Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Everything's Fine

Rate this book
Kira thought she knew everything about her best friend, Haylee. But when Haylee dies by suicide, Kira is left with nothing but questions, and a gaping hole in her life where Haylee used to be.Kira is sure that the answers to her questions must be written in Haylee’s journal, but she’s not the only one searching for it. The more Kira learns about Haylee’s past, the more certain she is that other people grieving for Haylee are keeping secrets—especially Bradley, and Haylee’s attractive older cousin Nick. Kira is desperate to get to Haylee’s journal before anyone else finds it—to discover the truth about what happened to Haylee— And to hide the things that Haylee wrote down about her.From the author of Chasing the Skip comes Everything's Fine, a new contemporary YA novel about secrets and loss, and the winner of the 2007 Utah Arts Council award for Best Young Adult Novel.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2014

327 people are currently reading
300 people want to read

About the author

Janci Patterson

57 books251 followers
Janci Patterson writes fantasy, science fiction, and contemporary young adult novels. Janci lives in Orem, Utah, with her husband, Drew Olds, and their children. Janci's first science fiction novel, A Thousand Faces, is available for free from all e-book vendors. Visit Janci at her website, www.jancipatterson.com, to join her reader's group for access to another free novel, her middle grade Searching for Super, only available there.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
135 (37%)
4 stars
119 (32%)
3 stars
79 (21%)
2 stars
21 (5%)
1 star
8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Kathy.
2,741 reviews5,977 followers
January 12, 2015
This was a lot deeper than many of the books I usually read. It is contemporary fiction and there is some romance in it but it deals with suicide and secrets and touches on mental illness. Some of the subject matter isn't pretty but it is dealt with tactfully. It was kinda heartbreaking and shows that life isn't always pretty and we don't always know everything about the people around us. It was tragic but not depressing.

Recommended to those who want something a little different.

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Book

Content: a couple instance of language, some sexual content but no sex scene, innuendo and crude comments

Source: Ebook Review Copy
Profile Image for MK ( MaKayla).
349 reviews149 followers
April 3, 2020
This ain't it Bro

I've never rolled my eyes , or highlighted and written notes so much in a book EVER. The entire thing was juts weird the characters especially those of Hailey and Kira - I suspect they're aliens .
Also please be warned this review is going to be very long due to the fact that I have so much to rant about . Also please be aware of triggers *cutting , suicide , possible rape , and sexual abuse *

First of all let's talk about Hailey . Hailey is just weird from page one . I waited for some big revelation about her having some sort of mental condition that makes her act the way she does . The way that Kira interacted with her was just weird she was constantly ( in the flashback scenes ) tiptoing around her ;

" I (was) ...unsure if I should step in or out. Hurricane Haylee could blow stronger than the wind, pound harder than the rain, and I couldn't tell if it was coming or going. "

From the first scene she's compared to this and it seems like everyone just says with a laugh " That's Haylee for you ". It is revealed that she has depression and anxiety but the way she acts is kinda pschyo .


The second thing was that Haylee obsessively keeps a diary in which ;

"Sometimes the lies she made up were about me. And if someone read those, they'd have no way to sort the truth from the lies."

Kira acts as if this was a normal thing that Haylee constantly made up things , if that was true then wouldn't her parents have done something about it ? If that stuff was so serious that she was panicking why didn't anyone else know about her lying about stuff that she believed it was true .

Even once the secret was revealed about Haylee,and the story was wrapped up her strange behavior still made no sense they didn't line up with what was going on and most of the things she did can't be blamed on anxiety or depression .

Haylee says that her Mom didn't want anyone to know that Haylee took meds for depression and anxiety because she didn't want them thinking " she was crazy " . Again there were times when she acted like a person with anxiety would , or depression I'm not at all debating that . What I'm saying is that there was something even more seriously wrong with that girl than the given diagnosis that everyone just brushed off , problems aside she was an awful person and I honestly don't blame people for not liking her .

Kira talks about how Haylee was her best friend and constantly defends her ,but all in all Haylee was a terrible friend and person in general . She was selfish and explosive when things didn't go her way , she was a brat. She kept two people apart that clearly loved each other by lying to both of them about the others feelings her only reason being that she didn't want to be the third wheel. 😑 There was only one instance to Haylee actually being a decent person and even then it wasn't even entirely " nice " . As I was reading this I didn't understand why the heck Kira was even friends with his girl good grief .


Now on to Kira . I said that I didn't understand why Kira was even friends with Haylee ,but bro the same could be said of Haylee . As the story went on I realized that Kira was an even worse friend to Haylee. The biggest problem is we're literally supposed to be rooting for Kira when she's a terrible person and friend.

I am almost 100 % certain that Kira is a robot . She also says and thinks the most unrealistic and bizzare things .

At the funeral ;

"I huddled down inside my jacket and tried not to breathe, because Haylee wasn't breathing, and her body wasn't warm enough to turn the air into steam"

About her crush ;

She's so creepy ! She's constantly drooling over him and justtt stoppp ladyyy ...


"I thought about letting go, about curling up into him"

CREEEPPPPYYYY !! You can't just do that !


Then the next breath she's thinking stuff like this ;

" ( What would I do if he ) made a move? Took advantage? Would I mind? Yes, I would. Nothing good was going to come out of Haylee's death. I wouldn't let it."

You were literally just about to THROW YOURSELF AT HIM don't be making up scenarios in your head and then judging him for it !

She constantly stares at her crushes chest ( while he's wearing a t shirt) and then tries to act like she was interested in his t-shirt 😂;

"Then I realized I was totally staring at Nick's pecs. That's why I couldn't wear shirts like that. I'd be giving guys license to look at my chest."
( And apparently it's ok for her to lust after Nick but not for another guy to lust after her ??? I'm sensing some contradiction here. )



Then she also acts like she's defending Haylee's choices ;

Haylee has cuts on her wrists ;

She doesn't say anything . Doesn't ask if she's doing ok talk to someone who could help her ,talk to Haylee's parents or even Haylee's therapist .

"I saw a fresh red line snaking down her wrist. This was a long one—three or four inches at least."

Kira's mom a Psychologist asks about them and Kira flips out ;

'Mom closed her magazine. "I'm worried about her. She had some scratches on her wrist." '

"I know," I said.

"She cut herself," I said. "Her parents know. It's not a secret."

If there are fresh cuts you should be a good friend and make sure she's getting help DO SOMETHING ANYTHING !!!

"leave Haylee alone." I said " mom was nosy "


When a guy asks if she thinks it was murder she acts ticked ;

"This was Haylee's choice, okay?"



I'm not saying that she didn't miss Haylee , but she certainly had not a trace of internal emotion AS IN NEVER DURING THE ENTIRE BOOK . That's just not realistic writing . She doesn't really seem to feeling anything at all except ... Lust ?? What a role model . The entire time she seemed like she was trying to 'act' things like this ;

"... I wasn't sure ( if) I should ( do anything honestly). If your best friend died, that seemed like the sort of thing that ought to stay on your mind for a while."

She acts like a robot and then complains that ;

"The lecture about how I wasn't handling my feelings appropriately. "

When she tries to force herself to cry... ok what ;

"If I just got my eyes started, like priming a pump, then surely I could cry. But my eyes just felt stiff ."

Also this when she tries to excuse her behavior.

" Maybe being a b!#¢$ was part of grieving ."

Nope honey that's just you being you .



Content ; PG-13

Very heavy makeouts -borderline sexual * bruh you NASTY *

Strong language

Talk of rape and sexual abuse

Suicide ,cutting

Very bad rep of depression / anxiety in a character
Profile Image for Thereadingbell.
1,433 reviews39 followers
April 13, 2020
Kira thought she knew everything about her best friend, Haylee. Haylee commits suicide immediately after her first date with her first crush, Bradley Johansen. Kira is left with nothing but questions, and a feeling of emptiness in her life where Haylee used to be. Kira is sure that the answers to her questions must be written in Haylee's journal, but shes not the only one searching for it. The more Kira learns about Haylee's past, the more certain she is that other people grieving for Haylee are keeping secrets especially Bradley, and her older cousin Nick. Kira is desperate to get to Haylee's journal before anyone else finds it to find the truth about what happened to Haylee. She also wanted to hide the things that Haylee wrote down about her.

This story addresses suicide and it pulls at your heart. Sometimes we do not know people as well as we thought we did. Kira digs into Haylee's life to find out she did not know her friend at all like she thought she did. Even though Haylee was dead throughout the story her character was well developed through the story itself.
Profile Image for Elizabeth O'Carroll.
Author 19 books6 followers
October 17, 2020
I was so impressed by the depth of the characters in this story and the dynamics surrounding the storyline!
This novel really struck a nerve with me personally, as I have lost loved ones to suicide. My son experienced this tragic life event
as well during his teenage years. I remember how standing at a coffin at a funeral service; frozen in place and barely able to view a youth
gone too soon. Nobody has a template of how to process the emotions afterward; because it is so different for everyone.
The author truly uncovered the protagonist "Kira" goes on a journey to understand what she and her best Haylee shared.
WOW! I am still in awe of how hauntingly profound, beautiful and sad this amazing story is. Brilliant...don't miss out reading this book!
https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/36b5...
Profile Image for Reagan.
71 reviews
July 29, 2015
I got this book because I liked the cover art and it was free on BookBub. I'm glad I read it. There are no twists at the end or long held mysteries. You know what is coming and yet the way this story is told--present tense, before it happened, after it happened, 10 years ago, 2 weeks ago--keeps you from putting the book down. Likable characters and fabulous storytelling. I will recommend this to teens!
Profile Image for Sally taylor.
822 reviews9 followers
April 14, 2020
I am not sure how to rate this book. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great. I liked the story, but couldn't get motivation. It was a quick read I am going to give it 3 stars, but I might lower that after I sit on it for awhile.....
Profile Image for Bethany.
69 reviews4 followers
January 23, 2024
Fine. That four letter word that most of us don't mean, but use all too often when someone asks how we are.

Janci Patterson brings us a heartbreaking story, with the F word at the center. Kira is fine. Haylee was fine (or so she said). This story brings to the forefront of our minds the tragedy of suicide, and how it continues to affect those who are left behind.

Kira's best friend is gone. The whole world seems to want her to forget. Haylee's mother wants things to go back to normal, Haylee's father is all but a shell that chainsmokes now, and Kira's mother is hovering in hopes that her own daughter won't follow in her best friend's footsteps. Nick and Kira's romantic tension is unbearably thick, but neither of them will admit anything to the other. Finding Haylee's journal overshadows it all, and Kira is obsessed with making sure it's found...but only by her. After all, Haylee wrote what she saw...she said as much, and if anyone else finds it...Kira's life could very well fall apart. (Not that it's held together too well as it stands).

This story has very triggering central themes, such as suicide, abuse, and sexual assault. While I wholeheartedly believe this touches on topics that need to be discussed, it is wise to consider the triggers that are involved and judge for yourself whether or not this read is right for you.
31 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2021
The story was really good, and gave a good grasp of how someone might react to their best friend harming themself. While the synopsis did give a bit of a trigger warning for the death/suicide, I do feel like there should be another trigger warning for talk of sexual assault as well as attempted sexual assault.
The characters were fairly well developed, and most where easy to "root for" or where easy to care about, though for some of them, it was a little hard. The main character, Kira, whose viewpoint we are reading from, is very well written. I feel that Janci Patterson does an amazing job at the confusion and blame that a best friend might feel in that situation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chelsea Nicole.
488 reviews17 followers
May 27, 2023
Interesting

This book is pretty heavy. If you're not a fan of mental illnesses, self harm, mentioning of underage sex or abuse, then this is not for you.
I couldn't really root for either character. Both girls were toxic friends and they could have done with adding a rational friend to the party. Nothing the main character mentioned about their friendship actually makes you think they liked each other.
The saving grace here was the revenge/avenge plot remained throughout. I was very glad that someone wanted to make Haylee's death not in vain because there were just too many messed up things to let her passing, go.
Profile Image for Talia C..
466 reviews3 followers
April 15, 2020
Beautifully written

This is getting only a 4 star rating only because I couldn't get into it until I hit 50% complete. Then pieces slowly started coming together.

I promise you this book will have you struggling to figure out what happened to Haylee right up to the very end. The end actually brought tears to my eyes.

This is beautifully written without going into horrific details.
Profile Image for Cindy.
2,765 reviews
August 12, 2017
Kira and Haylee are best friends. They’ve known each other forever, and they don’t have any secrets. Do they? After Haylee kills herself, Kira is left wondering just how well they knew each other after all.

Kira is devastated and confused. She knew Haylee was depressed, but she never expected this to happen. Now she’s wondering what kind of friend doesn’t notice something so big. Maybe Haylee’s journal would help explain why she did it, but it’s gone missing.

Everyone else seems just as puzzled, but Kira can’t help feeling she’s the only one who really misses Haylee. Kira can’t stop life from going on, but between Haylee’s parents, gossipy kids at school, and Haylee’s cousin, no one else understands.

I picked this up since Janci is a fellow Utah writer. If you have teenagers, it’s a bit harrowing. And if you have teenagers with mental health issues, it’s really going to hit home. I think that teenagers or young adults would get into this book too. It was a very quick read.
57 reviews
March 26, 2020
At first I was going to rate this a 2. The further I got into the book I understood what the author was doing. By going back in time she created a reference as to why this young girl committed suicide. Her therapist failed her as well as her mother. It was a heart braking story that grabbed me at the end. Will I read more of this author’s story? YES
Profile Image for Mei..
116 reviews6 followers
April 27, 2020
No sé bien cómo puntuar este libro.
La historia es fuerte, y bastante triste. Pero hubieron cosas que no terminaron de convencerme, más que nada en cuanto a los personajes. Quizás más adelante haga una reseña más completa, cuando ordene mejor mis ideas.
.
P/d: es mi tercer libro leído completamente en inglés.
97 reviews
March 4, 2021
Yes, it is...

Jan I Patterson writes a compelling story and Everything's Fine. Parts were sad, parts shocking, and parts a little. Heart rending.
Go ahead, give it a read. Because everything really...is fine.
4 reviews2 followers
September 12, 2021
I picked up this book after reading the plot summary and was very intrigued. Sadly, the energy had fizzled out by half way and j found myself just flipping through. The book alternated between the past (before Haylee dies) and the present (after her death). It contained so much irrelevant information in both and lots of teen angst boy drama that didn't seem at all justified to me.
I picked up this book believing it was one thing (a YA take on survivor's guilt/ response to the suicide of a loved one) and found a instead, a half-baked teen drama. Very disappointing. A few minor grammatical errors but the style is consistent over all.

Plot 2
Writting/style 2
Characters 1
World building 1

Overall 1.5
Profile Image for Jayden King.
Author 2 books5 followers
December 8, 2022
Listened to the audiobook of this.
Not my usual genre, but I will read anything that Janci writes and this did not disappoint.
A twisty emotional rollercoaster that left me wrecked by the end. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Autumn.
200 reviews
April 18, 2020
Sad

Traumatic and sad but the book was good. This was my first by this author. Although, I felt like it could of went into more detail some...overall it was really good.
87 reviews3 followers
May 14, 2020
Tragic

This is a very sad and tragic read. Don’t read it if you’re into happy endings because there is very little happiness in this story.
1 review
August 29, 2020
Author handled some really really heavy topics very well. Couldn't put it down. Absolutely a recommended read.
Profile Image for Julia.
8 reviews
September 7, 2020
I really enjoyed it. It took me a while to read it though. I always stopped and read other books when i got tired of reading this one. I would give it a 3/5 stars!
Profile Image for Tara.
Author 2 books56 followers
January 10, 2021
Shocking plot twist

This was overall a good book. I wasn't expecting what happened with Aaron and once I got there I couldn't put the book down.
15 reviews
March 22, 2021
Decent

A good little reed sad and sweet. I enjoyed it but it was pretty mediocre Nothing amazing or great about it but a good read
1 review
May 20, 2021
Amazing

I love this book very good read for young adults. Teaches suicide doesn't get rid of everything it just passes the pain to someone else.
216 reviews2 followers
June 6, 2021
Pretty interesting

I enjoyed the book; however, it was difficult to follow because of all the jumping around regarding the various times in her life that events occurred.
Profile Image for Edie Walls.
1,121 reviews9 followers
August 22, 2022
I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this free Amazon book! It's well written with realistic and well-considered characters.
Profile Image for Emily Vance.
98 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2024
I really liked this, my one criticism is I wish it was longer and had more mystery. It was easy to guess what was going to happen but overall I really enjoyed it.
51 reviews
March 4, 2020
Everything’s Fine is a beautiful book about dealing with the suicide of a best friend and not knowing why. The author dealt with a lot of sensitive issues about teenagers, depression, abuse and love. Her characters are very realistic and the book is so well written that once I started reading I couldn’t stop since I, like the main character, desperately wanted to know why. I recommend this book to teens and adults but for parents with teens going through similar problems be aware of how this may affect them, it affected me and it’s been a very long time since I was that age. You’ll probably need lots of tissues.
Profile Image for Jean Baxter.
Author 7 books30 followers
November 25, 2020
Kira and Haylee were best friends, they knew everything about each other. Kira knew Haylee had issues but she loved her anyway. So why didn't she know about Haylee's plan to commit suicide, and why couldn't anyone help her? This book was a good read, delving into the impact Haylee's death had on her friends and family. Many layers are peeled back as the story unravels, revealing the secrets that led to the tragic demise of Haylee.
Profile Image for Michelle .
2,128 reviews305 followers
July 23, 2014
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**

Everything's Fine is a really powerful read. You know those books that reach through your chest and rattle you? They just shake up all your insides and make you feel. Not always pleasant feelings, but definitely powerful feelings. Everything's Fine is told both in the present as well as through a series of flashbacks. It it about the best friend of a girl that killed herself. You really get a full picture of how her decision affected a ton of people around her.

What I loved about Everything's Fine is that it was just as much about Kira as it was about her friend Haylee that killed herself. Kira throws around the "F" word a lot, trying to reassure herself, and everyone else, that things were in fact fine. I have no idea how anyone could possibly believe her though. My heart went out to Kira. To be left in the aftermath of what her friend did, with no answers had to be one of the hardest things for anyone to go through. Kira spends a lot of the book looking for Haylee's journal because she is scared about what Haylee wrote about her. I was so freakin' curious about what was written in this journal. And I was really surprised when I finally found out. Janci Patterson will make your jaw drop more than once. I kept finding myself saying, "holy cow!" I can't believe that just happened.

Everything's Fine is like getting a glimpse into the dirty laundry in people's lives, and you cannot stop reading. Haylee's family is full of secrets. But this book is not all gloom and doom, there is also a really sweet silver lining for Kira. In the form of Nick. I'm not going to say whether he is a romantic interest or just a friend, but he was Haylee's cousin and I loved how there he was for Kira. It was super sweet, and I found myself looking forward to their scenes together.

Everything's Fine is a powerful book about loss, about how to deal with the aftermath and about getting some answers. I loved it. I felt for Kira so much, so I was happy that so much of the book dealt with her, and her trying to actually be "fine". But there parts with Haylee were fascinating as well. I don't want to say that her parts were happy, but it was satisfying to find out some answers about her. She is such a sad, depressed girl, so the answers were not always cheery, but they did offer some kind of closure. This book broke my heart multiple times. It is so hauntingly beautiful. I am so thoroughly impressed with Janci Patterson and her writing and ability to tell such an emotional story. Must read more books by her now!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.