A novel that asked more questions than it answered. That you couldn’t quite put your finger on. - This is what the author's goal was for her debut novel. I agree it did just that for me. It wasn't a typical office romance or a black person and white person get together romance. It was so much more. I enjoyed how Rabess put this story together. I'm glad I read this book and it has me thinking still!

Five stars and a big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My thought is that this is just too…repetitive&dull. Mundane in the membrane. Josh does some varying level horribleness that Jess doesn’t like. Jess stays with him anyways. Lather, rinse, repeat for 300 pages. I disliked all of the characters. Josh is a self-righteous, king of the micro-aggressions chump. Jess is okay and her plight be real as hell, however, she attracts racist trash time and time again (see: Ivan, Wine Girls, Josh). This is topical and at least different than many novels out I reckon. Another nice thing, actually, was that it was a quick read.

Everything is not fine, this book is very much not good. It is harmful and I am sad that it was published as is. There is a sense from the marketing of the book that this is comedy, but it is not sharp enough to pull off the humor so it reads as earnest and anti-Black. There is so much placating of white guilt and diminishing of Black feelings and experiences.

The one good thing in this book is that the love story (minus the disastrous racial and political dynamics) is fun and cute and enjoyable. Also there is a grief section that was well done, mostly.

I really can't even recommend this as a hate read. Ugh. I'm sad about this book being in the world, because I know it is going to suck up a lot of oxygen but it when it comes out and it's not even worthy of that discourse.

I couldn't get through this book. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt despite the premise but nothing about Josh made me want to read a story about Jess, a Black woman, falling in love with him. Josh does nothing to try to even learn and change. Instead, Jess is the one compromising her beliefs for him. As a Black liberal woman myself this felt very unrealistic. It'd be different if Josh was a liberal and apolitical and then it's revealed he has some racist views, but from the very start with his thoughts against affirmative action it's clear what kind of person he is. Why would Jess ever fall in love with him? It doesn't make sense.

This book is hilarious but also tackles so many different issues-racism, politics, equality,. Jess and Josh are opposites she is black and he is white. They started as enemies and ended up in love. They are both nerds and it is fun to watch them bond and fall in love and try and work through all their differences.

I have to say I love Jess so much as she struggles to be comfortable in her own skin and what truly makes her happy. It was gut wrenching when she lost her father and all the things they left unsaid.

Foregoing my review of this book as a white woman due to the discourse on it in the black community on TikTok. Prioritize their opinions when reading this book. For a great review from a black woman breaking down her thoughts, check out @satrayreads on Tiktok

I got about 100 pages in and had to DNF this book. The use of racism as a romance obstacle or an excuse for “enemies to lovers” was a bit … not great. This was absolutely more of a social commentary than a romance. That’s perfectly fine, but it was advertised as a romance which is what I was expecting. The writing seemed a bit simple and underdeveloped as well. I understand that I am not a POC while the author is and our life experiences are clearly different, so perhaps others will have a different experience.

2.5 overall.
This is a hard review for me to write because I see both sides of the argument being presented. I can agree that certain aspects of this book are thought-provoking, while also saying that many parts of this book are uncomfortable to read and the 'enemies to lovers' romance is between two people who have literally nothing in common. Which I understand was the point, but they had so much in common that I was questioning why they were together. Honestly, was there love really that strong? They had nothing they shared expect a bed.

This book is broken up into 4 parts and I will say the first part is the hardest to get through and the fourth would have to be the most intriguing. I was very annoyed throughout however on it being in third person POV. Maybe it's just me, but I was taken out of the story almost every time I read "Jess __" solely because I had immersed myself into Jess' mind and seeing her name kept reminding me I wasn't her. Although in the case of this story maybe that was for the best. I also found both of the main characters kind of flat (Josh more than Jess), and just boring. They would have full pages of dialogue about data and I was so lost. Maybe I just don't know enough to keep up with their conversations, but I was definitely lost. I felt like they talked about 2 things throughout the entire book, finances and politics, of which they didn't agreed on either of those topics, so why was I supposed to be rooting for them?

Lastly, I want to touch on the pacing of this book. Its face paced, to the point where Josh at one point mentions them being friends for 2 years when they started being friends like 70 pages before. Not only that but their relationship develops so quickly that I'm still stuck wondering how they actually got together. Like I understand how they got together, but I can't for the life of me figure out why they stayed together.

Again, this book did have some thought-provoking ideas and themes, along with some very interesting metaphors that leave a lot to be discussed. However, it is very uncomfortable at times to read and they are not a couple I could root for, solely because I didn't have any reason to, but maybe that was the point. If you can make it to the end you will see the entire book in a different light, but you'll also be left with so many questions. The last page is so good that I bumped my rating up .5. I think they authors has some good themes, but I just don't know if this was the best way to explore them.

This wasn't really the book for me. Racism just isn't what I consider enemies to lovers.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

this was definitely a book where I wondered “why was this written” BUT I will say the last page made me a think more critically about the prior 300+ pages. still tho i was not a fan

Even though some of the answers the book has to offer are obvious, I was still completely invested in Rabess' funny, smart writing, especially Jess' observations about the everyday frustrations of a racist, capitalist work culture ("Why did her success have to be predicated on perfection instead of, say, a vague sense that she was someone people would like to have a beer with?"). And I was in awe of those last few pages, which were just stomach-dropping good.

I did not look at any of the reviews prior to reading this book. Instead of actually reading the book, Many have decided to try to try to cancel this author without even trying to read this book which was pretty great actually. If anything else, this will hopefully compel more people to actually read this book. This book is a play on differences and you could not get more different, or more crossed than this couple. There is a parallel here that really fits into the culture that still very much exists after Trump so there definitely is a timeliness to it. The dialogue was really good in this book and the author has created something that is different in a great way. Race and culture will always be noticed and have a place in relationships because of the world we live in. Bravo to this author for standing up and addressing it. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Where to begin… for starters this is NOT a romance. I’d describe more psychological and Jordan Peele-esque. However, the portrayal of this as a romance is misleading and causes the book to lose its impact.

Secondly, I’m not sure who the target audience is for this book. It’s definitely not BIPOC readers. As a Black woman, I found the book incredibly difficult to get through because of the racism, gaslighting, and the constant self-sabotage.

Essentially, Jess gets into a relationship with Josh The Racist and although it doesn’t end in a happy ever after it does end with a headache. I was so confused the entire time I was reading this. Between wanting to throw my kindle out of anger at Josh’s audacity and Jess’ inability to walk away, my blood pressure was at a constant high.

The ending left me frustrated and unsatisfied. I spent 99% of the book being traumatized for what? I think I get the idea the author was trying to make but it was not well executed and she could’ve gone about it a bit differently.

Overall, I found this to be a difficult read and extremely triggering especially for Black women. Please read this with caution if you’re a person or color or Black.

https://medium.com/@mikaelasjournal/everythings-not-fine-an-advanced-readers-copy-review-ddd6339e2e35

This is my brutally honest review of Everything is Fine. I wish I had seen this blurb before I requested an arc as it was not publicized on Netgalley and if it was, I never would have touched this book.
“she's Black, he's white; she's liberal, he's
conservative; she thinks he's a racist ierk, he finds her extremely immature.”
Enemies to lovers is not deeply rooted racism. Especially in the world we are currently living with human rights issues, I am stunned that this is something that was written and published. This is not an enemies to lovers romance, this is oppressed vs oppressor.
"Jess realizes it's more important to be happy than right." This is a big red flag and we are we telling readers that this is ok??
I could barely get through this book and had to DNF not only because of the issues I already brought up, but because the writing was extremely poor. The book felt like it was a rough draft, not a finished book.
This book made me extremely uncomfortable and we should never be romanticizing racism.
Save your time and do not read this book.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true
opinions after fully reading this book.

What a thought-provoking and uncomfortable read! This is a story about how opposites can attract, but with a lot of social commentary sprinkled within. This would be a GREAT book club book because it sparks a lot of questions and discussions. This story is very timely and relevant to what is going on in todays world! Highly recommend.

I couldn't believe that this was a debut novel! It was such a page turner and I really enjoyed it. This was a opposites attract story but done in a unique way. I really enjoyed it and will keep my eyes open for anything else published by this author!

While I loved the concept of this book I did not enjoy it due to it being written in 3rd person. Everything was very hard to follow. I could not connect with that characters.

Enjoyable book about a very timely subject. This a story many have seen play out in their lives since 2016 and it’s told in a very realistic and entertaining way,

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this debut novel. I loved it! Timely, compelling, thought provoking.