Young Adult

More Happy Than Not

More Happy Than Not

  • Downloads：7076
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-30 07:51:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Adam Silvera
  • ISBN：1471175847
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Life hasn't been easy for sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto， but with the help of his girlfriend he's slowly remembering what happiness might feel like。

Then Thomas shows up …

Thomas is smart and funny， and before long Aaron is spending all his time with him。 But as Aaron's feelings for Thomas intensify， tensions with his other friends start to build。

Soon Aaron is faced with a choice - one that will make him question what it is he wants， and how far he'll go to get it。

Why does happiness have to be so hard？

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Reviews

Matty ，

This is not a genre I usually go for， but it sounded interesting enough to give it a try。 I had no idea what I was getting into， but I didn't expect it to be this amazing。 This book is fantastic and heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time。 Wow。 This is not a genre I usually go for， but it sounded interesting enough to give it a try。 I had no idea what I was getting into， but I didn't expect it to be this amazing。 This book is fantastic and heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time。 Wow。 。。。more

Klara ，

I wasn’t as drawn to this book the way I was to Adam’s other masterpieces。 Although not crying constantly while reading did give me a breather。 It’s a story that reads fluently and still makes you take a step back and reevaluate your life the way any Silvera books does。

Izabela ，

Wow， nie sądziłam， że będzie takie dobre

Ely ，

I'm not really sure but I think this is the first book I've read about the LGBTQ+ community and about coming out， but I still liked it even so and I think Adam Silvera puts his readers in an environment we could fully decipher to understand what is happening in our own environment。 I'm not really sure but I think this is the first book I've read about the LGBTQ+ community and about coming out， but I still liked it even so and I think Adam Silvera puts his readers in an environment we could fully decipher to understand what is happening in our own environment。 。。。more

Joanne ，

Aaron has decided to have a procedure to wipe out his memory。 His memories are too hard to handle， especially after discovering that he is gay and his life-long friends have discovered it and have beaten him so bad。 This was different。 Felt a little lost near the end， not really understanding the procedure and the choice for a second one。

Kara ，

Well， that was depressing 😬

Cali Pilkington ，

I don’t usually read books like this but this book was so good！ I loved the story line and the way it was told。 I definitely think I’m going to read more from this author！

Kelly Mcallister ，

I can't rate this book。 I've given it a few days to see if I could， but I can't。 Is it a good book？ Yes。 Maybe even great。 Maybe even important。 It moved me。 Profoundly。 BUT it was so sad。 Overwhelmingly sad。 To the point where I wish I hadn't read it。 I can't rate this book。 I've given it a few days to see if I could， but I can't。 Is it a good book？ Yes。 Maybe even great。 Maybe even important。 It moved me。 Profoundly。 BUT it was so sad。 Overwhelmingly sad。 To the point where I wish I hadn't read it。 。。。more

Martine ，

MAJOR trigger warnings for depression， suicidal ideation， assault， etc。 Five things:- Memory modifications- Queer representation- Best friends- Overall diverse cast of characters- Happiness

Sam ，

3。5 stars

John Adams ，

I will share these to my friends。 I suggest you join Novelstar’s writing competition。

Nico ，

this is a tough one， but so important！ please read it。。 i can imagine that it helped a lot of people to get through difficult phases in their lives

Anna Julia ，

The whole concept was truly interesting and meaningful， and although I didn't necessarily like the main character that much， the ending was beautiful and I went on a journey with Aaron whether I liked him or not The whole concept was truly interesting and meaningful， and although I didn't necessarily like the main character that much， the ending was beautiful and I went on a journey with Aaron whether I liked him or not 。。。more

Riri Cleo ，

I honestly would love to forget about this book。

Victoria Kruzel ，

I am starting to become a fan of Adam Silvera。 This novel had mostly everything I was looking for。 A main character I could relate too， his seemingly perfect life crashing and burning around him， and having to learn how to deal with that， despite “easier” ways out of those difficult situations。 I really enjoyed being in Aaron Soto’s head。 From the get go， he’s in a pretty disadvantaged situation， from his home life to more recent losses， this kid can’t catch a break。 Though he’s surrounded by pe I am starting to become a fan of Adam Silvera。 This novel had mostly everything I was looking for。 A main character I could relate too， his seemingly perfect life crashing and burning around him， and having to learn how to deal with that， despite “easier” ways out of those difficult situations。 I really enjoyed being in Aaron Soto’s head。 From the get go， he’s in a pretty disadvantaged situation， from his home life to more recent losses， this kid can’t catch a break。 Though he’s surrounded by people， he still feels incredibly lonely。 And as soon as someone new in his life seems to start caring about him more than just casually， and he opens up more about how he’s actually feeling， he immediately feels as if he’s over shared and retreats back into himself and is back to feeling lonely。 Back to square one， back to thinking about what his purpose is， back to thinking about his past。 A very relatable and common experience for those struggling with mental illnesses。 This book also tackles the very ugliest forms of homophobia。 Aaron really struggles with accepting himself at first。 He feels very shameful about his sexuality， and very guilty about the tension this secret of his has caused。 His internalized homophobia gets so hard to deal with that he would do anything for that part of him to be taken away so he can live the life everyone expects of him。 But Aaron soon realizes that having made the decision to live a lie， cost him dearly。 Coming into his debut novel after having read his more recent History Is All You Left Me， I had some higher expectations which is probably why I didn’t feel as gutted afterwards。 I do respect this book as a testament to Silvera’s skill though， it’s very indicative of the high level writing he’s clearly capable of， and the improvement is evident from this novel to History Is All You Left Me。 。。。more

Noa ，

ouchy🥲

Jessica ，

So， I was a little bored。 But then the twist。 Perfect twist。 Good book！

Abigail ，

😭😭😭

xd ，

2，5， 200 pierwszych stron to nudy， potem się rozkręca

Ice ，

unique and a good twist

Brianna Murch ，

"More Happy Than Not" is a great novel， it has the normal teen drama and problems that any book would have， but makes it more natural。 The story does get dark in the way that Aaron thinks and how he will get past how he thinks。 But when he makes a new friend Thomas his life might just change。 They become very good friends over the story and because of that Aaron might want to delete Thomas from his memory。 The way the book is written really makes you feel for the characters。 This novel teaches t "More Happy Than Not" is a great novel， it has the normal teen drama and problems that any book would have， but makes it more natural。 The story does get dark in the way that Aaron thinks and how he will get past how he thinks。 But when he makes a new friend Thomas his life might just change。 They become very good friends over the story and because of that Aaron might want to delete Thomas from his memory。 The way the book is written really makes you feel for the characters。 This novel teaches the people who read it many lessons， one being that even when you are at your worst someone will always be there to help you and that is will get better maybe not right away but eventually。 Which is a very important lesson to teach the kids who are reading the book and may feel that they are alone in this world。 Overall this novel is a must read。 。。。more

Alicia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5 starsI heard great things about Silvera's other book - They Both Die at the End but I couldn't get a hold of that book so I settled for this one。 I had high expectations for this but I was thoroughly let down。 I think that the concept of the memory-forgetting technology Lenoto was interesting but wasn't executed to it's best。 I felt that the main character， Aaron， was ridiculously horrible， selfish and unlikeable。 I understand his grief and trauma but I absolutely hated the fact that he felt 2。5 starsI heard great things about Silvera's other book - They Both Die at the End but I couldn't get a hold of that book so I settled for this one。 I had high expectations for this but I was thoroughly let down。 I think that the concept of the memory-forgetting technology Lenoto was interesting but wasn't executed to it's best。 I felt that the main character， Aaron， was ridiculously horrible， selfish and unlikeable。 I understand his grief and trauma but I absolutely hated the fact that he felt his friends owed him in terms of caring about him， especially with Genevieve - after repeatedly cheating on her。 Overall， it was a quick and easy read but it was definitely not my favourite and probably would not recommend。 。。。more

Lauren ，

At times Aaron reminded me of Holden Claufeild more than I thought he would originally starting this。 I loved the way it was written especially looking back and being able to see the foreshadowing that was thrown in。 Overall a really good book about sexuality， class， mental health， and trauma。 4/5

luiza yuna ，

i rly loved this book。 it was amazing， and sad at the same time。 however， i read the deluxe edition with a new final chapter so it didn’t destroy me as much。 though i loved it so much， and i felt very close to aaron。

Amaya Oka ，

I’m not gonna lie to you when I finished this book I needed a few days to process it before I could write this review。 I don’t know how to explain anything without spoilers but I’ll leave you with this。 THIS IS GREAT。 I was honestly speechless the when I got to the end and I cannot express how long it took me to mentally analyze everything。 I’ve been on a few discussion boards for this book and we all have come to the conclusion that it’s a must read。

Amber-Leigh ，

A story with a title like this should have a happier ending than it does。 Don't get me wrong， I'm not the kind of person who necessarily needs a happy ending in order to be satisfied。 I tend to prefer happy endings （because who doesn't？） but I'm mature enough accept other outcomes as long as they make sense for the story and and characters。 That's mostly true here - the conclusion did make sense given everything I knew about the characters and the Leteo procedure and all that。 It wasn't like it A story with a title like this should have a happier ending than it does。 Don't get me wrong， I'm not the kind of person who necessarily needs a happy ending in order to be satisfied。 I tend to prefer happy endings （because who doesn't？） but I'm mature enough accept other outcomes as long as they make sense for the story and and characters。 That's mostly true here - the conclusion did make sense given everything I knew about the characters and the Leteo procedure and all that。 It wasn't like it was out of left field or anything。My issue is that it seems like overkill。So not only is Aaron ultimately forced to remember all the horrible things he was trying to forget in the first place （to be clear， I don't mean his sexuality itself here， but all the shit other people have put him through because of it）， but he loses nearly everyone he cares about in one way or another， and loses the ability to even truly move on because he now can't make new memories？ Sure， there's some canned message about Aaron trying his best to live as happily as he can despite his less than perfect circumstances， but when all he's got left are memories of a past anyone would want to forget， I can't help but think he's been given a raw deal here。 Even the tiny glimpse of hope we're given， of a reparation procedure for his memory， could be nothing more than a pipe dream in the long run。A lot of people have said that they found the ending of More Happy Than Not to be bittersweet， but I can't find anything sweet about it at all。 It's one of the most depressing endings I've ever read， and this is coming from someone who has read more than her fair share of depressing endings。The conclusion aside though， More Happy Than Not was a well-written and enjoyable ride。 The setting was excellent， the characters were raw and realistic， and the plot was fascinating。 I may not like how it turned out， but the whole discussion about memory and it's impact on identity was thrilling from a philosophical standpoint。 Are we the same people regardless of memory？ Or does our memory make us who we are？ I know which side I'm on， which is probably why I found the end so traumatic。 。。。more

Angellusionist ，

Real sad/ bittersweet but mostly wrecks your heart。 I liked the characters and hated some with passion。 I cried with the main protagonist and i applaud the author first for making me care deeply about aaron and then for talking about a scary condition any of us could develop at any moment。 Loved that there were heavy subjects addressed still wished it had a happy ending tho。。。 A more happy than not one :）

Hannah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was about to write a relatively open-minded review of this book。 I'd assumed it was written much earlier than 2015。 I think， in light of its recent （within the 2010's） publication date， a harsher criticism of Silvera's message is due。If More Happy Than Not had been written in that brief period， around early 2000's， after the first swell of the AIDS crisis in the American consciousness， it would've been forgivable。 This period of time was marked by the loss of almost an entire gay generation。 T I was about to write a relatively open-minded review of this book。 I'd assumed it was written much earlier than 2015。 I think， in light of its recent （within the 2010's） publication date， a harsher criticism of Silvera's message is due。If More Happy Than Not had been written in that brief period， around early 2000's， after the first swell of the AIDS crisis in the American consciousness， it would've been forgivable。 This period of time was marked by the loss of almost an entire gay generation。 There was the issue of generational memory to conquer--how does an entire group of people move on without some sort of living history to refer back to， to learn from？ That's not what this book is about。Huge TW。 This book involves multiple depictions of both attempted and successful suicides。 This book depicts violent hate crimes against gay people。 I don't think I'd ever recommend this book， but I'd certainly not recommend it to someone struggling with suicidal thoughts， or with any sort of emotional trauma。Our MC lives in the Bronx， and at the start of the story is dating a girl his own age （high school）。 The book opens with Aaron Soto， our lead， elucidating his broken family life in the wake of his father's suicide， going on a date with his girlfriend， Genevieve， and eventually having sex with her for what he assumes is the first time。 On the periphery of this story is "The Leteo Institute，" a new pioneer in medicinal memory-wiping。 This institute is very poorly rendered。 There's one scene， early in the book， in which Aaron and his budding romantic interest， Thomas， stumble upon one of the Leteo buildings in the middle of a protest。 But， other than occasional reminders that Leteo exists， we don't know a lot about them until the reveal at the 2/3 part of the book in which all these poorly foreshadowed elements magically come into fullness via a character with a secret identity。 This book doesn't hate gay people， but it treats them like garbage。 Aaron， naturally， doesn't get any happy ending。 He ends up losing all his short term memory function in the most depressing fate any gay main character has ever suffered， in my experience of reading queer lit。 He's doomed to live with his mother and brother， albeit in a really loving household， never to be able to fend for himself again。 His love interest， Thomas， spurns him。 BUT the bigger problem I have is with Aaron's persistence concerning Thomas' sexuality。 Throughout the novel， Aaron aggressively insists Thomas is gay。 He says this to Thom's face at certain points。 And， despite historically insensitive depictions of gay people in literature， I think this depiction of Thom's sexuality is disgustingly insensitive。 You can't force someone to be gay， just as you can't force someone not to be。 Thom says he's not gay， and I think our MC sets a bad example by continually asserting this is a lie， or that Thom's fooling himself。 Thom's old enough at this point to have a good idea of what he wants， and even if he has conflicted feelings about Aaron， he's allowed to say: this isn't for me。Also， there's another gay character Aaron is revealed to have had a relationship with， and his development just feels so slapdash。 He's nearly nonexistent until the 2/3 mark， and packaged in with the reveal moment。 Apart from Aaron's mother and brother， who receive almost no pagetime and very little love/attention from Aaron or Silvera's word processor of choice， these characters all treat one another so poorly。 Aaron's professed friends eventually beat him within an inch of his life。 Genevieve actively participates in a lie for most of the book。 None of the justifications for the characters' foul behavior seem to match the severity of the behavior itself。Also， the writing is cringy。 I don't have a very high tolerance for constant pop culture language and quips regardless， but I was flinching through the entire reading experience。 Lots of comparisons to comic book characters， movie references that don't feel even remotely accessible to today's teens， and flat， "quirky" dialogue with no parallels in real conversation between real people。Silvera had good intentions， but ultimately underperformed on a half-baked premise。 I was really upset and uncomfortable throughout the novel at the hard moral black-and-white stances Silvera imposed on these teenage characters and their peers/families。 It just felt so sick。 And maybe someone's reality is like this。 But this isn't a story questioning， or even confidently gay， teens need to hear。 Especially if they're questioning their place in the world。 Because， according to Silvera， their place in the world is quarantined in their apartment incapable of fully participating in new experiences。Cannot stress enough: the worst reading experience of 2021 for me。 Go read Caleb Roerig or something if you want to read depictions of gay characters by a gay author。 I got more out of the first page of The Fell of Dark than I got out of the whole of this poorly-paced punishment chamber。 。。。more

Charlotte ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ugh。 This was so good。 Becky Albertalli wrote that this book was “unforgettable” which perfectly sums it up in one word。 Memory is a gift and this book has reminded me to never take it for granted。 The good， the bad and everything in between。 Im thankful for my memory （however forgetful I sometimes am！）。 Aaron Soto is 16 and has had a pretty shitty time。 Having the opportunity to take ‘Leteo’ （a fictitious drug that can manipulate memories） seems the best course of action。 If he can forget his d Ugh。 This was so good。 Becky Albertalli wrote that this book was “unforgettable” which perfectly sums it up in one word。 Memory is a gift and this book has reminded me to never take it for granted。 The good， the bad and everything in between。 Im thankful for my memory （however forgetful I sometimes am！）。 Aaron Soto is 16 and has had a pretty shitty time。 Having the opportunity to take ‘Leteo’ （a fictitious drug that can manipulate memories） seems the best course of action。 If he can forget his dad and forget being gay then all his problems will disappear。 This isn’t the case though。 Some things are beyond our control。 This is shown so well in this novel and deals with the hardship of understanding yourself。 Adam learns that being gay isn’t a choice。 Being happy isn’t always a choice either。 It is only when he starts to accept who he is that he truly starts to be ‘more happy than not’。 Happiness as a construct is underrated。 It’s not the be all and end all （utilitarianism is very problematic！） but it’s definitely one of the most important factors in our life。 We need to prioritise it more。 And create a life where we are ‘more happy than not’。 The plot itself is fast moving and interesting and different。 I’m going to remember it。 We first see Aaron as a 16 year old with a pretty girlfriend， an alright family and friends。 As the book develops and we truly begin to understand Aaron we see not everything is as it appears。 Struggling with his sexuality is a very prominent part of his story but it’s interchangeable for many types of suffering young people （all older people） experience。 Self hatred。 External bullying。 Lack of support from loved ones。Aaron has experienced all of this。 He takes Leteo to try and fix this。 It has awful side effects。 At the end of the novel， just as he’s beginning to comes to terms with himself， he is diagnosed with Amnesia and He won’t from any new memories。 This is what is most heartbreaking about this book。 Knowing he’s going to get left behind and will be stuck at this point in life for （possibly） forever makes your heart ache for him。 And everyone else who experiences forms of memory loss。 Their families and the hardships it causes。 I just hope one day there can be a solution and medicine to try and prevent/ reverse this。 This book is so cleverly constructed and thought provoking。 Read it。 。。。more

Flor Méndez ，

La verdad es que es el biggest meh ever。Leí "Al final mueren los dos" y me gustó tanto el plot como el universo， ritmo y personajes。 Acá me faltó absolutamente todo eso。Aaron me pareció insufrible en todo momento， y no por adolescente （eso siempre se excusa pues es un libro JUVENIL"。 Su narración de los hechos y los monólogos internos me pudrieron。 Thomas me cayó bien pero hasta ahí。 Gen sí me cayó bien pero tenemos pocas escenas reales con ella。 El resto me resultó soso。Al plot twist lo vi veni La verdad es que es el biggest meh ever。Leí "Al final mueren los dos" y me gustó tanto el plot como el universo， ritmo y personajes。 Acá me faltó absolutamente todo eso。Aaron me pareció insufrible en todo momento， y no por adolescente （eso siempre se excusa pues es un libro JUVENIL"。 Su narración de los hechos y los monólogos internos me pudrieron。 Thomas me cayó bien pero hasta ahí。 Gen sí me cayó bien pero tenemos pocas escenas reales con ella。 El resto me resultó soso。Al plot twist lo vi venir aunque no necesariamente por la razón por la que se produce。 Estuvo bien， pero pasé más del 50% del libro aburrida。 Esa segunda estrella es por el plot twist， pero no le suma más porque incluso luego de que pase se me hizo INTERMINABLE， daba vuelta la página esperando llegar a los agradecimientos y SEGUÍA。Comparado con "Al final mueren los dos" me pareció flojísimo， pero lo leí （y creo que esta bueno leerlo） porque Silvera es uno de los exponentes del YA actual。 A mí en particular por el momento no me maravilló como a otres， pero los gustos personales no modifican los hechos。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=More Happy Than Not

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=More Happy Than Not&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,More Happy Than Not&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0