I didn’t know how to feel about this book. I didn’t find the characters particularly likeable and it was a bit of a strange read!

This book is an interesting commentry on the human spirit, and the act of continuing on when everything feels hopeless.

While I found the main character, Yun, to be somewhat insufferable, the rest of the principal cast made up for this. I think part of the point of the book was that Yun wasn't the most likable person, making it more frustrating when the people around him are sucked into his quickly spiralling life. I just wish that we could've had more of the other characters, who I found to be a lot more interesting.

I thought the concept of this book was very interesting, and that it was executed quite well, despite the lack of explanation for the phenomenon occouring across the world.

I thought that the ending, while a bit of a cliffhanger that left way too many loose ends, was almost inevitable, and so gave me at least a bit of closure.

Overall this book was a pretty quick read that I really enjoyed.

I just couldn’t finish this, I had to dnf.
I was pretty interested in the beginning, curious to see how this Covid like perspective would unfold but the constant change of POVs, the excruciatingly slow pace development wise and all the characters feeling like underdeveloped assholes coundnt really keep my attention after the 50% mark…

Personally, I got half way through this story but it wasn’t for me. The plot regarding the illness I found really interesting however the other plot lines didn’t pull me in as much.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a weird but good book! Well written, intriguing and it kept me reading, had to finish if. Reccomend it if you can appreciate a weird one.

I don't know whether I liked this book or not, that is a strange thing to say but its honest. It had mental health triggers that I was forewarned about which was good. It highlighted a lot of issues that young people go through today. I don't really know what else to say about it.

I started this but soon found I didn’t want to continue. It just wasn’t for me. Possibly a poor choice in the end.

A different end of the world style novel that I completely devoured. Funny and touching with a great ending

This was certainly not my usual choice of book but the title alone hit me on a deep level. Like other reviews mention, it may not be the best book to read if you suffer with depression or other mental health issues but yet I knew I has to read it as I know far too well how those characters feel in just wanted to "sit down".
I can't say I enjoyed the story but I don't think anyone could enjoy this, however, I found the beginning fascinating. I did unfortunately lose interest as I was more interested in the medical side of the outbreak rather than reading Yuns self centered stroppy storyline.
It most definitely is a book for deep thinkers and it brings back those early scary months of covid being glued to TV screen seeing the world slowly collapse around us. I didn't really like the way the "illness" ended up, I would've preferred to have more info and facts around it.
#NetGalley #AreYouHappyNow

This was a very odd tale. I am a fan of post-apocalyptal novels and was hoping for an interesting take on it but the story, while having a good premise, failed to ignite me. I enjoyed it but felt it was quite slow moving and I found the charatcters not very likeable or interesting. I didn't feel very invested in what was happening to them. The pandemic was also a bit lacklustre, especially how it fizzled out without much of a good explanation - although with recent events, this is true to life but just not much of a good story line. So I'd say it's worth a read but not a prize winner.

A different and enjoyable read, I enjoyed following the story for the 4 main characters, and a lot of relevant topics. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Are You Happy Now by Hannah Jameson is a curiously depressing book about a future where seemingly random members of the population are afflicted by a fatal disease which begins with opting-out of life - sitting still, in silence, agitation only if bothered. Jameson's writing is compelling but it loses focus mid-book - I finished the story because I wanted to see how it ended, but its not a book I would recommend on.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark exciting novel with thrills on every turn of the page. Four friends witness apocalyptic events. The twists and turns that unfold make this an addictive book.

This is not a book to read when you're depressed, but I really enjoyed it. It was a really interesting look at how the world views mental illness and how it would view a mass suicide pandemic in a fictional scenario. I was disappointed at how quickly the world wrote it off as a choice, but I think that's a reflection on the world itself really.

I really liked the characters and seeing how they each reacted to the situation. I would have really liked to see a bit more from the journalist character, seeing as she brought us into the book. I also thought that it would be really interesting to see the conflict between reporting on this, especially as there was the question of whether people were being influenced by seeing reports of others sitting down. But the author drifted away from her story and started to look at other characters instead. I liked the other characters and I especially liked the LGBTQ+ representation, but I would have liked to see more of that thread of the story.

The ending really hit me hard. I saw it coming, especially as the author started to build up to it, but that didn't make it any less hard hitting. I would like to see more of what happened after, but I do think that was the right place to end.

All in all, my advice is to only read this when you're in a good place but it is well worth the read.

At a wedding a guest suddenly sits down and can't get back up again; seemingly in a catatonic state. So begins the spread of a contagion that strikes at any time or anywhere and causes the infected person to become immobile, sometimes combative until they die a short while after infection. Emery, a journalist who was at the wedding and see's first hand the devastation begins a relationship with Andrew who was also at the wedding the two try to navigate this new normal.

I was really intrigued by the premise by an virus or infection that was al most always fatal and how the characters would continue to live their lives. I was gripped by the characters and their choices and the ending was sad but beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

I was immediately drawn into this novel, I felt I was in the pages with them, it was so magnificently written. The ending was sad and so, so perfect for me.
Definitely read this if you want a take on the injustice pushed upon todays youth, to feel the anger inside of you for them. Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Are You Happy Now very much poses more questions than it answers. Is the pandemic in the centre of the story real, or is it some sort of accidental coincidence, or a form of activism? Why does it seem to affect young adults more? I think as a millennial, I can definitely identify with the thread of general despair and hopelessness that runs through the characters in this novel. Everywhere you look it seems like the world is on fire, and to some just sitting down might seem like an appropriate response. Some readers might be put off by there being little resolution, but I found it thought-provoking and enjoyed the glimpses into the lives of disparate characters. However, it's probably not one I'll read again.

I'm really not sure how to rate this book.
When I read the blurb, given that we've just lived through a pandemic, I thought this could be a really interesting take on the dystopian genre. However, it fell short for me.
I think the issue is that this book doesn't exactly know what it wants to be. It doesn't fully lean into being a dystopian book but then it doesn't lean into being a contemporary romance/coming of age story either.
It started off strong and then petered away after.
I also found Yun pretty insufferable and it dragged on for me.
The ending also left me a bit deflated too, like most of the book to be completely honest.
It was a real shame as I had high hopes for this story.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intriguing read that I couldn't put down. It's about a group of characters - Yun, Emory, Andrew and Fin who attend a wedding. At the wedding, a guest sits down and is unable to get up which starts to happen all over America as well as the rest of the world. These 'sitters' die off after a few weeks and efforts are made to understand the cause of this event.

At a New York City wedding, one of the guests suddenly sits down on the floor and refuses to stand back up. Soon, it became a worldwide phenomenon. Nobody understands if this is a choice, a sickness or another strange epidemy. Among the chaos, Yum, Emory, Andrew and Fin, all present at the wedding, try to find their happiness.

Are You Happy Now is an original position. In beautiful lyrical language, it tells the story of four people or rather two couples. It is a slow but emotional read, focusing on the characters' thoughts and intense feelings. I found the idea of people randomly sitting down in the middle of the room fascinating and thought-provoking. I could not stop thinking about the reason behind it. Was it an illness? A virus? A form of depression? Were they conscious? Was it a decision? Did they decide to opt out of the fast, stressful and overwhelming way we live right now?

I could not stop reading this unique story and would recommend his book to those looking for an original and thought-provoking novel.