What about re-frame is "a mess"? Pretty tiny API surface, solely aimed at forcing the best practices of unidirectional data flow / single source of truth. Have you ever looked at what the same thing entails in JavaScript, ie Redux?
Beyond that, the new reg-effect-fx system isn't particularly mature, individual fx aren't extensible, e.g. being able to extend http-fx to cancel or debounce requests.
I don't _hate_ it, I'm building apps in it. I just think there's a lot of overhead above Reagent that I have yet to see pay off, and the idea that it _forces_ best practises is wrong. It's like an MVC system that lets you put (_encourages_ you to, if you read the docs) controller code anywhere.