This was a solidly enjoyable romcom. I liked the main character, enjoyed the way the relationship unfolded across the decade. I wasn't always the largest fan of the article snippets. In theory I liked the idea as a way of using non-narrative storytelling devices and sometimes I really liked them, but some of them didn't work for me. Generally though, this was an enjoyable read.

"Funny You Should Ask" follows Chani Horowitz, a writer who finds herself interviewing her ultimate celebrity crush, Gabe Parker, which leads to a life-changing weekend. Fast forward ten years, and Chani is presented with an opportunity to interview Gabe... for the second time. Chani, who is now a successful writer, has to confront the chemistry between her and Gabe and the lasting impact of their choices. With wit, emotion, and a touch of Hollywood glamour, "Funny You Should Ask" captures the essence of contemporary fiction. Easy five stars for this engaging and satisfying read.

Then - 20-something Chani Horowitz is struggling to cement her writing career before she's hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker - her #1 celeb crush & latest James Bond. She wants to play it cool but it turns out to be life-changing; a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing and her getting closer to Gabe than planned. Now - it's been 10yrs, a brutal divorce and several therapy sessions later, Chani is back in L.A. as a successful writer with a dream career. When Gabe's PR team requests that she do a 2nd interview - Chani wants to know if those seventy-two hours were as memorable to Gabe as they were to her.

This dual timeline, second chance romance has us going between then and now in the story of Gabe and Chani. Gabe seems like a pretty typical celeb and Chani is a hardworking writer, trying to make it in the writing world - I could see something like this happening in real life! Apparently the story is loosely based on Edith Zimmerman's interview with Chris Evans in 2011 for GQ. I found the chemistry a bit lacking and I didn't really connect with the characters. Not my fav book, but not the worst either.

Thank you to Penguin Random for my e-copy.

From page 3 I was hooked and knew this would be one of my favorite books of all time!

I LOVE this book and I LOVE Gabe Parker 🥺🥺

I love second chance romances so you know it would be a fav of mine I don’t even have words just obsessed!

It has all the best things: second chance, Hollywood, famous actor falling in love with a journalist, ugh all the best possible components

I liked the alternating timelines and seeing Chani, Gabe, and Ollie(!!) grow throughout the book and getting to read articles Chani wrote as well as other articles written through out

If I’m being honest (but I’m sure not just me) we all dream of having our celebrity crush fall in love with us or have that once in a lifetime interaction with them and this book is THAT - it’s the dream!

Definitely pick this book up you won’t regret it - I’d give it 10 stars if I could!

I can’t wait to read the article it was based on!

Ten years after writer Chani wrote The Profile on movie star Gabe, the two reunite for a second interview. Will this interview be as memorable as the first seventy two hours they spent together?

I loved this! I listened to the audiobook, and I could not stop!

This one fell a little flat for me. The character's chemistry seemed non-existent, he was a cinnamon roll with zero personality otherwise and she was mean -- to him AND his family (upon their very first meeting, yikes). It did make me laugh, though, so I gave it an extra star.

I enjoyed this book. It was just a sweet, refreshing book for me to read! I would definitely recommend this book.

Lives up to and exceeds the hype! This book is an excellent character study of both Chani & Gabe. It tackles every creator’s worst fear of not being valued for the art you create, & the dual timelines give you a lot of empathy for both characters. I love how parts of the story were told through “articles.” I’ll be reading more from Elissa Sussman!

I enjoyed this book and reading about the relationship between Chani and Gabe. The narrative bounces between the present and ten years in the past, and random articles and interviews are dispersed throughout. That structure worked great for me, and I was interested to continue and see what happened.

Big shoutout to Ollie - the best friend. He was a great side character.

What if you had one weekend with your ultimate crush? What if he was one of the biggest celebrities? What if you were asked to connect with him again years later and are forced to relive it all over again?

When Chani Horowitz is tasked to write a profile on Gabe Parker - the man of her dreams, fantasies, and celebrity stories, she just about loses it. It's a story only she can make up. What's even better is they hit it off in a big way. She's changed, and he's changed. Only that's where their story ends...

Ten years later Chani and Gabe are asked to come together to write another profile to kickstart Gabe's career. Life hasn't been so great for either of them and reconnecting again gives them a chance to figure out how they got it all wrong.

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman is a romance that takes your heart and cradles it close. Gabe is a lovely and kind heartthrob, everything you want in the crush you've idolized forever. Chani excels as a lead that somehow got lost along the way but finds her way back. Thank you, Elissa Sussman, NetGalley and ‎Random House Publishing Group.

I will say that I adored the cover of this book. Super cute detailing, the pop of colors bring your eyes to it in a bookstore. However, the story itself fell flat for me. I did not feel any of the chemistry between Gabe and the girl, and honestly, it felt kind of forced for me.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm kind of mad at myself for waiting so long to read it! It was a second chance romance betwee Chani and Gabe. Chani was a journalist and Gabe was a movie star. When Chani was tasked to write an article about Gabe's upcoming movie, it lead to a lot more than just an interview.

I really liked both characters, both together and separately. They both had a need to fit in, wanted to be accepted and wanted to feel important. I feel like they both really grew a lot throughout the story and I liked the way their lives came together. There were a few steamy chapters and the romance was great.

Ollie was a great secondary character. He was sweet and a really great friend and I'd actually love to read more about him! And of course, I really loved the dog!

I really liked the blog posts and articles that were used between chapters. They helped to tell parts of the story, especially as it went between past and present.

Overall, a really great read!

This is one of those books that I regret no reading sooner! So if you're contemplating starting it, just go ahead and do it do you want regret it? Well written and executed, this one took me by surprise!

I was a bit late to the game on picking up Funny You Should Ask, but celebrity romances are some of my favorite and mood was right. And I can' believe I slept on this one as long as I did! It has elements of The View Was Exhausting mixed with The Reunion and so many more while being it's own bright, beautiful new thing. In this book, we meet self-proclaimed "puff piece" reporter and author Chani revisiting a subject she thought she had left behind. Ten years prior she had interviewed mega movie star Gabe Parker and left the world speculating as to whether they had hooked up--she insists they didn't. Now, a decade and marriages and divorces later for each of them, Chani is called to write a follow-up piece.

The best celebrity romances are the plausible ones--where it's not a waitress or barista or taxi driver randomly catching the eye of a famous person, but where they are plausibly thrown together in an intimate moment ripe for the growing of attraction. And while Chani was certainly one of us normal folk when she first interviewed Gabe, the intense, personal interview bonds them for forever. Very much OTP vibes for this couple! I'm always here for a second change romance, especially when the second chance is closer to mid life, rather than simply late twenties. I'll also note for those interested that Chani gives us some great #JewishRep. Can't wait to read the next book!

Thanks to Ballantine Books for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

Ok, I could not put this book down. I was completely absorbed by the characters and I had to see it through to the finish as quickly as my reading skills would allow. A good book, in my opinion, sucks you into a whole other world that feels very real. I feel like I could have watched a Gabe Parker movie or read a Chani Horowitz article recently. I was rooting for and agonizing with the main characters from the beginning and enjoyed it for the whole journey. There were some clichés and tropes sprinkled throughout but that’s what I both expect and hope for from a romance novel (actually it’s very much how Bond movies are described in the book, different but not TOO different).

Based on the reviews of this book I’ve seen, it’s either hit-or-miss. For me it was a bit in between. While I was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed the plot while reading, thinking back, I wish there was a bit more. There could have been a bit more depth into the relationship between Gabe and Chani, and I would have loved a few more follow up chapters. That being said, I’ve been a little bummed with a lot of the rom-coms I’ve read lately, and this one was a win for me. The actual cringe moments and the banter were authentic and had me laughing out loud.

Apparently this one is inspired by a real-life interview with Chris Evans. Maybe knowing that going into it will make it even more enjoyable 😜

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

I truly enjoyed this modern day romance wrapped around unlikely lovers in a celebrity obsessed culture. The author takes a new twist with the flashback phenomenon by incorporating magazine articles and editorials into the story line. The story itself tackles important topics like impostor syndrome, morality clauses in the workplace, and at it's heart a true love story of the right people at the wrong time. A light fun read that feels like your favorite episode of reality TV.

I will say now the cover to this is incredibly deceiving. It gives off a very light hearted vibe but take heed that it has some heavy topics. It goes between then and now timelines which typically make me crazy but I will say that it kept me intrigued and wanting to read more. Gabe is totally book boyfriend goals, especially after all of his growth within the book. I would defiantly recommend this book for people that like heavier topics and really wonderful character growth.

A wonderful read that immediately captivated me and kept me glued to the book until I read the last word with unforgettable characters and a hot second chance romance. If you enjoy can't put down books, don't miss Funny You Should Ask.