This is a bit of a departure from the type of books I normally read. There was surprisingly a dead body but no murder or mystery. This was instead a snapshot into the lives of Penny and her husband, Sanjay. Told in first person, this could have been anyone’s story and I think that is why it will appeal to many readers.

I resonated with so many aspects of Penny’s life; although, I am not married nor have any children. The death of a best friend could knock anyone off the precarious balance of their fragile life. This book shows the impact of such a life challenge. I particularly liked when Sanjay told Penny she needed to stop making it seem like life was perfect. She wouldn’t tell anyone how hard or challenging things were since she didn’t believe that would matter or seem relevant to others. She wasn’t being honest with others because she didn’t want to rock the boat. That fact alone caused people to take advantage of her kindness. This made her life miserable even though she never realized it.

This book shows how the death of her best friend ended up saving her life. Was she going to die any time soon. Nope. But her life, and her family, was in jeopardy of imploding. Like they said, ‘if momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.’

I enjoyed the journey of how they pulled themselves out of the mire of their challenges. Great flow, engaging characters you can relate to. It is a life revealed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I’m Fine and Neither Are You was love at first read! I devoured this book in under 48 hours and am over the moon with Pagan’s writing and the relatable characters she’s created.

I couldn’t believe that the story was based in Ann Arbor and that Penny works for the University of Michigan - oddly enough I’m a fellow Michigander who also works at UM! Perhaps that was what initially hooked me, but ultimately Pagan’s ability to dive deep into the many layers of being a wife, mom, working professional and friend was what kept me turning each page as quickly as possible.

As a fellow female workaholic who’s about to embark on marriage and starting a family in the next few years, this book served as a fictional guide towards what to consider and ask myself as I go through these next steps in my life. I thank Pagan for painting a realistic picture of the many pressures women face and also being unafraid to display raw emotions from all character perspectives.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m Fine and Neither Are You is a story about a woman named Penny, a wife and working mother of two, who has been furiously treading water while maintaining a false smile above the surface. A tragedy causes Penny to realize she’s not the only one faking a perfect life, and she embarks on a mission with her husband to reclaim her life, career, and marriage.

Camille Pagán is tackling some serious issues in this book, and I think the message she’s getting across is important. I think many readers will relate to Penny’s story and perhaps enjoy her journey more than I did. But for me, the entire book is quite depressing, and I found Penny’s character to be overwhelmingly whiney and hard to root for. Penny saw everything in her life through a negative light — her husband is too immature, her kids are too much of a handful, her house too old and plain, her coworkers too annoying — it just felt like I was listening to a friend complain and complain and complain and by the time she reaches her enlightenment I had simply had enough!

This is my first book by Camille Pagan, and I really enjoyed it.

The relatable story focused on married working mom Penelope, who over time has become exhausted by her job, child care and house duties, and is slowly beginning to honestly resent her mostly stay at home husband.
When her best friend dies, Penny realizes it may be time to make changes.

The book is less plot-driven and more a slice of life in a time of turmoil in a woman's life during her mid-30s. Every working mom trying to balance her career and home life will relate to the book, which is deftly written with wit and style.

I will definitely read more by Ms. Pagan.

Thanks to NetGalley.com, the author and publisher for my advanced copy.

Imagine- you are a busy mom, trying to survive the hamster wheel of life, struggling to keep your head afloat among work and home responsibilities, and merely coexisting with your husband. For most moms, they don’t need to imagine this because it’s their reality (including myself). Which makes I’m Fine and Neither Are You a completely relatable book that will be a breath of fresh air for many women. I’m Fine and Neither Are You is the realistic story of Penelope as she struggles to find balance between work and home, become a better mom, find her joy, and reconnect with her husband. It’s her journey to get her mojo back after a devastating loss that shakes her world to the core. I flew through this book, nodding my head in solidarity many times. For me, Im Fine and Neither Are You was a solid 4.5 stars. Thank you @amazonpublishing for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I’m Fine and Neither Are You
By Camille Paga’n
Published April 1, 2019


‘“Mistakes were Made.” The first sentence in Ms, Paga’n’s book, I’m Fine and Neither are You. Yes, it drew me in, as we all make mistakes. I found that she was referring to Jenny and her best friend, Penelope. Their worlds were together. When things went well at home or at work, they messaged or called. When it all fell apart one of them reached out for help. Penny’s life was with her husband, Sanjay and two children, Stevie and Miles; Jenny with her husband, Matt and daughter, Cecily. They both knew well that children were a daily struggle to keep healthy and happy and occupied. Husbands worked too much as Matt but not so much Sanjay who was out of a job, but currently writing articles on demand. It all fell on Penny’s shoulders. Housework, meals, 8 plus hours of work and more at home. Jenny was alone much of the time due to Matt’s travel for work. She wrote a daily blog on family and home. She received many samples from advertisers and was able to write and still have time for playtime with Cecily. It was lonely but her friends helped and their was always Penny. It reminds many readers of our 40-something lifestyles. It is difficult as we all know, searching for ways to get through the really tough times. This storyline mimics what we know and then it didn’t. Life came to a stand still for all involved. I admit it through me, really made me think. I can’t tell you much more without a spoiler and wouldn’t want to. I can only say truthfully that I’m Fine and Neither are You is such a terrific read, it is not one to miss.
I had not read other works from Camille Paga’n. I heard good things about her novels but had yet to pick one up. This one I had read so many reviews and knew I couldn’t miss it. Reviews can be misleading however. I was let to believe this novel to be humorous at times and a fun tale of friendship - Wrong, it was real, too real. That is not to say it shouldn’t be read, it most certainly should. It is one of the best books I have read this year and I totally recommend it.
I’m Fine and Neither are You by Camille Paga’n was just published on April 1, 2019 by Lake Union publishing. It is truly a must read.

4.5 Stars(almost 5 except the protagonist was a tad bit "too" much at times and worked my nerves)

This is not a book that I would normally read, as I would have considered it "too realistic" for me; however, it was selected for our book club and I stepped out of my comfort zone. I normally don't read books about real life problems because I have my own, I read to escape reality. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of what I already knew. You can never possibly know everything that is going on in people's lives and minds. If you didn't already know there were problems in your relationships, reading this book will surely tell you there are many. I actually realized I do some of the same things as Penny and sabotage things because I think the are going too well. Or, I accept things the way they are because I am afraid of conflict or hurting someone. The core characters of this story experience the same things most of us have and it helps to see others struggle through it. I am not saying its good to see others struggle, it just shows you that you are not alone in the struggle.

This is a work of fiction but could easily be an entertaining self help book. I highly recommend this to anyone (male or female) that has ever been in a relationship (not just a romantic one), had a stressful job, experiences the struggle with the balance of life, experienced the loss of a loved one, or an absentee parent.

I had a digital copy as well as the audio version. The Audible narrator, Amy McFadden, was great!

This was just mediocre at best, decent idea for plot...the characters seemed stereotypical and cringe worthy what could have been a decent
psychological novel slides fast into a assertiveness training plot from decades ago with some mansplaining thrown in.

"It takes courage to be yourself when everyone expects you to be someone else." Life is hard sometimes especially when you feel all the expectations from others mounting on your shoulders. This book is a great reminder that sometimes we have to figure out what we want and put all the demands from others on the back burner. This was a wonderful story that I could not put down. I enjoyed it from start to finish!
I highly recommend this book and suggest you start reading as soon as possible!

I had high hopes for this novel and it really didn’t live up to all the hype it was getting! I wish there would have been more. In every way.

I'm Fine and Neither are You is a book for the 21st century. A book about marriage, careers, friendships and mental health. A book that feels like light reading but which actually disguises darker topics of the work/life balance.

Penny and her husband have been coasting along for some time. She envies her friend Jenny who has the perfect husband, perfect marriage, perfect house, etc. etc.. When a catastrophic event causes Penny to re-evaluate her life and her marriage, she takes to heart the adage that honesty is the best policy. While in certain circumstances this is a positive thing she is left wondering if there are some things that are better left unsaid and unknown.

I really liked this book. I liked each of the characters, Penny in particular I found easy to relate to. We all at times feel the grass is greener on someone else's side but in reality that rarely is the case if you dig a little deeper. With an underlying message that it is okay to not be okay, this book is both humorous and heartbreaking.

I'm Fine and Neither Are You had me at times laughing and at times weeping. Camille gives us a thought provoking story on how well do we know our friends and family. We really don't know what goes on behind close doors or in other peoples minds. We look at people and see exactly what they want us to see. We always say "everything is fine". But is it really? How much of the truth do we want from our friends, spouses and family?

I can relate to Penny in this story. The characters are well developed and the book is a fast read. My favorite line is the book is "I had received her parting gift - the ability to look beyond what was missing and be grateful for all the remained". I think a lot of us in life look and see what we don't have instead of enjoying what we do have. This book is a must read. Thank you to Camille Pagan, the publisher and netgalley for an arc of this book and this is my honest review.

I’m Fine and Neither Are You by Camille Pagan

This book approaches a topic that touches so many of our lives, that marriage is hard work. Penny experiences a situation that shows her that life is too short to just “coast.” She decides to take her happiness into her own hands and work towards a better, happier life. Of course this comes with difficult conversations and uncomfortable situations. This is a great story about how she and her husband navigate this as well as her career and relationships to those she loves. I definitely recommended this to all women who need to know that they are not alone. Life comes to a point that we become stagnant and we all could take some responsibility and make changes to fall in love with ourselves again and others.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I was captivated from the very beginning. This is a heavy story, that is both humorous and heartwarming. I truly did not want this gem of a novel to end! Highly recommend!

This book's clever title drew my attention and but its blurb describing a story about a woman who struggles with secrets, loss and how to get her life back on track is what sold it to me.

The book starts out strong and had me giggling in the first scene. A good sign. The book remains a fairly light read even though it handles some darker issues involving family, life lessons and a few side stories. Unfortunately, these issues are only touched on and readers aren't given enough time to get to know the characters in any depth. We really only get Penny's take and she's a very hard gal to like. While she has some good quips, she comes off as a whiney martyr who is hard to please and instead of clicking with her, I ended up feeling bad for her husband.

Overall, I'm Fine and Neither Are You started off stronger than it ended and while it didn't quite hit the mark for me, I applaud the author for taking on the underlying theme of honesty -- with ourselves and those around us -- as we try to shed the masks we wear in order to appear that we have all aspects of our lives in perfect order.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author and net galley for the opportunity to read this book. The story is of loss and love. I feel it was very relatable to lives of women who sometimes forget who they are. Also touches on how social media is used to only show the good things in life and not always reality. Great book.

I’m Fine and Neither Are You follows the journey of a woman’s life as she deals with tragedy, her family, and a job that isn’t her favorite. The story is very well written and though I don’t have kids, I can definitely relate to Penny, the main character. Even with all of the obstacles thrown at her, she keeps going and perseveres. Camille Pagan’s books are always a joy to read, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

I received an advance reader copy of this book.

I think the title fits the state of any marriage perfectly. At least, at some point in the marriage. Ms. Pagan explores relationships in danger of combustion. How well do we know our family and our friends? And how well do we honestly want to know them? Do we really want to deep dive beneath the surface they present to us and if we do, are we ready for the hard answers?

These questions and more are explored amidst a tragic death and the repercussions from that death.

Penny is a totally identifiable character—I have been her at one time or another—harried wife and mother wondering/worrying that I’m creating the best possible life for my children while trying to balance the relationship that brought them about. Wondering if I’ve made the best choices as to my career and trying to find time to fulfill my own passions that don’t have to do with my family.

I rooted for her and Sanjay, her husband, to find their way back to each other. And mostly for Penny to find and appreciate her happy.

I received an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. I think the story was so relevant to our culture today. From the struggles working mothers go through to the way we often envy others based on the limited way they portray themselves on social media. I struggled at times with Penny's peace-keeping ways and I wish we'd had a glimpse into her relationship with Jenny prior to her death - it would've helped me connect more with that aspect of the story. I'm Fine and Neither Are You was my first read by Camille Pagan and I will certainly check out her other books!