A Brilliant, Razor-Sharp Collection That Stays With You

She’s Fine by Jessica C. Wheeler is nothing short of a masterclass in short fiction. Every page pulses with an honesty so sharp it cuts straight through the polite veneers of everyday life, exposing the contradictions, quiet absurdities, and unspoken pressures that modern women navigate daily. Wheeler’s prose is both elegant and unflinching. There’s an almost surgical precision in the way she dissects the small social negotiations, the subtle emotional calculations, and the private mental gymnastics behind the simple phrase, “I’m fine.”

What sets She’s Fine apart is its ability to balance wit and warmth with moments of quiet defiance. Wheeler captures the inner monologue of womanhood in a way that feels both universal and intimate, making you laugh in one sentence and swallow hard in the next.

Perfectly paced, deeply relatable, and richly observed, this is the kind of collection you finish and immediately want to press into a friend’s hands—while saying, “You have to read this. You’ll get it.”

Five stars, without hesitation. This is contemporary short fiction at its smartest and most resonant.

Loved it! 😍

Snappy one-liners, but with undercurrent of heart that grounds the writing - a collection of stories about women, by a woman, for... anyone.

Dad waves from his recliner, eyes fixed on the TV like it owes him money.

A quick read, just six short stories, all highlighting moments of womanhood that, I'm sure, many women will find resonate with them. From the awkwardness of the artificial friendship of playground mums to the family dinner where the singleton finds herself in the spotlight, unfairly maligned in comparison to the grandchild-providing sibling; from the dilemma of the post-date text to the melancholy of the solo wedding attendance - these are all moments that continue to appear in sitcoms and stand-up routines due to both their universality and potential for comedy.

And there are moments in She's Fine that threaten to cross the line between observation and observational comedy. Wheeler has a way with words and an eye for a pithy one-liner - I doubt anyone could suppress a snort at the wedding venue in Table Eleven being described as "rustic barn meets curated Pinterest board" - but the gags do sometimes come at you thick and fast.

However, Wheeler has a number of skills to her name to see off that threat. Her prose is immaculate; it's not just the quips that are well-crafted, everything is. Her eye for detail is exceptional and her characters have a depth that elevates them above stereotype (no mean feat in a short story). She also knows exactly how to finish a story, the perfect last line, never outstaying her welcome.

The collection is also perfectly weighted. Tuesdays are for Closure, possibly the weakest story, and Customer Disservice, the one that feels most like a comedy routine, are the second and third stories out of the six. Meanwhile, She's Fine finishes with Judith Loves Riesling and Table Eleven, the strongest offerings, leaving the reader in no doubt of her skill.

And the reason Judith Loves Riesling and Table Eleven are the heavy-hitters? Heart. The longest of the stories, which provides the opportunity to dig a little deeper, but also the stories that deal with the deepest themes; the pressure on women to reproduce, and dealing with other people's happiest moments as your own life enters a new, potentially uncomfortable chapter that's been imposed upon you. Both stories still have razor-sharp gags, but both leave the reader moved.

“For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “you were my favorite part of the night.”
“Thanks,” I whispered. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in months.”

A smart collection then, a funny collection, but one that also touches the reader; bound up in flawless prose, perfectly weighted and, I should add, very much not just for the female reader. What's not to love?