Equally heartbreaking and heartwarming, this was another emotionally heavy, character driven story about a woman in her 40s who is forced to go on a wellness retreat after accidentally sending an email critiquing her coworkers.

Lorna is a workaholic who has never dealt with her grief and rage over losing her mother to cancer and growing up with an addict sister. As part of the stipulation of her mother's will, she has to make amends with a number of people from her past before she can have access to the trust with her mother's finances.

What follows is an apology tour in which Lorna visits different people who she let down over the years. It's a healing journey that is helped along when she befriends the single dad and his young son who live in the apartment next to her hers in the building her grandmother used to own. With flashbacks from the past we see how Lorna's sister and parents continually let her down and why her anger is so justifiable.

This book is for anyone who has had to struggle with watching a loved one who has addiction issues and the emotional toll that takes. Great on audio narrated by Marni Penning and highly recommended for fans of books like The brilliant life of Eudora Honeysett or Blue sisters by Coco Mellors. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Book Review: Everything is Probably Fine by Julia London

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

ARC courtesy of HarperMuse & NetGalley

The Setup 🧘‍♀️

Lorna Lott has a bit of a… rage problem. So naturally, her employer decides the best way to fix that is to send her off to a month-long stint at a wellness centre. Cue the yoga mats, sound baths and sessions of talking about FEELINGS.


But this isn’t just about meditating away her fury. Lorna’s issues run deep, with past trauma quietly coiled under her carefully controlled exterior. And as she’s forced to confront her pain, the story gently peels back the layers of a woman who’s spent years avoiding her own truth.

The Vibe: Women’s Fiction with Bite (and Heart) 💔💫

Though the whimsical cover might suggest a cosy little romcom, make no mistake—this is a thoughtful, emotional journey through grief, guilt, and the winding path toward forgiveness. That said, it’s not without warmth or humour. There are moments that genuinely sparkle—particularly when a certain small boy named Bean comes into the picture.

Characters That Stick 🧡

Lorna: Flawed, complex, and repressing more than just bad memories. She’s not always 'likeable'—but always real. I adored her.

Seth: The neighbour who might be more than a friend (hello, soft romance subplot).

Bean (Benjamin): Seth’s son and the absolute heart of this novel. The relationship between him and Lorna is pure magic. Honestly, this kid could charm the bitterness out of a lemon.

Kristen & Mum: Lorna’s relationships with her sister and mother are complex and painful, but part of the healing journey. Nothing here is neat or tidy—which makes it all the more believable.

Themes That Hit Hard 🎯

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation.

Forgiveness—especially self-forgiveness—is uncomfortable but necessary.

You don’t have to be perfect to deserve happiness.

Found family can be just as meaningful as the one you were born into.

Final Thoughts 💬

This is women’s fiction done well—honest, emotionally resonant, and character-driven. The romance is very subtle. The emotional beats hit hard without veering into melodrama. And while it’s not always an easy read, it is a rewarding one.

Four stars from me—for the writing, the emotional depth, and for a story that sticks with you long after the last page. Just don’t go in expecting a breezy beach read. This one’s got weight—and it’s worth carrying.

A solid effort that will likely please fans of Elinor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove. Lorna's efforts to make amends for past mistakes and her tentative steps toward forming solid, lasting relationships provide for a satisfying growth arc.

🌿 Everything Is Probably Fine by Jenny L. Howe

📖 e-ARC & 🎧 ALC via NetGalley | Narrated by Marni Penning | Pub: Harper muse books



This book was an unexpected gem—raw, emotional, and full of heart. Lorna Lott is sharp-tongued, guarded, and spiraling after a workplace meltdown. Her punishment? A 30-day wellness retreat. But what starts as forced introspection slowly becomes a journey of healing, forgiveness, and connection. 🧘‍♀️💔



Told in a dual timeline (which actually worked so well here!), we piece together Lorna’s past as she unpacks both literal and emotional baggage. Her “apology tour” was deeply moving, and I loved the found family vibes with her quirky neighbors—especially little Bean, who completely stole the show. 🧒🐶



The mental health rep is thoughtful and digestible, and the pacing never lagged. Marni Penning’s narration brought Lorna to life—highly recommend the audiobook! 🎧💫



I received both an e-ARC and an ALC through NetGalley—huge thanks to Harper muse books and Libro.fm for the opportunity to read and listen early!



If you enjoy character-driven stories about personal growth, emotional healing, and second chances, this one’s for you. 💕

First of all “ What a fun cover”! I expected a lighthearted possibly humorous read, and it certainly was at times! This novel takes you down the road of a family member, Kristen, who’s an “addict” and everything that comes along with that! Her sister Lorna has had a troubled childhood dealing with being the younger sister to things she found so troubling she had to block them away.

Then she meets my favorite character, “ Bean” the eight year old who lives across the hall and has taken a liking to her Corgi, Aggie! This relationship flourishes over time and is the beginning of finding a way to forgive others and herself for things she has held grudges for over years.

I honestly loved it. As Lorna is struggling in her job in sales with what seems like anger, she is forced to take a leave and get “help” and during this 30 day leave while attending the requested spa and retreat she has opened her mind and senses to things she never thought she would.

If you know someone who is an “addict” or a family member or someone you love that deals with addiction, this novel may give you a different outlook, hope or balance.

I loved the characters, Author Julia London did a phenomenal job.
I’m still reflecting on how Lorna transitioned and made friends and how her life turned around. Entertaining read, read it in 2 days! I highly recommend this as your next contemporary fiction! 4.5



I want to thank Author Julia London, HarperMuse and NetGalley for my complimentary copy ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lorna has issues with control due to an out of control childhood. When she is forced to enter a program, she at first is incensed, but then starts making progress. I love her relationship with Bean, the child with whom she reluctantly bonds. The moment she realizes that he chose a figurine because of her, not his deceased mom, broke me.

The ending is perfect.

I did not expect to like this book...in any way...I was expecting a rom/com/chic lit story that wasn't that deep. What I actually got was a hear-warming, moving story about forgiveness, grief, and moving on. The hurt and pain Lorna experienced and the road to recovery was so real and I found myself crying unexpectedly, just like Lorna. This was truly a moving novel.

Everything Is Probably Fine by Julia London (e-ARC)
Pub Date: 12 August 2025

Short Synopsis:
Lorna Lott, a 43-year-old woman, is sent to a 30-day wellness retreat after a work mistake forces her to confront her troubled past. As she faces old wounds and unresolved relationships, Lorna embarks on a journey of self-forgiveness and growth. Along the way, she forms an unlikely bond with her young neighbour, Bean, who helps her see life from a new perspective.

My Thoughts:
Everything Is Probably Fine is an emotional and deeply resonant read. Lorna’s journey towards healing, especially in dealing with long-buried family issues, felt incredibly personal. I found myself reflecting on my own struggles to forgive and move past years of unresolved anger, and the book reminded me how easy it is to make life harder by holding onto the past and blaming others for our pain. This message really struck a chord with me.

The writing blends humour with raw emotional depth, keeping me engaged throughout. I loved how the dual timeline revealed Lorna’s past while she navigates her present, it grounded the story and added depth. The dynamic between Lorna and her young neighbour, Bean, provided warmth and balance to the heavier themes of the book. It reminded me of The Door-to-Door Bookstore, where unexpected relationships offer a path to healing.

That said, the forgiveness tour element was somewhat predictable, and some introspective moments could have been tightened for better pacing. A few supporting characters felt underdeveloped, and more depth from them could have heightened the emotional impact.

Overall, Everything Is Probably Fine is a heartfelt and engaging novel that thoughtfully explores family, forgiveness, and growth. While healing is complex and sometimes painful, this book offers clarity and connection that make the journey worthwhile. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a meaningful and introspective read.

Overall Rating:
⭐️: 4.25/5

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you @netgalley and @harpermusebooks for the eARC .

Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the eARC.

Content warning- substance abuse and addiction.

This was a wild ride. Lorna is having issues at work and is sent to a wellness retreat to work on herself. The cause of her issues is slowly revealed while she is working on herself. Her neighbor's child wanders over to her apartment with her dog and fully inserts himself into her life- for the better.

This was honestly a breath of fresh air- the writing style was clean and engaging. Lorna, while dealing with difficult topics, is fully self aware and at first stubborn to admit she has any grief or issues, becomes fully immersed in the program and tackles her anger issues.

I enjoyed the flash backs into Lorna's life, as sad as they were. You didn't really fully know what happened to Kristen until the end. You were along for the ride while Lorna tackles her apology tour and makes amends to help herself forgive and move forward.

I really enjoyed this story and didn't really know what I was getting into ahead of time, but enjoyed the journey and the ride to get there. A heartwarming story of self love and forgiveness told with the help and wisdom of an 8 year old's unflinching acceptance and friendship.

What a great story! I listened to the audiobook and I think that really made it for me. At the beginning I was like: Oh no! Is Lorna going to complain about things the whole time? Boy, was I wrong. There were beautiful unexpected friendships that occurred that pushed Lorna into new and uncomfortable situations. This and therapy needed to happen for Lorna to grow, change and overcome family issues. Even though the plot was obvious where it was headed, I still enjoyed the journey and did so with a smile on my face. I love the found family trope and this one did not disappoint. I listened to the entire book in less than two days.

This book is messy, funny, and full of heart—in the best way. Lorna Lott is the kind of flawed, prickly heroine you can’t help but root for. The wellness retreat setting adds a quirky, hopeful vibe, and the slow-burn connection with her adorably grumpy neighbor doesn’t hurt either. Ultimately, this is a story about second chances—at healing, connection, and becoming who you really want to be.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity of an early read. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

«Everything Is Probably Fine» by Julia London is one of those reads you don’t really know what you’ll find once you’re in it. I thought I would find a light romantic comedy and I ended up reading a deep look into life, forgiveness and our past regrets.

Lorna is a 43 year-old woman who has focused so much in her work that she has forgotten about living out of it. She has no friends, no partner, no family and her workmates hate her because she’s really hard to work with. When, by accident, she sent a letter to her workmates full of nicknames and mockery, her boss tells her to take a month off in a wellness program or else she won’t be able to come back to her job.

At first, she’s reluctant to go but once she does, she starts to open her mind to changes with Micah, the program’s life coach. During the process, she meets Bean, her neighbour’s 7 year-old boy who falls in love with her dog Agnes. They become close and start treating each other like friends; Seth, Bean’s father, relies on Lorna to take care of him from time to time when he’s busy with work. It’s like that, with Bean’s help and her work with Micah, that she understands she must face her life regrets to be able to start all over again.

As a reader, we get to know about Lorna’s past: her mother died of cancer a few years ago, his father has another family since he divorced her mum and Kristen, her sister, has been an addict since a really young age and they are not on speaking terms right now. Lorna has a lot of things to deal with and she starts the journey to (self)forgiveness once she has hit rock bottom.

«Everything Is Probably Fine» touches a lot of sensitive topics as addiction, how it affects the people around the addict, loneliness, compassion, workaholics, friendship, complicated families… And each topic is treated with such a respect and depth that I couldn’t stop myself from giving the book 5 stars.

I loved Lorna’s evolution: the Lorna that gets to the end of the book is really different from the one we meet at the beginning. I really enjoyed how Lorna and Bean’s relationship grew stronger; he’s such a full-of-life and kind kid that is the perfect match for her, a woman who has lost her way and doesn’t remember what it’s worth fighting for.

Definitely, a read you don’t want to miss.

I gobbled this up in a day - a terrific read! It's about addiction and grief, and there's a small r - romance (secondary to the plot, nothing actually happens, closed door, happy for now) and a tremendous amount of character growth for our heroine, Lorna Lott. The first half is eviserating, it's a brutal depiction of female rage. Lorna is so angry with everyone - her colleagues, her dead mother, her dead and drunk grandmother, her addicted sister - that she is almost non-functioning. She's closed off from everything around her, until her boss at work forces her to attend day sessions at a wellness retreat - or lose not just her possible promotion, but her job.

Lorna is living in a flat in what was her grandmother's house, and as she grapples with all the wellness rigmarole, she makes friends with Bean, an eight year old living next door, and through him, his father Seth. Seth provides the love interest but it's Bean who is central. He offers simple friendship without judging Lorna. We gradually see just how dysfunctional Lorna has become, and yet she is so endearing in her awfulness.

The second half is more like a quest, as Lorna works through her biggest moments of shame, with help from her therapist at the wellness retreat, but mostly by opening up to herself, and her friends and neighbours, especially Bean.

Author Julia doesn't hide from the pernicious and catastrophic effects of addiction, if anything she highlights them, but she also makes clear how we are all responsible for our own lives. If Lorna wants to experience happiness, she has to create it for herself. I adored this warm and optimistic novel, it's in my 2025 favourites!

Thank you so much Julia London and Harper Muse for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

"Everything Is Probably Fine" feels like a mantra. Poor Lorna has isolated herself in her suffering for way too long. When a misstep at work lands her on leave and in a wellness program, she is reluctant. The story follows her on her "apology tour" as she rebuilds a life she has always wanted.

Two things stand out to me in this book. First, watching Lorna's personal growth throughout the book. I love as Lorna confronted her past, she found that maybe her memories are not what she thought they were. She showed such bravery and determination. The second is her new best friend, Bean. He is the absolute cutest and stole the show multiple times with this sage wisdom.

Overall, a great book for lovers of found family, childhood memories and family dealing with addiction.

4.25/5 stars

Everything is Probably Fine releases August 12

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for this advanced reader. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lorna is a productive worker, but does not have much of a social life. Her goal is to make enough money to buy the house that she lives in, which used to belong to her grandmother. After accidentally sending an email mocking her coworkers Lorna is placed on leave and forced to participate in a wellness program. With her extra time at home, Lorna meets her neighbor, a boy Ben. She also realizes that she must meet her mother’s terms to access the money in her trust, which she plans to use to buy the house. These events forceLorna to reckon with her past and the anger that has held hr back for so long.

2⭐️| Everything Is Probably Fine follows Lorna Lott, a middle-aged saleswoman who's angry at the world. She's recently lost her mother, is estranged from her father and addict sister, and has almost lost her job for not working well with others. Now she has a mandatory month off where she has to heal and learn to lover herself and others again.

While I feel that this story tackled a lot of great themes and hard topics really well, I unfortunately did not have a good time solely because I found Lorna insufferable. She clearly started off with bad qualities that she was intended to work through, but at her core I found her personality to be so unlikeable that even when she worked through her problems, I still couldn't stand her.

Lorna did have very relevant trauma and I think had a very important story to tell as someone from the family of an addict and how that person can totally derail your life. She dealt with a lot of grief and rejection that she had to work through and while I thought her path to healing was very good for her, the way she went about it felt almost childish to me. As a 40 year old woman, her "apology tour" where she dropped in on people who knew her as a teenager felt weird and triggered my own social anxiety on her behalf. It's very possible that because I'm outside of this book's demographic that I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. The side characters were charming and the ending was very satisfying, I just couldn't get over my dislike for the main character. I was also able to listen to the audiobook from NetGalley, and I HATED the narrator that did this book. Her voice was so grating and i think that could have contributed to why I didn't like Lorna. If you do read this book, I would recommend sticking to the physical or kindle version.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for sending me this eARC

Very unpopular opinion, but I did not love this one. It was far from a DNF, but I often found myself skimming pages and rushing through scenes. I am struggling with the why though. It was not really the characters or their development or growth. I also liked the plot of the book. But everything about the story felt forced and overdone, instead of natural and smooth. In a book about a 43 year old woman who is coming to terms with her traumatic past, this just did not feel like an accurate portrayal of the healing process. Or even just how challenging and difficult loving someone with an addiction can be. A lot of the book just felt rushed through and forced instead of focused. There is nothing slow or easy about healing from past trauma, and I wish that the story gave more time to that. I liked the idea of this book and there were great parts - especially bean, the 8 year old neighbor, but given the sensitive topic of this book, I wished it did not feel overdone. I enjoyed the narrator of this book, more than my e copy. Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was such a relatable and funny read part romantic comedy, part midlife chaos, and all heart. The story follows a woman trying to hold it all together after a breakup, a job she’s not sure she wants, and a life that looks nothing like she planned.

Julia London nails that feeling of “what now?” with humour and warmth. The main character is flawed, messy, and completely lovable, and I found myself rooting for her the whole way through. The plot has a few predictable beats, but it’s the voice and emotional honesty that make it stand out.

If you’ve ever felt a little lost but kept going anyway, this one’s for you. Funny, honest, and oddly reassuring.

“Family was funny that way. Either you were in it. Or you weren’t. There was no halfway.”

-5 stars-


Spice:
1/5

Yes just yes.
This book was amazing!! It had me laughing, it had me crying, and most of all it had me wanting to stare at a wall and just process what I just read.
I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this book, but I'm just going to come out and say it: I loved it. When I say I cried. I can't even tell you. This book had some really heavy topics while integrating amazing humor that made me laugh.
I loved Lorna and just her personality!! I freaking loved the way she and Bean developed such a close relationship. That whole thing just made my heart warm so much. I think Lorna had just the right amount of sass, humor, and trauma. When I say trauma, I mean a BUNCH of crap things she had to deal with, with her sister, Kristen.
I loved the strong mental health rep in here! It was such an amazing element to this book that just made it better! The way Julia London wrote this book just spoke to my soul. The writing just was so good and made me feel like I legit needed to stare at a wall for a couple of hours.
I will warn you, Everything Is Probably Fine, is heavy... And I wouldn't actually necessarily classify it as a romance. Sure, there was a cute romance twist but don't go into this book thinking it's Romeo and Juliet.
Overall, this was just such a good read all around. After reading Everything Is Probably Fine, I can really see why Julia London is a best selling author. She made the characters come alive in the book. I loved every single second of it!

“She tells herself everything is probably fine but then...”

I did not enjoy this book, and only finished it because it was a netgalley book. The premise and the main character (and most of the other characters) were all unrealistic and/or one dimensional. The book read like an edgier Hallmark movie.