This thought-provoking and passionate debut novel is my latest book obsession. It’s a workplace romance, but so much more! It’s an opposites-attract, but on a deeper level. And it’s funny! Really, really funny. Ms. Rabess has a very keen ear for authentic dialogue.
At first glance, this book is about two young people at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Jess and Josh first meet in college where Josh makes his conservative views, known and Jess decides he is just hateful. I read this in the first few days after the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action so to read the discussions in this book literally made it feel like it was written this week.
Jess ends up at Goldman Sachs after college where Josh also works. The cutthroat and competitive atmosphere there feels like it was written by an insider and it was. The author formerly worked there. Jess encounters microaggression after microaggression while Josh gets recognized for his work. She is basically treated like a lowly assistant. (When jokingly asks why he didn’t tell their colleagues “I’m amazing,” he replies, “I don’t think you are amazing.”) Ah.
After the frosty start, the two become close friends and then fall deeply in love. Will they be able to survive their wildly divergent political views? (Although Josh does call himself a “moderate”.) Jess is deeply conflicted about their relationship and hides Josh from her own father, expecting his disappointment. And yet. Josh cares deeply for Jess and she loves him.
This book has it all: wit, engaging dialogue, eccentric characters, and even romance. I want to sit down and chat with Ms. Rabess about this book. The author will challenge your perceptions about class, race and wealth. A must-read!
(𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)
About the Book:
When Jess lands a job as an analyst at Goldman Sachs, she’s less than thrilled to learn she’ll be on the same team as Josh, her preppy, white, conservative sparring partner from college. Josh loves playing the devil’s advocate and is just…the worst.
But when Jess finds herself the sole Black woman on the floor, overlooked and underestimated, it’s Josh who shows up for her in surprising—if imperfect—ways. Before long, an unlikely friendship—one tinged with undeniable chemistry—forms between the two. A friendship that gradually, and then suddenly, turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both.
Despite their differences, the force of their attraction propels the relationship forwards, and Jess begins to question whether it’s more important to be happy than right. But then it’s 2016, and the cultural and political landscape shifts underneath them. And Jess, who is just beginning to discover who she is and who she has the right to be, is forced to ask herself what she’s willing to compromise for love and whether, in fact, everything’s fine.
A stunning debut that introduces Cecilia Rabess as a blazing new talent, Everything’s Fine is a painfully funny, poignant, heartfelt novel that doesn’t just ask will they, but…should they?