This is a grumpy/sunshine with close proximity book about Autumn and Elijah. Stalker vibes is perfectly placed as well. During the book I found myself resonating with Autumn all the way. As society, we feel that we need to do it all and protect ourselves from the world. Not letting anyone breakdown our walls or discovering we are not "perfectly fine". I felt a connection to this book and it made me reflect on my life to not always say "Yeah I am good" and express my TRUE feelings.

In "Ms Perfectly Fine," author Kate Callaghan showcases her talent for crafting energetic banter between the main characters. The sarcastic and flirty exchanges add a juicy dynamic to the story, keeping readers entertained and invested in the relationship. Callaghan's ability to infuse wit and chemistry into the dialogue is noteworthy, making for enjoyable reading moments.

However, while the banter shines, the book could benefit from certain improvements. One area that could improve the reading experience is the use of effective blocking techniques to help the writer plan scenes. Currently, readers may find it challenging to visualize the characters' movements and spatial relationships within scenes. Incorporating clearer descriptions and cues about characters' positions can provide a stronger sense of immersion and enhance the overall flow of the narrative. I often got confused while reading, which took my out of the story, unfortunately.

Additionally, the book could benefit from stronger establishment of its setting. As a reader, it took me some time—around the 30% mark—to realize that the story takes place in Europe. A more solid, perhaps earlier, introduction to the setting would have enhanced the overall reading experience. Clearer cues could have helped establish the European backdrop, allowing readers to better understand the setting. I was really confused about certain slang words, until it clicked that they were not in the US. Maybe that’s on me, but I tend to really enjoy stories set outside of the US, and it took me too long to realize this story’s setting.

In conclusion, "Ms Perfectly Fine" charms readers with its well-crafted banter and flirtatious exchanges. Kate Callaghan demonstrates her skill in creating engaging dialogue that keeps readers hooked. However, I feel that to further enhance the reading experience, the book would benefit from improvements in blocking techniques to clarify character movements and earlier establishment of the story's setting. With these enhancements, the book could have the potential to provide an even more satisfying reading journey.

Ms Perfectly Fine

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I enjoyed this one! I love a good romance with a side of mystery/suspense.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Grumpy (her) x sunshine (him)
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
He falls first (and harder)
Great writing
Light spice
Satisfying endings
Dual POV

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Chromic pain rep
Mental health rep
All the banter
Brinkley!

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The romance felt a little rushed and forced
While I liked the addition of the mystery it wasn’t intertwined in the best way

Overall I liked the story it was really thought through and the romance was cute. The banter between two main characters was really good but the mystery aspect felt somewhat predictable and unnecessary. The story of chronical pain and past traumas was good enought even without the mystery.

Very Cute!

Insta love at its finest. I thought this book was cute. It is a very quick read and the plot was fun.

I think it's my first book read written by this author and honestly it was a nice read, the premise is that they are enemies sharing space and then they fall in love for some they fall in love too quickly, for me in the setting the story has it works just fine, the characters are constructed in a way that don't feel rushed and keep you engage to their story.

"One house, two strangers, and a dark secret. What could go wrong?"

I immediately knew I had to read this book based on the Taylor Swift reference in the title. This book was hard to get into in the beginning due to the writing style. I just didn't vibe with it. Autumn and Elijah's backstories were interesting to read, and I started to love them as the book progressed. The beginning of their story felt way too rushed. They turned from "Get out of my house!" to "I think I'm falling for you" way too quickly. I had to go back because I thought I skipped some chapters. I think book flowed really nicely after that switch, but I wish we could've seen them flow into lovers more smoothly. Also, the mystery aspect to this book really kept me hooked! Don't get me wrong, I predicted the culprit from a mile away, but it was interesting to watch the story fold out nonetheless. Overall, this was a really cute read! Totally recommend!

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute enemies-to-lovers romance suspense. The book started out a little on the slow side but really picked up the last 3 quarters of the book. I loved how supportive Autumn and Elijah were of each other's work even when they had their banter going on. I'm not going to lie though Brinkley was my favorite, he was just so sweet and cuddly, how could you not love him?

I liked that I was kept on my toes for the most part about the stalker, but I was able to figure out who it was before the end. Overall it was a cute fun read and would recommend it to others.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

I tried to like this, I really really did, I just couldn't get into it. I thought the cover and plot sounded so cute, however the actual story didn't end up being that cute at all... I didn't find the characters likeable at all. The plot was unrealistic... I didn't find their relationship believable or likeable either.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ms Perfectly Fine is a nice read. The relationship between the 2 main characters, changes and grows as the book progresses. The author really knows how to develop characters and make you like them, while creating an original and engaging plot.

Overall I really liked this story! While slow burn seems to be the crowd favorite these days, I liked seeing characters who were obviously pretty into each other early on. I will say one thing that was frustrating was consistency of details. A scene would mention her wearing a wrap dress and suddenly a few lines later it was a Tshirt. Similarly I could never keep track of the timeline or what day it was. It may have helped to have the day listed under the chapter heading, but overall it seemed to jump around.
As far as the suspense aspect, I definitely guessed the culprit, but it didn't mean I didn't enjoy the journey. Overall Autumn and Elijah were adorable and I read this in a day.

I was prepared to love this. A friend swears by this author and I was so looking forward to reading this. She's a pianist making her comeback who is suffering from chronic pain and ends up with a hot roommate who can't resist? Yes, please.

This fell off the rails for me early on when his first actions in the book felt like pulling her pigtails to get her to notice him. He's a grown man who became her roommate without her knowledge because the landlord dropped the ball on notifying her. Instead of being mortified and handling this with grace, he antagonizes her endlessly. I just felt they didn't start out on good footing and it continued that way throughout for me.

She's been sticking her head in the sand for three years about having a stalker and he is baffled that she's just been throwing these items that are left for her away without a second thought. I feel very strongly that this woman would be the first to die in a horror movie. All of the stalking comes to a head at the end of the book in a very dramatic way of course but it didn't pack the punch I wanted because the clues were laid out there the entire time.

I did like how understanding he was of her chronic pain issues and the limitations she had. I spent chunks of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop because she was getting pushed and thrown over shoulders and had to be in complete agony but just pushed through.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

What can I say? Kate Callaghan did it again. I couldn’t put this book down. I was so invested in Autumn and Elijah’s story that I stayed up until 2am two nights in a row reading. There was just enough spice to keep things entertaining and fun, plus a bonus of elements of a thriller. This book is not your typical romance novel.

Tropes:
~ enemies to lovers
~ forced proximity
~ he falls first and harder
~ grumpy/sunshine

What I enjoyed the most was how relatable both Autumn and Elijah are. I can see both of them as actual human beings walking around the neighborhood and living their lives. I relate directly to Autumn since she lives with chronic pain. Hers was brought on by a horrible accident while mine is a medical condition. It still doesn’t make the pain any different. When you have chronic pain, you don’t want to feel like a burden on the people in your life, so you constantly tell everyone that you’re perfectly fine even though you aren’t. Autumn has spent much of her life doing that and even ignores/waters down things that should be concerning. Woo, I feel you, girl.

The thriller elements of Ms Perfectly Fine were totally unexpected, but I absolutely loved it. It didn’t feel out of place at all. I mean, what famous person doesn’t have a weird fan at some point in their career? When it all came together and the big ending happened, I couldn’t believe it. I was so upset for Autumn. All she wants is to live a somewhat normal life, but things and people just keep getting in the way.

Overall, I love Kate Callaghan’s books and this one surely didn’t disappoint. I will be buying myself a hard copy as soon as I can.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kate for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Autumn Adler knew she was destined to be a famous concert pianist. However, a tragic accident during a piano recital changed her path, leaving her permanently scarred – physically, mentally, and emotionally. After almost a decade of recovery, Autumn finally feels ready to performance solo pieces again with the encouragement of the local orchestra she’s been playing in for the past three years. Things are looking up for her musically, but everything else in her life is still stuck under the weight of her accident.

The injuries Autumn sustained have left her with chronic pain, so she sticks to a rigid routine in order to curb flare ups and setbacks in her recovery. She has made her home is a pain management sanctuary where she has everything she needs organized and readily available for when those bad pain days come around. The bubble of relaxation Autumn has created for herself gets suddenly burst when she wakes up one morning to the noises of a strange man moving into the first floor of her house.

After returning home from living abroad, Elijah Wells desperately needed a place to crash while he got the videogame development company he had been working on off the ground. When one of his investors offered him a spot, he jumped on the opportunity. His move-in day was not at all what he expected, however, since his investor didn’t tell the current occupant that he would be renting out the lower floor of the house for the next six months.

While Autumn is furious that her sanctuary has been invaded, Elijah is also dealing with a new life-altering problem. It’s Autumn. He can’t seem to keep his eyes off her… or stop eating the delicious food she makes for that matter. As the date for both Autumn’s solo performance and when Elijah’s game demo is due nears, their acquaintanceship begins to evolve into something more.

Autumn and Elijah’s relationship changes again when a mysterious person begins to leave gifts and strange messages outside their house for Autumn ahead of her performance. Everything comes to a head the night of Autumn’s solo performance and once again, Autumn and Elijah’s lives are changed forever – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Eli and Autumn are forced to live under one roof and neither one of them are going to accept their new circumstances without a fight. While they go about plotting domestic sabotage for each other they are both dealing with personal and professional predicaments. There is a fine line between love and hate and Eli and Autumn are about to cross it.

This book had a good idea in there at some point, but I feel like it got buried under it trying to do too much. While I enjoyed the banter between Eli and Autumn and how he fell first, ultimately the unnecessary subplots hindered the pacing and development of the plot. The alternating between first and third person also made the flow of the writing a bit disruptive.

Autumn is making her solo comeback to the stage as a famous concert pianist after a tragic accident killed her friend and left her with a lifetime of chronic pain and trauma. She can't afford distractions, so naturally a distraction moved right in. To her house that is. In walks Elijah, a video game designer in the midst of starting up his own business. Refusing to leave her townhome, Autumn's attempt at making him leave only further provoke his desire to win her over. Who will win this battle of wills?
Overall, the premise is there, I just believe it could be executed better. The weird thriller mystery story line they added in seemed bizarre, reaching, a little unbelievable in my opinion, not to mention how rushed it wrapped up at the very end of the book. It just wasn't good. There was a lot going on at one point, and I feel it took a lot away from her intention to spread awareness about how people live with chronic pain. The story is THERE, it just needs a good editor to guide the story back to itself. I give it 3 stars, but thats rounding up. It's really like a 2.5 from me.

3.25 out of 5. This book wins mayor points for discussing and including chronic pain in a traditional romcom. As someone who has had chronic pain, it felt real and quite wonderful to see the navigation of it. Its a rom com with a little of a cozy mystery that you do not see coming, that takes it out of the traditional run of the mill romance. Those two things elevate it and set it apart. Is it the best romance I read this year? no, but it was an entertaining quick read that had a different point of view which i really admired.

"Whether you have emotional scars, physical ones, or both, you are worthy of being loved"
Just with the dedication, for me the author deserves 5 stars. I started this book sent to me by Netgalley thinking it will be a light read... and instead I found myself smiling and moved with the main characters in the storyline. Autumn is a pianist, in the middle of her return to the stage after an accident, stubborn that she will do everything on her own and pretend it's okay (hence her moniker Ms Perfectly Fine). One morning she wakes up to find a new lodger, the charming Eilijah, who may seem bossy and uncaring at first. Their story certainly doesn't start on the right foot but slowly they will get to know each other and I can assure you that you will love them. I was pleasantly surprised by the author and I recommend everyone to add this book to their TBR. Thank you again Netgalley for this little gem!

Autumn is a concert pianist who suffered a horrible accident and deals with chronic pain. She is working towards her comeback and her world is completely flipped when Elijah suddenly moves in. Autumn is very scheduled and does not like anything that messes with her carefully constructed life.

Ms. Perfectly Fine is a just perfectly fine. I appreciated having a character living with chronic pain and learning all about her ways of dealing with it in order to be able to live and play the piano.

It's labeled as romantic suspense but that element was pretty predictable. I love the grumpy/sunshine trope and the book had a few LOL moments.

It's quick read and enjoyable. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Ms Perfectly Fine had me hooked from the start! Romantic suspense was a new genre for me and I really enjoyed it. I loved the blending of mystery/thriller with romantic comedy — this book had me smiling all goofy one moment & heart racing the next. I’m always a sucker for the enemies to lovers, forced proximity, & “can’t get away from you so might as well fall in love with you” tropes. Autumn & Elijah’s chemistry was undeniable and they complimented each other so well.

I feel that the mystery/thriller aspect of this book was done really well, especially with it being a new type of story for the author as well. It had me trying to put some pieces together myself, but the twists were pretty surprising & kept me glued to the pages!

I also loved that the author touched on the intricacies of living with chronic pain. I think those that relate will feel very seen through Autumn’s character.

I was able to read the ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This has rave reviews and I was a bit overhyped. It was hard for me to get past the beginning of the book and it took some tries. It was a sweet read in the end but took effort for me to get into it.