What do you think?
Rate this book
This Close to Okay
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fiction (2021)An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.
From the award-winning Southern writer who Roxane Gay calls "a consummate storyteller" comes a cathartic novel about the life-changing weekend shared between two strangers: a therapist and the man she prevents from ending his life.
On a rainy October night in Kentucky, recently divorced therapist Tallie Clark is on her way home from work when she spots a man precariously standing on the side of a bridge. Without a second thought, Tallie pulls over and jumps out of the car into the pouring rain. She convinces the man to join her for a cup of coffee, and he eventually agrees to come back to her house, where he finally shares his name: Emmett.
Over the course of the emotionally charged weekend that follows, Tallie makes it her mission to provide a safe space for Emmett, though she hesitates to confess that this is also her day job. But what she doesn't realize is that he's not the only one who needs healing -- and she's not the only one with secrets.
Alternating between Tallie and Emmett's perspectives as they inch closer to the truth of what brought Emmett to the bridge's edge -- as well as the hard truths Tallie has been grappling with in her own life -- This Close to Okay is a vibrant, powerful story of two strangers brought together by wild chance at the moment they needed each other most.
From the award-winning Southern writer who Roxane Gay calls "a consummate storyteller" comes a cathartic novel about the life-changing weekend shared between two strangers: a therapist and the man she prevents from ending his life.
On a rainy October night in Kentucky, recently divorced therapist Tallie Clark is on her way home from work when she spots a man precariously standing on the side of a bridge. Without a second thought, Tallie pulls over and jumps out of the car into the pouring rain. She convinces the man to join her for a cup of coffee, and he eventually agrees to come back to her house, where he finally shares his name: Emmett.
Over the course of the emotionally charged weekend that follows, Tallie makes it her mission to provide a safe space for Emmett, though she hesitates to confess that this is also her day job. But what she doesn't realize is that he's not the only one who needs healing -- and she's not the only one with secrets.
Alternating between Tallie and Emmett's perspectives as they inch closer to the truth of what brought Emmett to the bridge's edge -- as well as the hard truths Tallie has been grappling with in her own life -- This Close to Okay is a vibrant, powerful story of two strangers brought together by wild chance at the moment they needed each other most.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 2, 2021
900 people are currently reading
95949 people want to read
About the author
Leesa Cross-Smith
12 books2,759 followersLeesa Cross-Smith is a homemaker and writer from Kentucky. She is the author of seven books: AS YOU WISH, GOODBYE EARL, HALF-BLOWN ROSE, THIS CLOSE TO OKAY, SO WE CAN GLOW, WHISKEY & RIBBONS, EVERY KISS A WAR. HALF-BLOWN ROSE received Coups De Cœur recognition from the American Library in Paris and was the Amazon Editors’ Spotlight for June 2022, the inaugural pick for Amazon’s Editorial Director Sarah Gelman’s Book Club Sarah Selects, and the Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick for June 2022. THIS CLOSE TO OKAY was a Goodreads Choice 2021 Nominee for Best Fiction, a Book of the Month Book of the Year 2021 Nominee, a Book of the Month Early Release Pick for December 2020, the Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick for February 2021 and the Marie Claire Book Club Pick for March 2021. She was longlisted for the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award and 2021 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize and SO WE CAN GLOW was listed as one of NPR's Best Books of 2020. WHISKEY & RIBBONS won the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Gold Medal in Literary Fiction, was longlisted for the 2018 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was one of O Magazine's 2018 Top Books of Summer. EVERY KISS A WAR was nominated for the PEN Open Book Award (2014) and was a finalist for both the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction (2012) and the Iowa Short Fiction Award (2012). Find more @ LeesaCrossSmith.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,523 reviews
July 6, 2020
FIVE FLASHING GOLD STARS BC I THOUGHT IT, I SOLD IT, I WROTE IT, I LOVE IT. This is my second novel, my fourth book.
December 11, 2023
Tallie finds a man poised to jump from a bridge. She coaxes him into her car, and they share a cup of coffee. She discovers that his name is Emmett, and they share the weekend together. Emmett isn't the only one with secrets to discover like what led him to the the bridge. Tallie is a therapist who is still reeling from her divorce.
This book started out strong and quirky- I loved the references to Law and Order SVU and cats. Check. Check. HOWEVER, I have actually been to therapy. Shocking, I know! No therapist talks like Tallie. Therapists, if they are any good, will ask a question, one question at a time. Then, they give you time and space to process the question and roll it around in your mind. When you respond, the therapist is actually listening to you respond and rolls around what you just said in their mind before asking the next question. Tallie seems to have had about 1 million cups of coffee and is peppering this poor guy with questions. Tallie also seems to have everything under the sun in her house: new toothbrushes, brand new men's clothes, etc.
The story had such an amazing premise, and I was excited to see where it went. The foreshadowing was extremely obvious so I wasn't surprised AT ALL about Emmett's situation as it was revealed. Also, this story could have been so much better. People long for human connection, and it is amazing just that these two found each other. Simply sitting on the couch watching TV while falling asleep and Tallie's hair falling softly on Emmett's shoulder, melting the ice in his heart, getting up early just to watch the sun come up. I didn't understand why there was so much complication and over-the-topness (yes that's not a word).
The ending was so lame.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
This book started out strong and quirky- I loved the references to Law and Order SVU and cats. Check. Check. HOWEVER, I have actually been to therapy. Shocking, I know! No therapist talks like Tallie. Therapists, if they are any good, will ask a question, one question at a time. Then, they give you time and space to process the question and roll it around in your mind. When you respond, the therapist is actually listening to you respond and rolls around what you just said in their mind before asking the next question. Tallie seems to have had about 1 million cups of coffee and is peppering this poor guy with questions. Tallie also seems to have everything under the sun in her house: new toothbrushes, brand new men's clothes, etc.
The story had such an amazing premise, and I was excited to see where it went. The foreshadowing was extremely obvious so I wasn't surprised AT ALL about Emmett's situation as it was revealed. Also, this story could have been so much better. People long for human connection, and it is amazing just that these two found each other. Simply sitting on the couch watching TV while falling asleep and Tallie's hair falling softly on Emmett's shoulder, melting the ice in his heart, getting up early just to watch the sun come up. I didn't understand why there was so much complication and over-the-topness (yes that's not a word).
The ending was so lame.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
December 31, 2020
I really love stories about two strangers coming together to help one another heal and form a unique connection through their journey. While the writing is lovely, I think the ending could have been stronger if executed differently, and I often found the dialogue between the characters to be very much like a personal Q&A, and thus a way for the characters to learn intimate details about each other quickly and easily. If you love the card game “We’re Not Really Strangers” you would probably enjoy this book.
November 20, 2021
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO FREAKING MUCH!
My emotions are everywhere! I cried! I hurt! I cared a lot ( not like Rosamund Pike cared about elder people in her last movie) I smiled! I hiccuped! I sobbed! But at the end I breathed in and out! I closed my eyes and thanked for important things define my life!
Tallie and Emmett are well constructed, genuine, realistic characters you deeply and easily get connected with!
Tallie Clark is a therapist, 40, suffering from failed IVF attempts through the years, recently divorced after 10 years long marriage , resented to her husband who cheated on her, married instantly after divorce and raising a baby with his new wife as she’s living with her two cats.
One rainy day when she is passing through the bridge in her car, she notices the man who is planning to jump off. She gets out of her vehicle, running toward his direction, convincing him to share a coffee with him to rethink his decision.
Finally the man accepts her offer. They reach the coffee shop. Tallie pushes him slowly to open up to her. When he leaves his green jacket hanging from his seat to go to the restroom, she snoops around and finds his two suicide notes mention two people he truly misses: Christine and Brenna. Who are these people?
Tallie’s therapist brain starts working hard to learn more about the man to diagnose him properly. Even though Tallie believes in science, she also believes in her guts and insists she can see the people’s auras. She still believes the man on the bridge is harmless and as a part of her job she has to help him. She’s also intrigued and shaken after her post divorce trauma. So as the man needs her help, she also needs someone to focus on for forgetting her own life problems.
She invites him to her house and he accepts it. At the house he shares his name as Emmett and some snippets from his back story like he’s from Montana, he lost his wife, he met her via his friends. Then he accepts to sleep on her couch. Before sleeping he asks her to use her computer. She accepts it.
Emmett has other plan to use computer. He already finds out she took his suicide letters. For becoming even he forms a fake account to write emails to Tallie’s husband for asking questions she never dared to ask. And now she barely move on with her life. With his intervention she may have the closure she needs.
But the thing Emmett didn’t count how their relationship will bloom in only two days. The friendship, the intimacy, the trust they built will change both of their lives forever.
But what if Tallie learns the heart wrenching secret Emmett keeps? Why the people around Tallie keeps saying Emmett is so familiar? Can they stay as friends when they learn the big secrets they keep from each other?
Bring out your napkins and let your ugly cries take control of your sadness you feel for those amazing characters!
This book is MASTERPIECE! One of my best reading experiences of this year! I highly recommend it! Don’t miss out this literature feast!
My emotions are everywhere! I cried! I hurt! I cared a lot ( not like Rosamund Pike cared about elder people in her last movie) I smiled! I hiccuped! I sobbed! But at the end I breathed in and out! I closed my eyes and thanked for important things define my life!
Tallie and Emmett are well constructed, genuine, realistic characters you deeply and easily get connected with!
Tallie Clark is a therapist, 40, suffering from failed IVF attempts through the years, recently divorced after 10 years long marriage , resented to her husband who cheated on her, married instantly after divorce and raising a baby with his new wife as she’s living with her two cats.
One rainy day when she is passing through the bridge in her car, she notices the man who is planning to jump off. She gets out of her vehicle, running toward his direction, convincing him to share a coffee with him to rethink his decision.
Finally the man accepts her offer. They reach the coffee shop. Tallie pushes him slowly to open up to her. When he leaves his green jacket hanging from his seat to go to the restroom, she snoops around and finds his two suicide notes mention two people he truly misses: Christine and Brenna. Who are these people?
Tallie’s therapist brain starts working hard to learn more about the man to diagnose him properly. Even though Tallie believes in science, she also believes in her guts and insists she can see the people’s auras. She still believes the man on the bridge is harmless and as a part of her job she has to help him. She’s also intrigued and shaken after her post divorce trauma. So as the man needs her help, she also needs someone to focus on for forgetting her own life problems.
She invites him to her house and he accepts it. At the house he shares his name as Emmett and some snippets from his back story like he’s from Montana, he lost his wife, he met her via his friends. Then he accepts to sleep on her couch. Before sleeping he asks her to use her computer. She accepts it.
Emmett has other plan to use computer. He already finds out she took his suicide letters. For becoming even he forms a fake account to write emails to Tallie’s husband for asking questions she never dared to ask. And now she barely move on with her life. With his intervention she may have the closure she needs.
But the thing Emmett didn’t count how their relationship will bloom in only two days. The friendship, the intimacy, the trust they built will change both of their lives forever.
But what if Tallie learns the heart wrenching secret Emmett keeps? Why the people around Tallie keeps saying Emmett is so familiar? Can they stay as friends when they learn the big secrets they keep from each other?
Bring out your napkins and let your ugly cries take control of your sadness you feel for those amazing characters!
This book is MASTERPIECE! One of my best reading experiences of this year! I highly recommend it! Don’t miss out this literature feast!
October 12, 2021
i'm sure there's an alternate universe where a different version of this book exists... insightful, subtle, heartbreaking. sadly we're in this reality, and we're left with this version.
whenever i pick up books outside of my usual genres i try to view them from the lens of "who is the audience for this book?" whenever i can tell something isn't going to be for me. and all too often, i leave a book with that question unanswered. because... who is this book for? not someone seeking a romance. not someone in search of a book with insightful (or appropriate) mental health commentary. and not someone looking for lovable characters.
this book is about a 40 year old therapist who acts like a 14 year old and romanticizes someone's very real mental health crisis. and a guy who MAJORLY oversteps personal boundaries by meddling in the 40 year old's relationship with her ex-spouse by messaging him personal questions via email catfishing. and the plot? well there isn't any. it's a never ending game of 20 questions between these two strangers who frequently deceive each other.
i really hope this book finds its audience, even if i'm not quite sure who that might be.
whenever i pick up books outside of my usual genres i try to view them from the lens of "who is the audience for this book?" whenever i can tell something isn't going to be for me. and all too often, i leave a book with that question unanswered. because... who is this book for? not someone seeking a romance. not someone in search of a book with insightful (or appropriate) mental health commentary. and not someone looking for lovable characters.
this book is about a 40 year old therapist who acts like a 14 year old and romanticizes someone's very real mental health crisis. and a guy who MAJORLY oversteps personal boundaries by meddling in the 40 year old's relationship with her ex-spouse by messaging him personal questions via email catfishing. and the plot? well there isn't any. it's a never ending game of 20 questions between these two strangers who frequently deceive each other.
i really hope this book finds its audience, even if i'm not quite sure who that might be.
February 2, 2021
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
December BOTM selection.
Tallie Clark, a therapist who is recently divorced, is driving home from work one cold and rainy fall evening when she sees a man standing on the wrong side of a bridge railing. After some persuading, she convinces him to leave the bridge and chat with her over a cup of coffee. His name is Emmett, and while he is a man of little words, she quickly learns he doesn’t feel like he has anywhere to go. Tallie brings him to her home. (I know, I know...but it’s fiction. For what it’s worth, Tallie weighs the pros and cons of this decision.)
Tallie wants to make sure Emmett is safe, and tries to determine what made him think suicide was the answer. Over a long weekend spent together, she will learn much more about him, and vice versa. Tallie will realize that not only is she helping Emmett through some issues, but he is helping her with some much needed healing as well. They’re both keeping secrets from each other. Will that cause each other more hurt?
If I get a lump in my throat within the first five pages of a book, I can tell it’s going to be a moving story...and that’s what I experienced here.
It’s a touching tale of two people who come together under the craziest of circumstances, and end up being just what the other needs in that moment. I absolutely ADORED getting to know Tallie and Emmett, and was rooting for them and their individual happiness. It loses a bit of momentum towards the end, but that may be due to my own personal opinions about the conclusion.
I still think it’s a fitting ending, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that not every book will end exactly the way Michael wants it to. This is my first book by the very talented Leesa Cross-Smith, but it won’t be my last. 4.5 stars.
Publication Date: 2/2/2021
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
December BOTM selection.
Tallie Clark, a therapist who is recently divorced, is driving home from work one cold and rainy fall evening when she sees a man standing on the wrong side of a bridge railing. After some persuading, she convinces him to leave the bridge and chat with her over a cup of coffee. His name is Emmett, and while he is a man of little words, she quickly learns he doesn’t feel like he has anywhere to go. Tallie brings him to her home. (I know, I know...but it’s fiction. For what it’s worth, Tallie weighs the pros and cons of this decision.)
Tallie wants to make sure Emmett is safe, and tries to determine what made him think suicide was the answer. Over a long weekend spent together, she will learn much more about him, and vice versa. Tallie will realize that not only is she helping Emmett through some issues, but he is helping her with some much needed healing as well. They’re both keeping secrets from each other. Will that cause each other more hurt?
If I get a lump in my throat within the first five pages of a book, I can tell it’s going to be a moving story...and that’s what I experienced here.
It’s a touching tale of two people who come together under the craziest of circumstances, and end up being just what the other needs in that moment. I absolutely ADORED getting to know Tallie and Emmett, and was rooting for them and their individual happiness. It loses a bit of momentum towards the end, but that may be due to my own personal opinions about the conclusion.
I still think it’s a fitting ending, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that not every book will end exactly the way Michael wants it to. This is my first book by the very talented Leesa Cross-Smith, but it won’t be my last. 4.5 stars.
Publication Date: 2/2/2021
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
February 2, 2021
4.5 rounded up
Well, this book was exactly what I needed to close out my January. I was on the struggle bus with pretty much everything I read. I can't even remember the last time I was in a reading slump, but this broke through that. I'm new to Leesa Cross-Smith, but something told me to check this story out. I had no idea what I was in for. Her writing is fantastic. It was so soothing and contemplative and therapeutic. There were very big themes discussed (suicide, grief, etc.), but it was never in your face. In fact, the reading experience was like therapy itself. I felt in such safe and measured hands the entire time I was on this journey with these characters.
Some people may struggle a bit with the first half (I've seen some say it's slow), but I never felt that way. I knew I was in capable hands the entire time and it would require patience for Ms. Smith to reveal her genius and boy did she. The ending was IMPACTFUL. It was emotional. It was honest. It was very well done. I highly enjoyed this book and would absolutely recommend it to everyone.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Leesa Cross-Smith for finished review copy in an exchange for an honest review.
Review Date: 02/02/2021
Publication Date: 02/02/2021
Well, this book was exactly what I needed to close out my January. I was on the struggle bus with pretty much everything I read. I can't even remember the last time I was in a reading slump, but this broke through that. I'm new to Leesa Cross-Smith, but something told me to check this story out. I had no idea what I was in for. Her writing is fantastic. It was so soothing and contemplative and therapeutic. There were very big themes discussed (suicide, grief, etc.), but it was never in your face. In fact, the reading experience was like therapy itself. I felt in such safe and measured hands the entire time I was on this journey with these characters.
Some people may struggle a bit with the first half (I've seen some say it's slow), but I never felt that way. I knew I was in capable hands the entire time and it would require patience for Ms. Smith to reveal her genius and boy did she. The ending was IMPACTFUL. It was emotional. It was honest. It was very well done. I highly enjoyed this book and would absolutely recommend it to everyone.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Leesa Cross-Smith for finished review copy in an exchange for an honest review.
Review Date: 02/02/2021
Publication Date: 02/02/2021
December 27, 2020
It's been a long time since I've actually considered abandoning a book. I've disliked many books over the years, but rarely do I ever think of giving up. "This Close to Okay" was an exception.
First off, it's bleak, but that's not why I didn't like it. On a cold, rainy night, therapist Tallulah "Tallie" stops mysterious Emmett from jumping off a bridge. She coaxes him into her car, drives him home and allows him to stay with her until he feels stable. He doesn't offer much information up about himself to her and she decides not to tell him she's a therapist, which all makes sense if you choose not to think too hard.
Then they begin to fall in love, which is where you lose me. It feels like Leesa Cross-Smith decided to fill the rest of the book in with her own indulgent dream man fantasy, making Emmett a tragically broken guy who loves cooking, cleaning out gutters, obscure art references and the smell of pumpkin spice. After Tallie tells him of her love of Disney, One Direction, Harry Potter and that the names of her cats are "Jim" and "Pam," Emmett tells her that she's "a good kind of different." Tallie hurls therapist vernacular at him at every possible chance, which doesn't tip him off to her true profession or annoy him at all, and she's constantly going on about his "lilac puff" energy. This all goes on for 150+ pages, and let me tell you, it's insufferable.
The plot comes around again at the end, but it's not enough to save this book. Secrets are revealed, lies are exposed and realities are faced. Characters are introduced with names like Nicodemus, Andromeda and Briar Anna and the cringey dialogue continues right up until the final paragraph.
Needless to say, this book just wasn't for me. I didn't like the story, the characters or the writing, but I did finish it. And I'm very, very glad to move on to something entirely different.
First off, it's bleak, but that's not why I didn't like it. On a cold, rainy night, therapist Tallulah "Tallie" stops mysterious Emmett from jumping off a bridge. She coaxes him into her car, drives him home and allows him to stay with her until he feels stable. He doesn't offer much information up about himself to her and she decides not to tell him she's a therapist, which all makes sense if you choose not to think too hard.
Then they begin to fall in love, which is where you lose me. It feels like Leesa Cross-Smith decided to fill the rest of the book in with her own indulgent dream man fantasy, making Emmett a tragically broken guy who loves cooking, cleaning out gutters, obscure art references and the smell of pumpkin spice. After Tallie tells him of her love of Disney, One Direction, Harry Potter and that the names of her cats are "Jim" and "Pam," Emmett tells her that she's "a good kind of different." Tallie hurls therapist vernacular at him at every possible chance, which doesn't tip him off to her true profession or annoy him at all, and she's constantly going on about his "lilac puff" energy. This all goes on for 150+ pages, and let me tell you, it's insufferable.
The plot comes around again at the end, but it's not enough to save this book. Secrets are revealed, lies are exposed and realities are faced. Characters are introduced with names like Nicodemus, Andromeda and Briar Anna and the cringey dialogue continues right up until the final paragraph.
Needless to say, this book just wasn't for me. I didn't like the story, the characters or the writing, but I did finish it. And I'm very, very glad to move on to something entirely different.
dnf
February 7, 2021Dnf @ page 52
No offense but uhhhh what???
No offense but uhhhh what???
January 21, 2021
I kept putting off this book because it's got a lot of suicide talk in it and I'm easily pulled into the darkness but I'd heard wonderful things about it (the book...not suicide) and felt mentally strong today so I read it and it was exactly as good as I'd been told.
April 13, 2022
3.5 stars rounded to 4. Overall, I found this book to be mostly enjoyable. It is very emotional and gives you all sorts of feelings! Tallie and Emmett are both lovable, fantastic characters. My only con is that around the middle of the book, it seemed to drag on a little bit. This book could be very triggering for some as it deals heavily with suicide.
December 15, 2022
This is...an extremely apt title.
This book was THIS CLOSE to being okay. Not good. Not great. But okay.
Didn't quite get there, though.
This is, ostensibly, a love story (or at least a sex story) between two deeply f*cked up individuals, a man who has just attempted suicide and the older therapist who saved him (and is also pretending she is not a therapist), and then also
In truth the depictions of mental illness felt offensive to me, but maybe they just weren't good. Who's to say!
The romance as it stood, I believe, should have come second to these extraordinarily unwell people trying to heal themselves, and it didn't until the end, which meant not only an unsatisfying story but an unsatisfying conclusion to it.
I don't have many nice things to say!
Bottom line: Not sure if this is bad, or I'm curmudgeonly, or both. But it's a no from me!
-----------------
pre-review
if there's one thing i love in this life...it's drama.
maybe not like that, though.
review to come / 2ish
-----------------
reading books by Black authors for Black History Month!
book 1: caste
book 2: business not as usual
book 3: the color purple
book 4: the parking lot attendant
book 5: kindred
book 6: wrapped up in you
book 7: the boyfriend project
book 8: a song below water
book 9: filthy animals
book 10: passing
book 11: seven days in june
book 12: ayiti
book 13: notes of a native son
book 14: mediocre
book 15: sister outsider
book 16: the blue road
book 17: the fastest way to fall
book 18: real life
book 19: girl, woman, other
book 20: things fall apart
book 21: this close to okay
This book was THIS CLOSE to being okay. Not good. Not great. But okay.
Didn't quite get there, though.
This is, ostensibly, a love story (or at least a sex story) between two deeply f*cked up individuals, a man who has just attempted suicide and the older therapist who saved him (and is also pretending she is not a therapist), and then also
In truth the depictions of mental illness felt offensive to me, but maybe they just weren't good. Who's to say!
The romance as it stood, I believe, should have come second to these extraordinarily unwell people trying to heal themselves, and it didn't until the end, which meant not only an unsatisfying story but an unsatisfying conclusion to it.
I don't have many nice things to say!
Bottom line: Not sure if this is bad, or I'm curmudgeonly, or both. But it's a no from me!
-----------------
pre-review
if there's one thing i love in this life...it's drama.
maybe not like that, though.
review to come / 2ish
-----------------
reading books by Black authors for Black History Month!
book 1: caste
book 2: business not as usual
book 3: the color purple
book 4: the parking lot attendant
book 5: kindred
book 6: wrapped up in you
book 7: the boyfriend project
book 8: a song below water
book 9: filthy animals
book 10: passing
book 11: seven days in june
book 12: ayiti
book 13: notes of a native son
book 14: mediocre
book 15: sister outsider
book 16: the blue road
book 17: the fastest way to fall
book 18: real life
book 19: girl, woman, other
book 20: things fall apart
book 21: this close to okay
April 5, 2021
Tallie Clark is a 40-year old therapist with her own practice in Kentucky. She’s recently divorced after a 10-year marriage to a man she thought she’d be with the rest of her life. But Joel is remarried to the woman he cheated on her with and they have the baby she thought they’d have together.
One rainy Thursday evening as she’s crossing the bridge over the Ohio River, she sees a man climb over the railing, clearly preparing to jump. She gets his attention and convinces him to stop and join her in her car. They go for coffee as she attempts to get him to talk, anything to disrupt his apparent plan to end his life. He’s not giving up much information but finally agrees to accompany her back to her house and tells her his name, Emmett. Tallie and Emmett spend the entire weekend together, she trying to give him a safe space and him grappling with the wreckage of his life.
What an extraordinary story this turned out to be! I was expecting it to follow some of the traditional patterns you’d normally find in these type situations but there’s nothing predictable here, not in the characters or in the telling. Both Tallie and Emmett share their most inner feelings with each other while harboring secrets about themselves, primarily what she does for a living and what really pushed him to the edge of that bridge. The writing is simply extraordinary, lyrical and poetic at times and deeply honest and raw at others. What’s abundantly clear is their finding each other was serendipitous, and that’s an understatement.
I had the hardcover edition but switched to the audio version when it became available at my library. I loved the narrators as their interpretations of their respective characters did justice to the eloquent writing. Tallie was a lovely, generous soul who was the sign Emmett was seeking and he did just as much to heal what was broken in her. This was a tender story that I could have listened to forever.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
One rainy Thursday evening as she’s crossing the bridge over the Ohio River, she sees a man climb over the railing, clearly preparing to jump. She gets his attention and convinces him to stop and join her in her car. They go for coffee as she attempts to get him to talk, anything to disrupt his apparent plan to end his life. He’s not giving up much information but finally agrees to accompany her back to her house and tells her his name, Emmett. Tallie and Emmett spend the entire weekend together, she trying to give him a safe space and him grappling with the wreckage of his life.
What an extraordinary story this turned out to be! I was expecting it to follow some of the traditional patterns you’d normally find in these type situations but there’s nothing predictable here, not in the characters or in the telling. Both Tallie and Emmett share their most inner feelings with each other while harboring secrets about themselves, primarily what she does for a living and what really pushed him to the edge of that bridge. The writing is simply extraordinary, lyrical and poetic at times and deeply honest and raw at others. What’s abundantly clear is their finding each other was serendipitous, and that’s an understatement.
I had the hardcover edition but switched to the audio version when it became available at my library. I loved the narrators as their interpretations of their respective characters did justice to the eloquent writing. Tallie was a lovely, generous soul who was the sign Emmett was seeking and he did just as much to heal what was broken in her. This was a tender story that I could have listened to forever.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
April 1, 2021
Wow. Leesa Cross-Smith's upcoming novel,
This Close to Okay
, is so emotional and thought-provoking.
One rainy October night therapist Tallie Clark is driving home from work when she sees a man standing on a bridge, looking ready to jump. She gets out of her car and runs to the man, begging him not to jump. Miraculously, she is able to get him to come down and he agrees to go with her to get some coffee and perhaps talk about his feelings.
After coffee, the man agrees to come back to Tallie’s house with her. He’s not interested in talking about what pushed him to contemplate suicide, but he does tell her that his name is Emmett.
Over the course of the weekend, Tallie tries to help Emmett, to try and get him to open up so she can determine whether he’s still thinking about dying, and he does in small doses. But over this same weekend, the two form an intense bond, despite the fact that both are hiding things from one another.
This was an intense, beautiful, moving book. Alternating between Tallie and Emmett’s narration, it’s a story of grief, anger, hope, recovery, and secrets, and how sometimes the right person comes along at the moment we need them most.
There are a lot of things happening in this book but I was immersed completely from the first few pages. I didn’t love everything the characters did but I wonder how I might react in these situations. The funny thing is, I picked this as my Book of the Month club choice on the strength of its description (and its cover) but I knew nothing about it. Sometimes that gamble pays off!!
Cross-Smith is an amazing writer, and I have to read more of her work!!
This Close to Okay publishes 2/2/2021.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
One rainy October night therapist Tallie Clark is driving home from work when she sees a man standing on a bridge, looking ready to jump. She gets out of her car and runs to the man, begging him not to jump. Miraculously, she is able to get him to come down and he agrees to go with her to get some coffee and perhaps talk about his feelings.
After coffee, the man agrees to come back to Tallie’s house with her. He’s not interested in talking about what pushed him to contemplate suicide, but he does tell her that his name is Emmett.
Over the course of the weekend, Tallie tries to help Emmett, to try and get him to open up so she can determine whether he’s still thinking about dying, and he does in small doses. But over this same weekend, the two form an intense bond, despite the fact that both are hiding things from one another.
This was an intense, beautiful, moving book. Alternating between Tallie and Emmett’s narration, it’s a story of grief, anger, hope, recovery, and secrets, and how sometimes the right person comes along at the moment we need them most.
There are a lot of things happening in this book but I was immersed completely from the first few pages. I didn’t love everything the characters did but I wonder how I might react in these situations. The funny thing is, I picked this as my Book of the Month club choice on the strength of its description (and its cover) but I knew nothing about it. Sometimes that gamble pays off!!
Cross-Smith is an amazing writer, and I have to read more of her work!!
This Close to Okay publishes 2/2/2021.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Read
November 5, 2020This is coming in February, with a blurb from me. I recommend, especially if you need something to heal your heart.
July 13, 2021
Review posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
The Day Tallie Clark drives by a bridge and sees a man standing on it precariously, her senses tell her to take action. Stopping the car, she immediately rushes to his side. The fact that it’s pouring rain doesn’t phase her. All that matters is him. Somehow, Tallie convinces him to step down and join her for a cup of coffee and that moment changes everything.
Befriending Emmett and even inviting him into her home, the two form a bond, an unbreakable one you might say, formed over a weekend. Though technically Tallie saves Emmett, the two end up helping each other more than they know.
Going into this novel, I truly had no idea what to expect. I knew that several of my Goodreads friends had read it and loved it so I added it to my library queue and here we are. At first, I was surprised and honestly found this storyline to be a bit shocking and over the top. I can’t honestly see a scenario where a woman would invite a strange man to stay in her home. To me, this seems wholly implausible, and yet, I kept going as something about this was also compelling and endearing to boot. Tallie, extending this invitation, and Emmett, accepting. Each and every one of their interactions gave me hope.
Powerful, impactful, and thought-provoking, This Close to Okay, packs a punch.
As a disclaimer, this novel covered some extremely heavy-duty topics: suicide, grief, adultery, divorce, infertility, adoption, therapy, family, friendship, love and mental health (to name a few) and it did with grace.
If you’re looking for a novel that will give you exactly what you need, and then some, this is it.
Thank you to my local library for loaning me a copy of this stellar novel.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need
- The Rolling Stones, Let it Bleed, 1969
The Day Tallie Clark drives by a bridge and sees a man standing on it precariously, her senses tell her to take action. Stopping the car, she immediately rushes to his side. The fact that it’s pouring rain doesn’t phase her. All that matters is him. Somehow, Tallie convinces him to step down and join her for a cup of coffee and that moment changes everything.
Befriending Emmett and even inviting him into her home, the two form a bond, an unbreakable one you might say, formed over a weekend. Though technically Tallie saves Emmett, the two end up helping each other more than they know.
Going into this novel, I truly had no idea what to expect. I knew that several of my Goodreads friends had read it and loved it so I added it to my library queue and here we are. At first, I was surprised and honestly found this storyline to be a bit shocking and over the top. I can’t honestly see a scenario where a woman would invite a strange man to stay in her home. To me, this seems wholly implausible, and yet, I kept going as something about this was also compelling and endearing to boot. Tallie, extending this invitation, and Emmett, accepting. Each and every one of their interactions gave me hope.
Powerful, impactful, and thought-provoking, This Close to Okay, packs a punch.
As a disclaimer, this novel covered some extremely heavy-duty topics: suicide, grief, adultery, divorce, infertility, adoption, therapy, family, friendship, love and mental health (to name a few) and it did with grace.
If you’re looking for a novel that will give you exactly what you need, and then some, this is it.
Thank you to my local library for loaning me a copy of this stellar novel.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.
December 31, 2021
All these feels... I am wrecked and uplifted all in one.
Shortest Summary Ever: Psychologist Tallie is driving across the bridge and suddenly stops when she sees a man about to jump. Talking him down, she offers him a ride... the story evolves from there as Tallie befriends Emmett...
Thoughts: Man did this author crack open MY bag of feels. And I’m not a “feely” girl - I’m bad ass! I’m not crying... YOU’RE crying! That’s my face to the world. My TRUE face is one of struggle, years long with several chronic illnesses plus mental health issues. Yeah well, I dropped some unabashed tears, cathartic tears - like someone cracked a peek at my life and KNEW. KNEW me. I’ve battled depression and severe anxiety and it’s always so difficult to try to explain how difficult it is to those who don’t know. To put words to those feelings.. so to hear that voice on paper was revealing and somehow satisfying. It wasn’t a “downer” of a novel - more of a “here’s how this goes for many.” Cross-Smith eloquently, and with detailed bulls-eye aim, nails what depression is for many people.
The book swings on a pendulum of hopelessness to hope - a dichotomy many people unfortunately know well: While I’ve never been suicidal, I know hopelessness. And like many who have managed their illnesses I know hope. That light. It’s there. The simple power of those two emotions can do much for two lost people.
All my reviews available at scrappymags.com around time of publication.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Recommend to: Those who know the struggle or know someone you’d like to understand, all the book clubs, those in the mood for just a great story.
Not recommended to: You know it’s about mental health so if that doesn’t appeal - not your book dude.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for making me feel understood.
Shortest Summary Ever: Psychologist Tallie is driving across the bridge and suddenly stops when she sees a man about to jump. Talking him down, she offers him a ride... the story evolves from there as Tallie befriends Emmett...
Thoughts: Man did this author crack open MY bag of feels. And I’m not a “feely” girl - I’m bad ass! I’m not crying... YOU’RE crying! That’s my face to the world. My TRUE face is one of struggle, years long with several chronic illnesses plus mental health issues. Yeah well, I dropped some unabashed tears, cathartic tears - like someone cracked a peek at my life and KNEW. KNEW me. I’ve battled depression and severe anxiety and it’s always so difficult to try to explain how difficult it is to those who don’t know. To put words to those feelings.. so to hear that voice on paper was revealing and somehow satisfying. It wasn’t a “downer” of a novel - more of a “here’s how this goes for many.” Cross-Smith eloquently, and with detailed bulls-eye aim, nails what depression is for many people.
The book swings on a pendulum of hopelessness to hope - a dichotomy many people unfortunately know well: While I’ve never been suicidal, I know hopelessness. And like many who have managed their illnesses I know hope. That light. It’s there. The simple power of those two emotions can do much for two lost people.
All my reviews available at scrappymags.com around time of publication.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Recommend to: Those who know the struggle or know someone you’d like to understand, all the book clubs, those in the mood for just a great story.
Not recommended to: You know it’s about mental health so if that doesn’t appeal - not your book dude.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for making me feel understood.
December 23, 2020
DNF at 30.
I seriously regret wasting my BOTM on this book. Immediately, the characterization of Tallie is TERRIBLE. She’s incredibly judgmental towards a man who was just about to commit suicide, goes through his personal things, and invites him into her home a couple hours after just meeting him.
At age 40, I’d expect Tallie to be more respectful, mature, and professional... she’s literally the opposite. Her thoughts read like a teenagers’, they’re very dramatic and immature. Can’t stand it. Couldn’t stand her character.
Not worth it.
I seriously regret wasting my BOTM on this book. Immediately, the characterization of Tallie is TERRIBLE. She’s incredibly judgmental towards a man who was just about to commit suicide, goes through his personal things, and invites him into her home a couple hours after just meeting him.
At age 40, I’d expect Tallie to be more respectful, mature, and professional... she’s literally the opposite. Her thoughts read like a teenagers’, they’re very dramatic and immature. Can’t stand it. Couldn’t stand her character.
Not worth it.
January 21, 2021
Well son of a shit ball! I thought this was going to be something different. It wasn’t much for me but it might be more for you 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 16, 2020
I wanted to love this, and was excited to read it based on the premise.
The character development seemed to fall apart throughout the book — the decisions the characters made were sometimes bizarre and unexplainable. The last quarter of the book really felt apart for me from a storytelling perspective, as well.
It also felt like it was trying to do too much, touch on too many issues, and the ball was dropped several times. I was especially irked with how the book dealt with mental health / suicidal ideation. There was also some problematic language in the book (i.e., “even she was attracted to him, and she was a lesbian half of the time” — are you fucking kidding me??)
Anyway, I think I talked myself down a star rating while writing this review. I’ll settle at 2.5 stars but round up for the goodreads rating.
The character development seemed to fall apart throughout the book — the decisions the characters made were sometimes bizarre and unexplainable. The last quarter of the book really felt apart for me from a storytelling perspective, as well.
It also felt like it was trying to do too much, touch on too many issues, and the ball was dropped several times. I was especially irked with how the book dealt with mental health / suicidal ideation. There was also some problematic language in the book (i.e., “even she was attracted to him, and she was a lesbian half of the time” — are you fucking kidding me??)
Anyway, I think I talked myself down a star rating while writing this review. I’ll settle at 2.5 stars but round up for the goodreads rating.
January 3, 2022
1.5 Stars rounded up to 2
I gotta say, it's hard to enjoy a book when you detest the main character.
Tallie and Emmett were really difficult to like because their behaviour was a mix of inappropriate, unprofessional, unacceptable and invasive. I probably should have dnf'd at 4% when I could tell I would find Tallie a tad annoying but I pushed through. I went in expecting a more moving story but alas this was not the case.
CW: Suicide and depression
I gotta say, it's hard to enjoy a book when you detest the main character.
Tallie and Emmett were really difficult to like because their behaviour was a mix of inappropriate, unprofessional, unacceptable and invasive. I probably should have dnf'd at 4% when I could tell I would find Tallie a tad annoying but I pushed through. I went in expecting a more moving story but alas this was not the case.
CW: Suicide and depression
February 4, 2021
You know I hated something when I spam Goodreads with reading updates.
Nothing about this was good.
Except maybe the first chapter. The first chapter really tricked me into thinking I might enjoy this.
The pacing was so off. Sometimes nothing was happening for ages and then we would get revelation after revelation on a single page.
The dialogue was just meaningless. Sometimes they just talked and talked without saying anything at all. If I want to hear someone speak for an hour without saying anything I could just listen to our local politicians.
The characters were just annoying and didn't have any chemistry at all. The side character who had one page of screen time was way more interesting.
Also, the way they spoke to each other? Listen dude, if you didn't realize that she is a therapist the first time she opened her mouth that's really on you, cause everything the main character said was the most generic therapist talk ever. Have you never seen a movie with a therapist before?
I could go on about the empty and bad dialogue. It was like watching two AI talk after showing them too many autumn and Harry Potter Pinterest boards.
There were three Harry Potter references. Other books exist and are allowed to be referenced.
It also sometimes felt like the author wanted to write a thriller but didn't know how so they settled on romance except that it also wasn't romance so we basically got 300 pages that had words on them but still were blank.
The double POV was so badly executed, it felt like the author sometimes forgot whose POV we were supposed to be on and just wrote whatever. The amount of times I had to scroll back to check whose chapter it was was immeasurable.
The ending was so rushed and boring I just can't put it into words. The plot twists were so generic a toddler could have called them on page one.
The portrayal of the mental health professional was an insult to everyone in this field.
Also, what the fuck does "she's a lesbian half the time" mean?
I might just add this as my "worst book of February" on my 2021 reading list now cause I'm sure nothing will top it.
Nothing about this was good.
Except maybe the first chapter. The first chapter really tricked me into thinking I might enjoy this.
The pacing was so off. Sometimes nothing was happening for ages and then we would get revelation after revelation on a single page.
The dialogue was just meaningless. Sometimes they just talked and talked without saying anything at all. If I want to hear someone speak for an hour without saying anything I could just listen to our local politicians.
The characters were just annoying and didn't have any chemistry at all. The side character who had one page of screen time was way more interesting.
Also, the way they spoke to each other? Listen dude, if you didn't realize that she is a therapist the first time she opened her mouth that's really on you, cause everything the main character said was the most generic therapist talk ever. Have you never seen a movie with a therapist before?
I could go on about the empty and bad dialogue. It was like watching two AI talk after showing them too many autumn and Harry Potter Pinterest boards.
There were three Harry Potter references. Other books exist and are allowed to be referenced.
It also sometimes felt like the author wanted to write a thriller but didn't know how so they settled on romance except that it also wasn't romance so we basically got 300 pages that had words on them but still were blank.
The double POV was so badly executed, it felt like the author sometimes forgot whose POV we were supposed to be on and just wrote whatever. The amount of times I had to scroll back to check whose chapter it was was immeasurable.
The ending was so rushed and boring I just can't put it into words. The plot twists were so generic a toddler could have called them on page one.
The portrayal of the mental health professional was an insult to everyone in this field.
Also, what the fuck does "she's a lesbian half the time" mean?
I might just add this as my "worst book of February" on my 2021 reading list now cause I'm sure nothing will top it.
February 4, 2021
I reviewed Leesa Cross-Smith’s book of short stories last year and LOVED it, and it’s possible I loved this heartfelt novel even more.
Roxane Gay has described Cross-Smith as a consummate storyteller, and that is precisely who she is. This Close to Okay is powerful and bold, with rich storytelling, and characters to champion.
Also, big kudos to the author for how she addresses mental health.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Roxane Gay has described Cross-Smith as a consummate storyteller, and that is precisely who she is. This Close to Okay is powerful and bold, with rich storytelling, and characters to champion.
Also, big kudos to the author for how she addresses mental health.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 20, 2021
"And now, the continuing story of a former orthopedic surgeon who's gone to the dogs."
Wait, scratch that, this is not an old-school Muppets sketch, just the continuation of my Book of the Month (BotM) adventure.
This was my second selection for December 2020.
Full disclosure, I am a mental health provider who specializes in suicide prevention, so I should have known better than to read this.
Therapy is rarely presented accurately in works of fiction (with some notable exceptions, like Sopranos, Tell Me You Love Me, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, in my opinion at least). This book was no different. One of the two POV characters is a therapist, although her credentials are not specified. I had many negative reactions to her descriptions of her practice. 1) Her mention of Gestalt as a modality she uses, in her current day practice...um...sure. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm applying leeches to a client to rebalance their humours. 2) She thinks her most therapeutic interventions are giving clients hot cups of tea, playing classical music and encouraging them to open windows for fresh air. This is the equivalent of your physician giving you chicken soup when you need a prescription for antibiotics. 3) And here's were we veer into ethically questionable territory, she pushes her religious beliefs on clients and quotes bible passages to them.
None of that even gets to all the inappropriate ways she interacts with the other POV character, who she meets on a bridge as he is about to jump. Not a spoiler, this happens on page one. It was like the author took a slide from one of my trainings and had her character do everything listed in the "Don't" column. There were sections I would start to enjoy, allowing my hackles to relax a little and almost convincing me to raise my rating a star. The two main characters would be having an interesting conversation, sharing things about themselves and filling in their backstories, then the "therapist" would derail it with a tactless attempt to reassess his suicide risk and I would be mentally out again.
It is also very clear from early on that there will eventually be a tragic reveal for the male POV character, but it was such a slog to get there it didn't have much of an emotional impact on me. I thought it was pretty obvious early on he was suffering from _______ (diagnosis redacted to avoid spoilers). After all that, the ending felt like it fizzled out.
I think this book could have been much better if the one character wasn't a therapist, the other wasn't suicidal, and it had been written as a straight forward romance novel. I say this fully realizing that those first two points are the main plot elements. The first 3/4 of the book feels like a standard romance novel shortly after it gets rolling. She is going to take off her glasses and shake out her hair any moment, at which point he'll realize he's falling in love. A recent divorcee with infertility struggles learning to love again isn't a book I would personally read, but it would have optimized the parts that I think worked.
Any positives? Another short read. I finished in two days. Not a page-turner, but you don't have to think very hard and I never felt the desire to slow down or stop to savor a moment. Also the inclusion of bi-racial main characters with a few sections highlighting systemic racism. Finally, I think the author writes cats really well. I would read more about Jim and Pam.
Would I recommend it? No.
Will I read anything else by the author? No
BotM ongoing impression(s): Afraid my initial concern may be warranted, one of the characters mentions pretty early on how much she loves the Outlander series (see previous review for context).
I will again end with my limited by character BotM review:
"As a mental health provider specializing in suicide prevention reading this was a mistake. Infuriatingly inaccurate portrayal of a clinician who did everything you shouldn't when someone is suicidal."
What will 2021 hold?
Wait, scratch that, this is not an old-school Muppets sketch, just the continuation of my Book of the Month (BotM) adventure.
This was my second selection for December 2020.
Full disclosure, I am a mental health provider who specializes in suicide prevention, so I should have known better than to read this.
Therapy is rarely presented accurately in works of fiction (with some notable exceptions, like Sopranos, Tell Me You Love Me, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, in my opinion at least). This book was no different. One of the two POV characters is a therapist, although her credentials are not specified. I had many negative reactions to her descriptions of her practice. 1) Her mention of Gestalt as a modality she uses, in her current day practice...um...sure. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm applying leeches to a client to rebalance their humours. 2) She thinks her most therapeutic interventions are giving clients hot cups of tea, playing classical music and encouraging them to open windows for fresh air. This is the equivalent of your physician giving you chicken soup when you need a prescription for antibiotics. 3) And here's were we veer into ethically questionable territory, she pushes her religious beliefs on clients and quotes bible passages to them.
None of that even gets to all the inappropriate ways she interacts with the other POV character, who she meets on a bridge as he is about to jump. Not a spoiler, this happens on page one. It was like the author took a slide from one of my trainings and had her character do everything listed in the "Don't" column. There were sections I would start to enjoy, allowing my hackles to relax a little and almost convincing me to raise my rating a star. The two main characters would be having an interesting conversation, sharing things about themselves and filling in their backstories, then the "therapist" would derail it with a tactless attempt to reassess his suicide risk and I would be mentally out again.
It is also very clear from early on that there will eventually be a tragic reveal for the male POV character, but it was such a slog to get there it didn't have much of an emotional impact on me. I thought it was pretty obvious early on he was suffering from _______ (diagnosis redacted to avoid spoilers). After all that, the ending felt like it fizzled out.
I think this book could have been much better if the one character wasn't a therapist, the other wasn't suicidal, and it had been written as a straight forward romance novel. I say this fully realizing that those first two points are the main plot elements. The first 3/4 of the book feels like a standard romance novel shortly after it gets rolling. She is going to take off her glasses and shake out her hair any moment, at which point he'll realize he's falling in love. A recent divorcee with infertility struggles learning to love again isn't a book I would personally read, but it would have optimized the parts that I think worked.
Any positives? Another short read. I finished in two days. Not a page-turner, but you don't have to think very hard and I never felt the desire to slow down or stop to savor a moment. Also the inclusion of bi-racial main characters with a few sections highlighting systemic racism. Finally, I think the author writes cats really well. I would read more about Jim and Pam.
Would I recommend it? No.
Will I read anything else by the author? No
BotM ongoing impression(s): Afraid my initial concern may be warranted, one of the characters mentions pretty early on how much she loves the Outlander series (see previous review for context).
I will again end with my limited by character BotM review:
"As a mental health provider specializing in suicide prevention reading this was a mistake. Infuriatingly inaccurate portrayal of a clinician who did everything you shouldn't when someone is suicidal."
What will 2021 hold?
April 11, 2021
Thought provoking, emotional, relatable and authentic characters.....
are fitting words to describe this story.
It was a pleasant surprise.
I was engaged from start to finish (with varying thoughts about the story and my own thoughts about why I enjoyed it as much as I did).
Truth be told.... living inside this AUDIOBOOK for 9 hours and 46 minutes, [read by Kamali Minter, and Zeno Robinson],
was the right amount of easy listening with interesting ‘brain-comfort’ substance as a steamy bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich is ‘tummy-comfort’.
Remember the movie
“The Kids Are All Right”?
....drama, warmth, great characters, love, wrongdoings, withholds, relationship complexities, tragedy, happiness, anger, forgiveness....( maybe some unlikely scenario‘s but we don’t care, because we like it anyway?)....
This book has THOSE QUALITIES.....
and if it became a movie, I definitely watch it!
This is my first time reading anything from Leesa Cross-Smith. A cozy discovery....
much to respect about this novel.
5 stars for the satisfying experience.
I went in blind after my friend Lynn told me she enjoyed it.
Thanks, Lynn. I did too!
are fitting words to describe this story.
It was a pleasant surprise.
I was engaged from start to finish (with varying thoughts about the story and my own thoughts about why I enjoyed it as much as I did).
Truth be told.... living inside this AUDIOBOOK for 9 hours and 46 minutes, [read by Kamali Minter, and Zeno Robinson],
was the right amount of easy listening with interesting ‘brain-comfort’ substance as a steamy bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich is ‘tummy-comfort’.
Remember the movie
“The Kids Are All Right”?
....drama, warmth, great characters, love, wrongdoings, withholds, relationship complexities, tragedy, happiness, anger, forgiveness....( maybe some unlikely scenario‘s but we don’t care, because we like it anyway?)....
This book has THOSE QUALITIES.....
and if it became a movie, I definitely watch it!
This is my first time reading anything from Leesa Cross-Smith. A cozy discovery....
much to respect about this novel.
5 stars for the satisfying experience.
I went in blind after my friend Lynn told me she enjoyed it.
Thanks, Lynn. I did too!
April 29, 2021
Couldn’t put this book down! Kindness can save a life and the author tells us a wonderful story of secrets and lies and well meaning characters who serendipitously come together and help each other.
Two strangers meet by chance, put just enough trust in one another to share bits of their past, spend one intense weekend together and end up saving each other… what’s not to love? This Close To Okay by Leesa Cross- Smith kept me engrossed from beginning to end and was enjoyed by all in my book club. We appreciated the character development, the descriptive writing and the life-altering weekend that resulted in hope.
A human story of serendipity, kindness and real life, it begins with an averted tragedy. On her way home at the end of a rainy day, Tallie sees a man preparing to jump off a bridge. She stops to talk him out of harming himself and convinces him to go for a cup of coffee. They exchange some dreaded small talk, reveal slivers of themselves in some deeper conversation and ultimately, when he has nowhere to go, the man accepts the invitation to stay over with Tallie in her warm and welcoming home.
Neither shares everything about their past and who they truly are, so we are faced with different perspectives and have to think about the reliability of each narrator. With alternating points of view, we learn about these two characters and what they have been through, while witnessing their developing relationship over the course of one weekend.
Leesa Cross-Smith doesn’t shy away from difficult and emotional topics, like suicide, race and divorce, and she also touches upon things that she has personal opinions about, like social media… and the X Files. With visual and descriptive writing skills, coping mechanisms and communication tactics are exhibited through the author’s characters, and we slowly learn important information about them in each chapter. Helping others can be helpful and nurturing to oneself and in this enjoyable story, that just might be the case. I loved the pace of this book and the bits and pieces revealed along the way. A story of two strangers, their budding relationship, one life-changing weekend and all that goes on, is a nice little package and makes for a great read! I highly recommend it!
Two strangers meet by chance, put just enough trust in one another to share bits of their past, spend one intense weekend together and end up saving each other… what’s not to love? This Close To Okay by Leesa Cross- Smith kept me engrossed from beginning to end and was enjoyed by all in my book club. We appreciated the character development, the descriptive writing and the life-altering weekend that resulted in hope.
A human story of serendipity, kindness and real life, it begins with an averted tragedy. On her way home at the end of a rainy day, Tallie sees a man preparing to jump off a bridge. She stops to talk him out of harming himself and convinces him to go for a cup of coffee. They exchange some dreaded small talk, reveal slivers of themselves in some deeper conversation and ultimately, when he has nowhere to go, the man accepts the invitation to stay over with Tallie in her warm and welcoming home.
Neither shares everything about their past and who they truly are, so we are faced with different perspectives and have to think about the reliability of each narrator. With alternating points of view, we learn about these two characters and what they have been through, while witnessing their developing relationship over the course of one weekend.
Leesa Cross-Smith doesn’t shy away from difficult and emotional topics, like suicide, race and divorce, and she also touches upon things that she has personal opinions about, like social media… and the X Files. With visual and descriptive writing skills, coping mechanisms and communication tactics are exhibited through the author’s characters, and we slowly learn important information about them in each chapter. Helping others can be helpful and nurturing to oneself and in this enjoyable story, that just might be the case. I loved the pace of this book and the bits and pieces revealed along the way. A story of two strangers, their budding relationship, one life-changing weekend and all that goes on, is a nice little package and makes for a great read! I highly recommend it!
November 27, 2021
This was alright. I get the feeling this was supposed to hit me in my feelings, but it didn’t really connect with me. I was wondering how long the characters were just going to lie to each other and do things behind their backs. In the end it all worked out.
April 12, 2021
Love the writing. But plot wise and character wise, I just cannot wrap my head around this. I mean this one is quite problematic. Like seriously!
*Taking my time to calm down. Let's see if I write more on this book.
Ugh!
*Taking my time to calm down. Let's see if I write more on this book.
Ugh!
March 8, 2021
The first chapter features some of the worst dialogue you will ever read. It’s an important flaw, given the entire book hinges on us believing the circumstances of the first chapter. Our MC, a therapist, seems very poor at her job, switching from casual questions to personal inquiries, from flustered attempts at intimacy to methods straight out of TV Therapist 101. Which is fine if it is part of the narrative—"yes, I’m a therapist but this is so much pressure and I’m not sure if I’m doing it right!"—but no, it is not.
She asks, at one point, “Was this your…um, first suicide attempt?”
Another time, she asks if he likes coffee.
“It doesn’t matter,” he responds.
She responds: “It matters. You matter. Your life matters.”
The Hallmark Channel hangs it heads at the ham-fisted dialogue.
Our mysterious, depressed gentleman also offers us striking missives like: “What if there’s no God?”
I don’t mean to be flippant. This is important subject matter. So important, in fact, that it deserves much better care than this.
It only gets worse after that. These are two dreadfully boring people, who are author tries to convince us are interesting given their tragic backstories. Somehow, they become even more insufferable when they are with each other. Good thing that’s not what the whole book is about!
Listen to full reviews at: https://bookclubbed.buzzsprout.com/
She asks, at one point, “Was this your…um, first suicide attempt?”
Another time, she asks if he likes coffee.
“It doesn’t matter,” he responds.
She responds: “It matters. You matter. Your life matters.”
The Hallmark Channel hangs it heads at the ham-fisted dialogue.
Our mysterious, depressed gentleman also offers us striking missives like: “What if there’s no God?”
I don’t mean to be flippant. This is important subject matter. So important, in fact, that it deserves much better care than this.
It only gets worse after that. These are two dreadfully boring people, who are author tries to convince us are interesting given their tragic backstories. Somehow, they become even more insufferable when they are with each other. Good thing that’s not what the whole book is about!
Listen to full reviews at: https://bookclubbed.buzzsprout.com/
April 21, 2021
I'm rating this a whole two stars (instead of just one) simply because Brilliant decision from the author IMO.
Licensed therapist Tallie makes several unprofessional and unethical choices in This Close to Okay, and male lead Emmett (though I don't believe he should be held to the same standards as a mental health professional) was frustrating sometimes too. Huuuuge lack of boundaries and common decency on both sides.
I can forgive Tallie inviting somebody in a crisis into her home. While unprofessional and very risky, therapists aren't perfect and I definitely know extremely empathetic people who'd do the same. What I can't forgive, however, is everything else: , etc. A single unprofessional or unethical choice is one thing, but several is another.
Also, I feel like the author/editor/publisher knew what criticism was coming and made an attempt at covering their bases. When Tallie lusts after a suicidal man, the book proclaims that depression isn't sexy... and then portrays Emmett as a tragically-broken-but-perfect dream guy. Later, Emmett insists she didn't take advantage of him because he's a "grown man". Remember- Tallie is a licensed mental health professional who took him home in a state of vulnerability after talking him down from suicide, lied about her profession, How is that not taking advantage?
And also... "lilac puff energy", "lesbian half the time,".... I won't even get myself started on those two.
I personally didn't find this book helpful or inspiring- I struggle with my mental health and definitely wouldn't appreciate being in Emmett's shoes. But if this book helped YOU in any way, I'm very glad for its existence.
Licensed therapist Tallie makes several unprofessional and unethical choices in This Close to Okay, and male lead Emmett (though I don't believe he should be held to the same standards as a mental health professional) was frustrating sometimes too. Huuuuge lack of boundaries and common decency on both sides.
I can forgive Tallie inviting somebody in a crisis into her home. While unprofessional and very risky, therapists aren't perfect and I definitely know extremely empathetic people who'd do the same. What I can't forgive, however, is everything else: , etc. A single unprofessional or unethical choice is one thing, but several is another.
Also, I feel like the author/editor/publisher knew what criticism was coming and made an attempt at covering their bases. When Tallie lusts after a suicidal man, the book proclaims that depression isn't sexy... and then portrays Emmett as a tragically-broken-but-perfect dream guy. Later, Emmett insists she didn't take advantage of him because he's a "grown man". Remember- Tallie is a licensed mental health professional who took him home in a state of vulnerability after talking him down from suicide, lied about her profession, How is that not taking advantage?
And also... "lilac puff energy", "lesbian half the time,".... I won't even get myself started on those two.
I personally didn't find this book helpful or inspiring- I struggle with my mental health and definitely wouldn't appreciate being in Emmett's shoes. But if this book helped YOU in any way, I'm very glad for its existence.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,523 reviews