing out loud so many times. It’s so sharp and clever that it reminded me of Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. There are too many great one-liners to count. And I loved the relationship between the sisters. Even though we’re supposed to focus on the relationship between Matt and Dee, the sister’s relationship is the one that shined for me.
A stellar debut; I can’t wait to see what Leanne writes next.
Thank you, HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
