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Table of Contents
About The Book
“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).
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).
Reading Group Guide
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EVERYTHING’S FINE
by Cecilia Rabess
Discussion Questions
1.What was your initial impression of Jess? Of Josh? How did your impression of the characters change over the course of the book?
2.How does the relationship between the two main characters evolve over time?
3.Jess and Josh have very different relationships with money; how do their relationships with money affect each of their choices at work, in relationships (with family, friends, romantically), and in other areas of their lives?
4.Jess struggles with defining what it means to be successful. How does her definition of success change over the course of the book? How would the different people in her life—Josh, her father, her friends—define success?
5.The novel is set partially in the world of investment banking and finance. How does this setting contribute to the themes and conflicts in the book?
6.Are the characters’ political identities portrayed in a realistic way?
7.Jess is a Black character who moves through the world in predominantly white spaces. She grew up in Nebraska, has mainly white friends, and then, after graduating, works at companies that aren’t very diverse. As Jess evolves and matures over the course of the book, how do you think her relationship with her Blackness changes?
8.Jess was never fully open with her father about the details of her life in New York. If her father had lived to see Jess at the end of the book—and if Jess had filled him in on her life—what do you think he’d have made of various aspects of her life? Do you think his assessment would have aligned with Jess’s expectation of said assessment?
9.Everything’s Fine is not a traditional “will they, won’t they” narrative, but more a “should they, shouldn’t they,” story. Do you think the author takes a clear position on whether Jess and Josh should or shouldn’t be together? Do you think they should or shouldn’t be together?
10.Do you think Jess and Josh’s relationship will survive? Where do you see them—as individuals or as a couple—in the years after the book ends?
11.After finishing the book, how would you categorize it? Did the book—and the love story within it—align with your expectations? In which ways—if any—did the book subvert your expectations?
by Cecilia Rabess
Discussion Questions
1.What was your initial impression of Jess? Of Josh? How did your impression of the characters change over the course of the book?
2.How does the relationship between the two main characters evolve over time?
3.Jess and Josh have very different relationships with money; how do their relationships with money affect each of their choices at work, in relationships (with family, friends, romantically), and in other areas of their lives?
4.Jess struggles with defining what it means to be successful. How does her definition of success change over the course of the book? How would the different people in her life—Josh, her father, her friends—define success?
5.The novel is set partially in the world of investment banking and finance. How does this setting contribute to the themes and conflicts in the book?
6.Are the characters’ political identities portrayed in a realistic way?
7.Jess is a Black character who moves through the world in predominantly white spaces. She grew up in Nebraska, has mainly white friends, and then, after graduating, works at companies that aren’t very diverse. As Jess evolves and matures over the course of the book, how do you think her relationship with her Blackness changes?
8.Jess was never fully open with her father about the details of her life in New York. If her father had lived to see Jess at the end of the book—and if Jess had filled him in on her life—what do you think he’d have made of various aspects of her life? Do you think his assessment would have aligned with Jess’s expectation of said assessment?
9.Everything’s Fine is not a traditional “will they, won’t they” narrative, but more a “should they, shouldn’t they,” story. Do you think the author takes a clear position on whether Jess and Josh should or shouldn’t be together? Do you think they should or shouldn’t be together?
10.Do you think Jess and Josh’s relationship will survive? Where do you see them—as individuals or as a couple—in the years after the book ends?
11.After finishing the book, how would you categorize it? Did the book—and the love story within it—align with your expectations? In which ways—if any—did the book subvert your expectations?
About The Author
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Cecilia Rabess previously worked as a data scientist at Google and as an associate at Goldman Sachs. Her nonfiction has been featured in McSweeneys, FiveThirtyEight, Fast Company, and FlowingData, among other places. Everything’s Fine is her debut novel.
Why We Love It
“At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Everything’s Fine is one of the best novels I’ve read in years. I fell so much in love with Jess (and, to our surprise, with Josh) that I knew I had to acquire this book.
Cecilia Rabess’s debut has it all: a one-of a kind character in the form of the brilliant and very funny Jess, who is fine-tuning her moral compass in the midst of one of the most divisive times in our history; a breathtaking romance between polar opposites who we’d never thought we’d root for, but who we truly shed tears (of laughter and of sadness over); and rich social commentary on our polarized times and current culture war. At a time when many of us are in our separate silos, when we can’t imagine having a civil conversation with someone on the opposite side of the political aisle, we were shocked to find the romance at the heart of this novel not only believable, but also heart-shattering. But ultimately, Everything’s Fine is a smart, hilarious, emotionally resonant look at how much we can (and should) sacrifice for love.”
—Carina G., Senior Editor, on Everything’s Fine
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 6, 2023)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982187712
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Raves and Reviews
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick
A Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2023 from Bustle and Publishers Weekly
“A truly brilliant and amazing first novel with incredible dialogue and characters so real that I felt preoccupied with them when I wasn't reading. I couldn't have loved it more.” —CURTIS SITTENFELD (via Twitter), author of Romantic Comedy and Prep
"A love affair that turns inferno.... You'll be riveted."—People Magazine
“Does love conquer all? Does it now? Did it ever? These are questions Cecilia Rabess asks in her nimble, discerning debut…. Rabess has a gift for chemistry, and the chemistry between Jess and Josh is almost tangible; their eventual union is, well, climactic…. The ending of “Everything’s Fine” is one of the best I’ve read in years. It asks whether our choices stop and end with us. Is it ethical to date someone who goes against everything you believe in? Is it right to work in an industry that profits off a broken system? What do we owe, and to whom?”—The New York Times
“In Rabess’s timely debut novel, Jess and Josh are opposites — they have clashed over their views during college, and Jess expects more of the same when she joins Josh’s team at Goldman Sachs. As a Black woman in banking, Jess faces obstacles that Josh, as a White man, may not comprehend, yet neither of them can deny an attraction to each other. With the 2016 election looming, a volatile cultural and political landscape forces Jess and Josh to reckon with a relationship defined by their differences, and they find that the closer you are to someone the harder it is to villainize them.”—Washington Post
“A fascinating, honest read about the relatable impulse to cleave someone’s politics from the person they are when there’s an undeniable spark, and how hard it can be, even in a romance novel, to reach a happy ending under those circumstances. Sometimes, things aren’t as black and white as we want them to be.”—Cosmopolitan
“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
“Rabess doesn’t pull punches about the friction that arises between two people whose principles are totally at odds. But, her unflinching clarity around why people are drawn together magnetically despite themselves makes for an engrossing read.”—InStyle
“Cecilia Rabess spins a smart, tangly romance at Goldman Sachs between Jess, feminist mag employee turned lone Black woman analyst, and white, conservative Greenwich-born Josh.”—Vanity Fair
“One of my favorite books of the years so far. This is a love story, a work story and an incisive look at race and gender politics. But primarily it’s a love story, one of the most suspenseful and engaging I’ve ever read.”—ELIN HILDERBRAND, via Instagram
“Assured…. A blistering study of what it means to date your political opposite…. Rabess’s deeper interest, it seems, lies in interrogating whether two people who are fundamentally different can be together at all.”—The Guardian
“Rabess displays a sharp sense of humor, and her examination of entitlement and staying true to yourself in the modern political world rings painfully real.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Jess, a left-leaning Black woman, and Josh, a moderate Republican, have almost nothing in common. They do, however, share an alma mater and work for Goldman Sachs. What begins as a tense connection undergirded by political difference develops quickly into a snarky, and exhilarating unlikely love story.”—The Boston Globe
“One of the most anticipated releases of the summer…an incisive, bold novel about the complicated relationship between Jess, a Black liberal 20-something working in tech, and Josh, her white conservative.”—Shondaland
“A brilliantly uncomfortable look at relationships across the political aisle…. a thought-provoking, unsettling and whip-smart debut novel…. Everything’s Fine is at turns an electric romance and a critical examination of white privilege, class consciousness and the argument over whether it’s better in life to be happy or right.”—PureWow
"In Rabess' timely debut novel, Jess and Josh are opposites - they have clashed over their views during college, and Jess expects more of the same when she joins Josh's team at Goldman Sachs. As a Black woman in banking, Jess faces obstacles that Josh, as a White man, may not comprehend, yet neither of them can deny an attraction to the other. With the 2016 election looming, a volatile cultural and political landscape forces Jess and Josh to reckon with a relationship defined by their differences, and they find that the closer you are to someone, the harder it is to villainize them."--San Diego Tribune
“A fascinating, complicated, discussion-worthy debut…. It would be easy to label this book an enemies-to-lovers rom-com of the Hepburn-Tracy genus, but that doesn’t capture the unconventional aspects of Rabess’ depiction of her characters…. A hot book on a hot topic, well worth reading and arguing about.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS
“An intriguing cliffhanger makes this an excellent pick for book clubs that enjoy rousing debate.”—BOOKLIST
“Rabess hits the scene with one of those full-throated, fully-realized debuts that everyone is sure to be talking about.”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Staff Picks for Summer Reads, Literary Fiction
“It’s an open-hearted, funny novel that knows love is never straightforward—and everything is not always fine.”—THE SKIMM
?“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
"A subtle, ironic, wise, state-of-the-nation novel, sharp enough to draw blood, hidden inside a moving, intimate, sincere and very real love story--or vice versa. Either way, it's a wonderful book by a fantastic new talent."—NICK HORNBY, New York Times bestselling author of High Fidelity
“I could not put this brilliant book down. Rabess’s writing is so sharp and funny, and her observations so attuned to our times, that the pages absolutely flew. Everything’s Fine is the love story our world needs right now, and Rabess deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for giving it to us.”—RACHEL BEANLAND, author of Florence Adler Swims Forever and The House Is On Fire
“I love this timely and clever debut! Cecilia Rabess is a skilled storyteller who offers up perfect observations and delightful details about working in finance, being in your 20s, and navigating romance. This book is both entertaining and wise, a page-turner that explores race, class, sex, and ambition and how love and compromise work (or don’t) in our current political climate.”—JENNIFER CLOSE, bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses
“I could not put this book down. Everything's Fine is smart, sexy and surprising, with an ending that truly made me gasp. I loved it!”—NORA MCINERNY, author of Bad Vibes Only and host of Terrible,Thanks for Asking
“A stunning debut” —MEG MASON, bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss
“A brilliantly observed novel about what it means to lose yourself as a young woman. So funny but also incredibly true”—NINA STIBBE, author of Love, Nina
"Rabess's humor is on-point, and the chemistry between the leads is electric; each scene between them is fraught with a double-edged sword--after they hook up, Josh starts talking dirty and Jess responds, 'Way to ruin the moment, you creepy loser,' before they have sex again. This is sure to spark conversation."”—Publishers Weekly
Resources and Downloads
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