This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith: Review

I can’t believe we’re already more than halfway done with 2024. It’s almost time to start thinking about what some of my favorite reads of the year have been, and I’m certain This Close to Okay is going to land in the top ten.

Cover of This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith

Title: This Close to Okay
Author: Leesa Cross-Smith
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date: 02/02/2021
Genre: Fiction
Edition: Book of the Month Hardcover

Description

On a rainy October night in Kentucky, recently divorced therapist Tallie Clark is on her way home from work when she spots a man precariously standing at the edge of a bridge. Without a second thought, Tallie pulls over and jumps out of the car into the pouring rain. She convinces the man to join her for a cup of coffee, and he eventually agrees to come back to her house, where he finally shares his name: Emmett.

Over the course of the emotionally charged weekend that follows, Tallie makes it her mission to provide a safe space for Emmett, though she hesitates to confess that this is also her day job. What she doesn’t realize is that Emmett isn’t the only one who needs healing—and they both are harboring secrets.

Alternating between Tallie and Emmett’s perspectives as they inch closer to the truth of what brought Emmett to the bridge’s edge—as well as the hard truths Tallie has been grappling with since her marriage ended—This Close to Okay is an uplifting, cathartic story about chance encounters, hope found in unlikely moments, and the subtle magic of human connection.

Mini Review

This Close to Okay felt like such a unique read, and the story went places I couldn’t have imagined. I was immediately sucked in as I couldn’t get enough of Tallie and Emmett’s dynamic.

This isn’t a book you can review in depth without spoiling it, so I’ll keep it surface level, but the author did such a good job at exploring mental illness and what it looks like to show up as our authentic selves. And more importantly, why it’s sometimes easier to be that person with a stranger than with the people that know you.

There was a stream of consciousness vibe to the book that I found captivating, and I loved how much the setting contributed to the story. I even found all of the minor characters interesting (Joel can go to hell though). This is definitely one of my top reads of the year so far.

Author

Leesa Cross-Smith is a homemaker and the author of Every Kiss A War, Whiskey & Ribbons, So We Can Glow, This Close to Okay, and Half-Blown Rose. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and their two teenagers. Find more at LeesaCrossSmith.com.