Everything's Fine

By: Cecilia Rabess

Narrated by: Denée Benton

“Does love conquer all? Does it now? Did it ever? These are questions Cecilia Rabess asks in her nimble, discerning debut…The ending of Everything’s Fine is one of the best I’ve read in years.” —The New York Times

A painfully funny, painfully real love story for our time that doesn’t just ask will they, but…should they?

Jess is a senior in college, ambitious but aimless, when she meets Josh. He’s a privileged preppy in chinos, ready to inherit the world. She’s not expecting to inherit anything.

A year later, they’re both working at the same investment bank. And when Jess finds herself the sole Black woman on the floor, overlooked and underestimated, Josh shows up for her in surprising—if imperfect—ways. Before long, an unlikely friendship forms, tinged with undeniable chemistry. It gradually, and then suddenly, turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both.

Despite their differences, the force of their attraction propels the relationship forward. But as the cultural and political landscape shifts underneath them, Jess is forced to consider if their disagreements run deeper than she can bear, what she’s willing to compromise for love, and whether, in fact, everything’s fine.

A stunning debut about “a love affair that turns inferno” (People), that is “extraordinarily brave…funny as hell,” (Zakiya Dalilah Harris) Cecilia Rabess’s Everything’s Fine is an incisive and moving portrait of a young woman who is just beginning to discover who she is and who she has the right to be. It is also a “subtle, ironic, wise, state-of-the-nation novel” (Nick Hornby) that asks big questions about the way we live now and “whether our choices stop and end with us” (The New York Times).

©2023 Cecilia Rabess (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Everything's Fine poses incisive questions about love, identity, and the countless ways these things can both bruise and bolster one another. Cecilia Rabess has crafted an extraordinarily brave debut that's painfully real—but plain funny as hell, too." —ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl

"Could this be the bittersweet, sexy, painful, fully embodied romance for our tumultuous American decade? Cecilia Rabess brings a microscope, a scalpel, a mordant sense of humor, a virtuosic feel for scene, and a tender heart to the will-they-won't-they of Jess and Josh. Everything's Fine is a romance, but it's also an astute analysis of elite workplaces, politics, and social mores, and a serious exploration of the way that two people can move so differently through the very same space. I devoured this novel, a bold, singular debut from an extraordinary writer." —LYDIA KIESLING, author of The Golden State

"This blurb could be a string of heart-eyes emojis. Everything’s Fine manages to be funny, felt, and riveting, all at once—a story for anyone who’s ever fallen in love that’s less than straightforward. Cecilia Rabess is equal parts comedian and sorcerer, reminding us that none of us are (only) as we appear." —RACHEL KHONG, author of Goodbye,Vitamin

Great listen

Couldn't wait to get my ears on this. Fun listen. Definitely add to your listening library.

Great for book clubs; dialogue starter

Pros:
This book discussed many issues around systemic racism. It was interesting that the story timeline coincides with the election of Obama and Trump. The ending is sort of left up to the reader. The narrator was engaging. This is a much needed book to start conversations among people in our communities and beyond.
Cons:
The back and forth between the couple was excessive. I wish there was more family history on Jess and Josh. It was an important factor in who they became and why they held certain beliefs. They touched on it but I wanted more.

A nuanced and complex love story

At first, I struggled with this audio book because Josh was such an insufferable and unlikeable caricature. As the story progressed, this book became a page-turner that I couldn’t put down. It still has me questioning if love can truly conquer two diametrically opposing worldviews and political ideologies.

Great ending!!

This book seemed like a typical summer read but had moments that were deeper. Worth reading, just not terribly challenging.

strange story about unhealthy young people

This story left me fairly confused, both about the story itself and it’s quality.

At first Josh comes off as a stereotypically conservative jerk, but midway through the book he shows some growth and admits that his college views were biased and incomplete. But then he morphs into a willfully blind master gaslighter and he becomes next to impossible to support (for me, anyway).

Jess on the other hand, shows no character development at all, though I think we are supposed to be sympathetic to her, or perhaps even to regard her as a champion of progressive thought (if not action). She is reactionary and inarticulate about her views at the start of the story (for the love of God, how difficult would it have been for her to bring up the rampant use of legacy admissions and workplace cronyism when Josh was attacking her in class and at the bar?!) and at the end.

The story idea is interesting, but poorly executed. I was hoping for more…and yet I will admit that I had a hard time putting it down. It both intrigued me and annoyed me.

Terrific book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is a thought-provoking, and relatable book. Very, very well written.

Finished in a day and a half

This is an intelligent and honest and sometimes funny, look at a relationship in todays great divide between red and blue.

Very Relatable

This book was wonderfully written and gave an honest account of the differences that many people face. Also the reality of the difficulties that interracial couples face within their relationship and the stereotypical views of the outside world.

Interesting listen

I read this book as the July Monthly Selection for @mochagirlsread. During the reading of this book, I had to remind myself over and over that BLACKNESS IS NOT A MONOLITH. This is probably someone's real life story (honestly, I probably know a few). This book follows Jess from her first day of getting her first "big girl" job at Goldman Sachs and the friendship and relationship that develops with her arch-nemesis, Josh. This book really makes you wonder if love is ever really enough to make a relationship work...and this one is an interracial one. I found Jess to be very annoying and insecure, but this was mainly because she was never secure in herself, her blackness or her place in the world. Her "everything's fine" mentality when her world was literally on fire made me want to jump through the book and shake her on several occasions. I do not like Josh. Full stop. I won't elaborate. I really hope that there is a sequel because I need to know how it (HOPEFULLY) ends.

 

Smart and funny!

Got so hooked that I finished the audiobook in 2 days! Actually laughed out loud a number of times (and may have cried once or twice). A great story.