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A review by hampshirereads
Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess
1.0
Jess starts work at Goldman Sachs as the only Black woman on the floor. She is often overlooked and finds out she has to work with Josh, a preppy, white former college enemy. Despite past feelings, the two develop a relationship. During this time she has a hyper vigilant awareness of micro aggressions that, to an unaware individual, might seem slightly exaggerated. Jess and Josh’s relationship moves fast and is confusing as she changes jobs to becoming more of a political activist. This whole time the differences between Jess’s reality and Josh’s reality loom over their relationship. Until one day the red MAGA hat shows up. Jess struggles with the reality of loving someone so politically opposed to her.
From the text: “She tried to reconcile the idea that her boyfriend was a twenty-five-year-old millionaire with the fact that she worked for a news-magazine with an entire beat dedicated to income inequality.”
As a white woman, I have not experienced racial micro aggressions, and this book felt laced with them. Starting the book, I was feeling uncomfortably skeptical of the reality of the character’s experience. But… as the story unfolds, I started to feel frustrated at the amount of inequality she was comfortable with.
This story hinged on the love story between Jess and Josh. The love story felt disingenuous. It just felt forced and unrealistic. Because of this I felt myself dragging through the story waiting for it to end. I didn’t believe these two would fall in love and stay together, and struggled as 2016 loomed over their heads.
I do not recommend this book. It’s a hurry-up-and-wait chaotic disaster.
From the text: “She tried to reconcile the idea that her boyfriend was a twenty-five-year-old millionaire with the fact that she worked for a news-magazine with an entire beat dedicated to income inequality.”
As a white woman, I have not experienced racial micro aggressions, and this book felt laced with them. Starting the book, I was feeling uncomfortably skeptical of the reality of the character’s experience. But… as the story unfolds, I started to feel frustrated at the amount of inequality she was comfortable with.
This story hinged on the love story between Jess and Josh. The love story felt disingenuous. It just felt forced and unrealistic. Because of this I felt myself dragging through the story waiting for it to end. I didn’t believe these two would fall in love and stay together, and struggled as 2016 loomed over their heads.
I do not recommend this book. It’s a hurry-up-and-wait chaotic disaster.