There are some very serious subjects here: suicide ideation (a hotline number is included), loss, infertility, mental illness, grief, divorce and racism. But Cross-Smith has created a safe, warm space for these characters to discuss their deepest emotions. And boy, are there emotions. There’s as much crying inside as there is rain outside ... The story is a little too implausible, the characters too sentimental, the ending too rushed for me to agree that Cross-Smith is a 'consummate storyteller.' But This Close to Okay is steeped in kindness, familial love and forgiveness, and especially during these times, we can never have too much of that.
Cross-Smith places mental health at the heart of this story, bringing attention to the importance of asking for help when navigating the complicated twists and turns of life. This Close to Okay is a fast-moving, drama-filled roller coaster that will keep you guessing about how things will turn out for these two lost souls.
... a cozy novel, one that embodies the concept of 'hygge' that Tallie strives to create in her own home. It’s full of soft couches and comfort food, easy conversations and growing friendships. But it’s also a challenging novel, especially once Emmett’s history is revealed. This tragic story is linked to bigger issues, such as racism and class privilege; those elements, along with the ethical concerns raised by both Emmett and Tallie’s actions, make the novel rich for discussion ... a timely, thoughtful bit of hope in tough times.
In her second novel, Cross-Smith once again shows adeptness at exploring the range of human emotions, particularly the fragility of relationships in the wake of tragedy ... he weekend turns into a fairly rote new-love story, even with the added suspense that Emmett is hiding something terrible and possibly terrifying. But Cross-Smith is no fan of fairytales, offering twists that keep the novel interesting and realistic. A page-turning pleaser with a heroine to love.
Cross-Smith explores fragility, grief, and the effects of mental illness in this wonderfully strange novel about new love between broken people ... All the while, Cross-Smith builds suspense by gradually alluding to each character’s ulterior motives as Tallie neglects to tell Emmett she’s a therapist, and Emmett emails Tallie’s ex-husband to get her the answers he thinks she needs. Alternating between Tallie and Emmett’s perspectives, the narrative cannily inhabits a space where Tallie calls danger a 'frothing aphrodisiac,' and the two characters at times learn, or fail, to cope with sorrow and depression. As dark and tense as it is flirty and humorous, this moving novel offers consistent surprises.
