Be Well

by Sarah Flocken

Summer 2009: Brand-new college graduate Ann Ward has sent out nearly three hundred job applications, but nobody will employ her. The last thing she wants to do is leave Los Angeles, return to her desert hometown, and live in the shadow of her fame-hungry televangelist father—and it’s starting to look like that’s her fate. Thankfully, Ann’s luck turns after a humiliating failed job interview, when she meets the magnetic founder of upscale holistic wellness collective Sagebrush. She’s quickly drawn deep into the privileged, demanding world of Sagebrush, inventing Anneliese—a dubious new persona—to fit in. But when her funds run out and her lies blow up, Ann must choose between facing reality or doing whatever she has to do in order to get the future she wants.

Both a “funny ha-ha-” and a “funny oh no” read for anyone who survived the Great Recession, Be Well explores just how easy it is to believe in something unquestioningly—and lie to ourselves and others—when everything feels uncertain and the future isn’t guaranteed.

274 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2026

Reviews

[LKO · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you, like me, graduated high school, then college, then grad school into the recession, then you will LOVE this book. Some of the details are so deliciously precise, like when the main character daydreams about which ModCloth dresses she'd like to buy with her non-existent money. Funny and SURPRISING! A laugh, cry, cringe-along debut with teeth.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

What were you doing in 2009? I was working for a bank, and I remember all of the financial hard times people had when it came to homes and so much more. I can't imagine what it would have been like when I graduated from college with no job prospects on the horizon.

I'm just going to say it up front, Ann is a hot mess. She is creating a past to avoid her reality, lying to everyone, and her new friends? I saw the tell-tale signs of a cult from a mile away. But sometimes people will do desperate things for friendship.

While I couldn't relate to Ann, I could empathize with everything she was going through. I didn't agree with her decisions, but who doesn't make unwise choices when they are young? 

I thought the ending was interesting, I won't spoil anything, but Ann made the best of her situation.

We give this book 4 paws up.

[Anna Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be Well is so clever, relatable, and unhinged. It has big Melissa Broder vibes (who I love!) In Be Well, Flocken explores the idea of someone fleeing from a high-control system, only to find themselves drawn to the supposed-sanctuary of a new one. It rings so true, the idea that what we are running away from is often precisely what we find (except, perhaps, with different dressing or a new flavor). I thought, too, the contrast of the megachurch dad with the daughter who ends up doing some similar, manipulative ploys was brilliant. The entire book is such a great character study. And of course the nostalgia is so wonderful — with some major recession-core.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved most about this book was its subtle humour. It had me laughing out loud more than once, often when I wasn’t expecting it. Beneath the comedy, though, it has something genuinely insightful to say about vulnerability and the ease with which we can be persuaded by people who sound like they know exactly what they’re talking about, even when what they’re selling is built on shaky foundations.

The plot moves at a great pace, the writing is sharp and engaging, and the characters feel believable in all their messy contradictions. It’s funny, unsettling, and surprisingly relatable. A fantastic debut, and I’ll definitely be looking out for whatever Sarah Flocken writes next

[Mike Naple · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a book that will make you actually laugh out loud, look no further than Be Well, Sarah Flocken’s debut novel. The humor in this book is smart, sharp, and nostalgic. The book also has a terrific sense of place and time, not just in how it captures the zeitgeist of 2009, but in how it speaks to that universality that many folks experience coming out of college, when you’re attempting to find your way in this world. Ann’s journey is not a straight line. As she makes one interesting/chaotic/self-preserving choice after another, you can’t help but hang on for the ride to see what happens next. Put this on your TBR!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny and wildly relatable! I found myself chuckling out loud, face-palming, and covering my mouth in aghast surprise as I read on chapter to chapter - quickly, as I couldn’t put it down! The adventures of Ann (or Anneliese depending on who’s asking) kept me thoroughly engrossed and looking forward to see how she would handle the awkward situations she inadvertently found herself in, and how she would navigate the crashing economy us millennials were handed, along with our shiny college diplomas. Highly recommend!

[B.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect encapsulation of millennial angst. A story of needing to find something--anything--to believe in in order to believe in yourself, all while trying to stay afloat when you've graduated during the Great Recession. For those of us who did everything "right", worked hard, studied hard, and still graduated into an endless stream of job applications that went into the void, job interviews that turned out to not actually be for paying jobs, and not even being able to treat ourselves to avocado toast: this book is for us.

[Caroline Fowler Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me laugh out loud and then flinch with my own painful memories from that time. Oh, what a fun read!

[Joanna Thurlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts hilarious and cringey, Ann (Anneliese? lol) is an antiheroine for the ages.

[Melanie Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total romp through woo-woo, evangelical, 2009 southern California. I laughed, I cried, I cringed.