And Everything Nice

by Kim Moritsugu

Twenty-four-year-old Stephanie's life isn't in a rut exactly, but it's not headed where she'd like it to be.

Stephanie manages a clothing store and lives with her mother in the townhouse where she grew up. At her mother's suggestion, she joins a community choir. Soon she's singing rock songs in four-part harmony and has met a completely new group of people, including Anna Rai, a local TV personality. When Anna's private journal goes missing, she confides in Stephanie that she feels terribly vulnerable. What if the notebook falls into the wrong hands and her secrets are made public? She hints that such revelations could be devastating to her and other public figures. When a blackmailer demands cash in exchange for the notebook, the two women lay a trap to snare the crook. But will Stephanie use or abuse the information she now has?

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Canada

76 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Kim Moritsugu was born and raised in Toronto. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Toronto, and worked for several years in a corporate setting before becoming a fulltime fiction writer.

Kim is the author of the romantic comedy Looks Perfect (shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award), the domestic comedy Old Flames, the literary mystery The Glenwood Treasure (shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Best Crime Novel Award), the domestic novel The Restoration of Emily (serialized on CBC Radio’s Between the Covers), the short Rapid Reads mystery novel And Everything Nice, and the suburban comedy of manners The Oakdale Dinner Club.

Kim conducts walking tours of Toronto’s North Rosedale neighbourhood for Heritage Toronto, teaches creative writing through The Humber School for Writers, and recaps TV shows online as The Hungry Novelist.

Coming in 2018: The Showrunner

Reviews

[Melinda Worfolk]

I read this book to see if it would be appropriate for my fundamental adult literacy class. The Rapid Reads series from Orca has short books by well known Canadian authors, written simply. The ones I’ve read have been good, and this one is no exception. I liked the narrator, the plot, and the characters. It is a bit on the short side, and I felt like the story was just getting started when all of a sudden it was over. However, that’s the deal with these books, so I can’t exactly count that against them. I’m not totally sure if I’ll order a set of these for the students, but it’s definitely a contender.

[Asuka · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first try reading a Rapid Read. Rapid Read from Orca are books that are about 10,000 words, and without too many complex words or concepts. It's indeed easy and fast to read. Took me about an 1 hour? Maybe a bit more? It's a bit strange because it's so short and it feels like it ends before you can really get into the character. But I think this author is an accomplished writer, so I'd be interested to read what her regular-length fiction reads like.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this quick read book was a great experience as a new reader to emerge myself into this short story. I really liked how the author portrayed her main character, Stephanie, throughout the story along with the thoughts and images she created for her. This short tail of blackmail and jealously was relatable to similar drama reads which intrigued me as a drama lover. One particular quote that stuck out to me was "During all that, I thought about the gap between Anna and me. About how we must look sitting together at the table-the TV star and the nobody. About how with my lack of education and experience, I had little chance of making it to even her level of success. I decided to do a little blackmailing of my own."(Moritsugu 116) I found that quote to resonate well with themes of jealously and blackmail since we all want to be what we aren't. This short story really put me in my place as a reader and taught me that with kindness and empathy, good things shall come. I could give this story a 4/5 stars considering its an easy read but fun to make inferences about while reading in great detail. I enjoyed this story and authors message throughout it and found this read as a great use of my time since its so short! But because it was so short, it made it difficult to get to know the other characters well.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really respect the mission of Rapid Reads and try to read and give reviews of their books. This one was not one of my favorites, but it certainly had potential. I liked the overall concept and the message (trying new things, making new connections, morality), but the character details threw me off.

*The guilty party was super obvious from the jump. I would have liked more viable culprits.
*None of the characters are particularly likeable. For each one I encountered, I was like, "well, that's annoying." While it made it hard to root for anyone, it also was, I suppose, a very realistic portrayal of human nature.
*I liked how Stephanie dealt with the culprit at the end. It was fitting with the character and how she viewed justice.

So, it was an interesting read, but not my favorite. I'll continue to spread the word about Rapid Reads!

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read. Kind of predictable, honestly. I did not like the way Stephanie and Joanne interacted throughout this read at all. Calling her Joanne instead of Mom felt more like an intentional insult. Her mom telling Nathan to shoot her good side and accusing her of taking money (which was Brandon after all - and she never apologized!)

[Jackson Huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another very fast read that was a perfectly fine story without really any complexity. The stealing of the notebook doesn’t even happen until halfway through the book and the conclusion of getting things back happens pretty much seamlessly without any real issues or tension. While I enjoyed the characters I do think they could have added just a bit more “meat” to the story and mystery of it all.

[Jordan Facinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was an okay book for a short read in between my regular reads.

[Robin Spano · Rating 5 out of 5]

And Everything Nice is a fun, fast story about a theft in a community rock band.

Rapid Reads are not the kind of books I would normally pick up. They're required to be short, use simple words, and have a one-track plot (i.e, no complex subplots going on). Lots of good Canadian writers have taken a break from their "regular" writing to try their hand at Rapid Reads, and it was because I'm a huge fan of everything else Kim Moritsugu has written (and I'd run out of her other books to read!) that I decided to pick up And Everything Nice.

I think she met the Rapid Reads objectives and then some. The book was short, simple, and one-track. And it was alive with character and wit. The mystery aspect was fun - I found myself gripped near the end when the protagonist runs a clever plan to foil the thief.

What I love most about Kim's writing is that she manages to be light and dark at the same time. Her books have quick pace, a comedically original world view, and her protagonists are masters of scathing sarcasm. Kim's books are the ultimate, for me, in comfort reading. I was saving this book for a day when I felt low - you know, those days when you're sick or down on life and you need something to pick you up? And Everything Nice delivered exactly what Kim's books always do for me: that sense that I'm not alone; that someone out there (okay, so it's a fictional character, but whatever!) gets the way I'm thinking and makes it okay.

I recommend this book as a rainy day read for anyone, or for an adult learning English or with other literacy challenges (the target market of the Rapid Reads series) who is looking for an interesting story.

If you haven't read any of Kim's books yet (lucky you!) - I also recommend Old Flames. It remains one of my favorite comfort reads of all time.

[Flannery · Rating 3 out of 5]

In only about 120 pages, Moritsugu created a Nancy Drew-esque if predictable mystery story. A twentysomething girl lives with her mother and works in a retail store at the mall. She's on the lookout for a hobby or a way to fill her time, and her mother suggests a rock music choir to which she belongs. Stephanie joins and becomes friends with a local news anchor, who is also in the choir. It is revealed that someone at practice is stealing money from other members and the plot thickens when the news anchor finds out that the thief has also stolen her private journal. Together, Stephanie and the news anchor devise a plan to unveil the thief. While I'm not positive about who the intended market for this book is, I feel that it is more appropriate for an older teenage audience due to its simplicity. (older only because an affair plays a part, though there is nothing graphic at all) The writing is very accessible and if the rest of the Rapid Reads collection is similar to this, I think they are perfect for reluctant readers or people looking for something extremely quick.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was okay, if a bit simplistic. I read it on my ereader app on my phone and was surprised at how short it was. It felt like the opening to a more in depth story of Stephanie's life. There was little time for character development so most of the characters were a little flat and one dimensional and there wasn't much growth in the main character. I'd like to see a longer work with these characters though, and the writing was engaging.

*Edit: having read the other reviews after submitting mine, I realize this book is a "rapid read" from Orca books. I'll have to check out other books by this author! I downloaded this book from my public library and didn't see the publication info!

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie's life isn't what her Mom wants for her and she finds that is good for her and she does want to advance in her company but she isn't into school. She decides to go to a choir practice with her Mom and finds that she really likes it and she meets some interesting characters. Now the mystery begins because she has become friends with Anna whose diary is missing and several members have had money taken also. Who is the thief??

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a "mystery" short story. I actually thought it was pretty dumb because it reminded me of those A to Z mystery books I used to read as a kid. A mystery of a lost notebook, really? But I did manage to finish the whole thing. If it was a regular full sized novel, I don't think I could have haha.

[stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok book but i am not a fan of short stories

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick read.