Everything Will Be Okay is a raw, unflinching exploration of addiction, mental illness, and the search for redemption set against California’s opioid crisis.

The story follows two men—Nick Wagner, a twenty- year-old battling addiction and the fallout from his recent incarceration, and Henry Foster, a disillusioned psychiatrist struggling with his own mental health after a painful divorce. As Nick falls deeper into addiction and fractured relationships, Henry uncovers secrets in his ex-wife’s diary that threaten to unravel his fragile grip on reality.

Both men are trapped in spirals of self-destruction, searching for a way out.

As gripping as it is heartbreaking, this novel bleeds onto the page, daring readers to face the darkest corners of the human psyche in search of a glimmer of hope.

‘Sean Gebhardt cuts to the core of the human heart, and all the complications inside it.’ Lauren McQuistin

This was an okay read. I did struggle to get through it. Even though I liked the idea! Hopefully someone else is a better target

I went into this book with high expectations, and I was really enjoying it for the first half. The dialogue, although sometimes hard to follow, felt incredibly authentic—especially for someone like me who's familiar with communities similar to Nick's. The way words get tossed around without much substance is spot on.

However, after the midpoint, the story started to feel a bit stagnant for me. It seemed like we weren't moving forward. By that point, I felt like I'd already grasped the book's main message, and it started to feel repetitive.

I think the story has a lot of potential, but it might have been even more effective as a novella. Overall, it's a great concept, and I appreciate the author's effort to capture the essence of California’s opioid crisis.

I'm still considering this book as a potential pick for our Fresh Off The Press Book Club. In the meantime, I encourage all readers to give it a try if they come across it.

Though the prose was stunning, there were some parts that were not enjoyable. For example, the interview scenes fell flat, as it seemed our protagonists were going round and round in circles with no growth.

Secondly, although the novel was extremely well-written, it was exhausting to read. The endless scenes of drug spirals and mental health episodes were draining to read, so I would hesitate to the recommend this book to someone.

I also felt that the female characters were extremely under-developed, reduced to stereotypes, such as Allison being a manic pixie dream girl.

Everything Will Be Okay by Sean J. Gebhardt is a haunting and deeply introspective exploration of addiction, mental illness and the search for redemption. Set against the stark reality of California’s opioid crisis, it follows two men whose lives are unravelling—Nick Wagner, a young man battling addiction and the consequences of his past, and Henry Foster, a psychiatrist teetering on the edge after his marriage falls apart.

Gebhardt does not shy away from the raw and often brutal truths of self-destruction. Nick’s downward spiral and Henry’s increasing disillusionment paint a devastating portrait of suffering, craving and the fragile nature of hope. The book is literary fiction at its most unflinching, unpicking the human psyche with striking clarity. Through its philosophical undertones and visceral storytelling, it dares the reader to confront the darkest corners of despair and addiction, yet it never loses sight of the possibility of redemption.

Beautifully written and emotionally searing, Everything Will Be Okay is not just a book about addiction—it is a profound meditation on meaning, survival and how we seek escape. Thought-provoking and unrelenting, it is a novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

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Very engaging and interesting read. Very well developed and ambitious. Will be recommending to library collection and patrons.

Unfortunately I've DNFed this book from the first pages. I thought that this book could be a very interesting one, with a deep characterization of the characters, but since the beginning I didn't like the writing style, because I found it simplistic compared to the topic of the book.
I'm sorry for not giving you a better review, but I also didn't care about the characters, since I found them not real at all.

Thank you for an advanced copy of this novel. I wasn’t really able to get into the this one. The addiction is a little too much for me and I just couldnt finish it. The writing was just ok so I will give this a neutral review for fairness

This book was very sad. I enjoyed the last third, but it felt like a long road to get there. Would have loved to see more about Marion and Nick instead of so much about Henry.

Nick's story reminded me a lot of Rue's addiciton story in Euphoria.

A raw and haunting debut for Gebhardt. A difficult, emotional journey dealing with the ongoing opioid crisis in California told through the eyes of Nick.

Critique would be the excessive amount of swearing - takes away from the story and doesn't add much development to characters.

This book packs a punch, diving deep into tough topics like mental health, addiction, and the personal battles that often go unnoticed. Despite the weight of these themes, it offers a gripping and beautifully written look at the lives of two individuals—so different yet strikingly alike. It’s an eye-opening journey into the complexities of addiction, showing a side of the struggle that’s rarely explored. If you’re looking for a story that’ll challenge your perspective and keep you hooked, I highly recommend this one.

Where is the hope other reviewers talk about? I couldn't find it. I find this book utterly depressing and except Marion, Nick's mother, I couldn't relate to the characters.
Addiction is an ugly beast that will destroy your life and the life of those around you. But if those who are supposed to help you are addicted and desperate themselves, there's really no hope.

Nick and Henry are both struggling. Ones the therapist and ones deep down j to yhe addiction of drugs.
It was a mixed bag.
I felt at some points it did so well. It managed to portray just how these addictions spiral and effect all. The ripple effect huge.
Addiction is an illness. There needs to be less judgement and shame. ANYONE can fall into it. It's just an outward pouring of thr sufferers pain, a way to cope. Our current look down upon those suffering isn't not helpful. Especially as in society it's looked upon a whole lot differently if the affluent or doing drugs!
I felt a little too "being told" at points. And a few misses of the marks that could have made great dialogue.
But it was alot more sensibly handled snd sensitive than most.
And really key thing for me was just how many professionals are actually messed up,some more so than patients! There are far too many in that profession who should not be. And they slip under the radar because of the little actual care for mental illness.

We follow two main characters. Nick is a young man with an addiction to Class A drugs and Henry, a middle-aged therapist.

This book is a real deep dive into the relationship between counsellor and client and how, in many cases, the lives of the trained are as equally messed up and toxic as those of their clients.

I think this book had some real insight into these topics and has a good amount to say on it. However, it was executed poorly, in my opinion.

The narrative here is its strong point. The dialogue is terrible. The dialogue, while immature and lengthy, is primarily being used to make points to the reader as if we need educating. I prefer more of a show, not tell approach personally.

I feel like I've been yelled at for 300 pages.

With a decent edit and some maturity in the dialogue, this could really be something.

Two stars.

A DNF for me sadly. This could potentially be a great read but it feels like such a chore to get through at 40% - the writing feels overly complicated and the characters are not drawing me in. Seen some 5 star reviews for this one though so could definitely just be me!
Huge thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I really struggled with this. I thought it was overwritten, underdeveloped and a chore to read. I’ve seen the other 5 star reviews and can’t help but feel like I’m missing something because this was not it for me! Henry and Nick were both incredibly boring to read about, neither of them kept me interested and I only ended up finishing the book for the sake of finishing it. They both made the same mistakes over and over and Henry’s inner monologue especially was infuriating to read. I understand that the author was trying to make a commentary on drugs and addiction, but that fell short for me as well.

The time jumps and narrative choices were questionable as were the side characters. The writing was okay, however the plot dragged. I usually love emotive, character driven books but this was a drag to read from start to finish.

Thank you Netgalley and Dark Room Press for the ARC.

4.5 ☆

An incredible debut novel for Gebhardt. It focus on the two character Nick Wagner and his therapist Henry Foster, the story takes us through their every day struggles with addiction, divorce and mental health. I would have enjoyed for there to have been more details and conversations with the two main characters during their therapy sessions, they had great chemistry with each other. While not all stories have a happy ending, this one being on of them, in a way it felt like it ended in a way that gives the readers hope. Overall, this was an incredible read for me.

There are times when I believed the Thesaurus could have been put down though.

Everything Will Be Okay was a book that came into my life at the right moment. I don’t struggle with addiction personally, but the musings about life and mental health perfectly gave words to feelings I have had often during my own mental health struggles.

This story is heavy, but absolutely worth your time. It is a touching story that shows how addiction affects everyone related to the addicted person.

I also appreciated seeing the “acceptable” addiction to alcohol and how dangerous alcoholism can be.

You will not find a happy ending here, but you will find hope.

The one thing I would have liked to see more of is Henry and Nick’s conversations. I thought their relationship would be more of a core part of this book and was surprised that it didn’t go beyond those few conversations.

Overall this was a beautiful, devastating read that I really enjoyed.

After getting into the book this blew my mind,. The writing is so good and keeps the tone true to the plot. I would love to read more from this talented author. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction

This is the author’s debut novel, which is a good start for him. Everything Will Be Okay is a story that follows two connected male characters: a doctor and his patient. Nick Wagner is a young man struggling with addiction and the consequences of his past actions, including incarceration. On the other hand, his doctor, Henry Foster, is a disillusioned psychiatrist grappling with his own mental health issues after a painful divorce.

The novel is narrated in the third-person style and follows the lives of these two characters in the present while shedding some light on their pasts and struggles. Towards the end, there is also a focus on Nick’s mother, Marion, a single mother who also has her own problems, including dealing with her addicted son.

This is a literary fiction, and I appreciate how the author realistically depicted the different struggles of addiction and how they affect a person’s physical and psychological health. There is a lot of focus on mental health, too, including the doctor’s mental health after his bitter divorce.

The author did a great job with the characters. They are realistic, compelling, and well-developed. Reading their stories and hardships makes them relatable. You must’ve faced people like them in your life.

I liked the author’s writing and look forward to reading more books by him. His writing is raw and authentic, which makes you engage well with the story. If I have to critique something about the writing, it would be the excessive use of the F word. I understand the need to present Nick Wagner in a certain way for the story, but using the F word 335 times (counted on Kindle) is a little overboard. The other thing that might not go well with some readers is the open ending. I personally liked it, but some readers prefer a resolution for the characters.

Overall, this is a solid, captivating, character-driven novel. It is emotionally intense, thought-provoking, and sensitive, so be sure you can handle it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.