Wellness

"This book really was quite frustrating for me. Parts of it I was so engrossed with that I had a hard time separating myself from it, while other parts felt like yammering and made me want to not finish at all. There was a lot of ideas introduced (ie, the health app, the placebos, Jacks father, Brandy, the poly couple) but didn’t follow through to the end and I was frustrated with these little teases of interesting twists with no follow through. In the end, this story for me really was just meh. Nothing exciting or noteworthy, but not a terrible read. A lot of missed potential. "

"Illinois "

"“Maybe the human heart was just that messy, and all romance was deeply precarious, and the future was unresolved, and that was fine. Maybe that’s what true love actually was: an embrace of the chaotic unfolding. And maybe the only stories that had neat and certain conclusions were lies and fables and conspiracies. Maybe it was like Dr. Sanborne said: certainty was just a story the mind created to defend itself against the pain of living. Which meant, almost by definition, that certainty was a way to avoid living. You could choose to be certain, or you could choose to be alive.”<br/>"

"I absolutely adore this book and have already told everyone I know that they need to read it. The writing is amazing, but it’s the twisty timeline and multiple points of view that make this story unforgettable. The book follows the lives of Jack and Elizabeth through its ups and downs to create one of the most amazing romance adjacent stories. The two met under unusual circumstances in the Chicago art scene of the 1990’s. When they met their love felt limitless and all they wanted was to be close together. After twenty years of marriage, they both find themselves questioning the limit of their love and wanting more space. Theirs is a modern love story about all the “things” that get in the way, how the pursuit of happiness can lead the seeker to forget to be happy. This book says all of the things that you have probably thought throughout the years, but in such an informative and thoughtful way. Prior to reading this book I would never have guessed that a breakdown of Facebook’s various algorithms could be so tender and heartbreaking. I loved how the characters seemed to be living on the page and you were just the invisible observer. Everything felt so real, and I couldn’t help but be invested in the outcome of the story. This is a top 10 book of the decade and we’re only 3 years in.<br/><br/>Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to read an early copy of this book. The book is available to pick up at your local independent bookstore today."

"This book is brilliant. The exact right balance between literary and enjoyable. I couldn’t put it away, so good. If you love reading books with well developed characters and a captivating storyline, this needs to be on your to-read list. What a treat."

"This book was great but way too long. When the author diverted the attention away from the couple, my attention threatened to go with it. The long chapters on algorithms and photography and the back story of Elizabeth’s toxic masculinity ancestors took away from the story at times. I just wanted to get back to the main story. Wonderful writer, very talented, but needs an editor who can say not needed, out. "

"What am I trying to say in this review? No, really, what am I trying to say about this book? Or am I trying to say something about the story of reading this book? Or am I trying to say something about myself?<br/><br/>Wellness is the simple story of a man and a woman who meet cute, fall in love, get bored, fall apart and then find themselves and maybe each other.<br/><br/>Yep it's really that simple.<br/><br/>But it is also about the stories we tell. Or maybe the stories we tell about ourselves to others. Or our constructed selves and the nature of reality itself.<br/><br/>It's about two terrible people who start and end their relationship on a foundation of lies, dirty filthy lies! And they're frauds. <br/><br/>But only in the way that we all are. Which is the most human of ways.<br/><br/>Jack and Elizabeth are all of us in the 21st century.<br/><br/>But maybe all of us always too.<br/><br/>A few last details. Wellness is very arch and scathing but also incredible funny. It contains two lengthy narrative side quests, one tracing the origin of Elizabeth's family, one a breakdown of the algorithms of Facebook that underpin and elucidate the the breakdown of Jack's relationship with his father. If you can survive those without falling asleep until you hit the gut punch at the end of each you will be rewarded with something sad and profound and ultimately uplifting.<br/><br/>To paraphrase Doctor Who and this book: Aren't we all just stories in the end and if ones truth is buried in stories why not make it a kind one.<br/><br/>A gem. 4.9 Stars<br/><br/>(And this is full of someone Gen X stuff that if you belong to that group like I do it will feel tailor made)"

"Hill might lose you for a minute when he deep dives into several niche topics throughout the course of the book (especially if you aren't interested in psychology, real estate, art/photography, social media, etc.), but he always manages to suck you back into his story that explores anxiety, guilt, love, and more. He does a great job at keeping the reader interested without revealing a lot, to the point that halfway through the book you may not know where the story is headed, but you are definitely heavily invested in the characters he has thoroughly developed by really getting you inside of their brains. Ultimately, the balance of humor and seriousness make <i>Wellness</i> an enjoyable, well-rounded story that I would gladly recommend to anyone with an open mind."