This book has several trigger warnings and wow she included all of the major ones. This story was more about the characters and their traumas from the past they live with more so than an actual story of how they all interact. Edie and Peter have been the best of friends and know each other better than anyone else. When Edie's life takes a turn Peter, who has plenty of money, decides he should help Edie out. What could go wrong? A murder, that's what. How well do we know those closest to us? Thanks to NetGAlley for the ARC I thought this was a good story line despite all of the triggers. If you're a sensitive reader, you may want to skip this one.

I really enjoyed this one more than I expected. It was really good and I went in blind to it, which I recommend.

I came to reading this blindly. I saw the cover art and thought I'd give it a chance. To my surprise, it was a mystery novel with a mix of toxic friendships. The main character is fighting to believe her billionaire friend wasn't involved in murder. She goes through understanding what their relationship really is and how her infatuation and attraction to him created a toxic dynamic. I liked how she stuck with her gut about her friend. I figured out he was not as nice as he claimed pretty quickly, and the story was really about her realization that their relationship was fraudulent. Sher took way too long for my liking, but in the real world, it sometimes takes that long to really see a person.

I just finished Nothing Serious by Emily J. Smith and here are my thoughts.

Edie is stuck in a rut. In love with her best friend Peter and in a job she doesn’t much care for. When Peter breaks up with his girlfriend, Edie finally feels like they could be more than friends but Peter has other ideas… He starts dating on dating apps. One woman really stands out and Edie finds herself drawn to the woman too until she winds up dead from a drug overdose right after a date with Peter. Unable to let it go, Edie starts her own investigation into what happened that night.

Edie is a stage 5 clinger on everyone she tries to get close to and a stranger danger stalker. I know that's not what we are meant to get from this book but Peter and Edie… they might not 100% be the same but they are both dululu in their own ways. They are well suited really but Peter is a grade A level buttwipe.

I found the story quite fascinating though. I wasn’t really rooting for anyone and I normally need the connection but I kinda like watching this trainwreck play out.

The narration was really well done and I think I liked it more as an audio than I would have had I read it. I always read the reviews after I have read the book and I was quite surprised that people didn’t love it. I thought it was a rather clever way of highlighting the toxic culture of online dating and the tech world we all find ourselves in on a day to day basis.

Yes Edie was obsessive to the point of almost breaking the law but I found the book rather compelling. It was different from my normal reads and I like that it shook me up.

I would need a novella to list all the triggers so maybe check those out before you dive in.

4 stars

Very original and very entertaining. Does have some dark humor and I always enjoy that personally.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harperaudio ( I never thought to tag them before haha) for my gifted ALC

This was an entertaining read, but Edie’s obsession with Peter made her feel like an unreliable narrator. Because of her fixation on him, it was hard to enjoy her journey or root for her growth. I enjoyed her friendship with Alex, but it was frustrating that it took Alex’s painful revelation for Edie to finally see Peter's true character.

Thanks to HarperAudio for the audio!

In some ways, I’m surprised by how polarized the reviews for this book were — in others, after reading the book, I’m not at all. These characters are complicated and do lots of unpleasant and uncomfortable things in the course of deluding themselves. But I thought this was a brilliant, if imperfect, interrogation of tech culture and life as a millennial in a big city. Would love to discuss with any friends who pick this up.

Nothing Serious is a very serious book. It deals with obsession, calloussness, murder and abuse.
This book made me uncomfortable and both Eddie and Philip were a little crazy.

I could not get into this book at all.

Nothing Serious exemplifies the power of narcissism through Edie’s story, a cautionary tale about losing oneself and idolizing others. Throughout Edie’s spiral into obsessiveness with her best friend and wealthy tech investor Peter, we watch as she recognizes and then chooses to ignore every opportunity to course correct in favor of digging in.

Edie’s journey for truth(or more accurately, a truth she is willing to accept) is explored through the death of new friend and twin flame Anaya, who died of a drug overdose under questionable circumstances that all seem to lead back to Peter.

As Edie chases a connection to the missed opportunity of knowing Anaya, and clings to the Peter she once knew, it is difficult to watch how much of herself she compromises and gives away. From her family, to her career, and even her own agency, Edie is on shaky ground through the entire story in a way that echoes a feeling for many readers of her age.

This is a worthwhile and painful read, even if it pushes the boundaries of what any reasonable person would actually do or say.

I found this book to be a nice change. The main character was a bit of a hot mess. All of these characters were varying degrees of unlikable but not in a way that made me want to put the book down - more in a way that they are clearly imperfect and make questionable decisions. This book touches on some women issues specifically getting older and feeling the pressure to get it together that I think will resonate with a lot of readers.

I really enjoyed this audio. I did an immersive read along with the book. It was much more enjoyable that way. This was like a dark comedy. The cover and synopsis really drew me to wanting to read & listen to this.

Oh boy, I am NOT in good company for this one. It wasn't that bad, guys, it's fiction! Live in the fiction! Dare I say... it's not that serious.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily J. Smith, William Morrow and HarperCollins for the ALC of the audiobook!

Nothing Serious: A Novel by Emily J. Smith

"That man will be the end of you."

You got that right, sis. ick, I hate when men... ESPECIALLY when said men (man) may or may not have led to the death of a completely awesome woman (allegedly) who just so happened to give him a chance (she should've ran when she had the chance)
I'm not really understanding the ick, because it seems like the critics have never been so in love with a friend of theirs, regardless of the level of toxicity present being a claim for a hazmat situation. If you haven't, then godspeed friend, because you've just so happened to dodge one of the greatest bullets know the [wo]man.

"... But the way you've experienced the world, and the way he has, is entirely different. I know you want to believe you're made from the same cloth, or something. But you are not the same."

Yeah, yeah, Edie is a little annoying, but when are we not? In my humble opinion, everyone is annoying and sometimes we, personally, happen to be ground zero for the annoyance. Yes, she may be a little off the deep end, but its not anything that a little (a lot) of psychotherapy can't help! Once again, I must state that it is a work of fiction, so go and live in a little. (This bears repeating)

"... but it was always hard for her to distinguish between wanting to sleep with a woman or wanting to be her. Having never tried the former, she assumed her desire was simply envy or admiration. Edie had never thought she was gay, but never really allowed herself to consider it."

"I feel a little more dead inside after each date."
"Maybe she would always love him, but she hated him, too."

*sigh* same girl, same.



What I walked away with:
- The best character in this story Alex, because everyone needs a best friend who keeps it absolutely real with you. (Bonus points for the lesbian inclusivity)
- Edie only becomes more likable when she explores her sexual identity more (because F. ALL. MEN. especially Peter)
- Loved the not-so-subtle sh*tting on San Francisco
- Not everything in this life is what it seems, or goes to plan, and that's okay.
- If murder (alleged or not) doesn't kill your attraction, you need to see a therapist.
- *schedule therapy appointment*


My favorite note:
"But if Peter had really looked her in the eyes that first night, and hidden so much from her, what else was he capable of hiding?"

DING, DING, DING. Thank god.

This was a twisty, layered listen. I appreciated the concept, but I found the multiple storylines disjointed at times—it felt like the plot was being pulled in too many directions. I often asked myself, “Where is this going?”

Edie, our protagonist, was tough to connect with. Her choices were often immature, self-centered, and painfully codependent. Still, there’s a lingering question throughout the book: will these flaws lead to real self-awareness?

The narration by Anna Caputo was well done. She maintained good pacing, brought clear distinction to each character, and kept me engaged even when the plot felt scattered.

Content warnings include suicide, alcohol use, references to domestic violence, and sexual abuse.

Overall, I’d rate this audiobook a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a moody, slow burn that might resonate more with readers who enjoy character-driven suspense and messy, complicated leads.

Big thanks to Emily J. Smith, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced listener copy.

My main takeaways of this book are that Edie needs therapy and Peter is the absolute worst.

I did enjoy this read, but boy did it have about 1 million trigger warnings-- and rightfully so. It sucked me in quickly and kept my attention. It's hard to say I enjoyed this because of the subject matter, but it was an interesting, good read.

There were a few too many "hot button" or feminist issues for me, and some of them didn't feel relevant to the story. But overall, this was a good read!

Unfortunately I won't be finishing this book as I can't get on with the narrator's voice, and based on other reviews it's not worth me pushing through that discomfort.

I felt so conflicted as I started to read 'Nothing Serious' because it was mirroring behavior back to me that I'm not proud of. The ease with which our main character slips into obsessive territory was something I felt viscerally. As the plot progressed, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread because I wasn't sure which way things were going to go. This review is pretty vague but that's on purpose. I don't want to spoil a darn thing, but I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook!
I'm giving it 4 stars because I wish there was one more chapter to tie all the threads together.
Thank you #NetGalley & #HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC.

3.75 ⭐️ because the rollercoaster was doing its thing. Please check the trigger warnings before reading because the content in this book is in fact serious. Edie baby needed a therapist like yesterday and there were times where I wanted to shake her, but truly don’t get me started on PETER😠. The plot had me intrigued enough, especially with how chaotic all the characters were. There were times where I was a little confused on how we got to certain points, but not bad where I got lost. I listened to the audiobook and I’ve always enjoyed the narrator, so I think that was also a plus for me. Overall would recommend as an entertaining mystery🔎

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this 🎧 ARC.

This started out very engaging for me, but became a slog towards the end when it became less of a mystery and more of about Edie learning a lesson about Bad Men. Don't get me wrong, Edie did need to learn a lesson--watching her make excuses and fawn over Peter over and over again was ROUGH--and Peter was extremely entitled and oblivious. But as it went on, my enjoyment waned. I did enjoy the mystery aspects, and watching Edie obsess over Peter was relatable for anyone who has ever watched a friend repeatedly make ill-advised choices and not be able to do anything.

Anna Caputo's narration was very good, I thought she had the right voice for Edie and her inflection and pacing worked really well.

This was an interesting read for me. Went in blind for the most part -shout out to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this a lil early! Going in thinking this was gonna be a contemporary romance type of book, and then finding it to be a bit of a murder mystery thriller was a fun change of pace. I felt for our main character, but also was not fond of her buddy. I was genuinely hoping for her and Anaya to get together since their chemistry was soooooo good on the date Peter had her crash. But, alas, twas not meant to be. Though I enjoyed this book, I feel it could use some higher stakes and tension to be called a thriller. And I would have liked our FMC to show more growth in the timeline. But it was an enjoyable enough read!

This debut sounded really good and started off strong for me but by the middle I lost interest and did end up DNFing unfortunately. The audio narration was good but the story itself just didn't work for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was an interesting read. Definitely not what I was expecting but I loved the writing and the plot was very good.