This was a fun, suspenseful romance perfect for fans of Hannah Grace or Ali Hazelwood books. It definitely has that BookTok quality of banter-filled dialog, hot-and-cold romance, stubborn female leads, and jerks-who-turn-out-to-be-nice male leads. The added suspense/mystery element also sets it apart nicely from other titles in the contemporary romance genre!

My favorite part of the book was getting to see Autumn's past, her injury, and her journey to overcome her trauma. I really loved that her injury wasn't magically cured, and that the chronic pain wasn't treated as some moral failing that could be "solved". It was just something she had to live with, and the better she treated herself and allowed herself to be loved, the easier it was for her to let the pain be part of her life instead of her entire life!

I think this book will be hugely enjoyed by many readers. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for sharing a copy with me!

Piano prodigy Autumn is used to routine and controlling her environment. When Elijah bursts into her life and delights in shaking that up, she does not handle the change very well.

Callaghan writes chronic pain realistically and a supporting MMC beautifully but also realistic. This isn’t a title I would’ve picked up but I’m glad I read it. There is plenty of room for growth in seeing a bit of myself in Autumn but also having compassion for people in my life in similar situations.

I didn’t pay attention to the genre on this one, so I was surprised by the thriller/mystery element. By about 80% I was frustrated with the play out but was intrigued with the twist.

There is a healthy authors note to begin the book. Pay attention to this if you have triggers or content concerns. Callaghan made a fantastic debut into this genre, making me want to try her fantasy novels.

Thank you to CallaghanWriter, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and NetGalley for the DRC. This is review is mine alone.

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Ms Perfectly Fine" is a captivating and enchanting romance that takes you on a journey filled with music, passion, and unexpected twists. Autumn Adler, a resilient concert pianist, and Elijah Wells, a determined game designer, clash in a battle for space and find themselves entangled in a complex web of emotions. The chemistry between them is electric, and their banter is both witty and charming. As the story unfolds, secrets and suspense heighten the stakes, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Kate Callaghan's storytelling is masterful, effortlessly weaving together the elements of romance and mystery. The characters are relatable and endearing, and their growth throughout the book is heartwarming. With its unique blend of tropes and themes, "Ms Perfectly Fine" is a delightful and satisfying read that will leave you longing for more.

*3.5 stars*

This was a great story. This story is told in dual third person POV and leaves you with a HEA. Although, there were a few plot holes and questions that I didn’t get answers to like I wish I would’ve.

I loved that Autumn was determined to not let her tragedy and issues keep her from getting back out there to do what she loved. I loved that Elijah was a hard worker but also knew when to have fun. I loved they were complete opposite of each other but were also perfect for each other. I loved their banter (although a tad childish for people in their 30s), humor and chemistry.

I do think that it was odd Autumn didn’t call the cops or her landlord when she woke up and a stranger was moving her things out and his in. I don’t know of anyone that would just accept a complete strangers excuse.

I would have liked to know how Elijah’s godson had Francis’ hair and Aiden’s eyes. That isn’t possible… Also, what was the outcome of the child’s issues of why his father had to take him to the hospital/doctors?

Did Elijah ever call his mom back like he promised he would? If his stepdad wanted to get to know him better, what was Elijah’s excuse (except for the fact that he was already an adult when he entered his life) to push him away and not want to get to know him? He said that his mom deserved better, but he didn’t take the steps to make sure her new husband was what she deserved?

I know it said that Elijah and his Biological Father were taking steps to make amends and get to know each other. But did his dad actually come out publicly like he said? How did his current family and his coworkers take the news? Did they truly make amends or is it still rocky between them?

Lena/Heather….where was her dad when they couldn’t get ahold of him?! You would think they would try to make sure he was okay if him and Lena/Heather had a good relationship. Did her mom and Autumn’s mom ever reconnect? Did her and Autumn stay in touch when she went back to school?

Autumn and her parents…did they ever work to fix their relationship? Also, how was Autumn’s dad and Todd’s relationship? I know her dad asked him to keep an eye on her, but was he really okay with him pretty much stepping up to play pseudo-dad?

We know that the stalker wasn’t connected to the case Aiden was working on since it mentions they found the receipts. But what happened to that case? Was it solved? Aiden was obviously stressed over it, I would have liked to see how that plays out.

Did Elijah and Autumn ever go to the ballet that she won in the auction with his money?

Regardless of all this, the story did hold my attention and it has so much potential. But with all the questions unanswered, I can’t rate it as high as I would’ve liked. I in Kate’s newsletter she said she hasn’t written anything like this yet, so I am encouraging her to keep at it. With a little more editing and proofreading with her/an editor and some alpha and beta readers, this could be a really great book.

I wasn’t fond of Eric being such a brute in the beginning especially when he told her he wouldn’t mind her practicing so early in the morning and then when she does taking her to her room against her will and threatens to tie her to a bed if she didn’t let him sleep. This scene wouldn’t have bothered me as much if it was later in the book and they knew each other better, but with them just meeting, if I were Autumn I most definitely would not have been comfortable around him at all and would’ve been looking for another place to stay and/or calling the cops. I did love how sweet and thoughtful Eric became and how he didn’t treat her any differently than a “normal” person. I loved that he was upfront about how sneaky he was to get information about her.

I have enjoyed the last couple books I’ve read by Kate and although this wasn’t a favorite, I will continue to read for her work.

I was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and the author. These thoughts and opinions are my own and left voluntarily after reading for my own personal enjoyment.

Thank you Net Galley for providing the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

This was a quick and fun romance that I loved snuggling up with during some really rainy days. It had so many tropes I loved from "forced proximity" to "antagonist to lovers". The banter and bickering were so fun to read, I really loved Elijah and Autumn's dynamic. Though I do wish there was more build-up to the romance, it seemed night and day from when they couldn't really stand each other to when they loved each other. Other than that, I really enjoyed this story!

First, thank you @netgalley for my ARC of MPF. Second, I’d like to make it clear that this story is worth checking out for people who enjoy a quick-blooming romance. I found Autumn to be relatable quirky, strong, and a solid representation of invisible disabilities that often go unseen in the literary world. I thought Elijah was intriguing, considerate, and I liked that he is never portrayed as trying to downplay Autumn’s struggles or baby her for having them. However, I wasn’t a fan of how fast their relationship progressed within the enemies-to-lovers trope. I felt like their relationship felt like it almost sprung up out of nowhere; while this isn’t inherently bad, I’m just not big on the idea of fast love. That is the one thing keeping me from giving this story a 4⭐️ rating. I will say that the twists within the story outside of the Autumn/Elijah romance kept me interested while I was reading though.

This was a sweet romance mixed with a cozy mystery. The mystery was the best part of the book. I totally fell for the red herring at first.

The romance piece was just OK. Autumn and Elijah went from enemies to lovers very quickly and without much build up.

The chronic pain representation was done very well and I appreciated a perspective you don’t often see.

Overall, this was pretty much a Hallmark movie with just a teeny bit of spice. Which is totally cool - sometimes I love a good Hallmark romance 😊🧡

This was a fun read and I absolutely enjoyed the plot a lot. I enjoyed the mystery and the romance elements in this novel. I can't wait to reread this.

i got a problem with 3rd person POV maybe people like it but i cant even . the book even if a bit entrained wasn't for me , i really wanted to like it but it was hard for me to even finish . thank you for the opportunity of the arc and

I have just finished Ms Perfectly Fine and I absolutely loved it! Its about a prodigy pianist, Autumn, who is recovering from a tragic accident, slowly rebuilding her confidence to perform in public again. She struggles with her chronic pain, coupled with her desire to rebuild her career make her both relatable and endearing. In comes Elijah, who literally shakes up her world. He breaks all the defences she has created around herself, and helps her recovery both physically, mentally and spiritually. He sees her for her, and not the past or the prodigy. There are some amazing twists, and anyone who is aware of the competitiveness in the professional classical music world will identity with so much that happens in this book. Especially the unwillingness to share the spotlight. There is so much that happens and develops in this book, and to top it off a cute dog! This book deserves more than 5 stars!

This had a lot that was really going for it at first, but it ultimately feel quite flat for me.

Lets start with the good: this story had really great chronic pain rep, and I could tell that there was a lot of care and thought put into how the author depicted this. Autumn was a likable character, and I liked the orchestra/piano aspects of the story. I also surprisingly really enjoyed the mystery storyline, and I thought I had the ending pegged early on and ended up being completely wrong.

Unfortunately, this is where things start to fall apart. The enemies-to-lovers/unwanted roommate premise had a lot of promise, but the LI was needlessly inconsiderate and mean to Autumn, and often under the guise of "wanting to get under her skin," but it never felt organic. Really, the chemistry never felt organic to me for these two, and it felt like the romance came out of nowhere with no build up. Also, while I did like the mystery in a lot of ways (and honestly may have DNF'd without it,) the parts that ended up surprising me were the kind of unexpected that was born from no foreshadowing, so it was less satisfying than I wanted even though it was a twist.

All together, I do think I will try this author again, as I know this was her first contemporary romance and the rest of her work has a fantasy aspect (which I tend to love). I definitely have my eye on her Christmas romance! Thank you to Kate Callaghan & NetGalley for the eArc of this title!

Ms. Perfectly Fine is a sweet forced proximity romance following Autumn, a pianist, and Elijah, a gamer developer. The book starts with a tragic event that affects Autumn physically, mentally, and emotionally. When she thinks she is finally doing better and establishes a new routine, Elijah moves in to her townhouse without her knowledge. Turns out, the landlord approved it and just forgot to tell Autumn. The general conflict starting early on worked really well, it started on a high note - we got to see these two characters at each other's throat and rightfully so. Both Elijah and Autumn were valid in their remarks towards each other. Then, when it starts to simmer, and there is some tension between them and then we are hit with another conflict; a mystery person leaves Autumn little gifts. We get snippets at this before it is introduced but it felt like an attempt at creating more drama. It felt like too much was happening while not enough was making sense.

This read very much like a debut in it's showing vs telling and over descriptive prose. I have a hard time with over descriptive prose mostly because I am incapable of picturing what the author describes, no matter how well-written it is. So scenes where it's pages of descriptions don't work for me and this book had MANY.

I really liked the main characters, they were developed and had great chemistry, but it felt forced compared to being an organic relationship. I think this would do well if marketed a bit more as contemporary fiction compared to romance because it follows a lot of the traditional contemporary staples.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5 -- The romance between Autumn and Elijah is a cute grumpy sunshine enemies to lovers romance - but the stalker element/thriller vibes were done REALLY well!

Ms. Perfectly fine was a 3.5 star read for me - which means it's a perfectly acceptable pool side, easy palette
cleanser with a cup of tea type of read!.
- I liked the way the story evolved and the writing was really good (which I totally didn't expect either.)
- The reveal of the dark secret... almost made this a bit of a thriller towards the end and I loved the mixing of the genres!!

NOTES:
- Mental health representation in this book is also really good. I think so often we just read about anxiety - but the circumstances surrounding Autumn were a great take on chronic physical pain too.
- 🌶️🌶️/5 - Not a ton of spice but the spice thats there is tasteful - and in combination with the thriller aspects made it not feel overwhelming. Lots of tension build up!

This was a fun story. I like the fact that the mc suffers from chronic pain but that doesn't prevent her for reaching her goals. I also appreciate the fact that it mentions the need to take meds, slow down sometimes and allow your body to recover. The love interest was cute, and I liked his drive to make her business success. But I must say, and I don't know if this is a normal occurrence in other places, the fact that Elijah just moved to the house, put Autumn furniture in storage, set up his things in without talking to her first, was super jarring to me and kind of put me off for a while. The mystery part, even if there was hints and clues throughout the story, felt a little abrupt to me. Otherwise, this was a very enjoyable read.

This had some cute moments. The dynamic between Autumn and Elijah was quite entertaining and I liked seeing how their relationship played out after its rocky start. It was nice to see Autumn brought out of her comfort zone by Elijah’s company and to see her soften over the course of the book.

The writing is generally good but the tone wasn’t really my cup of tea, and I found the opening a little difficult to get past. The set up for them moving in together didn’t feel very believable to me and I thought both characters behaved quite childishly – even Autumn, who I thought definitely had a right to be angry and upset!

I also didn’t think it needed the additional suspense storyline. The main plot about their romance was cute and fun, but that aspect of the book was distracting and played out a little cartoonishly. Overall, though, this was an easy read and fairly entertaining; it had some really cute moments. It wasn’t entirely my cup of tea but I would recommend it to anyone looking for an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Serious accident, death of a close friend, chronic pain, stalking, harassment, violence, blood. 0n-page sex, unprotected sex.

"Ms Perfectly Fine" is an absolute gem that deserves all five stars! From the moment I delved into the pages, I was captivated by the enchanting world of Autumn Adler, the esteemed concert pianist, and Elijah Wells, the ambitious game designer. Their clash of wills, as they each fought to reclaim their spaces, added an exhilarating layer of tension to the story.

The plot is a masterfully woven tapestry of romance, suspense, and fun that kept me eagerly flipping through the chapters. The mystery at its core had me on the edge of my seat, yearning to unravel its secrets. Every twist and turn had me guessing, and I couldn't wait to discover what would happen next.

Autumn, the protagonist, is a remarkably relatable character. Her resilience in the face of chronic pain and her determination to lead a normal life despite the challenges struck a chord with me. She embodies the hope that we can overcome any obstacles that life throws our way, inspiring readers with her unwavering spirit.

And then there's Elijah—a delightful character who brings warmth and encouragement to the story. His presence is like a beacon of light for anyone facing adversity. His compassion and support for Autumn and others in need left me wishing that anyone who was struggling has someone like him in his/her life. Kudos to Kate for crafting such a wonderfully developed character arc for Elijah.

In its entirety, "Ms Perfectly Fine" is an exceptional read that has earned a place on my cherished book recommendation list. With its promising premise, delightful characters, and an irresistible blend of romance, fun, and suspense, this book is an absolute must-read. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down once you dive into its pages.

(Review was also posted in Instagram, Wordpress, and Goodreads.)

This book was good but it was definitely not was I was expecting. I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the story and the way everything ended; however, it lacked in the middle for me a bit.

Autumn is forced to share her town house with Elijah who also doesn’t have a choice and they immediately get off on the wrong foot. The love unfolded too quickly for me. There wasn’t enough build up from the hate to love. I love the banter when characters hate each other and this Kate Callaghan definitely gave that. What lacked was that turning into chemistry.

I am and will always be a fan of “he falls first” and Elijah did not disappoint with his golden retriever tendenies (and I’m not talking about Brinkley!)

What you will get:
-forced proximity
-hate to love
-grumpy/sunshine
-suspense
-chronic pain

3.5 ⭐️ rounding up to 4⭐️

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

This book was an easy, quick read. I thought the story was cute and well written. However, there were a few things that fell flat for me.

First, there was a LOT going on. The prologue to this story was great and intriguing and set up the plot well. Or so I thought. FMC Autumn's recovery and quest to make a comeback with her orchestra all while falling in love was not the only main plot point. Let's recap:

Plot point 1: Autumn's comeback piano solo after an accident that left her with chronic pain
Plot point 2: a stranger moves into Autumn's rental home without Autumn knowing and she navigates that
Plot point 3: MMC Elijah (the new housemate) is secretly related the landlord of his and Autumn's house (this is a much bigger thing in the story than it needed to be)
Plot point 4: someone is leaving roses for Autumn and their frequency is jarring
Plot point 5: Elijah is working on a video game for his gaming company and needs it to be bought out by a huge tech company (this also relates to plot point 3)
Plot point 6: a friend turns into an enemy and pulls a knife on Autumn LIKE WHAT

Obviously, TOO MUCH is going on. Being billed as a romance, I was thinking there'd be some typical romance tropes that are the main focus, not everything else that was going on.

Second, there were some loose ends. Why wasn't Autumn's dad speaking to her? What happened to the showcase after Autumn's injured hand? I had questions that weren't answered, especially with Autumn's family. Her parents are mentioned enough in the story that as a reader, I need closure with that.
Third, the romance moves SO fast. It's almost like love at first sight. It was sort of.... cringe? But also sometimes it wasn't? It seemed like FMC and MMC's feelings toward each other changed quickly and out of nowhere.
Fourth, this book is wordy. A lot of things could have been condensed. Instead of the author telling us all the character's feelings, they could have shown us.

Besides the few things that didn't work for me, I found the main, main plot (I guess one would call it that), to be unique. I loved the chronic pain/disability representation. The things that happened seemed... sort of realistic? Realistic enough for me at least. It was a fast read and it kept me entertained, so point for that.
I'm excited to see the final version available for purchase on June 7th!

Ms Perfectly Fine first caught my eye because the title reminded me of one of my favourite Taylor Swift Songs titled Mr Perfectly Fine and that was reason enough for me to want to read it! This book is your average enemies to lovers romance with forced proximity and a dash of mystery. As both a romance fan and a mystery fan, I always love reading the two genres combined. I do, however, think that the cover was slightly misleading. I thought that this book would just be a cute romcom but luckily in this case, the mystery was a welcome surprise. I really enjoyed this book and I quite liked Autumn. I wasn't overly fond of Elijah but in the end I do think that he and Autumn work well together.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐.75/5

Going into this book i thought you'd get a bog standard enemies to loves, force proximity romance... I was wrong... I didn't read the blurb properly my bad, so the mystery aspect was a mystery to me, one which I very much enjoyed.

I really liked the development of Autumn and Elijah (bloody love his name) relationship and it is enemies to lovers and force proximity done at its finest. I really liked the music and game aspects and found it very interesting.

When the mystery bit started I had my thoughts about who it was <Spoiler> I suspected Heather I wont like </Spoiler> and I really enjoyed the twists and turns that it took and I thought it really kept you on your toes.

I will definitely be recommending this book to family and friends and look forward to picking up more from this author.