Funny You Should Ask is the story of Gabe and Chani, A List Celebrity and aspiring Hollywood writer, who meet for an interview 10 years ago and create ripples. The piece goes viral and there is speculation about what really happened between them that weekend. The story alternates between Then and Now, in the Now Chani and Gabe are meeting up again for a second article 10 years later. The first time around, Gabe had been chosen to play James Bond but the public didn't feel like he was the right man for the job. 10 years later, Gabe has publicly hit some rough spots, including rehab and a divorce from his Bond co-star, and it's time to reset his image once again.

I really enjoyed the premise of the book and I generally love a famous person/non famous person romance. My big issue here is that I just.....didn't believe it. Chani was painted as such an awkward and unlikeable character that it kept me from really rooting for her/believing that there could be a romance here. There wasn't enough of to balance out the negativity, and the snippets that we saw just felt so random.

Overall, it's a quick read and it's a fun concept but I really struggled to connect. I wish Chani was a little more 360 like some of the secondary characters (Ollie was perfect - would read a whole book about him!) and that would have gotten me that much more excited and engaged.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Funny You Should Ask is our 4/12/22.

Funny You Should Ask had me totally hooked and engaged from start to finish. At twenty-six, struggling writer Chani is hired to write a profile for Gabe Parker, her top celebrity crush. A lunch turns into a weekend and Chani produces a four-part article that saves both their careers. But, that weekend changes the trajectory of both Gabe and Chani’s lives. Now, it’s been a decade. Gabe has been divorced and is out of rehab. Chani is recovering from her own broken heart, has become a successful author and is asked to do a follow up on Gabe. Told in dual timelines, Funny You Should Ask is absolutely delightful. I really enjoyed both main characters and feel like author Elissa Sussman does a fantastic job of exploring relationships, misperceptions and complicated life choices. It was fascinating to watch two famous individuals on their search for what defines their own versions of success and how egos, both our own and the ones we love, influence our day to day and ultimately define moments in time. I’m not sure if I’m just a hopeless romantic, but despite their own shortcomings, I was rooting for Chani and Gabe all along the way as they stumbled and picked themselves back up. A great choice for those looking for sweet romance Spring of 2022.

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.25/5 stars.

I hoped for more from this book. The premise sounded adorable and I love a rekindled romance. However, this book was very slow to start and it never really picked up. The friendship between Chani and Ollie seemed superficial and her connection with Gabe also felt a little forced. Their primary connection was not reaching out to the other 10 years prior. In addition, the writing that was supposed to be Chani's (a professional author) was neither good nor amusing. Honestly, the best part of the book was Chani's coping with her divorce and her move back to LA from New York. I wanted more development from her. I did enjoy how the author slowly revealed what happened on the mysterious weekend as the book went on.

All in all, this could have been a really cute book but the slow pacing was distracting.

Funny You Should Ask offers a light take on the trials of an almost-couple of sorts, now vs. ten years in the past. This novel is for romance readers that enjoy the miscommunication trope, a second chance encounter, books about creatives/writers/actors, a Hollywood/celebrity character. I enjoyed the story when it was said and done, but found myself at 80% into the book and not thrilled to see that much had happened. It is a slowwww burn but it was worth the wait if I'm honest.
I loved to see that the cover artwork on this book was unique and catchy compared to what we've been given in the world of illustrated cover art.

i've been DYING to pick this one up after reading the blurb, and whew! it did not lead me astray. journalist goes to write about the next bond, and the article goes viral. what actually happened then? they say nothing but is that true? and then it's ten years later - both parties have been living life, having their careers - and now the world needs another profile on the fallen-from-grace hollywood star. he's fresh out of rehab, divorced, and disgraced in hollywood after an incident on set has made him go viral (this time in a bad way). so now what?

i love a good celebrity and normal person story, and this one is told between now, then, and different media pieces interspersed throughout. i also feel there's a little bit thrown in that could lead to another story set in this world, which i would LOVE and welcome. highly recommend!

I absolutely devoured this book! What a refreshing and charming story and romance. So many feels and it made my heart so happy. I loved both Chani and Gabe’s characters and their growth. I specifically loved that Chani was a writer, it’s always so interesting for me to read a story where the person is a writer. I feel like it provides an interesting perspective. I really loved the format of this book and how it flipped through then and now timelines to tell the story, with articles and blog posts between the chapters. It helped move the story forward in such a compelling and interesting way. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

What if you get that second chance at love? Would you take it? Funny You Should Ask will answer that for you!

Meet entertainment reporter Chani Horowitz. She gets the chance of a lifetime to interview heartthrob Gabe Parker - her interview goes viral and she becomes the go-to interviewer. But what really happened on their weekend together? Why did they go their separate ways?

Flash forward 10 years. Chani is asked to once again interview Gabe. So much has happened over the past decade for both Chani and Gabe. Author Elissa Sussman seemlessly weaves past and present so readers are given the full details of the weekend in question.

Funny You Should Ask is entertaining, an enjoyable read, and will pull at your heartstrings. I also really loved the Jewish Representation in the book - and hope to see more of that in the future.

Instalooooove. Oh, instalove! Instalove! How I do not buy you! Not now, not ever! Well, maybe with some very good detailed writing, but...

This was artfully done. I loved the articles and the timeline, the flashbacks and the present, the blog posts, and it was a pacy read. But I didn't but the romance which was so central to the plot. Sigh.

Ohh GABE 😍 This sweet story hit so many points for me. I loved the plot of this book. I loved how Chani and Gabe always ended up in each other’s orbit. I love Gabe’s admiration of Chani and her writing from afar all those years. I even felt exasperation and frustration at Chani for her missed cues, over-thinking, and not so subtle neuroses.

This book felt a lot like a Will and Grace episode, and I mean that with all the love in my heart (I adore that show). Ollie played such a pivotal role as well - he certainly can’t be forgotten.

Adored this book. Highly recommend!!

I am a sucker for any romance book about a fake celebrity, but there's something special about Funny You Should Ask. I really loved Chani's voice as a narrator, and I think Elissa Sussman did a wonderful job switching between the past, the present, and the various media pieces that were included in the novel. I really loved Chani and Gabe how we got to see the way they changed in the 10 years since their first interview. I am so happy I got the opportunity to read this book and I look forward to the Sussman's future work.

I loved this book so much I think I’m going to read it again. This is a story told in both present day and flashbacks to 10 years ago. Chani is a writer who gets the interview of a lifetime with Hollywood’s latest “it” guy. How the interview and weekend turn out and where it leads 10 years later takes the reader on a curious and emotional journey. The time jumps between then and now took a little adjusting but once the story started moving along the time jumps made sense and actually draws the reader in.

I really enjoyed this book. The push and pull of the characters relationship and the feelings when the resolution occurs was a nice rollercoaster ride. I really like reading books about writers and this one was a winner. Told in alternating chapters from when they first met and the present you can’t help but want these two to have a happy ending.

Chani Horowitz is tasked with interviewing and writing a profile for actor and heartthrob Gabe Parker. She has the biggest crush on the star so for her this is a dream come true. Gabe has recently been cast to star in the new James Bond movie. The pressure is on for her to write an amazing piece that could catapult both their careers. The interview is the catalyst that gets the rumor mill turning. Did something more happen between the two during that weekend?

Ten years later, Chani is divorced and is immersed in her writing. However, no matter what she writes, all anyone wants to discuss is her interview with Gabe. His PR team reaches out to her asking her to meet up with him for a second interview. Chani agrees even though she knows that all the feelings from years ago will come flooding back. The moment they reunite they can’t deny their is something still between them. Will they get it right this time?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this book! Such a fun read with great character development! Such a fun one and great to grab!

I picked this up because of its happening plot, and slow burn from-.com nature, and I was not disappointed. The main characters in the book are an actor and a writer (interviewer in specific), both professions that really intrigue me as I wonder what is beneath their glamorous lives. Funny You Should Ask is a great insight into this. I absolutely loved format of the book, alternating between the present and when they first met a decade ago, with extracts from interviews and written pieces. Both characters shaped each other's careers and made them interdependent on each other that created a memorable chemistry. The story also had themes like divorce, loss, addiction, and to me, it added dimension and a layer of seriousness to the lighthearted, sometimes awkward conversations. Here I'll add a quote from the book which made my reading experience valuable- " I'll always be an addict," he says. " but right now, I'm an addict in control of my addiction." This book will remain one that I will treasure and recommend to others

This lovely decade spanning story manages to make a complicated timeline and interspersed bits of interviews and news articles into something wholly compelling. I'm generally very, very picky about celebrity/"normal person" romances of any kind, but this was believable, sweet, and swoony. Some fascinating exploration of celebrity as a concept as well as about writing and media news in particular. Seeing how Chani and Gabe's day actually unfolded versus what she included in her final interview was a perfect addition. A great new adult romance for fans of Emily Henry, Olivia Dade, and Katie Cotugno's Birds of California.

I was not able to finish this book and I think it was due to the formatting. The interview format was distracting to me in this book, which was surprising since I have loved it in other novels. However, it was just not for me in this case. I read other reviewers and they said it became compelling, however I just did not hang in there for it.

This is a sweet story that spans a decade and is told through a unique way. A journalist and the Hollywood hunk- the next James Bond, and British to boot- she was sent to interview wind up spending a weekend together where she gets more than the profile piece that she bargained for. Their careers take off, but now, 10 years later, his PR team wants to bring them back together for an interview where she will find out exactly what that weekend meant to him.

Fans of second chance love or Hollywood star tropes and Emily Henry’s writing will love this one.

This was a four star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me based on some pacing issues, but that may be my own personal nitpicking that won’t bother anyone else, and it’s definitely a great story.

**Many Thanks to #NetGalley and Random House- Dell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own*

This was such a delight! The structure of the book was creative and fresh and kept it moving nicely. It also offered some really interesting thoughts on the celebrity industrial complex (I love my romcoms with a healthy dose of pop culture/societal commentary). I'd recommend for fans of Emily Henry and I'm excited about Sussman as a writer. I took away one star because the last quarter felt a bit off on pacing but I'd still recommend this wholeheartedly. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the chance to read this and offer my thoughts an opinions.
Have already posted to Goodreads and will post to my bookstagram @readingwithmb on Saturday 1/29!

Two weekends. 10 years apart. This is the story of Chani and Gabe. This behind the scenes look at a Hollywood romance between an actor and a journalist was addictive. Ten years ago, Chani’s job was to write an article on Gabe Parker, the next James Bond and in need of a PR boost. Now, his team wants them to reunite for a second interview. The story is told day by day of each weekend, both in the past and now ten years later. The author also adds in articles about each of their lives to give us a third party perspective on both of them in the time between the two meetings.

Both Gabe and Chani were complex characters. Their first meeting ten years ago was realistic in the progression of their interactions. The weekend they spent together a slip, for her, into the restricted lives of the Hollywood elite. The formatting of the timeline was, at times, off putting. I struggled with the time jump for some reason. The articles written about both Chani and Gabe were helpful in understanding what happened to each of them after that first weekend, but I wanted more information on that time.

Perhaps the best part is the personal growth that we see in each of them as they reunite in the present. Time has created better versions of each of the and it made the story’s second chance romance premise more believable. I also enjoyed the mixture of light hearted and serious scenes that the author intertwined throughout. It gave the book extra depth.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Ballantine for the arc and the opportunity to share my honest review.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.