I find sci fi can be a good escape. The Expanse series is great. Large books but the story flows so well it moves quickly. A feel good sci fi option is project hail mary. If you want some smaller stories with lots of humor, try the Murderbot series or the Bobiverse series.

Adjusting the carbonation level might improve the perception of the flavor a bit. Simpler to try and tweak that first rather than messing with the flavor directly since thats tougher to undo.