Rating: 3.75 stars

What initially drew me to the book was the mystery aspect and the chronic pain rep. I love it when rom-coms have a little more to them than just the romance and Ms. Perfectly Fine did not disappoint!

I'm not going to lie, it was a bit of a slow start for me, but after the 30% mark, I couldn't put it down. The mystery begins pretty early, but doesn't become prevalent until much later in the book. It seems our dear FMC has a potential stalker? I'm not going to lie, I initially fell for the red herring and was surprised at the reveal. I thought all of the storylines really worked well together!

Autumn, our FMC, was incredibly relatable to me. The walls and routines she has in place are such a common defense mechanism for people with mental and/or physical trauma. I love that the author included this look into the aftermath of a traumatic experience, but I am so happy that they also made it clear that it does not define Autumn!

The romance between our gamer boy, Elijah, and Autumn was a bit of a whirlwind, but very sweet! It was nice to see how observant Elijah was, but a bit frustrating that he missed some big clues regarding our mysterious stalker.

As I mentioned earlier the chronic pain representation was a huge reason I read this book and Callaghan did a wonderful job balancing the pain with the romance. I thought the different responses to Autumn's chronic pain were accurate as well.

Overall, I had a great time! If you're looking for a sweet little rom-com with a touch of mystery, this just might be the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author, Kate Callaghan, for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

Ms Perfectly Fine tells the story of Autumn, a pianist who experienced a traumatizing accident ten years prior and has been living with chronic pain ever since, and Elijah, a video game developer who has leased the bottom floor of the house Autumn has been renting...without the landlord giving her a heads-up. While the two struggle with each other, they inevitably end up falling for each other while Autumn learns to let people into her life. Meanwhile, Autumn is also being forced to face an ongoing problem she's been ignoring for the last three years - someone has been periodically leaving her mysterious roses at her doorstep.

This book was interesting in that it mixed romance with a mystery/thriller vibe. I'd never read a book like that and I think it balanced the two genres well. I also really enjoyed the banter between Autumn and Elijah and how much they messed with each other. Autumn was a very well-written grumpy character who was actually just grumpy, whereas a lot of "grumpy" characters in books come off more as just mean. Having chronic pain representation was a very high point of the book as well. You can truly understand her trauma and her hesitancy to let anyone into her life and help her with anything.

I did think that the beginning of their relationship was a little clunky. It seemed like they went from enemies (at least from Autumn's point of view) to being openly attracted to each other quite suddenly. The change felt a little forced and I wish we could've seen a friendship develop better between them before going to the romance. But as they got into the groove of their relationship, it felt more natural. For me, the last 40% where the mystery portion of the story really ramps up was its shining part. It was very fast-paced and got me very invested in the story.

Overall, this was a good, quick palette cleanser that had a good genre mix and funny, sweet main characters.

⭐️4,5

I loved this book so so much, I enjoyed every second of it. I'm so obsessed with Autumn and Elijah. They're so cute together.

I was immersed in the book from the start. I loved how on top of the romance there was a mystery. I was trying to figure out the whole situation with the characters which was so entertaining.

But, the most entertaining moments in the book was Elijah and Autumns banter. They were so funny and sweet. If I suddenly had a stranger coming into my house, removing my things and putting theirs instead, I would immediately have disliked them. So, I completely understand Autumn. I loved how her reasons for disliking him were reasonable and how he didn't dislike her at all, because he simply didn't have a reason to. Their little arguments and pranks were so entertaining to read. They were so petty that it was amusing to read about it.

I genuinely loved the main characters. Their personalities are wholesome, you never get bored. The evolution from Elijah trying to win her over to Autumn starting to like him and then love him was so amazing to see. I just loved how the author described these moments between them, it was simple yet meaningful. You could feel how they loved each other.

I just loved how Elijah's character was him being into Autumn the moment they met. How we was trying to win her over, though he thought he was messing everything up, because when he tried to do something it resulted in them arguing. All of their arguments was just him smiling at her, loving her reactions and her genuinely being annoyed at him. I loved how despite the fact that he seemed confident with himself, he still had these moments where he was insecure or nervous. It showed how sincere he was.

Autumn is such a strong and amazing girl. I'm glad she was able to surpass everything. I think a lot of people can relate to her when it comes to her anxiety and closing yourself off from the rest of the world. She's really brave, especially for what happened at the end and everything was revealed.

I feel so bad for Heather, the sister of Autumn's best friend. The story tricked me into also being suspicious. I hadn't expected this to happen like this, though. I loved the angst and mystery there was at the end of the book, I was really for the moment of the revelation and wasn't disappointed.

I would have liked to see a little bit more of moments between Heather and Autumn after everything happened as I loved Heather quite a bit. And, kind of wanted to have a deeper insight on what happened with Autumn's accident. I know we got the story, but I feel like it lacked some things and I didn't really understand it. I wanted an epilogue that was longer and more time in the future. I like epilogues from years later, especially from books I really like. I want to see Autumn and Elijah in the future so badly.

This novel was an easy, palate cleanser type of read. It was interesting and edged into a mystery that I enjoyed seeing unravel. I found the main characters to be well written with interesting backgrounds, and their problems weren’t for the sake of having problems but rather Autumn’s trauma causing her to consistently have to make a conscious effort to get out of her own way.
*As someone living without a chronic illness I’m not an authority on this* I personally found the representation of chronic illness in Autumns life to be consistent throughout the story and seemingly realistic. Some days were better than others for her and she took it day by day. It doesn’t define her but it is a part of her and it never stops being something she has to live with and manage every day.
One thing I would’ve liked to see is Autumn interacting with her family. Beyond a phone call early in the story we never hear from them again and I believe it would’ve tied up the story even more nicely to have them meet Elijah and at least begin to reconcile with Autumn and her music.

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Ms Perfectly Fine comes out June 8, 2023.

Ms Perfectly Fine is a delightful enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity romance. I thought both of the main characters were well written and they had great chemistry with one another. There was great representation of chronic pain and mental illness. Overall it was a well written and delightful romance!

3,5/5✨

She - an artist, and pianist, suffered after an accident in which her best friend died.
He - the creator of computer programs, and games, move into Autumn's house.

Autumn and Elijah's story is full of chemistry, sarcasm, and charm. From the moment I met them, I knew I was going to like their relationship; I literally couldn't help but laugh at their skirmishes at times. These are the types of heroes who brighten the day with their character. Unfortunately, it is not always so colorful.

The author, apart from fast-paced action or funny dialogues, smuggled in a few difficult topics (TW: stalking, trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, survivors’ guilt, self-isolation). One of them particularly interested me and I wanted to know more about it, namely the main character's chronic pain. Autumn has been through a lot - during one of her most important evenings, a person close to her died. The girl only suffered an injury, which after these few years still makes itself felt. It was hard to read about her memories, the constant pain that ruled her life. I can't imagine what he might feel. I think the author showed her perspective very realistically on this topic.

Another thread that caught my attention was a slightly criminal, thriller thread (I don't know how to define it). The main character is an artist who returns to the big stage. It is known in celebrity circles and often pointed out by large institutions. Can you guess the crux of the matter? She starts receiving roses. At first, she takes the gifts as a mistake, but they come every year, on the same day, always to the same door. A secret admirer? Nothing could be more wrong. I don't want to tell you too much but know one thing: admirers do not write threats or intimidate. And what Callaghan has shown in this book is one of the themes that are certainly common in show business. And it's terrible... Did the solution itself surprise me? Unfortunately not much. From the middle of the book, I sensed this "admirer" and unfortunately I must admit that I was a bit disappointed (the reason for all this fuss seemed infantile to me).

Moving on to my favorite part of the whole book, the romance part. It's not particularly surprising, but the very process of learning about Autumn and Elijah's developing relationship made my eyes heart-shaped. I love them! Maybe they weren't positive about each other at first (enemies for sure), but as roommates, they found their way through the mess. They were able to support each other, even if the day before one of them made a "stupid joke" (you can't call it otherwise). The ending was a bit chaotic, but it was perfect for them!

"Ms Perfectly Fine" is a warm and funny story you won't be able to put down!

3.5 ⭐️
This was a quick and easy romance with:
Forced proximity
Enjoyable banter
Personal growth
Unwanted roommate
Antagonists-to-lovers
Great Chronic Pain Rep
Grumpy-sunshine dynamic
Musician x Gamer

I enjoyed the characters, but at times the romance felt a bit forced and they could have had a bit more chemistry. I enjoyed the slight mystery/thriller aspect as this book went on, but felt the author could have leaned slightly into the whole stalker aspect and used a bit more showing rather then telling.

Cute read about a pianist who has a game designer roommate forced upon her. Of course, they don't like each other, but that changes, because this is a romance novel. There is some drama and some intrigue, but overall, a fine romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Autumn Adler is set to make her come back as a pianist after 10 years of break and she needs all her focus in that. But her focus and peace gets disrupted when a random stranger barges into the townhouse she's renting and starts to move her furniture out so that he can move in. Autumn is later told that her townhouse owner has rented out the bottom floor to Elijah, who is a video game designer and is working on building his company from ground up. She wants him out of the house but Elijah is here to stay, and thus we follow a story filled with banter and tug of war.

Check this book out if you like:
✨ Grumpy (Her) × Sunshine (Him)
✨ He falls first and harder
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Suspense
✨ Enemies To Lovers

The cover of this book gave me cute romcom vibes but I was a little thrown off with the meet cute and the whole stalker angle. If a guy comes inside my apartment uninvited, I am calling the police! I won't be standing there and let the workers take away my furniture or my TV without prior notice. And then, for the guy to be so cocky about it? Nooo!

What I really enjoyed though was the author's writing style and the ease in which the story flowed. The characters really came together by the end and I was pretty entertained. I also loved the chronic pain representation as I suffer from it too so it was nice to see some relatability.

So, even though this book was just okay for me, I will check out her other books.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

This was a cute romance about a pianist that experienced a terrible accident trying to make a comeback. She's been living alone and that's been working for her -- somewhat. However, her landlord decides to let his son move into the house for the time being too and that's where things kinda start to fall apart. Referred to as "Ms Perfectly Fine" while in rehab after her accident, Autumn is still trying to show that she really is perfectly fine but it's just not hitting the mark, especially with the unexpected new roommate, Elijah. While not my favorite romance that I've ever read this was still an enjoyable, cute story that showed just how not fine the main character was and how she works to become better than fine and maybe even find love along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for giving me an ARC of this new release to read!

Rounded up from 4.5
After a tragic accident, Autumn, a famous concert pianist, is trying to make her come-back as a soloist. She needs all her energy devoted to her playing, but one morning she wakes up to find out that her landlord, Tim, has rented the bottom floor to Elijah, a game designer building his own company. Autumn won't hear of it, but she doesn't really have a choice. One house, two strangers, and a dark secret. What could go wrong?
I have so many things to say about this one! This is as grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, romance with a touch of mystery. Autumn lives with chronic pain, but tries to hide it and always says she's perfectly fine (hence the title of the book). I did find Elijah to be very clueless and selfish, especially in the beginning, where both MCs were super immature about, I'll admit, a very frustrating situation. However, there is great character development along the way, and with a twist that I did not see coming (what?!?). The entire time I was reading this I was thinking this was a solid 4 stars. Definitely not a 5, but a solid 4. But the last few chapters? And no third act break up? That certainly gained it half a star.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ms. Perfectly Fine by Kate Callaghan was a different romance read but in a good way! This book brought the enemies to lovers, forced proximity tropes and throw in the mystery and suspense. LOVE IT! Autumn and Elijah was the couple I didn't know I needed but kept wanting more. While I thought I had it all figured out, the end threw me for a loop. Great writing and looking forward to more from this author.

*****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*******

So, I like enemies to lovers stories and I really like forced proximity but I didn't like this. What I didn't get from the blurb was that the battle of wills was going to take the form of "pranks" that just went way beyond what I think of as being funny or ok, and that the Hero and Heroine just suddenly fall in love like a switch has been flipped and never deal with any of that at all.

They're both just horrible to each other until they're not and then you don't really understand why they're together because the book hasn't done the work explaining about why either would find the other attractive (except for looks) because all they've done to each other is do horrible things to each other. So, there's that.

It also as a lot of other plot going on. The plot about Autumn returning to the stage after her accident was fine - the suspense element of it was a bit much and a bit heavy handed and ramped up in a completely out of character way from the way the rest of the book was presenting itself. You could probably have managed to do the concert plot and the romance well *if* it hadn't also been doing Elijah's issues with his father and the plot around his company. So basically too much going on, and not enough depth on any of it.

Re the pranks: if you were ok with the Christina Lauren where they were playing incredibly unprofessional pranks on each other, you'll probably be fine with this. These aren't comptency based sabotage, but it's a similar vibe.

If you really want a spoiler:
<spoiler>His opening salvo - on a day when he's moved into a house where she's been very clear that she didn't know that anyone had rented any of the house and that she wasn't happy about it - was changing all the locks on the house so she can't get in. This was after she refused to give him the code for the burglar alarm. You can decide what your mileage on that is. </spoiler>

The cover? AMAZING

The romance? ALSO AMAZING

The mystery? ACTUALLY SURPRISING

This book was EVERYTHING my romance and mystery loving heart could want. It’s entirely predictable (in the romance) and also surprising (in the mystery). For her first ever HEA, Kate Callaghan blew me away. Absolutely loved this book!

I believe this is my first time reading a romantic suspense novel and to be honest it through me off. The cutesy romantic moments juxtaposed with the mystery/suspense was odd. To me it felt like while the story was complete, I was craving a more rounded out romance or a more true suspense/mystery. The resolution of the novel felt cliche. I do not mean this is a bad way, more so that it was a bit underwhelming because of the clichés. Overall, I just felt like I kept wanting more from the mystery, from the characters. I will say the chronic pain representation was incredibly thought out and detailed. You can very clearly tell it is something that is very close to the author’s heart.

Such a lighthearted romance with suspense and mystery. I genuinely thought I solved it until the end.
I LOVE that the FMC has a chronic illness that doesn’t magically go away. It’s something she lives with day in and day out.
If you’re looking for a book with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, then look no further!

I'm giving this book 3 stars for its likability, decent writing, and pleasant story that I know others will enjoy.

Although for me, personally, it’s just not for me. I had to give up reading after reaching the 52% mark. Life is too short to keep reading a book I can’t get invested in. However, since I believe others will enjoy it, I cannot give it a lower rating. If it appeals to you, I suggest you try it out.. Maybe your opinion will differ from mine.

Ms Perfectly Fine- Kate Callaghan🪻

🎹 Pianist
🎮 Game developer
🩻 PTSD
💋 Enemies to Lovers
🩶 He falls FIRST!
😈 Forced Proximity
🥀 Suspense
🌻 Healing
❤️‍🩹 Chronic Pain

Fresh & witty writing ✍️ I was swept away by this story. Sprinkle of heat 🥵 suspense and love. I thought I knew what was gonna happen but I was WRONG. Please go check this out 🫶

"Just because you love what you do doesn't mean it doesn't take its toll."

Summary
Autumn is a piano player, made famous by her young success and by an stage accident that killed her best friend and left her with lasting injuries and pain. As she is gearing up for her big showcase return, she is surprised and confused when a stranger unexpectedly moves himself into the house she is renting from an old family friend. She doesn't have time to be distracted by this handsome, stubborn, video game programmer, especially when she receives mysterious flowers from a stalker on her doorstep.

Why did I pick up this book?
I was gifted this Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley. I thought the premise sounded slightly different, so I requested a copy!

What did I enjoy about it?
A big feature of this book/Autumn's character is her chronic pain and how it impacts her physically and emotionally. I don't feel like I see this component very often, despite it being something that many people struggle with, so I appreciated this somewhat rare piece of the story. I also haven't read many Romance novels with a mystery/suspense element, and I liked this additional angle to the story, outside of just the showcase and the budding romance between Autumn and Elijah.

What did I not enjoy about it?
I think I was expecting a lot more hijinks as a part of the forced proximity/stubborn nature/conflicting schedules and interests between the two characters, but in my opinion the pranks and jabs were short-lived. Also, some of them went way too far past the line of appropriate in my opinion (like, felony-level offenses). With regard to each characters' resolutions, Elijah's felt very rushed and Autumn's seemed to last forever, both of which I didn't love.

Autumn is a pianist working on her big comeback to the stage after a tragic accident ten years earlier. She is very private and she likes her routines but one day she wakes up to a noise as some dude is putting her stuff into a storage and moving in.

So uhm if someone moved in to my home without asking, started stealing my food from the fridge and then brought in a dog, there would be no chance in hell for us to become friends.

But, as we all know, romantic novels aren't about real life. They're fairy tales for big girls, and we don't mind narrative gaps, crazy details, or irrational conduct as long as the HAE follows.

The mystery was a bit much, but I prefer it to the third act split, so it's OK.

I didn't have great expectations because everyone gave this book three stars, and I have to admit that I agree with the majority this time; this book was charming, but I'll definitely forget about it tomorrow.

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and evaluate this book.