I liked the first 2/3 of this book immensely -- I had no idea where it was going but I easily inhabited Edie and was rooting for her. The last 1/3 of the book was not satisfying to me but I still enjoyed this overall. I was hoping for more with the ending but I think this was so irreverent and such a commentary on women in tech. I really enjoyed this author and can't wait for more from her.

Nothing Serious comes out next week on February 18, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

When messy, ambitious women meet someone who understands their layers, who sees and hears them and appreciates each complex detail, logistics are a mere afterthought. We spend our whole lives dealing with the complicated logistics of womanhood, dating logistics can be dealt with— easily. But men's self-acceptance doesn't hinge on whether there is a woman in their day-to-day who fundamentally gets them. In fact, if they are truly seen by a woman, they may have to confront weaknesses that society rarely requires them to consider. The mutual understanding some women seek can be the very thing that makes some men hide.

This book follows Edie who is still trying to figure things out. Edie immediately becomes drawn in by her friend Peter's date who dies under mysterious circumstances. Edie is then faced with a side of Peter she has not allowed herself to see before. Edie now has to navigate through the emotional and social implications of her relationship with Peter and with others around her.

I really enjoyed this book. Edie is such a relatable character. The pacing of the book was perfect.

This book was giving emotionally constipated girl summer, and honestly, I was here for it. I loved the dry humor and the way the main character flailed through connection like she was allergic to it. It’s awkward in the best way—like a text you regret sending but still reread 20 times. If you’ve ever felt like a ghost in your own relationships, this one’s gonna hit.

I felt like this book wasn't sure waht book it wanted to me, and maybe there were too many themes or topics addressed.

Edie Walker has very complicated feelings for Peter Masterson. They are 35, but have been best friends since college. Edie secretly harbors a big crush on Peter, but he has never shown interest that way, instead, he's always had a girlfriend. He's also way more successful than Edie in their mutual field of work. As the book opens, Peter is breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, and Edie has high hopes. But right away, he begins dating Anaya, who even Edie has to admit that she likes very much. When Anaya is found dead, fingers point to Peter, and Edie gets to work trying to prove his innocence. It doesn't go the way she thinks it will, and there's a lot of intrigue from all corners and all characters. This makes for a fascinating book with truly likeable characters that's very hard to put down. I look forward to recommending this title.

2.5 ⭐️
Insufferablecharacters.Strongfeminist ideas.Notmyjam

Kind of hated this book. Also, it could have been cut in half length wise.

This is a 4.5 star for me and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure why.

While I did love this book, I can't pinpoint what EXACTLY I loved about it.

Nothing Serious is set in San Francisco, and it reads as very San Francisco.

The plot is interesting, but felt like it fell a little flat at times. The characters are all pretty much unlikeable and very flawed and at times bordered on outlandish.

Again, I really don't know what drove me to enjoy this so much, but I honestly couldn't put it down.

Edie, the main character has an (unhealthy) obsession with her "best friend", Peter, which then spirals into another (unhealthy) obsession with Anaya, a girl that Peter is seeing. Which THEN spirals into ANOTHER (unhealthy) obsession with the murder of Anaya. Which THEN... you get the point.

All in all, I loved Nothing Serious and would recommend if you're looking for a not so "typical" thriller/mystery. Keep in mind, there are mentions of SA and other adult themes.

Nothing Serious by Emily J. Smith
Genres:
Contemporary Fiction
Literary Fiction
Psychological Drama

This book caught me completely off guard. I hadn't seen much buzz about it, so I went in blind—and wow, was I intrigued. Not Serious dives into the messy, sometimes unhinged, and always complicated dynamics of friendships and relationships, particularly through the lens of Edie and Peter—two incredibly narcissistic individuals whose interactions are both fascinating and frustrating.

I had such a love-hate relationship with Edie. She’s emotionally crippled in a way that felt disturbingly realistic, making her difficult to root for, but impossible to look away from. Watching her journey unfold, seeing how far she was willing to bend (in all the worst ways) to find connection and love—it was unsettling but also painfully relatable. There’s something about the rawness of her struggles that lingers, even if she wasn’t exactly likable.

This is the kind of book that makes you reflect on the ugly truths of human nature—how people manipulate, self-sabotage, and desperately seek validation in ways that aren’t always healthy. It’s a darkly realistic exploration of relationships and self-worth, and while it wasn’t always comfortable to read, I found myself unable to put it down.

If you like…
Messy, flawed protagonists who make bad decisions
Character-driven books that focus on emotional complexity
Dark, introspective looks at self-worth and relationships
…then you might want to pick this one up.

Tropes:
✔️ Unlikable but compelling female lead
✔️ Toxic friendships & codependency
✔️ Emotional self-destruction

⚠️ Trigger Warnings:
This book explores messy, flawed characters and unhealthy coping mechanisms, so it may not be the right fit for everyone. If you’re sensitive to stories that dive deep into emotional dysfunction and self-worth struggles, check the trigger warnings before reading.

Toxic relationships & manipulation
Emotional abuse & self-sabotage
Mental health struggles (anxiety, self-destruction, emotional instability)
Unhealthy attachment & codependency
Substance use

Would I recommend it?
If you’re looking for something lighthearted, Not Serious is probably not for you. But if you love a book that makes you think, frustrates you, and lingers in your mind long after you finish, then this is absolutely worth the read.

Thank you to William Morrow, Harper Collins and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

College friends Edie and Peter are meant for each other. Peter just doesn’t know it yet. He is newly-single and, like seemingly everything else, Peter has it easier than Edie in San Francisco’s dating scene. When Edie runs into Peter on a date with Anaya, a feminist author and professor at a local college, even Edie is enraptured by her - and it seems like the feeling is mutual. But their budding friendship is cut short when Anaya dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving Peter as the prime suspect. As Edie falls into a deep obsession with what happened to Anaya, she is forced to confront whether her feelings for Peter are getting in the way of exposing a darker truth.

I think the choices Edie makes over the course of the novel will make her a controversial protagonist - one not every reader will identify with. She is clearly capable and accomplished, but she has rock-bottom self-esteem. We get flashes of her being smart and supportive in scenes with her friend Alex or her employee Elizabeth, and I would have liked to see more of those. Her extreme fixation on what happened to Anaya will feel familiar to anyone well-versed in Facebook-stalking an old acquaintance or falling into an obsessive rabbit-hole for a new hobby. It’s not a likeable quality. But I think the mindset is more common than people would like to admit.

Peter is, to put it simply, a rich jerk. He’s the Christian Grey type, unbothered by the inherent power imbalance between him and his partners. He started a tech company after college that made him millions, yet he still insists on splitting bills for nights out with Edie in some performance of “equality.” The story benefits from staying solely within Edie’s perspective. Her defense of Peter is rooted in the ways he used to take care of her, and her inability to see Peter’s drug use or choices in women as a sign that he has changed for the worse is simultaneously frustrating and a realistic character flaw.

There were a few elements that kept me from getting fully immersed in the story. There was a moment where Edie notes she usually takes medication for depression but started skipping her doses in the hopes that her “old mania might fuel progress on the case.” I was waiting for that story beat to play out, but Edie’s medication use was not mentioned again. And that would be fine on its own - the story straddles the line of a true crime novel where the protagonist is vastly out of her depth in her attempts to figure out what happened. It makes sense that, because Edie really doesn’t *know* Anaya, she would only be able to guess as to what happened the night of Anaya’s death. But as the book shifts into the third act, the revelations Edie experiences don’t seem to match what has been laid out in the story up through that point. Additionally, there is a noticeable style shift in the last few pages of the book that felt inconsistent with the rest of the novel, making the ending feel less impactful.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, though I don’t think it’s for everyone. Fans of I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai and Take Me Apart by Sara Sligar will find a lot to like in this novel. For a debut author, Emily J. Smith took a compelling premise and wrote a story that explores the issues women face in the tech industry and finding independence from toxic people, and that’s no small feat. I look forward to reading more of what she writes in the future.

**Thank you to HarperCollins (William Morrow Imprint) and Emily J. Smith for providing this e-book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

While I’m a big fan of character development, Nothing Serious felt like a character exploration with no plot. With that said, the characters were mostly enjoyable and dynamic, but I just really needed a story line to enjoy.

Wow, okay; with a title like "Nothing Serious", I had hopes for some light and easy with little conflict and mostly just good fun. That is NOT what this book is about!

Edie is like most FMC in a lot of books and well, she's one I don't like - really pathetic & whiny with no confidence unless she has a man by her side to make her feel fulfilled. Her crush? The MMC is her "best friend" Peter - a slimy, super wealthy tech bro that just comes across as a rich playboy. How anyone can be in love with him is beyond my ability to understand as he's not described well, at all.

The problem at first is oh, hey, he has a girlfriend... but then she's found dead and Edie becomes EXTREMELY obsessed with trying to find out if Peter did it.

There's no funny dark humor lines or bits to break it up - it goes dark, and it goes dark fast - the triggers are absolutely out of control in this one ad I was more than just slightly disturbed at times.

I truly found no joy in this read, there was no magical ending that summed it all up and made Edie into a better person.... she was just so ICK, and the immaturity when trying to claim someone is 35? That really rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, she had daddy issues, and I'm guessing that might be why she latched so incredibly hard onto Peter? But at a certain age, some work needs to be done... there needs to be something. Peter was also so very disgusting that I really couldn't get past that either - he's a millionaire but you're expected to pay the same amount as he does when you go out together? That's not making for a very likeable man right there...

This just ended up feeling like a jumbled mess with absolutely no point to it. There was nothing that stood out or made it a better read.

I am grateful to both NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one! It's very interesting because the premise is essentially a thriller, but it's very much written like literary fiction. I did like where this was going in terms of a takedown of Silicon Valley, toxic masculinity, and dating culture, but I'm not quite sure everything fully landed for me. I don't think it helps that all of the characters were pretty unlikable, and I felt like I never got a great grasp on Edie as a character. Peter was given almost zero likable qualities that it was incredibly hard to sympathize with Edie when she kept defending him.

I also think I'm just over the "main character becomes obsessed with a person she barely knows" trope that is in so many lit fic books.

I wouldn't say that I disliked this though. It still held my attention and I think it had some interesting things to say. The writing was good overall as well, so I'd be interested to read whatever Emily J. Smith writes next.

this was actually very serious! i thought this would be a more goofy or playful book, but it was filled with very upsetting happenings, and it didn't seem to know what to do with all of them. i didn't feel like the very painful issues at the core of this got what they deserved.

must read! If you're a woman that ever worked in tech, or in any male dominated environments, this book will definitely resonate. I couldn't put it down. The character development keeps you wanting to know more.

Interesting premise, but the main character got a little too weird/obsessive for me to enjoy. I felt second-hand embarrassment most of the book and that took away from my ability to relax into the plot.

In Nothing Serious, Edie has been working in tech and feels stuck and unhappy in her life. Dating apps are not working well for her, and she has a major crush on her college best friend Peter. Peter, however, has recently broken up with his long-term girlfriend and is dating a new woman, Amaya, who is a feminist author and professor. When Amaya is found dead in her apartment, Edie becomes invested in finding out what happened to her and why. The plot moves along quickly in the book, making the reader want to keep going. I enjoyed this debut novel and look forward to reading future books from Emily J. Smith. Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance reader copy of Nothing Serious.

DNF@ 40%

I can't do it anymore. The main character is just too pathetic and I can't stand it. I understand that that may be the point, but I don't want to read it.

Edie is in her thirty’s and works a job she hates, her San Francisco apartment is small and she has yet to find love. She is hopelessly in love with her best friend Peter from college. So when she hears Peter has broken up with his long-time girlfriend, Edie feels that it might finally be her chance. To her shock Peter shows that he is no interest in a monogamous relationship, quickly finding himself on dating apps and dating younger woman. When she meets his latest fling Anaya a professor and author. Edie is drawn to Anaya, she feels a sense of kinship with her they agree on so much. Anaya soon shares her work with Edie, who eagerly reads it all, she even promises to send Edie her manuscript for her next novel the same night Peter decides to visit and break up with Anaya. The next morning, she is found dead. Shocked and horrified Edie becomes obsessed with the case and soon begins to wonder did Peter play a role in Anayas death? What is he hiding and why does he suddenly seem like someone she doesn’t even know anymore? Edie makes it her mission to get to the bottom of what really happened, one way or another. The books deals with some pretty heavy subjects. I did enjoy reading about a woman in the tech bro job! They deserve so much respect!
Triggers Suicide, drugs/overdosing, sexual assault.

This book had such an interesting premise but fell short. I had a hard time rooting for the characters who seemed a bit one dimensional and Edie didnt grow enough for my taste, nor was she enough of an antihero. Thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

Nothing Serious is a thriller from debut author Emily J. Smith. It takes place in the high-tech world of Silicon Valley, California, and the main characters have STEM careers. While the story is marketed as “humorous”, it’s a dark humor and contains subject matter that may be triggering to some readers. The story is told in third person single POV.

35-year-old Edie Walker is an unhappy, unattractive woman. She has a software engineering degree but was unable to get a high-paying job until recently. She worked for years in the nonprofit sector at a domestic violence shelter and really enjoyed her contribution. Unfortunately, she’s still living in the same studio apartment she’s had since college. She has dated some, but hasn’t met anyone who compares to her college friend, Peter. Edie is having some kind of reproductive health issues, and her doctor has advised her to harvest and freeze her eggs in case she wants to have children in the future. Also, her mother is in declining health and cannot be cared for at home by Edie’s alcoholic father.

Edie’s college friend, Peter Masterson, is a highly successful tech executive who is handsome, popular, and wealthy. When he and his girlfriend of seven years break up, Peter is able to spend more time with Edie, getting her hopes up that he will finally be romantically attracted to her. Edie is very aware that Peter is scrolling the dating apps and using illicit drugs, but she is in denial that he’s anything other than a great guy.

Soon after Peter is on a date with Anaya Thomas, a beautiful, brilliant professor and writer of feminist self-help books. When Edie runs into them together, she is smitten by Anaya, to the point that this reader wonders if Edie will suggest a throuple relationship. Peter quickly falls for Anaya, and Edie isn’t even jealous because she admires her too. Anaya is seemingly perfect: friendly, personable, with shampoo commercial hair and a meaningful career, who Edie aspires to be.

After a date with Peter, Anaya is found dead in her apartment. Edie’s world is rocked by the death of Anaya and the police’s suspicion that Peter is responsible. She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened that night, spiraling even further emotionally. Slowly Edie starts to doubt Peter’s innocence, and her longtime blind loyalty to him is tested.

While Nothing Serious is marketed as humorous, I didn’t find it witty or funny. I had trouble liking Edie, the female protagonist, because of her resentment towards everyone else’s happiness and success. With the giant chip on her shoulder, she wasn’t likely to find her happily ever after. On the plus side, the author skillfully wrote a tale in which the reader could see what was happening, while it took the characters a while to figure it out. The continuous mentions by Edie of “a woman in the tech industry” were excessive. There may be single readers who have battled the glass ceiling and fought the dating apps and identify with Edie. While I was intrigued by the overall plotline, I feel like the advance copy I read needed additional polishing and tightening to be a better story. I hope this author writes additional stories because Nothing Serious is an amazing debut novel.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.