4/5 ⭐️
I received eARC from Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you Amy Watson and Alcove Press.

I have to say that I was nervous for this book, just as much as I was intrigued. As someone who works in the mental health field, I was drawn to see how the author was going to depict the journey that Kyle Davies went through and from the description, I was a bit anxious to read that the love interest was depicted as “a jerk with a heart of gold.”

The story follows Kyle Davies at the inpatient facility called that Hope House, after a suicide attempt. Kyle finds herself staring out the window into a coffee shop wondering, while finishing comfort in her consistent routine at the Hope House. One day, Kyle find the courage to go to the coffee shop and meets Jackson.

Without giving too much away, this is how the story unfolds. We find ourselves in Kyle’s head while learning how she views herself and her place in the world as well as her relationships with those around her. I found this to be a beautiful rendition of what it’s like to go through the hardships of life while not losing yourself to them. There are a lot of things that a person can go through and a lot of ups and downs they will have to survive. Through this story we see Kyle go through that and learn to care for herself in order to care for those around her.

There were times throughout the story that I wanted more of her relationships with those around her, but realistically what we see from Kyle is how this would happen for many people in her situation. When depression or anxiety become too much, it is hard to form relationships with those around us and to acknowledge those relationships that are present. There were times where I wanted to shake Kyle and tell her talk to Mary or Rebecca she’s there, she’s willing to listen, but unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way and in situation like that forming relationships could mean forming trauma bonds.

I think that through this book we were able to see a very beautiful journey and a realistic depiction of how someone’s struggling with their mental health views the mental health system as well as seeing the main character actually fight what they’re going through.

This book was the right touch of sweet and serious!

I received this book In exchange for review!

Honestly- I really really liked this book. I found the talk of depression/anxiety to be accurate and relatable. I feel like the psychiatrist character was…heavy handed. Particularly for someone with training in the field, but he was supposed to be an antagonist, so I can let it slide. It was somewhat reminiscent of It’s Kind Of A Funny Story by Vizzini, but with a romance plot line.

My one real gripe with this novel was the ending! I feel like just as the MC was doing better, it ends! I would have liked to see more from an ending. It left a lot unresolved in my opinion

I received this copy from Net Galley for an honest review.

Closer to Okay was the best book I've read this year, possibly in a long while. Once I started reading I couldn't stop, and I was finished before I even realized it.

I think Kyle's struggles are relatable to any reader who has experienced any sort of mental illness. I enjoyed reading through Kyle finding herself again, working through the struggles and the setbacks mentally. I overall just want to rave so much about this book, I hope everyone reads it and loves it as much as I do.

I was so excited to read this but I’ll be honest...although it isn’t outright and pretty lowkey I didn’t like the casual slutshaming of other women.

"Closer to Okay" is a beautiful novel about Kyle, a woman suffering from depression for almost all her life. She lives in a house with three other patients taken care for by nurses and security personell. When she falls in love with Barista Jackson, she has to figure out how to handle her recovery and a possible relationship at the same time.

I really liked the discussion about mental illness. Also I could feel Kyle's struggle with everything that is happening to her. The love story is beautifully written and felt believable.

Highly recommend!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book has some deep and heavy topic, but the author handles it well and keeps the books fun and light hearted. Honestly it was one of my best reads so far this year.

Kyle Davies is in Hope House, a rehabilitation and recovery home for those leaving the hospital and trying to re-enter society as normally and as easily as possible. Most people are there due to various mental illnesses that have taken over their lives and have made it hard to live without treatment. Kyle goes to Hope House from the hospital after a very traumatic event that happens to her. I said it in my last post but this book is very necessary in my opinion, it talks about mental health like I've never seen before. Not just depression and anxiety, but PTSD, OCD and drug related psychosis.

Kyle hasn't left Hope House since she arrived and she does have off site privileges and is able to leave the house for no more than two hours every day. She uses this to her advantage, even during a panic attack, and goes to The Coffee Shop, a coffee house across the street to drink something other than instant coffee for the first time in weeks. She meets the two owners Jamie and Jackson, the "always smiling one" and the "never smiling one."

Even with it's contents this book is funny, lighthearted at times, lovable, relatable and eye-opening. There are some pretty heavy and dark topics in this that may trigger some people since it is about the struggle with mental illness, self harm, suicide attempts, suicide and drug use. So just be careful if you do decide to read this once it hits the shelves because it can be a bit overwhelming at times.

Kyle and Jackson's growing relationship in this was a rollercoaster and even still, I thought they were adorable. Not only did it show the true reality of how living with mental illness can impact relationships, this relationship just felt very real and authentic. That's the part that's probably why I knocked down my review to 4.75 stars instead of 5 stars. It was very predictable and I knew it was going to happen in the end. I give this a 4.75/5 stars, mostly because the ending was very predictable, but still cute nonetheless. I'm rarely surprised with books anymore, that and I'm just pretty intuitive with what's going to happen. The author really captured mental illness and I appreciated the book being from Kyle's point of view and her struggles and thoughts in her own head in real time. It was very real, very raw, emotional and lovable.

Something is stopping me from giving it 5/5 stars, probably the ending, but I just can't really put my finger on it. I still really loved it though, and I believe this book is important to many teens, young adults, and even adults who struggle with any kind of mental illness.

3.5 stars
this was such a beautiful, inspiring depiction of mental health and healing. i related a lot to kyle’s internal monologue and a lot of her experiences hit close to home for me. this handled the tough subject matter beautifully and in a way that almost made me feel hopeful and comforted in reading it. it inspires me to believe that broken people can be broken and still deserve good things, and that broken people can move towards healing and getting better despite their mistakes and hardships. your broken-ness does not define you. in my opinion, this is simply a very important topic that people should read about. however, i did find the plot to be a bit choppy in some parts, going super slow but then super fast and glossing over some things that maybe could’ve had more page time. there also could’ve been a it more development between kyle and jackson i think. overall though, i enjoyed this.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗸𝗮𝘆 follows Kyle Davies, a pastry chef who has been admitted to a mental health facility after struggling with depression for a long time. Across from Kyle's window in the facility is The Coffee Shop where we meet our love interest, Jackson Turner. This book is heavily character-driven and deals with multiple aspects of different mental illnesses. We go through Kyle's ups and downs as she recovers from depression and anxiety, while making new friends, going out of her comfort zone, and rediscovering her passion for baking. Although it is mainly focused on Kyle and her recovery, we get to see her relationship with Jackson evolve as well.

Now onto my personal opinion on this book; it was definitely a fun read. Is it one of the best? No. Would I still recommend it to younger readers? Yes. It approaches the topic of mental illness both lightly and realistically, making it easy to relate to, but not too heavy at the same time. It could still be triggering for some readers (TWs at the end of the review). I LOVED reading about the different coffees and pastries; that concept of the book gave it a cozy feel. Jamie was an adorable side character I wish we got to know more, as well as Fiona.

I do feel like the writing and characters were a bit immature, though. I feel like there was potential for Kyle to be a much deeper character, and more so Jackson!! The misunderstanding trope wasn't done well in my opinion, which could've been why these characters came off as shallow or childish to me. The pacing of events also could have been more organized because I felt like I was jumping between timelines, and in every other chapter a whole new conflict comes up before the previous one is resolved. I don't know if Dr. Booth was meant to be sort of toxic, but I feel like he caused everyone in the facility to regress instead of progress mentally. Because of that, I don't think Kyle ultimately "got better" by the end of the book. I think if the therapist was more accepting or professional and provided healthier coping mechanisms, it would have even put the idea of getting professional help in a more positive light instead of a negative one.

Nevertheless, this was definitely a wholesome read that I was able to relate to and enjoy thoroughly. I'd recommend this if you enjoy Kathleen Glasgow's writing style except it's definitely a lot lighter!

TW// attempted suicide, death of loved ones, self-harm, PTSD, violence, depressive thoughts

Book is about Kyle Davies, which struggles with depression and anxiety. After her grandmother's passing, she had an attempt at suicide while being half concious. She then had to be admitted to the hospital and end up in an inpatient, called Hope House. For a while she had a routine, and responsibility to cook meals for all four residents of the house. But when a coffee place across the street opened up, she finds herself stalking the guy running the coffee place.

The Review:

To be very honest, I like the issue this book brings to the readers. It goes the inside head and point of view of Kyle, which terribly messy. With her abandonment issues, and panic attacks. It discusses the well-being of the diagnosed PTSD, OCD and anxiety disorder. Also brought psyhosis and anorexia.

I also love the fact that food is incorporated very heavily, as well as coffee. Kyle is a pastry chef, and Jackson is a coffee lover, who basically stayed 2 years in Costa Rica learning about coffee beans and how to extract them. I really love my coffee and to read a book that explicitly discusses pour-over or café chorreado brought a warm feeling to me.
Although I like my café chorreado, black and iced, Jackson might not like my choice. 😂

"Ice dilutes and reduces the quality of the coffee, and too much time and care go into the beans to intentionally degrade the brew." — Jackson

All good things aside, I find the book, eighty percent discusses Kyle, being inside Kyle's thoughts, and less on other characters. The development of Fiona let say, Kyle only met Fiona, twice(?), but we don't really know what Fiona is really like. Not only Fiona, the main character, Jackson Turner, also do not appear as much. This makes me feel detached and do not relate as much to their story.

In the book, Kyle is facing a depressing time, as much as that, I think she sometimes can be so mean to Jackson, and vice versa. These pair seems toxic to each other, in the way the do not understand each other's problems and keeps shoving their way into the relationship. I sometimes feel their conversations cringey.

Overall, the premise is promising and taught me a lot about inpatient facility in Chicago, and Kyle's illness. Also shed light to a few types of mental illnesses, and how each of them struggle each day, even to get up from bed and live.

Disclaimer: I receive an eARC of the book from Netgalley in exchange of honest review. Thank you Netgalley.

Ratings: 3.5 ⭐️