Nothing Serious exemplifies the power of narcissism through Edie’s story, a cautionary tale about losing oneself and idolizing others. Throughout Edie’s spiral into obsessiveness with her best friend and wealthy tech investor Peter, we watch as she recognizes and then chooses to ignore every opportunity to course correct in favor of digging in.

Edie’s journey for truth(or more accurately, a truth she is willing to accept) is explored through the death of new friend and twin flame Anaya, who died of a drug overdose under questionable circumstances that all seem to lead back to Peter.

As Edie chases a connection to the missed opportunity of knowing Anaya, and clings to the Peter she once knew, it is difficult to watch how much of herself she compromises and gives away. From her family, to her career, and even her own agency, Edie is on shaky ground through the entire story in a way that echoes a feeling for many readers of her age.

This is a worthwhile and painful read, even if it pushes the boundaries of what any reasonable person would actually do or say.

I found this book to be a nice change. The main character was a bit of a hot mess. All of these characters were varying degrees of unlikable but not in a way that made me want to put the book down - more in a way that they are clearly imperfect and make questionable decisions. This book touches on some women issues specifically getting older and feeling the pressure to get it together that I think will resonate with a lot of readers.

I really enjoyed this audio. I did an immersive read along with the book. It was much more enjoyable that way. This was like a dark comedy. The cover and synopsis really drew me to wanting to read & listen to this.

Oh boy, I am NOT in good company for this one. It wasn't that bad, guys, it's fiction! Live in the fiction! Dare I say... it's not that serious.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily J. Smith, William Morrow and HarperCollins for the ALC of the audiobook!

Nothing Serious: A Novel by Emily J. Smith

"That man will be the end of you."

You got that right, sis. ick, I hate when men... ESPECIALLY when said men (man) may or may not have led to the death of a completely awesome woman (allegedly) who just so happened to give him a chance (she should've ran when she had the chance)
I'm not really understanding the ick, because it seems like the critics have never been so in love with a friend of theirs, regardless of the level of toxicity present being a claim for a hazmat situation. If you haven't, then godspeed friend, because you've just so happened to dodge one of the greatest bullets know the [wo]man.

"... But the way you've experienced the world, and the way he has, is entirely different. I know you want to believe you're made from the same cloth, or something. But you are not the same."

Yeah, yeah, Edie is a little annoying, but when are we not? In my humble opinion, everyone is annoying and sometimes we, personally, happen to be ground zero for the annoyance. Yes, she may be a little off the deep end, but its not anything that a little (a lot) of psychotherapy can't help! Once again, I must state that it is a work of fiction, so go and live in a little. (This bears repeating)

"... but it was always hard for her to distinguish between wanting to sleep with a woman or wanting to be her. Having never tried the former, she assumed her desire was simply envy or admiration. Edie had never thought she was gay, but never really allowed herself to consider it."

"I feel a little more dead inside after each date."
"Maybe she would always love him, but she hated him, too."

*sigh* same girl, same.



What I walked away with:
- The best character in this story Alex, because everyone needs a best friend who keeps it absolutely real with you. (Bonus points for the lesbian inclusivity)
- Edie only becomes more likable when she explores her sexual identity more (because F. ALL. MEN. especially Peter)
- Loved the not-so-subtle sh*tting on San Francisco
- Not everything in this life is what it seems, or goes to plan, and that's okay.
- If murder (alleged or not) doesn't kill your attraction, you need to see a therapist.
- *schedule therapy appointment*


My favorite note:
"But if Peter had really looked her in the eyes that first night, and hidden so much from her, what else was he capable of hiding?"

DING, DING, DING. Thank god.

This was a twisty, layered listen. I appreciated the concept, but I found the multiple storylines disjointed at times—it felt like the plot was being pulled in too many directions. I often asked myself, “Where is this going?”

Edie, our protagonist, was tough to connect with. Her choices were often immature, self-centered, and painfully codependent. Still, there’s a lingering question throughout the book: will these flaws lead to real self-awareness?

The narration by Anna Caputo was well done. She maintained good pacing, brought clear distinction to each character, and kept me engaged even when the plot felt scattered.

Content warnings include suicide, alcohol use, references to domestic violence, and sexual abuse.

Overall, I’d rate this audiobook a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a moody, slow burn that might resonate more with readers who enjoy character-driven suspense and messy, complicated leads.

Big thanks to Emily J. Smith, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced listener copy.

My main takeaways of this book are that Edie needs therapy and Peter is the absolute worst.

I did enjoy this read, but boy did it have about 1 million trigger warnings-- and rightfully so. It sucked me in quickly and kept my attention. It's hard to say I enjoyed this because of the subject matter, but it was an interesting, good read.

There were a few too many "hot button" or feminist issues for me, and some of them didn't feel relevant to the story. But overall, this was a good read!

Unfortunately I won't be finishing this book as I can't get on with the narrator's voice, and based on other reviews it's not worth me pushing through that discomfort.

I felt so conflicted as I started to read 'Nothing Serious' because it was mirroring behavior back to me that I'm not proud of. The ease with which our main character slips into obsessive territory was something I felt viscerally. As the plot progressed, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread because I wasn't sure which way things were going to go. This review is pretty vague but that's on purpose. I don't want to spoil a darn thing, but I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook!
I'm giving it 4 stars because I wish there was one more chapter to tie all the threads together.
Thank you #NetGalley & #HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC.

3.75 ⭐️ because the rollercoaster was doing its thing. Please check the trigger warnings before reading because the content in this book is in fact serious. Edie baby needed a therapist like yesterday and there were times where I wanted to shake her, but truly don’t get me started on PETER😠. The plot had me intrigued enough, especially with how chaotic all the characters were. There were times where I was a little confused on how we got to certain points, but not bad where I got lost. I listened to the audiobook and I’ve always enjoyed the narrator, so I think that was also a plus for me. Overall would recommend as an entertaining mystery🔎

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this 🎧 ARC.

This started out very engaging for me, but became a slog towards the end when it became less of a mystery and more of about Edie learning a lesson about Bad Men. Don't get me wrong, Edie did need to learn a lesson--watching her make excuses and fawn over Peter over and over again was ROUGH--and Peter was extremely entitled and oblivious. But as it went on, my enjoyment waned. I did enjoy the mystery aspects, and watching Edie obsess over Peter was relatable for anyone who has ever watched a friend repeatedly make ill-advised choices and not be able to do anything.

Anna Caputo's narration was very good, I thought she had the right voice for Edie and her inflection and pacing worked really well.

This was an interesting read for me. Went in blind for the most part -shout out to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this a lil early! Going in thinking this was gonna be a contemporary romance type of book, and then finding it to be a bit of a murder mystery thriller was a fun change of pace. I felt for our main character, but also was not fond of her buddy. I was genuinely hoping for her and Anaya to get together since their chemistry was soooooo good on the date Peter had her crash. But, alas, twas not meant to be. Though I enjoyed this book, I feel it could use some higher stakes and tension to be called a thriller. And I would have liked our FMC to show more growth in the timeline. But it was an enjoyable enough read!

This debut sounded really good and started off strong for me but by the middle I lost interest and did end up DNFing unfortunately. The audio narration was good but the story itself just didn't work for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was an interesting read. Definitely not what I was expecting but I loved the writing and the plot was very good.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars.
I think one of the things that this book did really well was cover gender disparities - in dating, the tech world and in life. There were parts of the story that felt a little far fetched. The main character showed growth but her overall character arc left a little to be desired.
This was a solid read - more general fiction as the focus felt more those gender themes through out than thriller or mystery or that portion of the plot (at least from my perspective). This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Those elements were woven into the story in a way that felt authentic without being lectured.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The book starts with content warnings; eating disorders, alcoholism, abuse, sexual assault, murder, suicide and drugs- and I could add more. I really kept looking at the genre as it wants to be feminist literature but is more disturbing than successful that you think it is got to be a thriller.
The Narrator did a good job keeping it light when could and you kept wanting to hear more but difficult read that left you shaking your head die so many reasons. Curious how others feel- this would make for an interesting book club pick. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this audiobook for my opinion.

I loved this story and narrator. I was instantly pulled into. It's general fiction with a smug of a lite mystery.
It kinda reminded me of a past friendship with a guy, but minus all the millions and the obsession with him.
I'm awful at writing about books I love. Just read it!

I really wanted to like this book but I felt very disconnected from it. The idea of the book in theory is good. The book started out good and I thought we were going to dive deeper into the murder mystery and then it was very much just about the main character and how mentally unstable that woman really was. I feel like there were a lot of plot lines that could have either been followed better or not included at all and it would have made the book much more enjoyable. I related to the not being able to find a good guy on the apps and everyone saying they were looking for nothing serious but I feel like out main character had too many issues. The fact that her best friend just got out of a relationship and wanted to breath a little before getting into another one is not a crazy concept. She was too obsessed with him pointing out that they were never actually best friends but just a guy she was slowly trying to chase. To be fair I think Peter was horrible and I am not defending him but our main character feeling down on herself and being irritated was almost wholly on her and could not be placed on someone else. I think this book needed to be cleaned up a little more and it would have ranked higher for me.

I saw another review say that they're still stuck "at the part where this man is your best friend, he is a multi-millionaire and he splits all the bills with you. I can't move pass that." And same girl. This man is just the definition of a awful man. He just uses her over and over again and I just got mad and bored at the same time. At what point after a murder do you drop him? I wanted to shake sense into Edie.

Overall, the plot started out pretty interesting and I was enjoying the deep dive into being a single woman in your 30s, but it all went downhill fast around the 20% mark.

3.5 Rounded up. Protagonist Edie, is a book-smart coder in her mid-thirties working in the male-dominated world of tech in Silicon Valley. She has had a deep seated crush on her best friend Peter, who she has known since her formative years. Her affections have blinded her to some of Peter’s deeply problematic behaviors and this is the basis for the story’s plot. This novel explores the stark disparities in gender and class in and around the SF Bay Area and the ways women can easily confuse a man’s manipulative ways for genuine care when her attachments are formed so young. Edie is difficult to read at times; the reader wishes she could just draw firmer boundaries and see things for how they are. But that isn’t real life. Smith represents the messiness of real world-relationships, and life in general, with accuracy, which is a plus for me with any read. I enjoyed being along for the ride.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 2/18
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I went into this book completely blind. I judged a book by its cover and assumed it would be more of a finding oneself / getting over a breakup story. I wasn't opposed to that at all, so I dove in. What I got was so far from what I expected and let me just tell you, sometimes going in blind really makes the experience so much better.
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This is definitely a story about finding oneself but there is also a mystery element to it and I absolutely devoured it. I loved Edie... Edie is a 35-year-old with a good enough job, friends, and a place to live, but Edie's life is so far from what she thought it would be at this age; not to mention she's in love with her best friend Peter. Man, did I feel the not being where you thought you would be to my core. It was when Peter's newest fling is found dead that the mystery enters the picture. The entire story is about Edie's character growth, how she becomes who she was always meant to be and her relationship with Peter and other friends and where her loyalty truly lies. Absolutely stellar.
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It's steady to fast paced and there is enough drama to keep your head spinning. I loved reading this one from start to finish, and I struggled putting this one down. All of the characters, even the shitty ones that will make you want to scream, played a pivotal role in making this story as special as it was.
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I listened to this via audiobook while reading my ARC. Anna Caputo was fantastic, the audiobook was addicting. Highly recommend the audio if you are thinking of checking this one out!
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Overall, this was a very though provoking, feministic, mystery, becoming true to oneself story. It was such a great story. Highly recommend to everyone!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Emily J. Smith, Harper Audio and William Morrow for the ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review.