Jess is a Black woman starting her career in the NYC finance industry world, a heavily white, male dominated space.

Jess first met Josh in college when they had to debate each other in class, Josh was arguing against affirmative action. Instant enemies. Obviously.

Fast forward a few years and they are both working at Goldman Sachs, where they find themselves attracted to each other.

OKAY. SO. This is not a romance, going into it thinking it is an enemies to lovers is all wrong.

Next, Josh stinks. He’s a privileged white dude who doesn’t care to think about the fact that his implicit bias is racist and is effecting his girlfriend. He’s failing to see the systemic racism embedded all around him. And he mansplains to Jess that it’s “not as bad as she thinks.”

I didn’t love the book but I’m glad I read it, because all of the reviews I saw on this book were so polarizing. I also saw a lot of 1 star ratings without actually having read the book.

I think it was an interesting subject, trying to navigate a relationship with largely differing political views. But, Josh is awful and it’s hard to move past that.

Have you read this? I’m super curious to hear others thoughts.

I’m also going to guess that *if* Jess and Josh’s relationship survived 2016, I don’t think it survived 2020.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc!

This sounded like an enemies to lovers book that I would enjoy, that is not the case. It's not just that they are enemies, but that he is racist. DNF for me.

This book was WILD. I couldn't put it down, and I'm still not totally sure I've wrapped my head around it. I screamed at the ending - it was so unexpected, but the more I think about it, the more that it worked.

It is a fascinating story of both love, coming of age, and struggling with one's identity and how all of those pieces fit together, even when it seems as if they shouldn't.

There were parts that I loved, and parts that I found wildly frustrating. I wanted the best for Jess, and for her to have it all, but also the more I read the more I realized that she needs to figure out what that means for her - and that often it is so much harder than we think it is, because of the world in which we live.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. it wasn't a typical romance which some might not enjoy but that's why it's one of my favorites! I felt like I was reading about a real person, not a character in some fictional cupcake town.

also I appreciate that the main character could just be good at things, like that card game. if that doesn't clearly show, how sometimes, life doesn't owe you a reason, I don't know what would.

I was incredibly disappointed at how many took this blub at face value and decided to judge it based off that alone. Doesn't seem like they even understood or read the book.
this country is getting more and more complicated and it's not uncommon to find someone who you like but has flaws.
we're no longer at a place where you can just cut off people because they wear a certain hat. And the work all of us has to do, is vital to all of our success.

I’ve learned my lesson in judging a book by its cover. I picked this book out expecting a literary fiction novel and was surprised when I actually read the blurb and some of the reviews. It has been marketed as a romance but I don’t think that’s accurate at all. This is not a fun, fluffy romance. It’s messy, the characters are flawed and it shows how complicated everyday life is. Everything’s Fine is a character study of racial bias in the United States. Jess’s story is a raw, honest, and heartbreaking look at what it’s like to be the only black woman in the room and have to work ten times as hard to prove her worth. I felt outraged every time she had to explain herself to Josh and stand up for herself in a male-dominated field even though she was being gaslit into thinking she was crazy. At the same time, Jess is a new grad and this is a coming-of-age story set in NYC during a huge political swing. I loved the timeline because I can remember the cheering from the streets when Obama was elected and the tears when his second term came to an end. Everything’s Fine is uncomfortable to read at times but I think that’s part of what made it work for me. The book also explores friendships, family conflict, and grief. I really enjoyed the writing and pacing of this story. I flew through the second half because I needed to find out what happened next. I’m a white woman and bring my own narrow world views to the table so I think it’s really important to read what women of color are saying about this book— both positive and negative. It’s definitely worth a read for some of the important discussions that are coming out of it! I’d recommend this one for a book club.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for my review. It’s never easy to review a book that isn’t an enjoyable read. This book I think means to be part of the enemies to lovers trope, but come across more as victim to lovers or marginalized to lovers. It just tugged a bit in the wrong direction for me. Not being a WOC, I can’t comment on how realistic the scenarios are— only that Josh seems to get rewarded or at least excused for unacceptable behavior. The writing was good, the message was not completely clear for me, the storyline was emotional at times, humorous at times and tried to tackle some real issues. I’m willing to admit that I may just not be the target audience for this one.

If you'd like to relive any emotional trauma from the 2016 election, then this is the book for you. This had so much potential to be an introspective read but continuously fell flat with nothing really happening. The last 25% just felt like a mad rush to finish something sprinkled with the trauma from the death of a parent. There's no resolution of any issue throughout the book and there were so many red herrings that took away from any sort of plot...it's too much. This was marketed as a romance and there's nothing romantic about this book.

Everything's not fine- as is clear from the one star reviews by people who haven't read this novel. Jess is black, Josh is white. They met at Yale and now they're both working at Goldman Sachs, where he's seen as the golden boy and she's getting coffee. But they build a friendship and then just as she gets break, he leaves for another firm. She's not happy at Goldman and when Josh suggests she come to work for him, using her mad math skills, she takes a chance. Unwise no matter their racial differences because just their romance....Know that there's a lot about the microaggressions and racist things that have happened to Jess over time. She's filled with self doubt as a result of her experiences. It's tough to put a finger on Josh but that's how people work sometimes. Those strawberries on the cover say a lot. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a well written and thought provoking book that has clearly already engendered discussion.

I really enjoyed this. It was thought provoking. I wish we had more interaction between Jess and her dad.

This is not a romance novel. I repeat, and would like to clarify, NOT a romance novel. Yes, it surrounds two people who are dating, and who eventually fall in love. I personally felt like the relationship was toxic? It has a lot of cringe moments.

The ending makes it feel like a horror novel, or a psychological thriller, where you go through this whole journey with them and then Josh, a very rich white man says to Jess, his Black girlfriend, who is angry and defeated with the final results of the election, while they’re both watching the Trump inauguration, “See? Everything’s fine.” And well, we are all a witness to how that’s all turned out in real life. 🫠

This novel was a complicated read. I feel like for the time period it’s taking place, it’s realistic in that I think a lot of people were seeing their loved ones in a different light, and questioning even themselves, and where they drew the line for what was okay to “agree to disagree”. I watched a short interview with the author where she said she was inspired by an article that was titled “Donald Trump is Destroying My Marriage”, so I sort of get what she was trying to do?

I think reading this novel NOW, you’re immediately screaming at Jess to RUN, because Josh is basically one big red flag 🚩. Most of what he say is cringe, the mansplaining, the wishy washy take on things, all while he reaps the benefits of his white privilege. There is NO WAY their relationship makes it much longer. It’s NOT possible.

Initially I thought this book was trying to be like Such a Fun Age, but then again, watching the interview with the author she was saying she wanted to write a love story, but then wanted to make it fresh by having the relationship develop between the elections, but then said don’t expect a dark political saga, but I think maybe it just became unintentionally dark because we’re now living in the aftermath of that election and it’s hard to believe that the character Jess would just be okay with Josh’s political beliefs because she loves him?

I think if the author wanted to write a romance, she could have written a romance. She is a good writer, but I don’t think she really knew what she wanted this to be. And maybe that’s why it was difficult to categorize.

I don’t think I’ll outright recommend this one. I recommend doing your research, read reviews, and if you choose to read it, know that’s it’s not a romance novel.

Thank you @netgalley and @Simonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

First off, this book is cringy! Lol
It's marketed as a dark comedy, "enemies to lovers" type of novel but it's not the sort at all... It felt like reading someone who was so desperate for love just love anyone.

Jess was incredibly cringy, Josh was cringy and them together was the ultimate cringe.
Jess acted like an idiot, and wasn't because she majored in math so her acting dumb and like a social idiot just made me mad... Josh was a racist but an undercover racist which made me even more mad and them getting together pushed it over the edge.

Jess was super annoying and I felt like the writing was all over the place. I had to reread sections to understand what was going on but it was just ugh.

Because Jess is black, it seemed like every white male she came into contact with was a conservative, Republican racist. They didn't call her by the right name, excluded her and were just overall racist.

This isn't a book I would necessarily recommend for individual reading, but more for a bookclub so everyone can give their opinions about this.

This is a book that readers will have strong opinions about, making it a good choice for book clubs which is why I am giving it 4 stars. Jess, a Black twenty-something who was raised by a Black father in mostly white Lincoln, Nebraska, is struggling with her identity and what she wants to do with her life while navigating adulthood in New York City. The choices that she makes in this book are extreme and confounding but could be explained by her identity issues. Much of this book takes place during Trump's first presidential campaign which brings another level of anxiety to the book. Lots to unpack about race in this book which at times can be infuriating.

this book was different than what i normally read but it was very thought provoking! jess is such a strong female character and she knew what she believed in and never let anyone tell her otherwise. interesting read for sure!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Jess is a recent college graduate who is starting an entry level position at Goldman Sachs. A black woman who grew up in the Midwest, she butt heads with a former classmate, Josh, who started at the same firm months earlier. They strike up a complicated yet realistic relationship. Do opposites attract? Sure. Can opposites stay together? Maybe.

Everything's Fine is a strong, entertaining and very provocative novel by Cecilia Rabess - I really enjoyed it. It's HBO's Industry if Harper was actually interesting, a fleshed out character and someone you actually cared about. The prose is well written, sharp and funny. The characters are mainly fleshed out. The plot is interesting, even though finance is the last thing I'm interested in.

I hope that this is a big hit, it really deserves to be.

A story about love, self-discovery and relationships in a politically charged world. This book was very readable and I flew through it. I enjoyed the main character’s relationships with her friends and father, the narrative regarding grief and perspective of a POC growing up in a predominately white area/working in a male dominated field. Additionally, I like that the feelings of self-disappointment she felt regarding her father/her choices were echoed by him, as this is a very relatable feeling among parents/children, etc.

However, I did not like the MMC. While I understand that the main characters views were intended to clash, I found Josh so unlikeable that the romance wasn’t unbelievable and he didn't seem to undergo the same character growth as it felt that Jess experienced throughout the story.

Additionally, while it felt like Jess was growing and learning throughout the book (about herself, her values and what she wanted to stand for), her choices at the end of the book felt contrary to all
of this, which was very disappointing and frustrating as a the reader.

Everything's Fine
By Cecilia Rabess

Jess is young black woman who has left her native Nebraska and relocated to New York City. She has spent her childhood in Lincoln, raised by her widowed father in a predominantly white neighborhood. Her father has tried to instill in Jess what it means to be black, but it's not until she moves to cosmopolitan New York that she becomes truly aware of her "blackness" and what that means with regard to others. She is torn between her love for a conservative white man – Josh – and her liberal ideas about how society treats women, blacks, the poor and others.

Josh is an up and coming Wall Street stock trader who is very successful and has a bright future. Typical of money men, he sees the problems in this country ultimately stemming from the economy. He doesn't think the liberal ideas of Jess and some of her friends are the answer to fix things in the long run.

While Jess and Josh are deeply in love, Jess is not able to reconcile her DEI ideas with Josh's more conservative beliefs, which she calls racist. They fight and break up over these issues.

Ultimately, they both learn some valuable lessons: love really can overcome differences; everything you know about a person may not be all there is to know; and tolerance of different ideas and beliefs may be what can really save the country.

Jess is a character of contradictions. A liberal committed to the idea that those who profit from capitalism are evil, she takes a job as an investment banker. A Black woman keenly aware of how white people cannot understand her experience, she seeks friendship with white women. And she falls in love with a white man who embodies everything she rejects. Josh is a Connecticut conservative, a fellow investment banker whose enthusiasm for the work of getting rich is matched only by his talent for it, but also a thoughtful and compassionate person. Still, Jess is irresistibly drawn to him. Until world events - the 2016 election - and Jess's personal and professional crises force her to look at the relationship and herself in a new, more critical light.

Everything's Fine is sharply-written, funny, and finely-observed. Although Jess and Josh are types, they felt like specific examples of those types, real people. And they frustrated me the way real people might, Jess especially, Perhaps because the writing is so smart and mature, I often forgot how young she is - early 20s - and found her naivete alarming. At one point, rather late in the book, she is shocked to see Josh caring for a lost kitten, genuinely convinced that his compassion is at odds with his conservatism - and this is her boyfriend!

But, Jess's blindnesses are part of the point. She doesn't always see who Josh really is, or what their relationship means, and even at the novel's end there are no easy answers for these characters who love each other and are deeply committed to profoundly different worldviews. A moving and quintessentially American love story.

This book took me through so many emotions. It is very common to say everything is fine when in reality it isn’t. Jess was struggling to navigate the culture of a job she thought she had trained for in college. She quickly learned that it takes more than a degree to succeed in a male dominated field that lacks diversity and inclusion. Jess and Josh started as adversaries in college and reconnect at her job in the financial industry. They became really good friends with different political views, beliefs and backgrounds. That friendship blossomed into much more. I think Jess was very insecure in the relationship because she was trying to find her place in her career and in Josh’s world.
Jess and Josh had an interesting relationship and dynamic. I think love can conquer all and everything will be fine.

How often have you responded "Everything's fine." when everything is not fine? We either lie to ourselves that we are indeed fine or we don't want to worry someone about why we aren't.

On Jess's first day at Goldman Sachs, she is not thrilled to work with Josh, her white sparring partner from college. They bumped heads before and sure to bump heads again in the workplace. But when Jess finds herself being the sole Black woman on the trading floor, overlooked and underestimated, it is Josh that stands up for her and opens doors of opportunity. Like romance clockwork, their relationship turns to friendship then sparks fly.

Considering the main character's professional situation, I thought I would relate to her. Welp, her actions squashed that comparison. The snap decisions, the overreacting, the need to talk but not listen made me dislike her within pages. The most annoying part is her saying, "Everything's fine." when she is literally drowning not asking for help. Perhaps the story would've been better if the focus was on Jess's mental health rather than an interracial relationship with all its politics.

Happy Early Pub Day, Cecilia Rabess! Everything's Fine will be available Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

From the synopsis: "She's black, he’s white; she’s liberal, he’s conservative. She thinks he's a racist jerk. He finds her more than a little immature." The blurb and marketing should have been done more carefully because it definitely raises red flags, but this book is not supporting or promoting the idea of romanticizing racism, as many of the reviews have stated. I wouldn't call this book a romance. It does not end on a HEA.. The story provides a realistic view point of what I would assume it is like to be a woman of color in a predominately white world, where gaslighting and racial bias is normalized, and where finding your voice and strengthening your boundaries is important. Without giving away too many spoilers, the book ends in the way in should end, but it is an infuriating journey to get there, as it is intended to be. This book did have some thought-provoking ideas and themes; however, it is very uncomfortable at times to read. They are not a couple I could root for, but maybe that was the entire point.