More Happy Than Not

By: Adam Silvera

Narrated by: Ramon de Ocampo

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Happiness shouldn't be this hard...

When it first gets announced, the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto; miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor, how his friends all seem to shrug him off, and how his father committed suicide in their one-bedroom apartment. He has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it's not enough.

Then Thomas shows up. He doesn't mind Aaron's obsession over the Scorpius Hawthorne books and has a sweet movie setup on his roof. There are nicknames. Aaron's not only able to be himself, but happiness feels easy with Thomas. The love Aaron discovers may cost him what's left of his life. But since Aaron can't suddenly stop being gay, Leteo may be the only way out.

©2015 Adam Silvera (P)2015 Recorded Books

Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god.

It's very difficult to keep this book at heart; I can't help but remember Adele's song, "All I Ask."

"If this is my last night with you, hold me like I'm more than just a friend. Give me a memory I can use… It matters how this ends 'cause what if I never love again?"

I knew from the start that this book isn't just a light read on certain social issues, but my goodness.
All we do want is just to be happy. Aaron just wants to be happy. Happy with himself, happy in life, but I believe Aaron's struggles in his journey is ultimately society's fault. A boy in his position should not be subject to so much prejudice & hate. It pains me so much to see a boy, even a fictional boy, be broken because of society. It is our responsibility to stop things like the evils that befallen Aaron's journey to ever happen in the real world. Children around the world live in persecution for being who they are, or even die by other or their own hands. IT IS NOT FAIR!
I cry for all the hate in this world. Stupid, ignorant hate.
Arguably, the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure in More Happy Than Not is also a repercussion of how society can try to help itself; it can also damage itself. Memory alteration really is an interesting subject. Would it be helpful or harmful? That, I would leave to you, reader, to contemplate on. But here we see that society can really help or kill people. It matters how it ends.

I will do my part in making this world better for the sake of Aaron, a character in a world beyond my reach.
For me, do I have a choice. Would I rather be happy than not. Would you?

Not my kind of book

I don't like this book at all. Foul language and shallow story. Seems to be all about teens, sex, & drugs. Wish I could get a refund.

Par for the course

This book was very long but was an easy listen/read. There are lots of twists and turns and it left me a little bit confused at the end. If I had the opportunity I would not listen/read it again.

Moving...

Wow. This book takes you through a gambit of emotions and makes you consider how life could be if you could forget certain things in a very telling yet sad way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

not what i expected

i enjoyed it very much. walked in with closed eyes witch made it better. i did not predict any of it until it was to late .. and i love that .

Hmm

It was a slow build but worth it. But I didn't really like the performances special when he did or attempted to make the female voices.

Awesome read!

Such an unexpectedly good story about a boy trying to figure it all out. Definitely take sometime out to listen/ read this book.

A must have!

Haven't had a good cry for awhile, and this book was absolutely worth the ensuing headache!!

Hilarious and heartbreaking

4.5 ⭐️
Hilarious, adorable, heartbreaking and almost perfect.
I have been putting off reading More Happy Than Not because I didnt want my heart to be broken by this book! The title itself is a warning ⚠️.
I am less happy than i was before i read this but not broken, but way less happy.
This is one of the few LGBTQ novels that i really enjoyed.
I want to be in love. I want to want that person, those people in my life. I want to be that person that he loves. I want to be consumed by their love and passion. Thats what i want from a contemporary. That is what this book gave me. All the feels, all the love and happiness but also alot of important topics that Adam wrote so wonderfully. It had depth and made me think and ah I loved it.
Taking his memory in order to forget hes gay, trying get his life back the way it was.

I LOVE trade date but I think he would be taking me to the bookstore every trade date.
I now need to read every Adam Silvera book.

"Slice a smile through my throat"

"Beautiful enough to turn you straight"

surprisingly good

I wasn't sure what to expect and when I read the summary again I wasn't sure why I bought it. But this is a very well told sensitive story about finding out, and the journey to accept who you are. Helped along by a little sci-fi device. It is about teenage characters and is probably YA, but is written with an adult story line and dialogue.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Damn it! Not again..
Adam Silvera is such a brilliant writer, but all of his stories have left me feeling depressed.
None of his characters (at least those on Audible, that I have listened to) get happy endings.
Except for maybe "History Is All You Left Me". But that didn't really feel like one, either, because of the twist.

I can't knock the story itself, though. It's well written, and interesting. And the narrator is fantastic. He really brings the story to life.
So I gave the story full marks because it certainly earned them.
I'd just like to read something by the author that leaves me feeling more hopeful.

wonderful

such a genuinely sweet story. This is now the 3rd book of his I read and I'm hooked

Promising story..at first.

I enjoyed the story and the characters but I was so disappointed with the ending. I feel the rest of the story deserved a better ending than this.

Average

Unfortunately, I read 'the binding' by Bridget Colline before this book & they are too similar, only (sorry Adam Slivera) the binding is 100 times better - more gripping, heart warming & just draws you into the world of the characters. Whereas, I found this a little too like it was trying to relate to teens (e.g. The no homo slur was kinda annoying and seemed like when a dad tries to be 'down with the kids'). Just felt like something was missing and I think that something was really taking a deep dive into the characters emotions (allowing the reader to go there too). Instead it was very 'this happened, and then this' and emotions weren't really felt. Easy read though, very quick, and addictive.

Worth persevering

Unlike Adam's other two books this one takes a while to get going but it's worth hanging in there as the plot twists in a way you don't expect. High emotions as ever with Adam's writing - you get to feel the characters state of mind as if it were your own. Unexpected ending and a book I will listen to again no doubt.

My heart HURTS

It's not often that a book actually makes my heart ache... This did it. Adam Silvera is a master of writing things that are so melancholic and bittersweet. Ramon de Ocampo also performs it brilliantly and makes it so believable. I would recommend this book to anyone it is so beautiful and so true to the gay experience. Will definitely be revisiting.

Great book

Would you listen to More Happy Than Not again? Why?

I re-listened a few parts just to re-cap some details. Probably not listen again as its not Adam's best novel

What did you like best about this story?

The intimacy within the writing.... Adam is a very clever author. Transmits feeling!!

What does Ramon de Ocampo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He brings a human personality that the reader can imagine.....the voice

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Mixed emotions. made me smile and also feel sad

Any additional comments?

A good book. Adam's writing improves with subsequent novels........ I wish I had read this one before his others

Made me cry and laugh

I found this book hard to get into but ended up loving it just as much as Adam Silvera's other book 'They Both Die At The End' such a beautifully written book!