I didn't anticipate us liking it this much. We have like five different memory foam brands and several types (sleeping pillows, neck pillows, back pillows, wedges, rings, inserts, and even butt pillows, lol) because my husband has spinal cord injuries and we both have musculoskeletal issues so I was excited to try this one out. I thought $40 was a little pricy for a standard size pillow (considering my current favorites were King size "cut up" memory foam that cost $40 each) but we were presently surprised. This pillow is a lot like the $100 ones (in shape and form) that we have but are way too high (these are probably like two thirds or so of the height) for side sleeping/keeping our necks in a comfortable position, plus this one is super conforming. I'm not really sure why people left such negative reviews. It's a much better height than our expensive ones and the cover is SO SOFT we actually couldn't even let it rest overnight to fluff up like we normally do with our memory foam items, and we're still using it without a pillow case because it's so silky and feels so nice, but the cover is removable/washable so I'm not too worried. It was so comfortable we actually slept on it the first night. It's been a couple days now (both nighttime sleeping and daytime naps) and I feel confident in our review.
After a number of supposed "cooling" pillows I just think we may be too hot of sleepers to see a real difference. We've tried a number of different types with different "cooling" pads, gel areas, etc. and they don't seem to make a difference so I cannot really speak on that aspect but it definitely didn't cause any MORE heat so that's a good thing because some of them do- there's no "cool side" of the pillow to speak of.
In any case, overall, we'd highly recommend trying this pillow to anyone who has the same issues/concerns that we do. I waited a few days to review to see if there'd be any kinks in our necks, pinched nerves, or the like, but so far we've been pleasantly surprised. We're considering investing in a King set when we can afford it!