Published By: Del Rey
Pages: 256
Released On: 23/07/2026
Ellis appears to have it all – a great job, a loving girlfriend, and a loyal dog – yet each morning he wakes up feeling that something is missing. In a desperate quest for true happiness, he boards a luxury shuttle to Planet Happy, a hedonistic paradise where guests seek the elusive ‘Happiness X’, the trademarked secret to instant joy.
There, he encounters Nara, a VIP attendant with her own dreams of freedom, whose job is to ensure Ellis has the time of his life. But when an activist group disrupts their plans, Ellis and Nara embark on a thrilling adventure that challenges their understanding of happiness and the influence of corporate power. Will they find what they’re searching for, or will they discover something even more valuable?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I loved Riley’s previous book – The Last Gifts of the Universe. It was so bizarre but I thought they were such an original and interesting author that I was thrilled to be sent their latest one.
It’s set in the same universe as their other book, so in a way it is like a sequel but I don’t think you need to have read one to read the other. But it has been a while since I read it so I may be misremembering, but I didn’t feel at a loss just because I couldn’t remember what happened in the other one.
I was a little confused by who was narrating this. It seems to be two different people but within the same chapter and there’s no explanaction when it switches POV and so I found that a bit difficult to figure out.
The pacing is a bit too fast and haphazard. I know it matches what the characters are doing, but as a reader we never get to settle in one place or with one theme but it moves on to something else, so I felt at arms length to what was going on and couldn’t connect to it. I think it would benefit from being a little longer so we had time to explore this world more.
The characters I felt were a little bland. Nara was better than Ellis, but even so, I found her a bit grating after a while.
It’s a fun fantasy story, but it does ask some interesting questions, mainly, what does real happiness look like?
I think it’s a good premise and there’s no denying Riley’s storytelling ability, but this one just fell short of what I was hoping for.
Books By Your Bedside 