This Close to Okay

A Novel

By: Leesa Cross-Smith

Narrated by: Kamali Minter, Zeno Robinson

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

A powerful, vibrant novel about the life-changing weekend shared between two strangers, from the award-winning writer Roxane Gay calls "a consummate storyteller."​

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.

Book of the Month December Pick

Good Housekeeping Book Club February Pick

Marie Claire Book Club March Pick

Most Anticipated by Elle, Today (according to Goodreads), The Millions, She Reads, and Real Simple

Recommended by Refinery29, Shondaland, Oprah Daily, Washington Post, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Electric Literature, Bookriot, Parade, Harper's Bazaar, and more

©2021 Leesa Cross-Smith (P)2021 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"One of those rare feel-good novels that also crackles with wisdom, This Close to Okay introduces readers to two characters who will come to feel like cherished friends.... Over the course of a single weekend, their many conversations on love, loss, grief, and joy coalesce into a primer on human goodness.” (Elle)

“Leesa Cross-Smith’s This Close to Okay navigates difficult subjects with great tenderness and the beautiful, emotionally rich language she’s known for. By turns heartbreaking, charming, surprising and funny, Cross-Smith deftly explores what it means to be okay in the face of what life hands us.” (Elizabeth Crane, author of The History of Great Things)

"An emotional, uplifting tale of hope, chosen family, and the healing power of human connection, especially at the moments when we’re most determined to be alone.” (Good Housekeeping)

A good enough easy read (but TW: suicide)

At first, I was concerned about the overt religious references and did not want to keep going if it would continue. It did, but not at a high frequency. It just felt like it didn't fit. The story itself ks quite intetesting and the alternating narration works well. The end is a bit messy and inexplicable.

heart-warming

This is my first time writing a review and this book deserves it. 5 stars all the way!

We're they supposed to be black??

Sounded like this book was written to portray a white story line but they decided at the last minute to make the characters bi-racial?! The story didn't align with real-life black characters at all. Very white washed.

Beautiful story

This was an excellent story and I quite enjoyed the dynamics of how the relationship between the two main characters unfolded. At first I thought it would be hard to maintain a story line with just two characters, but the author did bring in other characters along the way and even with just the two, the man and the woman, both dialogue and narrative moved along well.

My only issue with the story is that on a number of occasions, I questioned its plausibility. Would a smart woman really pick up a desperate man who was about to jump off a bridge? I can see how a smart and compassionate woman could do that and persuade him to go with her to an all-night coffee shop but not take him back to her apartment alone. It just seemed too dangerous. Doesn't Leesa Cross-Smith watch Dateline :) Or all the documentaries about people you meet on the Internet, largely male, who assault their dates, catfish them, sextort them or even murder them? I'm not saying you can't trust men but I am saying that I would not trust a desperate stranger on a bridge, particularly a man who's about to jump.

Once I got past that part of the story line, because I recognized that it could happen, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

The only reason I rated the narrator four stars instead of five was that although she had a beautiful voice, her enunciation was not great with words like didn't or wouldn't (which came out sounding more like "dint, wount, etc).

I would recommend this title. Well done.

should be labeled a christian book

this book could be triggering for those sensitive to suicide. it has more prayer and religious references than a typical fiction book

Confusing Ending

Overall I liked and enjoyed the book. But the mixed feelings the main character had about 2 different men was confusing. It seemed liked the author didn’t know how to wrap things up. Hated the ending.

A Melancholy Story

This was a well-written story with strong character development. It was a bit too melancholy for me. Hence, 3-stars. It was OK.

See Help

A story with a lot of twist and turns. Like to see made into movie.

Humanitarian Book!

I love books that remind us in this day and age that humans do care about one another! I love the performers they really brung the story to life for me.

Loved This Book!

This was a really interesting and different storyline. I was not expecting the way it played out at all. It’s a love story with a huge twist!