"Ms. Perfectly Fine" by Kate Callaghan is a gripping and heartwarming novel that explores the themes of healing, forgiveness, and the power of love in the face of trauma. The story revolves around Autumn Adler, a renowned concert pianist who is making a comeback to the stage after a tragic accident. Autumn is determined to focus on her music and nothing else, but her plans are disrupted when her landlord rents out the ground floor of her home to Elijah Wells, a game designer in the midst of building his own company.

As Autumn and Elijah navigate their forced proximity and battle of wills, they begin to realize that they have more in common than they initially thought. Both characters are well-developed and complex, and readers will find themselves rooting for them as they confront their own past traumas and learn to trust each other.

The novel is written in a split POV, giving readers a glimpse into both Autumn and Elijah's thoughts and feelings. The enemies-to-lovers trope is executed masterfully, and the slow burn romance is both steamy and heartwarming. The added suspense element adds an extra layer of intrigue to the story and keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Readers should note that the novel contains mature themes and is not suitable for those under 18. The author expertly handles sensitive topics such as stalking, trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, and self-isolation, providing a nuanced and compassionate portrayal that is both realistic and heartfelt.

Overall, "Ms. Perfectly Fine" is a beautifully written and engaging novel that will leave readers swooning and cheering for Autumn and Elijah's happily ever after.

Based on the tropes and info, I wanted to love this book, but sadly, it wasn't a hit for me. The romance between the two leads, Autumn and Elijah, doesn't feel genuine, and their friends/relations seem to be forcing them together--which makes them not-so-great as supporters! Autumn's trauma and recovery are well-depicted, and I jive with her personality, but the stalker side plot felt shoehorned in, lacked real tension and proper buildup. As for Elijah, he's in an unfair position as the son of Autumn's landlord, and it places them on an uneven footing--and their first meeting is no meet-cute. He invaded her home by moving in without her consent, and disrespects her boundaries by continuing to pry into her personal business under the guise of "getting to know her", since they have to share the house. The fact is--she doesn't have to share, he doesn't have to stay, and considering Autumn as a woman living alone, already being stalked, and going through trauma recovery, this was not the best setup for a romance. Their issues have nothing to do with compromise or rule-setting, and no amount of belligerent sexual tension or physical attraction can change the fact that Autumn has perfectly justifiable reasons to keep Elijah out of her life and her space. 2 stars, mainly because I still want to see someone like Autumn find the love and support she needs.

🎵IT'S ME, HI, I'M THE PROBLEM, IT'S ME🎵!!!!! Ms. Perfectly Fine written by Kate Callaghan was <b>NOT</b> my cup of tea at all. This is my second book by this author, and both didn't go well for me. I don't know if it's me, or what? The alternation between first person and third person just made this book more confusing than it already was. The main characters definitely had interesting backstories, but I feel like they didn't go together. There's a few reasons for this low rating, there were unnecessary subplots, the romance was way too rushed, there was too much information thrown into this fast paced novel. Ms. Perfectly Fine sounded very promising, the cover is pretty and the synopsis sounded interesting enough to pick up, but <b>UNFORTUNATELY</b> it fell short for my liking. Don't get me wrong, this book was cute to a <b>certain extent</b>, but the romance was far too rushed, they went from enemies, to roommates, to lovers like a bolt of lightning. For all my Swifties out there, this book has <b>NOTHING</b> to do with Taylor Swift. Ms. Perfectly definitely had good banter, but at times it wasn't needed. That being said, Brinkley, the fur baby had my heart, definitely my favorite part of the book.

THANK YOU TO NETAGLLEY AND CALLAGHANWRITER FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

First off, I'd like to thank my girl, Lyra for buddy reading this book with me. Girl, if it wasn't for you, I don't think I would have gotten through this book💗!!!!!!!!

ONE HOUSE, TWO STRANGERS, AND A DARK SECRET. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

🌟Tropes and Themes involved in Ms. Perfectly Fine🌟
😠Grumpy (Her) x 🌞Sunshine (Him)
😍He falls first and harder
😈Forced proximity
🍿Suspense
😴Split POV
💋Enemies to lovers
🌞Healing
😢Chronic pain

Autumn Adler is a famous concert pianist, who is making her solo comeback to the stage after a tragic accident that has left her with chronic pain. Autumn can't afford <b>any</b> distractions, she needs to practice for her solo concert. Of all the things that could possibly go wrong, Autumn never expected her landlord to rent out the ground floor of her home to Elijah Wells. Autumn woke up one morning to loud banging in her apartment, who could possibly be in her apartment this early in the morning? Autumn goes downstairs to find most of her furniture missing, movers moving her stuff out of the room, and new furniture being moved in. Autumn meets, Elijah Wells. Elijah is a game designer in the midst of building his own company. Autumn absolutely loves her townhouse and refuses to share it with anyone. However, Elijah is stubborn, but Autumn is definitely way more stubborn. As days start passing, Autumn's efforts to make Elijah leave, only further his desire to win her over. I wonder if this book was just a romance, if it could've played out much differently than it did?

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? I put this book down a few times because I had important things to do over the weekend, but if it wasn't for that, I would absolutely have read it in just one sitting.

4.75 STARS!! I'm rating it as a 5 star read because it may to that soon if I keep thinking about this book!

I have read another book by Kate Callaghan before and that was "The Naughty Or Nice Clause". It was a decent read for me at that time (I rated it 3.5 stars) but this book? OH MY!! This book is *chef's kiss*, I could see how much the writing has improved and the whole concept was fantastic.

The banter between the two main characters (Autumn and Elijah) was so good and there was no rush in the events, it gave the reader time to understand and fall in love with the characters in every single aspect.

Moving now into specific aspects.

I think the chronic pain was well executed throughout the book, not too much details that could trigger someone, but neither was ignored, it had the perfect amount of description.

I liked the fact that the main male character had daddy issues and how he and his father dealt with it. It was interesting to see that, overall, it did affect his life but how he was fighting for his hapiness.

The little cliffhanger about who was doing all of those things was also well done! I had my theory right from the beginning and it was right, but it didn't let me down.

And it didn't have a 3rd act breakup! That was the cherry on top of the cake. Lately, books that end up having 3rd act breakup are an immediate "no" for me because it bored me so much, so this one made me very happy and interested to see what would happen.

The only thing I missed was seeing how Autumn's relationship with her family would go on, but that was also to be expected (once you read it, you will understand).

I will absolutely recommend people to read this book. It's a more 'chill book', but you know what? It is the perfect book for a reading slump, it doesn't force the reader to give their full attention to understand every single thing. It's a relaxing read, without much drama and with a light suspense.

I really thought I'd love this book based on the description but it just fell a flat for me. It was decent, but I probably wouldn’t read it again. Although the concept was great, I found the characters unrealistic and their relationship forced from the start.

This rom com was jam packed with a forced proximity romance when Autumn and Elijah find themselves accidentally moving in together. Autumn was him out of her house and he wants nothing more than to get to know her. Full of witty banter, this romance was hilarious to watch blossom while something suspicious happened in the background with Autumn’s career and tragic past.

I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn’t read it again. It was a really easy, quick read and I loved the banter! I really liked the representation of long term illness/chronic condition in the main character. The plot twists to me were entirely predictable, even from the beginning of the book. So the whole time suspense was building I felt like I was just ready to move on bc I already knew what was going to happen. The final reveal and unveiling of the stalker was also unsatisfying to me.. it just seemed so Scooby Doo cliché. At points it felt like the author was trying to check all the boxes for a romance suspense novel - all boxes were checked, and in neat ways, but the flow between the boxes wasn’t there.

2.5/5 ⭐️

4🌟

Wow, I knew straight away from the get go that I was going to really enjoy this book. It’s starts so strong with such a traumatic event that it immediately hooks you.

Autumn was such a interesting character, seeing someone so motivated to achieve her goal even when she’s held back by living with chronic back pain was so lovely! She’s such a strong, independent character who has done so much on her own. However, it was nice in the end to see her have someone to lean on in Elijah. It shows that you don’t have to face everything alone even though you can.

I loved the relationship between Autumn and Elijah. If you love your enemies to lovers and a bit of forced proximity then this is the book for you! I found the tension between them so well written and it didn’t feel forced in the slightest. My only fault with this was that I wished they’d been enemies for a tad bit longer as the tension building was great!

Not only was this a great little romance book but it had a slight bit of mystery happening as well. I enjoyed having to think about who could possibly be stalking Autumn and it just added that extra bit of intrigue to this book.

Thank you @netgalley , @callaghanwriter and @ibpalovesindies for this ARC. Definitely check this book out when it releases on the 8th June!

Ms Perfectly Fine - Kate Callaghan

4🌟

Wow, I knew straight away from the get go that I was going to really enjoy this book. It’s starts so strong with such a traumatic event that it immediately hooks you.

Autumn was such a interesting character, seeing someone so motivated to achieve her goal even when she’s held back by living with chronic back pain was so lovely! She’s such a strong, independent character who has done so much on her own. However, it was nice in the end to see her have someone to lean on in Elijah. It shows that you don’t have to face everything alone even though you can.

I loved the relationship between Autumn and Elijah. If you love your enemies to lovers and a bit of forced proximity then this is the book for you! I found the tension between them so well written and it didn’t feel forced in the slightest. My only fault with this was that I wished they’d been enemies for a tad bit longer as the tension building was great!

Not only was this a great little romance book but it had a slight bit of mystery happening as well. I enjoyed having to think about who could possibly be stalking Autumn and it just added that extra bit of intrigue to this book.

Thank you @netgalley , @callaghanwriter and @ibpalovesindies for this ARC. Definitely check this book out when it releases on the 8th June!

I want to start by saying it had great representation of people with chronic pain. I have close friends who suffer and it's good to have a main character that gives them a voice.

On to the review! Full of romance and forced proximity troupes along with a good twist on the mystery storyline I happily read this book in a weekend excited to know what happened next.

My only little thing is the quickness of the relationship, but it's not uncommon to see these things in this type of book, so as I was entertained was able to ignore it.

Highly recommended!

Goodreads and StoryGraph reviews in link. There is only one link but they are the same one with just slight variations. Thank you for the book!

This book was faced paced and entertaining. Some parts felt unnecessary though. There were some grammatical errors. Also, for chapters 8, 14, and 24, there wasn't a new page for the new chapter so it just looked like a continuation of the text.

"I didn't mean to pressure you. Sometimes I forget how much you go through because you
hide it so well. If you're happy, then I'm happy." - we learn to hide behind a smile

I can't put into words how much I loved this book, this is mainly due to the representation of Chronic Pain, which isn't seen or spoke about as much as it should. Thank you Kate Callaghan for doing this. I have read other authors who have attempted do to a hidden illness or chronic pain related and I have DNF a number of times of just this aspect and how badly it was written and you can tell their was very little research, but yours definitely wasn't the case.

I am a fibromyalgia warrior and I have had it for over 5 years. I was thrilled with how it was depicted in the book - it showed how we are at a constant war with our own bodies, how Elijah accepted and took on that Autumn was in pain. Which isn't always the case, so often people say get over it or the pain is just in your head. The pain is really and if you are hit with a flare up it bloody well is painful. I loved the title of the book, the amount of times when my body is screaming in agony and if someone asks if you are ok I usually just go I'm fine as their is only so many times you can say why you hurting or what's the matter with you. Usually unless you have chronic pain yourself you can truly understand what we go through on a day to day bases.

"I dared to pull myself back from nothing and play through pain you can never even imagine?
No! Sure, everyone has their issues, but try adding a body that fights you every step of the way."

Autumn is lucky that she is able to carry on doing what she loves and has fought back after her accident and carries on playing the piano- not everyone is lucky enough to do this. Elijah is a game designer and after an unexpected house share , they have to learn to live together, even though Autumn is constantly trying to get him to leave, which makes Elijah want to stay more.

Autumn and Elijah is a slowish burn with him for falling first and fast. The romance was a bit quick, one minute they seem to be disliking each other to then falling for one another. But this was unstainable, living together in one space and then realising that one another is exactly what they each needed.

I enjoyed the mix of romance and suspense aspect to the story, what one point you thought you knew where the story was leading to and then at the end it was bam it was going in this direction.
I was also quite pleased that the person who was responsible for the roses was mentioned throughout and it wasn't just sprung upon you like some recent romance/suspense books I have read, where the culprit was mentioned once and you were expected to believe this was the person behind it all.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, as you can tell especially the chronic pain parts- giving a voice to those who don't always say anything and suffer in silence. I will definitely be reading more of Kate Callaghan work in the future.

“Whether you have emotional scars, physical ones, or both, you are worthy of being loved.”

*Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy for an honest review.

I really thought I'd love this book based on the description but it sadly just fell a little flat for me.

This story follows Autumn, a pianist with a chronic illness from an accident alongside the mental trauma and her initially unwanted room mate, elijah who is a games developer with family troubles.

Although the concept was great, I found the characters to be quite one dimensional with little substance. The romance felt quite unrealistic and forced from the start rather than naturally flowing as you would expect from a romance. This book does include LGBT representation via the main characters bestfriends. However, these characters were written in a way that felt the characters only supported the relationship between the FMC and MMC without having any other purpose than to push the characters into a relationship without even knowing them.

Overall, I'd say some people may love this book but to me, the story was just a bit too unrealistic and questionable even for a romance!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover alone had me hoping for sweet and spicy rom com and then the promise of a suspenseful secret? I was ready.

Sadly it just didn’t live up to the hype. I don’t think I’ve disliked an MMC as much as Elijah in a long time. I understand it was meant to be part of a cute banter persona but damn he seemed to lack just basic understanding of societal norms. Like maybe when you move into someone else’s home of six years without telling them you don’t put their stuff in storage and act surprised when they are mad, and maybe don’t eat their food or completely disregard their feelings over and over again.

The suspense element of the book was fine but easily guessed in the first 20% of the book so it felt like it was really dragged out.

*4.5 stars rounded up*

I adored everything about this book. There was so much to enjoy that I finished it in one day.

I enjoyed the characters Autumn and Elijah. Autumn is an absolute firecracker that’s not afraid to go head to head with Elijah, even after everything that she has gone through. Elijah is funny and witty and I fell in love with his character at the first chapter.

This book also brings in issues such as chronic illness and grief in such a respectful way. Overall, I found this book to be a perfect combination of romance and mystery. I look forward to reading more books from this author in the future.

I've never read a book by Kate Callaghan before, but when I saw the description of her newest book, I knew I had to check it out! "Ms Perfectly Fine" has a cute sounding storyline: Autumn and Elijah are two strangers forced to share an apartment when Autumn's roommate loans her room out without telling her. This book has one of my favorite tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine. However, the chemistry between the two fall flat, and the rapport between them just doesn't seem believable. I really wanted to like this book more than I did, unfortunately.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Well, this sure isn’t your normal enemies to lovers romance. Autumn and Elijah are enemies at the start, but that is by circumstance and not from a history of wrong-doings. They both have issues from their past that they must overcome, and they both must work on their issues alone. They somehow manage to work well together as they challenge each other. Then you throw in the mystery of a stalker, and this rom-com veers into the genre of suspenseful thriller. Although there is a lot to laugh along with, this story is actually pretty deep and complicated. The interplay between Autumn and Elijah is fun but also sincere. The different elements of the story are woven together flawlessly. Not exactly the light read that I expected, but it was a wonderful surprise!

This was a while story it showed just because someone might be against you you should never give up on happiness. This book was approved by netgalley and the publisher for me to read and review .

-2.5 stars-

Maybe it’s me, not the book.
When I requested this book, I saw the cute cover, and the blurb and thought “this looks pretty fun!”
It sadly didn’t live up to the cute cover.
The characters were likeable, but a little one dimensional, and we never really got enough depth from them.
Yes, it was cute—but the romance was far to rushed, and they flipped from enemies to lovers like <i>that</i>.
The banter was probably my favourite part in their relationship, but it didn’t exactly feel feasible at times.
Romcoms aren’t meant to be exactly realistic, but this was just a little too far.
The side plots were interesting, but I feel like the book needed to be longer, so not to rush them.
It was a little unnecessary, and I wonder if I would have enjoyed the book more if it was just a romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kate Callaghan for this digital ARC. all opinions are my own.

Autumn sticks to her routine in order to live her life as best she can with chronic pain, however, after a mix-up, she is left with a new housemate, Elijah. Elijah is happy to share the house with Autumn, however, she is unwilling to go along with that plan and will do anything to get him out of her home. The two are at odds but eventually, along the way, find themselves drawn to each other. Autumn is hesitant to pursue anything, but once Elijah makes it clear he is sticking around the two are inseparable.

Ms Perfectly Fine is perfectly fine but needs some fine-tuning. The writing is decent but the plot points get lost in the domesticity aspects and the pacing is rushed in places. The suspense and mystery were added in the last quarter of the book and felt like an afterthought, I also would have loved to read more about the aftermath but the book wraps up very fast.

-I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review-

I was immediately hooked and intrigued by this book when I read the description of romance AND mystery - my two favorite genres.
I loved the characters - great chronic pain representation, resiliency, sarcasm and wit/banter, and just good humans.
I am not typically a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but it was so perfectly developed in this book.
The only thing that fell short for me in this book was the mystery aspect. I was hoping for a bit more mystery/thriller, but it still gave the book a nice B plot.