Nothing Serious is a sharp, darkly comedic novel that explores the complexities of modern relationships, ambition, and self-perception. The story follows Edie Walker, a woman stuck in a cycle of unrequited love for her best friend, Peter, until a tragedy involving Peter’s new love interest, Anaya, sets off a whirlwind of self-discovery and mystery. Smith’s writing shines through with humor and poignant social commentary, especially on toxic relationships and the pressure women face in a competitive world. While the pacing slows and some plot elements feel over-explained, the engaging characters and twists make for an intriguing read.

Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC!

Thank you William Morrow, for the copy of Nothing Serious by Emily J. Smith. This started out great, and I loved the idea of the story, but I disliked Edie and Peter so much I got tired of them. Peter was a stereotypical, self-centered, toxic, tech bro and Edie was pathetic and needed to grow up and be independent. Things got better after Edie transferred some of her obsessiveness to Anaya. Was Edie’s need for external validation a result of living in a competitive society? Edie kept up her obsessiveness during her investigation into Anaya’s death, and it felt like Edie got more unhinged but somehow became a character I loved to hate because of the writing. Maybe a chance to show her as a woman who really took charge of her life earlier instead of being a codependent mess would have made me love the book more. There was a glimmer of hope that Edie would grow a spine, but waiting for it was frustrating and I’m not sure what readers are supposed to take away from Edie’s story, if anything. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Wow. Just wow. This book hooked me from the first page and didn’t let go until I was practically yelling at the last chapter. It’s part sharp social commentary, part love story (or is it?), and part murder mystery, and somehow it pulls all three off seamlessly.

Edie Walker is such a relatable mess of a protagonist. She’s stuck in a life that’s miles away from where she thought she’d be at 35, nursing an unrequited crush on her über-successful best friend, Peter. We’ve all been there (well, maybe not exactly there), rooting for someone to realize we’re The One while quietly spiraling in our own heads. But then Peter’s new love interest, Anaya—who Edie admires almost as much as she envies—ends up dead, and everything Edie thought she knew starts to unravel.

What I loved about this book: it’s layered. On one hand, it’s a darkly funny takedown of online dating and toxic relationship patterns. On the other, it’s a smart, biting look at how women navigate ambition, insecurity, and the endless comparisons we make between ourselves and others. And then there’s the murder mystery. Is Peter guilty? Is Edie too blinded by love to see the truth? I honestly didn’t know who to trust until the final reveal—and even then, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Edie’s voice is what really carries this book. She’s messy and flawed but also funny and heartbreakingly honest. The way she idolizes Anaya while slowly untangling the truth about herself, Peter, and even Anaya’s perfect image—it’s all so raw and real.

Why not a full 5 stars? The pacing dipped a little in the middle, and a few moments felt slightly over-explained. But honestly, those are minor quibbles in a book that made me laugh, cry, and sit in stunned silence after I finished it.

If you’re into books that are equal parts witty and heart-wrenching, with a dose of murder mystery thrown in, Nothing Serious is for you. Just be ready for it to hit a little close to home.

2.5

I wanted to like this more, it started out very promising, but overall it just lost the plot and became a boring, jumbled mess.

Edie is a 30-something, stuck in the same routine, in a job she loathes, while hopelessly in love with her best friend, Peter, from college. When Peter breaks up with his long-time girlfriend, Edie hopes that it might finally be her chance, that is, until Peter shows that he is no longer in a monogamous mood- quickly finding himself on dating apps and in the company of an author named Anaya. Peter invites Edie to meet him and Anaya after another date gone wrong, and she is stricken by how drawn she is to Anaya, finally feeling a sense of kinship she'd been missing. Anaya shares her work with Edie, who eagerly consumes it all. Anaya promises to send Edie the final draft of a book she's been writing for years, the same night Peter decides to visit and break up with Anaya. The next morning, she is found dead.


Spoilers ahead!


I was initially hooked, but I'm left wondering what it was the author wanted to achieve with this. I think if it went deeper into an actual mystery instead of a character-focused think piece on women in a male-dominated world mixed with sprinkles of (weird) romance, it would've been a lot stronger (and that's saying something!). The entire time, we're essentially waiting on Edie to confront Peter in any capacity, but she's unable to be anything but his protector, finding any and every excuse for him, convincing herself that there was no way he could've caused Anaya's death. There's a long stretch of the middle where it's just Edie obsessing over Anaya, gaslighting herself about Peter, and inserting herself into the case (even going as far as a small romance with Anaya's SISTER?) just on a loop. And not to mention her relationship with her mother and father -who is definitely "not" beating her mother- and her need to save her mother, while also still loving her father and acting like nothing is wrong. It was just... strange. Of course, there can be something said for her accepting no faults for Peter AND her father, but I think her realization of that was entirely too late in the story. The pacing was weird, the small side stories were strange, it just seemed like there was a lot it sought to be.

3.5-Star Review:

Emily J. Smith’s Nothing Serious is a unique and interesting read that mixes sharp humor with some heavier topics. It has a lot going for it, but it’s not perfect, so it might not work for everyone.

What I Liked:
Smart and Funny Writing: The humor and writing style are clever without trying too hard. It’s easy to get drawn into.
Relevant Themes: It dives into modern dating, relationships, and societal expectations in a way that feels timely and relatable.
Flawed, Real Characters: The main character feels very human—sometimes messy, sometimes frustrating, but definitely real.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Slow Moments: The pacing can drag in places, with certain parts feeling like they go on too long.
A Bit Too Intellectual: The book leans pretty heavily on introspection and literary references, which might not click with everyone.
Unfinished Feel: The ending leaves some things unresolved, which might bug readers who like everything tied up neatly.
Should You Read It?
If you’re into books that explore the messy, complicated parts of modern relationships with some dark humor thrown in, you’ll probably enjoy this one. It’s thought-provoking and different.

Should You Skip It?
If you like fast-paced stories or hate when a book gets too caught up in its own head, this might not be your thing. It’s not super light or easygoing, so keep that in mind.

Overall, Nothing Serious is a solid read with some great moments, but it’s not for everyone. Worth a shot if the premise speaks to you!

This book was much heavier than I anticipated. Why it's categorized as 'humor and satire' is lost on me, because it deals with very sensitive, serious topics and was definitely not a comedy. (Suicide, drugs/overdosing, sexual assault - just off the top of my head, so do be cautious if you plan to read this.) I was not at all expecting all that when I started. It also wasn't much of a thriller, or a mystery - though there were some elements, it didn't feel like there was enough mystery around the death in this book to warrant that label. This was definitely more of a character study, and a study in feminism. That's not a negative thing, at all. It had really powerful lines and moments, some that genuinely moved me. Like I said though, that just was not what I thought I was getting into. I'm not mad about it though.

To be totally honest, the first few chapters of this book had me worried. I didn't like Edie, the main character, and I REALLY did not like Peter. While I only grew to hate Peter even more and wanted to physically fight him myself by the end, Edie's growth was great to read. She stressed me out a lot, and annoyed me at first, but by the final chapters, I was incredibly proud of her.

I would personally give this something between a 3 and a 3.25 star rating, because while I have nothing but kind words to say about the writing style itself, and I think it was a good debut and a fine read, I just didn't fully connect with it the way I would have liked to.

the plot was definitely there in terms of a thriller, but was it REALLY a thriller? i'd say not so much. honestly, more of a character study about feminism. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for this digital ARC!

Edie Walker has to come to terms with the fact that her best friend is a murder suspect after the woman he was dating is found dead after a date with him.

Unfortunately, I found the characters of Edie and Peter difficult to relate to and the end of the book felt rushed. Aside from the discussion of men and privilege, I am not sure what this book was meant to accomplish.

Im definitely a judge a book by the cover kind of girl and when I saw this book I was expecting…not a romcom or anything but something maybe a a little more lighthearted lol BUT I did find it enjoyable and an easy read.

I saw someone tag this as "cringe fiction" and I feel like that is a very apt description. Edie makes you feel second-hand embarrassment, but she's supposed to. She's obsessive, insecure, a bit too cavalier with mental illness, and she is a mirror to so many women. As a character study, I found her FASCINATING.

Was there much thrill in the mystery? No. But I'm not sure that this was intended to be a thriller. The plot was secondary to the characters, with the relationship between Edie and Peter acting like a character on its own. The cartoon cover clearly parodies the trend of romance covers and cozy mysteries, but this was not meant to be cozy. Rather this is a look at feminism, performative allyship, and the relationships women have to the world around them.

My main thing, which I've seen a lot of people say: there NEEDED to be trigger warnings. Drug use and abuse, overdoses, eating disorders, suicide (both ideations and attempts), physical abuse...the list goes on. There were a lot of threads that were started but needed to be explored more, like Edie's sexuality and her relationship with her parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Take care of yourself while reading.

This book was so satisfying, so infuriating (compliment), and very fun. A great look at what it feels like to be a woman living in the world today (spoiler alert: it feels bad).

I was left generally confused on what this novel was aiming for. On the one hand I get the social commentary regarding men & privilege and on the other there's a murder mystery element that relies on the MC being hopelessly devoted to her murder suspect male bestie. Huh?

This book started strong and held my attention pretty well. The more the book carried on the more my interest waned. The characters were all terrible people (aside from Alex and Edie’s mom). By the end of the book it seemed the author was bored of the story and just glazed over and rushed its ending. I would have liked to have it feel like a more detailed
ending the way Emily detailed the first 3/4 of the book,

I went into this one based on cover alone and I’m so glad I did.

Edie is struggling but she doesn’t know it yet. She holds her best friend Peter on a pedestal, barely listens to Alex who could help her more than she realizes, and worries about her mom and her work in the tech industry constantly.

And then she meets Anaya on Peter’s first date with her and Edie’s whole world begins to change. Her obsession with Peter soon shifts to Anaya after she is found dead in her apartment weeks after that first date with Peter.

Nothing Serious is a story about obsession, about putting our faith in the wrong people, and about learning to trust and listen to ourselves and the people in our lives who we subconsciously keep at arm’s length.

4.5 stars
This book explores the complexities of loving someone when that person does not live up to your version of them.

We follow Edie as she is unhappily working in tech in San Francisco, watching her best friend Peter’s wild success as she struggles to find a place in what feels like a shallow and cutthroat environment. As the book progresses she becomes increasingly aware that Peter is more selfish and cruel than she knew. She tries to understand if he has changed, if she has changed, or if he had never been the person she thought he was at all. Both she and Peter are difficult to like, both selfish in their own ways, but we see Edie struggle with her own demons and fight to be a better person.

This book was very thought provoking, with themes of feminism, privilege, and the nuances of consent and modern-day dating. I enjoyed the morally grey characters and the mystery at the center created a momentum with the story that kept me invested.

I am taking away half a star though because Edie’s brief questioning of her sexual identity did not feel necessary to me, and the lack of exploration ended up feeling exploitative of the character she was attracted to. If it was meant to show that she was as manipulative and shallow as Peter, than it worked, but otherwise, it felt out of place.

I cannot say I enjoyed it. I could not feel anything for any of the characters. And it is more angsty than I generally like to read. These days I read for pleasure, light heartedness. I received this as an advance copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review of my honest opinion voluntarily.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and there were enough twists to make it interesting without being confusing. I can see reading it on a beach vacation where you don’t want a heavy read.

Edie at age 35 is insecure and intelligent. The insecurity is what causes her to be carrying a torch for Peter, her college friend and eternal best friend. Peter is a giant tool bag, terrible to women, drug abuser and pusher, and generally arrogant privileged jerk. It is cringy how she pines for him. Peter is the kind of guy who dates women in their early 20s because women in their mid thirties want to settle down and be in a serious relationship. Honestly, gross.

After 4 dates with Anaya, she turns up dead and Peter is the primary suspect. The rest of the book is Edie trying to figure out what happened and the mystery to solve.

It kills me that because romantic comedies are the top selling genre in the US, publishers put the wrong cover on it. If you’re expecting a book of millennial malaise (and why wouldn’t you) you may be disappointed. Also/ who named this book “Nothing serious”? It’s literally about EVERYTHING serious- addiction and drug abuse, sexual assault, overdose, suicidal ideation, eating disorders. It is a book that looks like it will deliver a happy ending, which it’s definitely not.

For a debut author; this is some really strong prose. The cultural observations are really intriguing and this book is intensely readable. I read it in one sitting. If you like mysteries with a FMC and feminist themes and are okay with some triggering subject matter, you will enjoy reading this book.

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the ARC. Book to be published February 18, 2025.

#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #Nothing Serious

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I found the main character to be too unlikeable to truly fall in love with the story. I wish she had been clever or funny or something but hating yourself as a personality trait seems to be overdone in literature nowadays.

This is a character heavy book. If you’re looking to follow a character and not really a plot, this book is for you. This book was on the shorter side but still left a punch. I really liked this one a lot.