This book was much heavier than I anticipated. Why it's categorized as 'humor and satire' is lost on me, because it deals with very sensitive, serious topics and was definitely not a comedy. (Suicide, drugs/overdosing, sexual assault - just off the top of my head, so do be cautious if you plan to read this.) I was not at all expecting all that when I started. It also wasn't much of a thriller, or a mystery - though there were some elements, it didn't feel like there was enough mystery around the death in this book to warrant that label. This was definitely more of a character study, and a study in feminism. That's not a negative thing, at all. It had really powerful lines and moments, some that genuinely moved me. Like I said though, that just was not what I thought I was getting into. I'm not mad about it though.

To be totally honest, the first few chapters of this book had me worried. I didn't like Edie, the main character, and I REALLY did not like Peter. While I only grew to hate Peter even more and wanted to physically fight him myself by the end, Edie's growth was great to read. She stressed me out a lot, and annoyed me at first, but by the final chapters, I was incredibly proud of her.

I would personally give this something between a 3 and a 3.25 star rating, because while I have nothing but kind words to say about the writing style itself, and I think it was a good debut and a fine read, I just didn't fully connect with it the way I would have liked to.

the plot was definitely there in terms of a thriller, but was it REALLY a thriller? i'd say not so much. honestly, more of a character study about feminism. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for this digital ARC!

Edie Walker has to come to terms with the fact that her best friend is a murder suspect after the woman he was dating is found dead after a date with him.

Unfortunately, I found the characters of Edie and Peter difficult to relate to and the end of the book felt rushed. Aside from the discussion of men and privilege, I am not sure what this book was meant to accomplish.

Im definitely a judge a book by the cover kind of girl and when I saw this book I was expecting…not a romcom or anything but something maybe a a little more lighthearted lol BUT I did find it enjoyable and an easy read.

I saw someone tag this as "cringe fiction" and I feel like that is a very apt description. Edie makes you feel second-hand embarrassment, but she's supposed to. She's obsessive, insecure, a bit too cavalier with mental illness, and she is a mirror to so many women. As a character study, I found her FASCINATING.

Was there much thrill in the mystery? No. But I'm not sure that this was intended to be a thriller. The plot was secondary to the characters, with the relationship between Edie and Peter acting like a character on its own. The cartoon cover clearly parodies the trend of romance covers and cozy mysteries, but this was not meant to be cozy. Rather this is a look at feminism, performative allyship, and the relationships women have to the world around them.

My main thing, which I've seen a lot of people say: there NEEDED to be trigger warnings. Drug use and abuse, overdoses, eating disorders, suicide (both ideations and attempts), physical abuse...the list goes on. There were a lot of threads that were started but needed to be explored more, like Edie's sexuality and her relationship with her parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Take care of yourself while reading.

This book was so satisfying, so infuriating (compliment), and very fun. A great look at what it feels like to be a woman living in the world today (spoiler alert: it feels bad).

I was left generally confused on what this novel was aiming for. On the one hand I get the social commentary regarding men & privilege and on the other there's a murder mystery element that relies on the MC being hopelessly devoted to her murder suspect male bestie. Huh?

This book started strong and held my attention pretty well. The more the book carried on the more my interest waned. The characters were all terrible people (aside from Alex and Edie’s mom). By the end of the book it seemed the author was bored of the story and just glazed over and rushed its ending. I would have liked to have it feel like a more detailed
ending the way Emily detailed the first 3/4 of the book,

I went into this one based on cover alone and I’m so glad I did.

Edie is struggling but she doesn’t know it yet. She holds her best friend Peter on a pedestal, barely listens to Alex who could help her more than she realizes, and worries about her mom and her work in the tech industry constantly.

And then she meets Anaya on Peter’s first date with her and Edie’s whole world begins to change. Her obsession with Peter soon shifts to Anaya after she is found dead in her apartment weeks after that first date with Peter.

Nothing Serious is a story about obsession, about putting our faith in the wrong people, and about learning to trust and listen to ourselves and the people in our lives who we subconsciously keep at arm’s length.

4.5 stars
This book explores the complexities of loving someone when that person does not live up to your version of them.

We follow Edie as she is unhappily working in tech in San Francisco, watching her best friend Peter’s wild success as she struggles to find a place in what feels like a shallow and cutthroat environment. As the book progresses she becomes increasingly aware that Peter is more selfish and cruel than she knew. She tries to understand if he has changed, if she has changed, or if he had never been the person she thought he was at all. Both she and Peter are difficult to like, both selfish in their own ways, but we see Edie struggle with her own demons and fight to be a better person.

This book was very thought provoking, with themes of feminism, privilege, and the nuances of consent and modern-day dating. I enjoyed the morally grey characters and the mystery at the center created a momentum with the story that kept me invested.

I am taking away half a star though because Edie’s brief questioning of her sexual identity did not feel necessary to me, and the lack of exploration ended up feeling exploitative of the character she was attracted to. If it was meant to show that she was as manipulative and shallow as Peter, than it worked, but otherwise, it felt out of place.

I cannot say I enjoyed it. I could not feel anything for any of the characters. And it is more angsty than I generally like to read. These days I read for pleasure, light heartedness. I received this as an advance copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review of my honest opinion voluntarily.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and there were enough twists to make it interesting without being confusing. I can see reading it on a beach vacation where you don’t want a heavy read.

Edie at age 35 is insecure and intelligent. The insecurity is what causes her to be carrying a torch for Peter, her college friend and eternal best friend. Peter is a giant tool bag, terrible to women, drug abuser and pusher, and generally arrogant privileged jerk. It is cringy how she pines for him. Peter is the kind of guy who dates women in their early 20s because women in their mid thirties want to settle down and be in a serious relationship. Honestly, gross.

After 4 dates with Anaya, she turns up dead and Peter is the primary suspect. The rest of the book is Edie trying to figure out what happened and the mystery to solve.

It kills me that because romantic comedies are the top selling genre in the US, publishers put the wrong cover on it. If you’re expecting a book of millennial malaise (and why wouldn’t you) you may be disappointed. Also/ who named this book “Nothing serious”? It’s literally about EVERYTHING serious- addiction and drug abuse, sexual assault, overdose, suicidal ideation, eating disorders. It is a book that looks like it will deliver a happy ending, which it’s definitely not.

For a debut author; this is some really strong prose. The cultural observations are really intriguing and this book is intensely readable. I read it in one sitting. If you like mysteries with a FMC and feminist themes and are okay with some triggering subject matter, you will enjoy reading this book.

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the ARC. Book to be published February 18, 2025.

#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #Nothing Serious

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I found the main character to be too unlikeable to truly fall in love with the story. I wish she had been clever or funny or something but hating yourself as a personality trait seems to be overdone in literature nowadays.

This is a character heavy book. If you’re looking to follow a character and not really a plot, this book is for you. This book was on the shorter side but still left a punch. I really liked this one a lot.

The premise of this book had me intrigued and I was so excited to start it. Let's start with the fact that it's written in 3rd person -- which I do not prefer. Secondly, Edie was not a likeable character and Peter was supposed to be her best friend but he wasn't likeable either!

Edie couldn't mind her own business. Peter couldn't keep it in his pants or stay sober.

It was a struggle to get through this one. The only character I really liked was Edie's friend Alex who she basically brushed off throughout the whole book.

It was sad how Edie pined for Peter, when there were very few redeeming qualities about him -- the main things Edie mentioned were that he was tall, rich, and fit.

Huge thank you to William Morrow for the gifted ARC.

As soon as I saw this cover and read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read this. The synopsis sounded so unique and I expected in to be a cozy mystery with a little romance on the side possibly, from the description.

This one is short and reads really quickly which is a definite perk. Things started out really well the first 30% and then it just got...weird. I'm not sure what it was trying to be, but ultimately I just wanted it to end after the halfway point.

I wish I had more positive things to say, but sadly it wasn't for me!

2.5 stars rounded up

The title gives this book a cozy, romance feel but it’s anything but that. Murder, obsessive behavior. I wanted to like the main character but she was just not likable.

The title of this book might make you think this is about one-night-stands and casual hookups. There is a degree of Tinder-type-dating situations happening, but there are also a lot of serious issues as well. Namely, how white men with money wield their power against women. Because of that, parts of this were tense in a tough-to-read sort of way.

Edie is one of the few female engineers at her tech company. She’d worked at a nonprofit for years, which was fulfilling, but things happened that meant she needed to make more money, and now she works for an app business she can’t stand. She’s 35 years old and freezing her eggs because not only is Mr. Right not anywhere to be found, she can’t even find Mr. Mildly Acceptable. Maybe her friendship with Peter is clouding things. When he ends a long-term relationship, she wonders if this could be her chance. But he immediately hooks up with a gorgeous feminist professor. When that professor ends up dead after a date with him, Edie becomes obsessed with finding out what exactly happened.

I liked the female characters in this, and the situations were complex, which I appreciated.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES FEBRURARY 18.

I flew through Nothing Serious way too fast! First of all let me shoutout @goodreads for the giveaway win. And also thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an approved egally as well!

Nothing Serious is a unique read and focuses primarily on the relationship of characters. Throughout the book, you get to see how the FMC makes excuses for her “best friend” and finds out he’s anything but perfect. A lesson can be learned here, to really view someone at face value and not what you want them to be. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style. Thank you to @emjsmith for this wonderful read! Would love to read more. 💕

#netgalley #goodreadsgiveaway #nothingserious #bookstagram #ARC #4stars #booksbooksbooks