Pagan’s writing is relatable, funny and whip-smart. Her 2019 book I’m Fine and Neither Are You is one of my favorites of the past year. I was super excited to read This Won't End Well and couldn't wait to dive in when it arrived.

This book made me laugh out loud and I just find Pagan’s writing to be so approachable and enjoyable to read. I especially loved the parts about the friend that is involved in multi-level marketing and it was just so spot on!

Although I wasn't sure at first if the writing style would be hard to follow as it is written in alternating chapters of email exchanges, text messages, and diary entries as that isn't my preferred style of narration. It ended up totally working and was part of the quirky charm of this storyline. Pagan is skilled at building multifaceted and memorable characters and I highly recommend this one.

I always get very excited when a new novel by Camille Pagán comes out and for good reason. Her characters are delightfully quirky and highly realistic, and though Pagan writes about serious situations, she does so with a hefty dose of humor. “This Won’t End Well,” Pagan’s latest novel, is all that and more.

The novel’s protagonist is Annie, a dedicated scientist, who likes both structure and the ability to plan ahead. Change is not a good thing for Annie so when her carefully planned life suddenly goes askew, routine becomes more important than ever. Her fiancé, Jon, decides he wants to go to France, but does not want any contact with Annie during the time that he is there. Annie also recently lost her scientist job because of sexual harassment from her boss. Her relationship with her closest friend, Leesa, is estranged and her mother, whom she lives with, suffers from depression and hoarding issues. Fearing any more catastrophes, Annie decides to cut herself off from the world period. People bring about change and change is not what Annie wants.

So must for best laid plans! As Annie takes on a job cleaning houses to generate income, she becomes obsessed with her new neighbor, Harper, and Mo, the private investigator who Annie believes has been hired to spy on Harper. Both Harper and Mo become allies in Annie’s journey to discover that change in itself may not be a bad thing when you have friends along for the ride.

This novel is written in alternating chapters of emails, text messages and diary entries. Sprinkled with plenty of laugh aloud moments (flying dog poo, anyone?), Ms. Pagán writes at a lively pace as she weaves through Annie’s interconnected stories. Just when a reader thinks she might know what could happen next, she is pleasantly surprised to discover that she is mistaken. Annie is very likable as are the majority of the other characters (though I did think her fiancé was a bit of an idiot). For any fan of a well-written story that resonates with the reader long after you finish the final page, I highly recommend this book.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the author for providing me an advanced copy.

I'm something of a geeky girl myself so stories featuring science-driven women are my jam. This Won't End Well explores what happens when hard-headed thinking collides matters of the heart--complicated ones. I loved the multiplicity of relationships at play here: the central romance(s), the friendships, the mother-daughter relationship, and the workplace woes. Pagan handles all these threads like the seasoned pro she is, creating a memorable main character in Annie, keeping the pacing tight (raced through this in two days!), and, most importantly, balancing humor, tragedy, and compassion to deliver a deeply satisfying read. Wonderful!

I enjoyed This Won't End Well!
It is a chic book, light read -- but touches on some issues many women face.

I appreciated the way the English language was used and the writing style. Parts of the story were very predictable and some had surprising twists to them. Cudo's for the subtle encouragement for women to trust their instincts and to stand up for themselves when something is wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cute and quick read! I really liked the writing style and can tell I will probably like some of Camille Pagan's other books.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the central love story here... I didn't really feel the chemistry and didn't understand the abrupt choice Annie makes in the end.

Annie Mercer is a supremely relatable character. She thought she knew where she was going, but life threw her a few curveballs - she can’t go back to the job she loves, her best friend has changed into someone Annie no longer knows, and her fiancé has gone off to Paris to find himself. I enjoyed tagging along on Annie’s journey from what she planned to be to who she wants to be.

I flew through this book in a few days and liked this unique format of storytelling. This Won’t End Well is yet another charming addition to Camille Pagan’s growing body of work.

Annie has lost her job and her fiancé left the country unexpectedly for a month hiatus in Paris.
While Annie tries to give her fiancé the space he needs she finds that life sometimes unfolds in surprising ways.
Pagan has you diving deeper in your own life looking at it from different perspectives.

I love how Camille Pagan always has fun, light books. Her books are a joy because they aren't entirely meaty. There's no huge plot twist, no big drama, it's just getting to know a character and following that character through their day-to-day, which at times does have drama (but relatable!), which does have humor, and which is entirely satisfying. If you're someone who needs a big plot, this will not be for you; but if you just want to simply enjoy a book by the fire that you don't have to think too much about, this is a great pick!

Camille Pagán is a HUGELY TALENTED writer and she never disappoints. Her fresh, unique, and funny style is as close to perfection as can be—she makes it look like writing is really no big deal at all. And again, she creates a set of well-drawn characters you want to hold in a tight embrace. A marvelous, smart, and quick read.
Thanks for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed Annie and her take on life. So, so much I could relate to and funny stuff. Tied up in a neat little bow at the end, but it was an enjoyable journey.
This book is written in journal entries and emails. A fun and effective way to present this story. Annie is one of my new favorite characters.
I was delighted to read a copy of this book prior to publication.

This was a great read by Camille Pagan. When Annie loses everything at once, her boyfriend to France and her job, she has to take time to reevaluate what is important to her. By forming new friendships and taking a risk, she is able to rebuild and start fresh. The format of emails and diary entries was intriguing and this novel was hard to put down!

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Gosh, how much cringing can one do while reading a book?! I just wanted to reach in and put my arm around the main character for a heart-to-heart. Camille Pagan is one of my favorites and her stories are unique and never disappoint! This Won't End Well was no exception.

I really liked the realistic portrayals of relationships in this book. Sometimes it isn't perfect and sometimes people are not what they initailly appear. I found the narration style a little frustrating and confusing at points, but overall I enjoyed it and was anxious to see how everyone ended up.

This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagan is told via Annie Mercer’s emails, journal entries, and other correspondence. A recently fired scientist, her life goes amuck as her fiancé Jon jets off to Paris to find himself, she starts cleaning neighborhood houses and finds more than she wants, and her new and eccentric next door neighbor Harper ends up catching her curiosity. As Annie finds that a well planned life is, well, oft in vain, she learns that following your heart may be more rewarding than following through even if your love is no longer there.
While it is clear that Pagan is a talented writer, this story fails to connect with the reader. Annie’s character isn’t solidly developed, which is problematic when the format of the plot relies on the characters to shine through in order to add lift to a potentially flat format. I also find the overall story a bit dull and self absorbed.

This Won't End Well was such a great surprise! Annie is a really wonderful character and I got so emotional reading her getting her life back together!

Camille Pagan writing is beautiful, and I am glad I read this book. This is the kinda book you don't know you need till you read it. Its funny, quick read but also touch in really hard topics, one being sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.

Can't wait to read more from Camille! And definitely recommend This Won't End Well 💛

** resenha em português **

"Every day really is a gift if we're willing to make it so."⁣
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Eu adoro quando os livros que leio me fazem ter um confronto direto com as emoções que me afligem no momento. Com dois meses até me graduar e nenhuma certeza sobre os próximos meses além de tentar sobreviver e continuar fazendo as coisas que me deixam feliz, como ler e escrever sobre o que leio... tudo isso me faz pensar, pensar muito, e pensando tanto acabo em crises de ansiedade que, obviamente, não ajudam em nada. Mas ler, e ler livros sensíveis sobre temas como a pressão sobre o futuro, ainda me ajudam a enxergar esperança e a me agarrar mais firme aos meus sonhos. ‘This Won’t End Well’ pode parecer um livro bem simples, com sua básica premissa, mas posso dizer que ele atinge degraus bem mais altos.⁣
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Nesta narrativa epistolar somos apresentados a Annie, uma mulher em seus vinte e poucos anos que se demitiu de seu emprego como cientista em um grande laboratório depois de sofrer assédio de seu chefe.⁣
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Annie é uma mulher pragmática, inteligente, que gosta de cada coisa em seu lugar, por isso fica surpresa quando seu noivo Jon resolve ir para a França e só a informa da viagem quando já está no aeroporto. Depois de 5 anos de namoro é mesmo de se surpreender que Jon tire férias antecipadas, e sem ela, e depois de tudo o que aconteceu com seu chefe assediador, e ainda pedindo que ela não entre em contato nesse tempo que passará em outro país, e há poucos meses do casamento! O que ela fará, agora?⁣
Esse é um livro que apesar de ter sim um romance, ele acontece em segundo plano.⁣
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Aqui vemos Annie se reerguendo aos poucos depois de tantos baques, e lidando com questões interiores muito mais difíceis que sua relação com Jon, que com sua partida abrupta faz com que ela fique ainda mais fora dos trilhos. Annie, que não tem muita habilidade para fazer amizades, encontra nessa jornada pessoas mais que dispostas a oferecer o apoio que precisa para, enfim, decidir o que fará com sua vida daí para frente.⁣
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É um livro lindo, bem escrito, com personagens cativantes e uma narrativa envolvente. Foi uma leitura que me fez refletir muito, e me surpreendi bastante com o que encontrei aqui. Certamente uma leitura que recomendo!

Oh Camille Pagán does it again and again and again! I look forward to every new book she writes! I once again fell in love with another set of characters right of the bat. This Won’t End Well captures the love between two people but is it enough to keep them together? It will have you guessing and the ending is perfect. I am so glad I was able to receive this advanced copy from netgalley. You won’t be disappoint come Feb 25 2020!

There is seriously nothing better than a Camille Pagan book when you’re in a funk. This was just the perfect quick read. Light hearted yet still unpredictable.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

AEM, loved the inner dialogue of this distressed monogrammed but very real human of a certain age...every once it a while a new people break fits the bill and usually leads to unexpected places., a breath of fresh air in the constantly connected never reflective age. what a perk to o have a scientist with MIT aspirations as the heroine in a breezy novel, so glad likeable characters still float thru authors imaginations on to the page. .I took a break from reading the too clever All Adults Here to read this and was so glad I did, Great contrasting break from cliched New Yorkers and their humorous parenting issues.

Thank you to netgalley.com for the opportunity to read this very entertaining book. The book seems to be a lightweight as you start reading. And humorous, in a sad way, as she deals with her fiancé. But we quickly devolve into #metoo which is handled far too lightly initially IMHO. However, without that approach, we don’t have a story. Every character in this book has a well developed story. You will at times like them and other times want to shake some sense into them. That’s a storyline that appeals to me. The ending wraps up a little too neatly, but the sexual harassment that Annie faced is given a proper ending. There is plenty to think about in this book, along with some laughs and a spectacular time in Paris.

A fun and entertaining book... great for an afternoon, weekend where you want to escape and just read....