Elissa Sussman, you had my mind going everywhere and anywhere with this novel. I could not put it down because I just had to know what happened before and what was going to happen now.

The story between the two main characters were addicting. On one hand you have Chani, then a young and naïve journalist thrust into the world of celebrities, and now she’s has gone through the trenches in her personal life and is finally coming in her own. Then you have Gabe, the Hollywood up and coming star, who then was very self-deprecating but now has learned to deal with everything and put down the drink. The two of them together is intense and it’s as if you can feel the sparks in the air, the tension is thick.

Their love story was 10 years in the making and it was well worth the wait!

I loved every minute of this book and I suggest you pick it up and read this amazing story. I will most likely now search for more of Elissa Sussman’s books because she was just that good.

Well this is one of my favorite books I've read this year, hands down. I couldn't put it down and was definitely reading at my desk when I should have been working. The book was so fun with the celebrity aspect and the switching from current, to an article, to the past. I never felt confused or lost - everything tied together really nicely. There were multiple points where I got literal butterflies - Gabe was a dream. Chani was relatable and I really enjoyed her character. Plus any book with a dog in it is the best.

100% buying a physical copy to put on my shelf to reread and look at the beautiful cover.

Pros: I wanted to read this book when Becca Freeman from the Bad on Paper Podcast recommended it—the normal person and celebrity fall in love trope sounded fun! There are some great details in this book, including articles and blog posts between chapters, and I loved the appearance of the Fug Girls. It’s a fun and fast read that I think readers who love modern romance novels will enjoy.

Cons: As I started reading, the setup felt very familiar—a journalist interviews Hollywood’s newest movie star and the interview maybe crosses some journalistic/ethical boundaries when they meet back up for a movie premiere and parties, and she spends the night at his house before sneaking out. I realized it reminded me (too much?) of a GQ interview/profile of Chris Evans from years ago. The similarities distracted me to the point that it felt like fan fic of what if the journalist and movie star met up again 10 years later for a second interview.
(Here is a link to the article: https://www.gq.com/story/chris-evans-gq-july-2011-cover-story)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book.

I’ve shared this review on Goodreads and StoryGraph.

There are not enough words for how much I loved Elissa Sussman's adult romance debut. From the amazing Jewish representation alongside sobriety (namely one sober partner and one not) set alongside a Hollywood career, this book was everything and more from start to finish.

Although it is pretty easy to surmise that Gabe is based on Ben Affleck, that's where the real life comparisons end - Chani is certainly a character all her own, and an amazing one at that.

I certainly plan to pick up Sussman's YA novels after finishing this and look forward to more from her in the future.

What a delightful read! FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, the debut adult novel by Elissa Sussman, follows writer Chani and her celebrity crush Gabe through two unforgettable weekends a decade apart. I was hooked from the start and loved Chani and Gabe’s story, their connection, and their supporting characters. Sussman’s writing is sharp and entertaining, the story believable and yet a fun escape from reality.

I loved this story and would recommend FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK to any fans of women’s fiction or romance, especially fans of second chance love stories.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Funny You Should Ask follows Chani, a young journalist, and Gabe Parker, a heartthrob actor. She interviews him and the chemistry is off the charts, and the interview goes viral. 10 years later, she is interviewing him again. The story is told from a Then and Now perspective.

I really enjoyed this story! I'm a sucker for a will-they-won't-they romance, and I loved the chemistry and sexual tension between the characters. The format kept me intrigued, the story was incredibly written, and I love the depth the plot had. This was more than just a fun and fuzzy romcom.

Overall, a great read!

Huge thank you to Netgallery for giving me an early copy of this book. I really wanted to love this, but it fell short. In the beginning I was really excited, I thought it was building to a bigger reveal and then….

Still glad I read the book, just wasn’t a love for me.

In Elissa Sussman's Funny You Should Ask, Chani gets the chance to interview heartthrob and her crush Gabe Parker. She is about to live out every girl's fantasy, except she is not quite prepared. Stumbling through an awkward lunch, she is surprise to be further invited to hang out with the star for the remainder of the weekend. What transpires is her best article ever, and it helps Parker's career blossom...until he starts to spiral.

The story jumps back and forth from the main character, Chani, telling the story in the past and present. News and magazine articles are sprinkled throughout to reveal how the life of Gabe Parker progresses (gossip and true news), and Chani reveals how her life over the next ten years unveils. I thought the jumping around was a bit annoying at the beginning, but halfway through, I began to enjoy how little details were revealed, and just when you really needed to know about them.

This story is engrossing, and I found that I wanted to keep on reading and not put it down. Very engaging characters, good and bad, and this is not the celebrity story you think you are getting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK explores the relationship between journalist Chani Horowitz and heartthrob actor Gabe Parker over the course of a weekend and then again, 10 years later.

This book was so cute and did a great job of showing just how much, in essence, social media alters our real life experiences.

Chani and Gabe made me actually starry-eyed, and THE TENSION…was most definitely there *dramatically winks*

Not only is the chemistry between Chani and Gabe A+ material, but the other ‘main’ character, Ollie, brought sooo much to the table as well! (Can we get a spin-off, please??)

I’m a sucker for books that feature Hollywood, so no surprise, I really enjoyed this one!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine and Dell for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: April 12

—f u n n y y o u s h o u l d a s k—⁣
If you were to choose, which celeb would you marry?⁣
—⁣
So I read @whatfelreads review of this book (in which she said she was “a little raw after reading” which intrigued me. Then I saw @gracehartsbooks also read and loved it, so that was enough for me, off to @netgalley I went to request. (And @netgalley came through! 😍).⁣
—⁣
Y’all. This book was such a swoonfest for me. It gave me butterflies. I was immediately hooked to the plot in which a twenty-something writer interviews a hot actor and has a weekend long will-they-won’t-they whirlwind which ends with a viral article catapulting her to fame. Ten years later, she is interviewing him again. Enter emotions from stage left. ⁣
—⁣
The characters are TO DIE FOR. I loved Gabe and Chani so much and would read about them for ever - flawed but lovely, complex and so likable. ⁣
—⁣
The format is great, alternating parts of the original article and other pieces of media with present day. The writing was super solid. What’s more, the story was substantive and weighty (ie MeToo, alcoholism) which is always lovely to see in a romance.⁣
—⁣
I could go on and on but I won’t.⁣
Funny You Should Ask comes out April 12. I highly recommend! ⁣
—⁣
Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read this. I LOVED IT, if you can’t tell 😂⁣
—⁣
#bookreviews #bookreview

I loved this book! I'm always a sucker for a good celebrity story (much like the readers of Chani's articles), and this book is certainly no exception. I loved Chani and Gabe together. They had such good chemistry and I could tell just how much they loved one another. Even though they haven't spent a lot of time together in the book, it feels like they have. They compliment each other so well. Sussman did well, and should be proud of her adult novel debut!
This story follows Chani, a writer, and Gabe, an actor, in two different timelines, ten years apart with various articles in between. Chani is writing an article on Gabe, but instead of just an interview, they spend a weekend together. When Chani writes her article on him, it launches her careers and greatly helps his. However, something went wrong between them after that fateful interview. We see Chani and Gabe get their second chance. I loved that we got to experience the past with Chani and Gabe. It was everything I wanted in a romance novel! I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Funny You Should Ask is Elissa Sussman's debut adult romance novel that I found to be refreshingly new and different in a way that worked so well. The novel infuses articles from the press within the story to help progress the narrative, all while switching between the past and present. It was extremely innovative to tell the story in this way, and I really loved seeing something different written into the romance narrative.

The story follows Chani Horowitz a twenty-six year old writer trying to make it in her industry and fledging with her career. She has just broken up with her long time boyfriend Jeremy when she gets the interview of a lifetime putting her face to face with the famous actor Gabe Parker, her biggest crush. The two end up spending a few days together during which their connection develops. Things happen during that few days where Chani gets to go to a movie premier as Gabe's date, attend a party at his house, and really peel back the layers of the real Gabe. They are young and not completely honest with one another which causes them to not see one another for ten years. The interview launches Chani to fame as well as Gabe, but Chani is constantly paying the price of being associated with Gabe and not for her writing abilities. There's a focus on the sexism Chani receives from the public believing something happened sexually between them. That all female reporters will do whatever they have to get a story. It's a central them to Chani's story.

When they meet ten years later to do another article on Gabe, it's time for the truth to come out about their lives apart, their history, and that fateful few days they spent together. Elissa had great talent in weaving the story back and forth between the past and the present. It didn't feel like it was disjointed but rather flowed and kept peeling the layers back of the story bit by bit.

Also, I love seeing the Jewish representation the way she does it in this book. It was poignantly done and the commentary she had about Woody Allen is spot on and made me as a Jewish woman happy to see that you can use a romance novel to call people out on things that really matter.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review.

CW: Alcoholism and Sexism

Past

Chani is an aspiring writer set out to interview on of Hollywood’s up and coming actors. At 26, she’s just beginning to find her way after leaving behind a lackluster relationship.

Gabe is one of Hollywood’s newest heartthrobs and with that comes drama. Everyone is always analyzing every aspect of his life but there are secrets he prefers to keep to himself.

From the moment Chani arrives for their interview, he’s enamored by her. They spend an entire weekend getting to know one another and it’s a weekend that neither of them will ever forget but life always has a way of throwing a curveball.

Now

It’s been nearly a decade since Chani’s article on Gabe has been released. Chani is back in LA after her marriage ended and still writing. When her publicist mentions writing another article on Gabe, she wants to say no but something deep down won’t allow her to.

Gabe is now two years sober and also divorced. His acting career took a dive for the worse and he’s working to get it back on track, so when his agent pushes for another interview with Chani, he’ll gladly use any excuse to see her again.

They’re finally reunited and both of them have so many questions that need to be answered regarding that elusive weekend that changed their lives forever. These questions aren’t easy to rip open but if there is any hope for their happy ending, they both need to face what really happened so many years ago.

This story was incredibly well written and easy to get lost in. The chemistry between the characters is well developed and it is easy to get lost in their emotional rollercoaster of a ride. It’s beyond frustrating to know ten years were lost between this couple, but at the same time they both also grew so much during that time. Get cozy and enjoy following along with Chani and Gabe!

4.5-5 stars ⭐️

In being completely honest, for what it’s worth, one thing that I did find hard to get past was the heroine’s name. I’m not sure what it was about it, perhaps just never having heard of it before, but it just didn’t fit the character description to me. I found myself cringing as I read it and I’m not entirely sure why. This is likely just a me issue but in order to enjoy the story, I had to change her name in my head.

This book is written in the then and now in a ten year span. Chani Horowitz is a writer and she gets an assignment to interview the actor Gabe Parker and she is thrilled because she infatuated with him. She gets invited to the parties and premier of his upcoming movies but she realizes she does not really fit into that lifestyle. Ollie was the leading man for James Bond movies but Gabe gets the lead and no one thinks he should be the leading man. So both of them are struggling with their own issues and trying to work them out. Can they pick up where they left off ten years ago? One of the best parts was when she wears the blue gown to an event. Both Chani and Gabe were married to other people before hand. One marriage was for publicity and the other was a mutual love for writing. I loved when Gabe took Chani to Montana to meet his family!

I received this book from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A fun beach read style book. A very quick read. I think the main character Chani could have been better developed and the timeline was confusing especially since the book jumped around. I loved the character of Ollie and would read a sequel featuring him.

This book alternates between Chani and Gabe's first meeting and now when they are reunited 10 years later. Chani is a journalist and Gabe is a heartthrob actor. This was a good quick read, will be perfect for summer. If you're looking for a light read, try this one. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

Such an enjoyable read. Chani is a very likable character and I was easily absorbed into her relationships. Switching from articles to past then present was interesting and a stemless transition.


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065414-funny-you-should-ask" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Funny You Should Ask" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636354252l/58065414._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065414-funny-you-should-ask">Funny You Should Ask</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6997216.Elissa_Sussman">Elissa Sussman</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4644094048">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Such an enjoyable read. Chani is a very likable character and I was easily absorbed into her relationships. Switching from articles to past then present was interesting and a stemless transition. <br /><br /><br />I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/58275821-alisha-noelle">View all my reviews</a>

I’m a sucker for second chance romance stories, and I loved this one - which is told from the main character’s point of view but also through her online writing and celebrity magazines. It swept me away. :)

"The last time we met, we were young and brash and stupid. I remind myself that two people can experience the same thing in completely different ways. I remind myself that I now know better."

I knew when I read the description that I would enjoy this book, what I didn't know is how fast I would fly through this book. The only thing stopping me from reading this in one sitting was this pesky thing called "needing sleep before work".

Chani Horowitz is a writer, strugging to figure out her place in her career when shes given the biggest opportunity of her career. Chani is set to write a profile on Gabe Parker, movie star, celebrity crush, (former) phone screen background, and newest Hollywood James Bond. This interview changed everything.

Chani walked in, sweaty pits and all, ready to ask her questions, when shes met with her hollywood crush handing over his puppy while he scrambles to clean up puppy pee shirtless. The interview takes a rather unorthodox turn when Gabe starts asking Chani questions of his own and their conversation/ interview turns from just an hour or so, into the entire day, then the entire weekend.

The interview that came after? Well that changed everything. Chani's profile started her career, and kept everyone asking "what happened that weekend?".

A decade later, two failed marriages, a declining acting carreer, a few times in rehab, and a lot of writing later, the two are back together for another interview.

I cannot explain how much I loved this book enough. Sussman's use of then-and-now story telling and articles between time will have you flipping through pages so fast, needing to see what's happened and what will happen. Sussman will make you laugh, cry, and absolutely fall in love with these two characters who are working against their own inner turmoils to find a way to survive the world their careers put them in.

Gabe Parker is Chani's dream come true, but Chani is Gabe Parker's biggest success.

↠ 5 stars

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Elissa Sussman for this ARC

This book gave me Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes in the best way. It’s a second-chance romance, and I’m here for characters in their 30s and 40s. This book is utterly unique, and I’m a fan. It goes back and forth between the past and the present with articles and blog entries sprinkled in.

Chani is a celebrity journalist. When her interview with Gabe Parker - the next Bond - ends up being a three day event, her career takes off. But everyone is dying to know “what really happened that weekend?” The reader included. I couldn’t stop reading as I had to know what the heck happened.

I loved how Chani and Gabe slowly get to uncover everything that happened 10 years ago. It’s a perfect building and Sussman knows how to write spice. 🥵