Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me and so I DNF’d at the 50% mark.

The cover was what initially caught my eye and the premise sounded great but immediately I knew it wasn’t going to be for me. I found it really boring from the start, I didn’t think Autumn and Elijah had any chemistry whatsoever and the mystery/stalker element wasn’t really needed.

1 star for the cover and 1 star for Brinkley 💛


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

<i>"There's nothing I can say to make this better, but I'm here, and you won't have to go through anything like this again alone."</i>

If this alone doesn't make you swoon, I don't know what will.
Autumn is a professional pianist who is spending all her time and focus on getting ready to make her solo comeback. She can't handle any distractions, as her chronic pain is already making it challenging enough but of course right then, a total stranger moves into her home and disrupts her routine. AND he is attractive too, ugh!

<b>Ms Perfectly Fine</b> is a funny, charming and fast paced romance that I couldn't put down, and not only because of the mystery subplot!
The book discusses the topic of chronic pain and beautifully depicts the vulnerability that comes with it. Autumn is an inspiring FMC and you can't help but root for her and her journey. Elijah, the MMC, is supporting and loving and I was so happy with the way the author has written him as this understanding character, who doesn't push Autumn to tell him or do anything but shows his continuous support and that he is there for her. Double POV for the win!

The mystery subplot was well done in my opinion, given that it is a romance novel, and it kept me engaged. I also thought it was very realistic and not farfetched or unrealistic.

I am sure that for some the romance could be considered as too fast-paced. The characters go from dislike to love pretty quickly, but I truly didn't mind that because of the subplot, the development of the relationship wasn't what made up the plot. What I would have liked to read towards the end is some kind of resolution to the situation with Autumn's family. So much is happening and yet there is no information about her family and how they react to the situation which I do perceive as a plot flaw.

All in all, a cute, fast-paced and - given the mystery - a slightly different romance novel that is perfect for everyone who wants a light read that will entertain.

<b>Ms Perfectly Fine</b> is out now, June 8th!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eARC.

Ms. Not So Fine would be better.

The premise is good, had a lot of opportunity, but the execution left me wanting more. It's an enemies to lovers, but they went to lovers way too quickly, and not just lovers but how quickly they fell in love wasn't believable. Nothing substantial happens to justify the change.

The writing style was annoying. The writer explains more than shows. And we randomly get a character's thoughts about something that happened. If you wanted us to know what they were thinking it should have been written in first person.

There's also this weird stalker element to the story, I'll admit I didn't guess who it would be, but that's more because it's so absurd and unnecessary in a romance novel.

The biggest issue for me was early on when Elijah is moving in early and it wakes Autumn up, not ONCE does she question the fact that her house alarm didn't go off, that the door was unlocked, etc. Then in childish fashion, she refuses to give him the alarm code, and he just changes the locks. He's also able to have the alarm company change the alarm code with no questions. It all goes down hill from there.

Ms. Perfectly Fine was quiet a different book compared to what I would typically read. The main difference being that it is a romance novel but it is told in the third person perspective which was something I had to adjust to at first but overall ended up not minding. One aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the representation of people with chronic illnesses I don't usually see this kind of representation and the addition of that in this book really made it stand out to me. The dynamic between Elijah and Autumn was so cute the push and pull between them made me anticipate what would happen next with them. I just genuinely love the reverse grumpy sunshine trope and this book truly delivered on that which immediately made me like this novel. Overall this was a fun read and I would definitely recommend giving it a read. As always happy reading!

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It had all of my favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunhine, forced proximity. I especially enjoyed the chemistry and banter between Autumn and Elijah. The innocent sexual innuendo and tension was done so well, and it had me smiling and giggling.

Elijah is so wholesome, but with a mouth on him. I love that he falls first and harder and it really shows in his support of Autumn and his desire to reassure her that she's always safe with him. Autumn is the midnight rain to Elijah's sunshine. She's closed off at first, but I really felt her flourish with Elijah and the way he challenges her world. I admire Autumn and her courage to keep fighting despite her pain, but I also find it empowering how she realizes her own limitations in the pursuit of her comeback.

I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and it kept me on the edge of my seat the last 15% of the book.
And of course Brinkley deserves all the praise as well - she was most lovable dog!

This book was good.
The characters were likable and the plot was interesting.
Autumn is a great main character and I loved how well-written is her backstory.
Although I found the love story a little bit too rushed because I would have preferred more slow burn.
I would also have preferred if this book was only a romance book because the thriller plot just wasn't for me.
Anyway, this book was a solid 3.5 stars.

✨Arc review✨
Ms perfectly fine -
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Release date: Today!

This book follows Elijah and Autumn. Elijah starts renting the bottom floor of the house Autumn rents. She had no idea he was moving in and she doesn’t like people in her space.

“You don’t need to be sorry for making the right decision for yourself, not for me. I’ll take only what you are willing to give.”

Elijah is so sweet. He loves to rile her up but genuinely cares so much. I also liked seeing his struggles with his dad.

Autumn is such a complex character. I loved that she worked through her issues slowly. It came off very authenic.

“You’re playing with fire,” he breathed, and she looked up at him through her long lashes. “Then burn me.”

I really loved the interactions between the two of them. The banter was super good. My favourite part was when Autumn had to deal with her chronic illness. Elijah didn’t force himself to take care of everything he just supported her.

Must read if you love:
- Forced proximity
- Banter
- Mystery
- Chronic illness rep

⭐⭐⭐ ⭐
The cover is pretty and the synopsis sounded interesting and that is why I chose this book.
The main characters definitely had interesting backstories, but I feel like they didn't go together. This book was cute and the romance was a little rushed. I feel that they really went from strangers to lovers extremely quickly. Although I really enjoyed the banter between the two sometimes it was not needed.
I feel that Callaghan did well when writing about anxiety and the mental toll it takes on a person.

🌶️🌶️ It was spicy but nothing that would make your mom blush.

❤️ My favorite character was definitely Brinkley ❤️

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!

🌟Tropes and Themes involved in Ms. Perfectly Fine🌟
😠Grumpy (Her) x 🌞Sunshine (Him)
😍He falls first and harder
😈Forced proximity
🍿Suspense
😴Split POV
💋Enemies to lovers
🌞Healing
😢Chronic pain

I absolutely LOVED this book. Like, it was so good, I wish I had the time to sit and read it all in one sitting. But, I read it every chance I got - before work, on my lunch, as soon as I got home, you name it!

I loved this book for so many reasons, but I'll try to condense it a little bit. First, I loved the romance aspect. It was sort of a slow-burn, but also a "he falls first" kind of vibe, ALSO with forced proximity, which is like, all my favorite things?? The way that Kate wrote it made it such a fun read too - the banter?? Fantastic! Ate it UP.

Another thing I really loved was how Kate represented chronic pain/a traumatic event. The MC, Autumn, had been through a traumatic event, which I won't spoil, but it left her with lots of chronic pain. I loved how it wasn't the only thing about her. She was spunky, and fun, and it just so happened that she had chronic pain. in my opinion, that's how those things should be represented in a book. And Kate did a wonderful job!

The third thing that I loved about this book was that it had almost a mystery aspect to it. I won't say too much, because it was so good and well-written I don't want to spoil anything but it surrounds Autumn's traumatic event and some roses.....

I spent half the book trying to guess, and even though I did guess, I was STILL shocked - that's how well-written it was. Like, I audibly gasped.

This was genuinely such a fun read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes romance/romantic suspense.

Wish I could erase my memory so I could read it again for the first time!

Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

This interesting story about a woman with chronic pain and a man who has a complicated past who meet and fall in love despite a rocky beginning. I liked the way that, although it takes a while for the two main characters, Autumn and Elijah, to get used to each other, once they connect the bond is unbreakable.

There is an element of mystery to this story as well, but it takes a back seat to the developing relationship between Elijah and Autumn and their reconciliation with the past.

It's a solid contemporary romance which was a pleasant surprise when I realised that this author usually writes Young Adult Fantasy. I think I'll read more from this author in the future.

**Thank you to Kate Callaghan, CallaghanWriter and NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC of Ms. Perfectly Fine in exchange for an honest review!!** This book was really interesting. It took me a bit to get into it but I ended up really enjoying it. As I began reading I became so engrossed in this book that I forgot I had read there was a suspense subplot. I was truly surprised and intrigued by this twist. I have read books by Ms. Callaghan before and I always enjoy them. This book was no different. I think that Autumn was very human and understandable and I really related to her because I also suffer from chronic pain issues. I really was on her side from the beginning because I felt like I could picture myself and my reaction to getting my carefully planned life pretty royally messed with. Elijah was a fun character and I got to like him better the more that I was able to read and get his perspective. I would recommend this book if you want a fun book with a bit of suspense, but it didn't feel like it overwhelmed the book with this subplot.

I wanted to love this for a few reasons but it fell a bit short for me. As a musician, I loved the fact that it followed a professional pianist, Autumn, and I thought it was a nice touch that Autumn suffered from chronic pain. I loved the chronic pain inclusion and descriptions of the daily struggles Autumn suffers and the toll that being a musician can take on your body. I also really enjoyed the banter between Autumn and the male love interest, Elijah. Their relationship and dialogue made me smile and laugh out loud slseveral times

What I didn’t love - I thought it all just happened a bit fast, from them falling for each other so deeply and quickly, to the suspense element being a bit rushed and predictable. But that being said I think we all read the romance genre knowing how things will end and knowing it will be predictable. So overall I would say it was a cute quick read and was definitely enjoyable. Perfect for a reading slump. There’s not a lot of drama (no third act breakup, yay!) and the suspense was relatively light.

Thank you to netgalley and CallaghanWriter for providing me an eARC on exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was such a cute read. Both Autumn and Elijah were really interesting and had good backstories. It was a really easy read and the actual writing was great (will defs be interested in reading more by Kate Callaghan).

Unfortunately it did remind me of another book which I couldn’t get past. The switch to lovers was also wayyyy too quick. I love a good drawn out game.

Overall, Ms. Perfectly Fine was a comfortable read.

Rating: 3.75 stars

What initially drew me to the book was the mystery aspect and the chronic pain rep. I love it when rom-coms have a little more to them than just the romance and Ms. Perfectly Fine did not disappoint!

I'm not going to lie, it was a bit of a slow start for me, but after the 30% mark, I couldn't put it down. The mystery begins pretty early, but doesn't become prevalent until much later in the book. It seems our dear FMC has a potential stalker? I'm not going to lie, I initially fell for the red herring and was surprised at the reveal. I thought all of the storylines really worked well together!

Autumn, our FMC, was incredibly relatable to me. The walls and routines she has in place are such a common defense mechanism for people with mental and/or physical trauma. I love that the author included this look into the aftermath of a traumatic experience, but I am so happy that they also made it clear that it does not define Autumn!

The romance between our gamer boy, Elijah, and Autumn was a bit of a whirlwind, but very sweet! It was nice to see how observant Elijah was, but a bit frustrating that he missed some big clues regarding our mysterious stalker.

As I mentioned earlier the chronic pain representation was a huge reason I read this book and Callaghan did a wonderful job balancing the pain with the romance. I thought the different responses to Autumn's chronic pain were accurate as well.

Overall, I had a great time! If you're looking for a sweet little rom-com with a touch of mystery, this just might be the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author, Kate Callaghan, for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

Ms Perfectly Fine tells the story of Autumn, a pianist who experienced a traumatizing accident ten years prior and has been living with chronic pain ever since, and Elijah, a video game developer who has leased the bottom floor of the house Autumn has been renting...without the landlord giving her a heads-up. While the two struggle with each other, they inevitably end up falling for each other while Autumn learns to let people into her life. Meanwhile, Autumn is also being forced to face an ongoing problem she's been ignoring for the last three years - someone has been periodically leaving her mysterious roses at her doorstep.

This book was interesting in that it mixed romance with a mystery/thriller vibe. I'd never read a book like that and I think it balanced the two genres well. I also really enjoyed the banter between Autumn and Elijah and how much they messed with each other. Autumn was a very well-written grumpy character who was actually just grumpy, whereas a lot of "grumpy" characters in books come off more as just mean. Having chronic pain representation was a very high point of the book as well. You can truly understand her trauma and her hesitancy to let anyone into her life and help her with anything.

I did think that the beginning of their relationship was a little clunky. It seemed like they went from enemies (at least from Autumn's point of view) to being openly attracted to each other quite suddenly. The change felt a little forced and I wish we could've seen a friendship develop better between them before going to the romance. But as they got into the groove of their relationship, it felt more natural. For me, the last 40% where the mystery portion of the story really ramps up was its shining part. It was very fast-paced and got me very invested in the story.

Overall, this was a good, quick palette cleanser that had a good genre mix and funny, sweet main characters.

⭐️4,5

I loved this book so so much, I enjoyed every second of it. I'm so obsessed with Autumn and Elijah. They're so cute together.

I was immersed in the book from the start. I loved how on top of the romance there was a mystery. I was trying to figure out the whole situation with the characters which was so entertaining.

But, the most entertaining moments in the book was Elijah and Autumns banter. They were so funny and sweet. If I suddenly had a stranger coming into my house, removing my things and putting theirs instead, I would immediately have disliked them. So, I completely understand Autumn. I loved how her reasons for disliking him were reasonable and how he didn't dislike her at all, because he simply didn't have a reason to. Their little arguments and pranks were so entertaining to read. They were so petty that it was amusing to read about it.

I genuinely loved the main characters. Their personalities are wholesome, you never get bored. The evolution from Elijah trying to win her over to Autumn starting to like him and then love him was so amazing to see. I just loved how the author described these moments between them, it was simple yet meaningful. You could feel how they loved each other.

I just loved how Elijah's character was him being into Autumn the moment they met. How we was trying to win her over, though he thought he was messing everything up, because when he tried to do something it resulted in them arguing. All of their arguments was just him smiling at her, loving her reactions and her genuinely being annoyed at him. I loved how despite the fact that he seemed confident with himself, he still had these moments where he was insecure or nervous. It showed how sincere he was.

Autumn is such a strong and amazing girl. I'm glad she was able to surpass everything. I think a lot of people can relate to her when it comes to her anxiety and closing yourself off from the rest of the world. She's really brave, especially for what happened at the end and everything was revealed.

I feel so bad for Heather, the sister of Autumn's best friend. The story tricked me into also being suspicious. I hadn't expected this to happen like this, though. I loved the angst and mystery there was at the end of the book, I was really for the moment of the revelation and wasn't disappointed.

I would have liked to see a little bit more of moments between Heather and Autumn after everything happened as I loved Heather quite a bit. And, kind of wanted to have a deeper insight on what happened with Autumn's accident. I know we got the story, but I feel like it lacked some things and I didn't really understand it. I wanted an epilogue that was longer and more time in the future. I like epilogues from years later, especially from books I really like. I want to see Autumn and Elijah in the future so badly.

This novel was an easy, palate cleanser type of read. It was interesting and edged into a mystery that I enjoyed seeing unravel. I found the main characters to be well written with interesting backgrounds, and their problems weren’t for the sake of having problems but rather Autumn’s trauma causing her to consistently have to make a conscious effort to get out of her own way.
*As someone living without a chronic illness I’m not an authority on this* I personally found the representation of chronic illness in Autumns life to be consistent throughout the story and seemingly realistic. Some days were better than others for her and she took it day by day. It doesn’t define her but it is a part of her and it never stops being something she has to live with and manage every day.
One thing I would’ve liked to see is Autumn interacting with her family. Beyond a phone call early in the story we never hear from them again and I believe it would’ve tied up the story even more nicely to have them meet Elijah and at least begin to reconcile with Autumn and her music.

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Ms Perfectly Fine comes out June 8, 2023.

Ms Perfectly Fine is a delightful enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity romance. I thought both of the main characters were well written and they had great chemistry with one another. There was great representation of chronic pain and mental illness. Overall it was a well written and delightful romance!

3,5/5✨

She - an artist, and pianist, suffered after an accident in which her best friend died.
He - the creator of computer programs, and games, move into Autumn's house.

Autumn and Elijah's story is full of chemistry, sarcasm, and charm. From the moment I met them, I knew I was going to like their relationship; I literally couldn't help but laugh at their skirmishes at times. These are the types of heroes who brighten the day with their character. Unfortunately, it is not always so colorful.

The author, apart from fast-paced action or funny dialogues, smuggled in a few difficult topics (TW: stalking, trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, survivors’ guilt, self-isolation). One of them particularly interested me and I wanted to know more about it, namely the main character's chronic pain. Autumn has been through a lot - during one of her most important evenings, a person close to her died. The girl only suffered an injury, which after these few years still makes itself felt. It was hard to read about her memories, the constant pain that ruled her life. I can't imagine what he might feel. I think the author showed her perspective very realistically on this topic.

Another thread that caught my attention was a slightly criminal, thriller thread (I don't know how to define it). The main character is an artist who returns to the big stage. It is known in celebrity circles and often pointed out by large institutions. Can you guess the crux of the matter? She starts receiving roses. At first, she takes the gifts as a mistake, but they come every year, on the same day, always to the same door. A secret admirer? Nothing could be more wrong. I don't want to tell you too much but know one thing: admirers do not write threats or intimidate. And what Callaghan has shown in this book is one of the themes that are certainly common in show business. And it's terrible... Did the solution itself surprise me? Unfortunately not much. From the middle of the book, I sensed this "admirer" and unfortunately I must admit that I was a bit disappointed (the reason for all this fuss seemed infantile to me).

Moving on to my favorite part of the whole book, the romance part. It's not particularly surprising, but the very process of learning about Autumn and Elijah's developing relationship made my eyes heart-shaped. I love them! Maybe they weren't positive about each other at first (enemies for sure), but as roommates, they found their way through the mess. They were able to support each other, even if the day before one of them made a "stupid joke" (you can't call it otherwise). The ending was a bit chaotic, but it was perfect for them!

"Ms Perfectly Fine" is a warm and funny story you won't be able to put down!

3.5 ⭐️
This was a quick and easy romance with:
Forced proximity
Enjoyable banter
Personal growth
Unwanted roommate
Antagonists-to-lovers
Great Chronic Pain Rep
Grumpy-sunshine dynamic
Musician x Gamer

I enjoyed the characters, but at times the romance felt a bit forced and they could have had a bit more chemistry. I enjoyed the slight mystery/thriller aspect as this book went on, but felt the author could have leaned slightly into the whole stalker aspect and used a bit more showing rather then telling.