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starrysteph 's review for:

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
2.0
lighthearted sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
Sigh. This was a tough one for me - because in theory the premise was charming. The writing at times was sweet. We've got an interesting set up with the potential to open up deep discussions about mental health. But the actual content was .. just not that. And in fact was seriously problematic.

Some things I struggled with here:
  • Characters acting in BAFFLINGLY unbelievable ways. I felt like I was reading a thriller. Our two main characters were a little diabolical? Totally blown-out-of-proportion reactions to each other and weird snooping and interactions and I did not for one moment believe in their relationship. Tallie takes advantage of Emmett; Emmett is invasive and sinister (when he's not acting like the most perfect gentleman on the planet). Huge lack of boundaries from everyone - but this is especially bad because we're supposed to believe Tallie is a licensed therapist.
  • A Hallmark mental health story with deeply painful one liners, often tied into HEAVY Christian themes (Jesus propaganda with no warning; just label it as Christian fiction so you can find your proper audience). Everything is cool if you just believe. :) 
  • The most inaccurate portrayal of therapy/a therapist I've ever read. Super inappropriate behavior. Dialogue that was just an aggressive barrage of questions. Dialogue that was SO obvious that I simply didn't believe that Emmett wouldn't have figured out he was interacting with a therapist.
  • Speaking of, the Q&A was the entire plot. Not a lot of complex development here.
  • An overload of Harry Potter references. Like, c'mon. Still?
  • "she was a lesbian half of the time" - I'll just leave that quote there.
  • Tallie frequently refers to Emmett as a "lilac poof" - I'll leave that there as well.
  • The POVs were written in almost exactly the same voice. 

There was potential here .. for something cozy and uplifting. It just didn't happen. 

CW: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, death, child death, infertility, cheating, mental illness, racism, panic attacks, grief