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.

Wow I did not want to put this down. Sussman captivates you from the first page. The story goes back and forth between two weekends 10 years apart. A reporter and her celebrity crush she is doing a profile on. You are constantly questioning what happened that weekend, what happened during those 10 years, and what’s going to happen next. I loved seeing the articles, blog post, and reviews in between every chapter. They really made the story feel real.

It's like if "Almost Famous" had a baby with "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and then made every other detail specifically for me.

FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK is a charming and fast-paced read, and Chani and Gabe have captured my heart. Their growth journeys are real and special, and the dual timeline allows the reader to see how each of them has changed for the better.

Sussman's writing is precise and exacting in the best way; her pacing is near-perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything else while reading this book!

Solid 4.5 read for me!

“Who really feels that they deserve the good things they get?””

“It’s a funny thing when the world thinks it knows you. Or, when you think what the world knows is who you are.”

“This isn’t just about one weekend. This isn’t about closure or unfinished business. This isn’t the end of something. It’s the beginning. And it terrifies me.”


Then: A budding journalist named Chani gets to interview an up and coming actor named Gabe who just got cast to play the title role in the new James Bond movie. After a whirlwind weekend, Chani gets closer to Gabe that she thought she would.

Now: A decade after the interview that made Chani’s career, Gabe’s PR team wants them to reunite for a second interview. Chani just wants to forget that weekend but she wants to find out if she meant as much to Gabe as he meant to her even more, so she agrees.

I really enjoy books about a celebrity romance! This one being centered around an actor and a journalist had me salivating at the mere idea of it all and it did not disappoint. The Hollywood setting was so good. I found the way Sussman wrote the Then and Now timelines to be pretty creative: Friday (then), Friday (now), Saturday (then), Saturday (now), Sunday (then), and Sunday (now). In between chapters are various news reports, book reviews, and movie reviews that I enjoyed. Before each day for the Then chapters, we see parts of Channi’s article that tell the events of that day. At first I was like um spoiler? But it was interesting to see how the day actually unfolded compared to what Channi wrote and it felt like a general commentary on celebrity articles. Overall, this was so cute! Channi is a funny, self-deprecating main character. Gabe is everything you wish your celebrity crush was (minus the drinking problem). Together they have adorable chemistry plus ten years of yearning on top of that. There was a lot of depth to this as we saw both character’s issues and I especially liked the acknowledgment that a relationship between the two of them would’ve been disastrous ten years ago. They both certainly had a lot of growing up to do. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of books about second chance romance, celebrities, writers/journalists , and dual timelines.

Throughout the book there are reviews on Chani’s writing and the ‘Goodreads’ ones are so mean and relevant, I was cracking up. Be kind and objective y’all!

I really enjoyed this book, I love books that take place in "hollywood" and this book was a new concept for me. I do wish we got more background or interactions regarding their relationship between the 2 articles. I get that they were both in relationships but it was a bit hard to understand how they could love each other so much from just one weekend together.
Also more present/future details would have been nice. Like Chani's version of the new article or showing a reaction article from another source stating Chani and Gabe are together. It just felt like they decided they loved each other and then it was Gabe's article to end the book. I needed a bit more!

I LOVED this book. It gets a solid 4.5 stars from me. This was so much more than a cute and sweet read and there was so much depth to the characters and their internal struggles which was a very pleasant surprise for me.

I really enjoyed the time jumps and alternating timelines and how the story was pieced together. Chani's and Gabe's love story is timeless and far beyond a fairytale. It is real and palpable and got me reading their story from beginning to end in one seating.

True love that's meant to be will always find its way and timing is EVERYTHING. This resonates throughout Chani's and Gabe's story every step of the way.

I read this in one sitting. I was very excited because I tend to love Hollywood romances. I really liked this structure of this book, that it switched off between 10 years ago and present day and had articles about the characters in between chapters. I love a second chance romance as well, and I felt like this was a sweet and easy read. 24 hours after reading I'm still thinking about the characters and their relationship. The few issues I do have with the book are the lack of communication between the MCs. I feel like they never clearly communicate until the last page. The plot did seem a little far fetched, but it is fiction and doesn't have to be 100% realistic so I don't mind. It was nice to read a pure but probably impossible love story. I also wish we had a little bit more depth/backstory from the MCs and what happened in the 10 years inbetween the weekends. I wanted to understand his marriage more and how he ended up where he did emotionally and with his alcoholism struggles, this probably could have been fixed by having his POV. ALSO, Ollie was a great supporting character, I loved his story.

Definitely a fun Hollywood romance and worth the read for people who enjoy that trope or second chance love stories!

I wanted to like this, but I wasn't a big fan of the dual timelines, and the inserted article excerpts (which felt like a grating buzzfeed article, and wasn't anywhere near as charming at the Chris Evans profile it's based on). It was cute though.

An enjoyable little romance read! An interview with movie star Gabe Parker changes Chani’s life forever, but not without a few bumps along the way.

Things I loved:
- Gabe
- Gabe and his friendship with Ollie
- There’s a dog

Things that didn’t work for me:
- Chani (she was a bit whiny and quick to complain)
- the introduction of side characters. It was a little hurried and awkward. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that happened or a bad thing.
- the romance. Again, just kind of awkward and made me feel uncomfortable for them 😂
- the timeline. There were blog posts and articles in between chapters and it also went back and forth between “then” and “now”: just wasn’t a fan of that, but could see how some would enjoy that little touch!

Overall, I’d say it was worth the read but don’t know that I’d recommend.

"Funny You Should Ask" was a cute story. Ten years ago, a celebrity interview had made the career of the writer (Chani Horowitz) and helped the career the actor (Gabe Parker), because the interview was not anyone expected. Gabe Parker had been chosen as the next James Bond, which was not a popular choice, as Gabe was an American, a country boy from small town Montana, and his career so far had been based on his looks -- not the suave, intelligent (and of course, British) persona that epitomizes Bond, unlike his best friend Oliver (Ollie) Matthias, who people think should have gotten the role. His publicists hoped that an interview in Broad Sheets would help the public seem his as the next Bond.

Chani Horowitz wanted to be a successful writer, and actually wanted to write fiction -- she even had a work of fiction published in a literary magazine -- but her short stories had not captured the necessary attention, and she had ended up with the job with Broad Sheets conducting celebrity interviews. Gabe Parker happened to be her celebrity crush, and her chance to impress her boss and hopefully get offered better stories to write.

The initial interview did not go that well, but situations arose that extended the time that Gabe and Chani spent together, and Chani learned things about Gabe (and about Ollie) that would have made for a sensational article, and really made her career. However, the article Chani ended up writing was more about how a "normal" person had a chance with a celebrity and "whiffed" it. The article helped both of their careers, but it came at a cost for Chani -- as many people in the "industry" and in celebrity fandom assumed that they had actually "hooked up" and that her future success was due to what she allegedly did, not the quality of her work.

The next ten years had ups and downs for both of them, but especially for Gabe, whose career crashed in the way that only a Hollywood star's career can implode. Gabe is trying to rebuild his career and has a new movie coming out. His PR team has reached out to Broad Sheets and suggested the idea of another interview between Gabe and Chani, hoping to recreate the magic of the first article.

The story alternates between the past and present, with the "Past" chapters including excerpts from Chani's article as well as chapters depicting what actually happened, as well as excerpts from other news articles about Gabe Parker and his career. The events of that weekend and its aftermath resulted in a lot of confusion, anger, and misunderstandings, which the "present" chapters seek to unravel.

The author has created interesting and likable characters. I am glad that she gave Gabe and Oliver so much depth; it would have been easy to make the "true" Gabe more like the "persona" that the public and critics had placed on him, and still have him play the same role in the overall story between Chani and Gabe. The interactions between Chani and Gabe were quite good, especially when they reacted to the moment or let their guard down temporarily. I also liked that the author addresses a number of "touchy" or potentially controversial topics in a respectful manner, and has the major characters treat those topics appropriately.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

4.25 stars! Oh this one was good and made my heart feel so good.

When Chani gets the opportunity to interview her celebrity crush, Gabe Parker, for a celebrity profile before he takes on the role as the new Bond, she shows up nervous and admittedly with bad questions but Gabe takes it all in stride and shows her a weekend she (or he) will never forget.

With the success of the now viral interview, 10 years later and both of them have gone through so many highs and lows. Their agents and managements think the PR of them coming together for another interview will only skyrocket their careers. What Chani doesn’t want to do is rub more salt in her still open wounds and take another weekend with Gabe that may just break her more than the first one did.

📚

Ugh I really loved this one. I think there’s something about alternating timelines and repressed conversations people never had that I guess I just love a lot. It was reminiscent of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren.

Chani’s doubts about Gabe and Gabe’s feelings makes my heart lurch at that kind of love that’s carried over years. I was enticed about what happened and reading between the now and then only built it. It was hard to put the book down (even though I had to for work).

Their journeys back to one another was just a trope I really love and reminded me of that line drawing describing meeting the right person at the wrong time. I adored this book and it made my heart ache and warm and want to understand and then understanding.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for sending this one my way in return for an honest review.

I love books about the entertainment and publishing industries and this book had both. What a treat! The premise and format of this book were original, written partially in the form of magazine articles/blog entries. I loved reading about a generally "regular" woman and writer getting to know and falling in love with a famous but troubled Hollywood heartthrob. I thought her concerns that people thought she was a fraud - her career success the result of an alleged relationship with a famous man - were so relevant, timely, and well done. Although it took me a while to warm to Gabe, he won me over by the end. Finally, hip hip hooray for more Jewish rep in romcoms! I look forward to Sussman's follow-up adult romance.

I had had such a bad go with some romance lately that I was all but hesitant to pick this up after having it in my TBR pile for a while. And I have to say…this was absolutely more than worth the read.

There are few books that I feel like I would give a lot to be able to read for the first time all over again, and this is one of them. Sussman has done it. The premise got me hooked, but it was the character development that really got me for this one.

I love Chani and I love Gabe. I feel like it’s rare for me to love both interests as much as I did for this one but oh boy wow do I love them both. It was easy to fall in love with both of them, and Sussman’s writing style made the time jumps easier to follow. I love the writing style, I love the characters, I love everything about this one.

Notes & highlights to come on pub day, but playlist is up on my Spotify.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Elisa Sussman for the ARC.

Oh I loved this one. It was light hearted, funny, but there were some sensitive issues that were handled with care!

The romantic story follows Chani Horowitz who is hired to interview hollywoods it boy Gabe Parker. They have one crazy weekend together which makes Chani the focus of a lot of tabloids.

Ten years go by and Chani is a divorced woman who is engrossed in her work, but she still gets asked questions about her crazy weekend with Gabe. Next thing you know she's reuniting with him.

This is your typical "Second Chance" book and it was pretty quick to read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the arc!

Funny You Should Ask is about a young journalist that interviews a Hollywood heartthrob who is her number one celebrity crush. The interview turns into a whirlwind weekend with the tabloids buzzing. Ten years later, Chani is back in Los Angelos with a great career as a successful writer. No matter what she is promoting, she is aways asked about The Profile of Gabe that she wrote ten years ago. When Gabe's PR team requests that they unite for a second interview, she wants to say no. But she really wants to know if the 72 hours that they spent together were as memorable to Gabe as they were to her. The book alternates between the current time and ten years ago. This is a good book that I recommend.

"He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake was a laugh, it would be that." Up and coming writer Chani is asked to interview the very famous, very handsome Gabe Parker. Instead, they shared a weekend together - lunch, movie premiere, parties galore. We, as the audience get to see what was written, and also what *actually* happened. Fast forward 10 years and she's been asked to write that very same article again, the one that made her career and launched Gabe Parker into even bigger stardom. Except, a lot has changed. And Chani has to face some rather big, complicated, real feelings she has for Gabe. I. Loved. Every. Second.

Thank you So much to NetGalley for the ARC. Hollywood heartthrob and a writer? Yes please. I felt all the emotions on this book. Loved the characters. I also loved the different timelines.

I do believe I’m a little in awe of this book, and a whole lot obsessed. I picked up Funny You Should Ask after finishing a mediocre book, looking to check another ARC off my ever-increasing list. I was not prepared for all this book had to offer.

I’ve always been a little bit of a sucker for interview style novels so it’s no wonder that I found this one a delight to read. The kindle format made it slightly difficult to read at first, as short articles are included and the timeline jumps at various points. (I fully intend to buy a physical copy now!) The few days Chani and Gabe spend together are separated by 10 years, leaving so much to unpack. The article clips following both Gabe and Chani’s individual careers added an outside perspective on the timeline of events. They also helped to show how often situations and individuals can be misunderstood.

While this book had much going for it, I really appreciated and loved the relatability of the characters. The book is full of miscommunication and missed opportunities (star-crossed lovers for the win). It’s essentially an ode to life’s disappointment and the anger we feel over betrayal. This may turn you off from reading the book, but I can assure you that it hurts in the best way. The book is also full of hope and chance encounters. While the romantic aspects are mostly unstable, the friendships in this book are rock solid and often provide some comic relief.

If this book had a catchphrase, it would be, “I should go.” Chani knew the life she “should” be living, and that didn’t include impromptu red carpet events, after parties, and trips with the movie star. Her desire to spend more time with the enigmatic Gabe, along with getting more fodder for her article, kept pushing her to say yes instead. (As the reader, I was so very glad she did.)

The secondary characters—specifically Ollie and Jeremy (aka The Novelist)—added so much to the story, especially in their dynamics with Chani, and by extension, Gabe. Ollie played a supporting role where he constantly was building both Chani and Gabe up. Jeremy, on the other hand, acted like an anchor by dragging down Chani, in her self-worth, career, and potential. Jeremy was also a character that provoked Gave to jealousy.

Throughout the book, we see Chani struggle with her self identity and career. The thought that she would be nothing without the article she did on Gabe, or the idea that she hooked up with him, was constantly a weight on her shoulders. At times she had people to build her up, but at other times she suffered heavily from this self doubt, and dare I say, self loathing. While much of it was internalized, we also see her channel it all into an anger against Gabe. Both she and Gabe were damaged people (aren’t we all?) which contributed to the anger and the bad timing. While they struggled with different issues on the outside, their internal insecurities appeared to be very similar. The common theme throughout the book for Gabe was that he didn’t deserve the role of playing Bond in several movies. While he receives support from those closest to him, Gabe often reverted to the opinion of the articles that bashed him. So much changed for Gabe over 10 years, but the one thing that stayed the same was that he was unconditionally loved by his family and close friends. By the end, he learned that validation could not be sought and found in the public opinion.

The locations in this novel—New York, California, and Montana— were all significant as they represented a different stage of Chani’s life. It would have been subtle, if Gabe had not drawn it out in their conversations. This was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

If you’ve reached the end of this review, and think “what the hell is she taking about?”, well, please extend some grace as I wrote it when I was tired. Just know that I highly recommend this book and you should preorder it.

***4.5 STARS***

What a refreshing, smart, unique look at a relationship between an up and coming writer and a heartthrob actor. This second chance romance spans 10 years. I absolutely love the author’s stye of writing. She effectively uses chapters that alternate between now and then, with blog entires, book reviews, and celebrity news articles interspersed to help propel the story of Chani and Gabe.

They first meet when Chani Horowitz is assigned to interview the famous Gabe Parker. She ends up spending a whirlwind weekend with him and writes a story that catapults her career. The spark that seems to ignite between Chani and Gabe is quickly doused however when Gabe marries his beautiful new co-star just days after their weekend together. Chani gets back with her long term boyfriend Jeremy and moves to New York.

Life moves on for Chani and Gabe but there is always a connection. They keep tabs on each other. The reader cannot help but root for these two. We are left wondering if the price of fame is worth the cost. Are the sacrifices and notoriety bringing true happiness? Hard emotional lessons are learned by Chani and Gabe throughout the years. They both find that what is wished for may not have the imagined results. And being in the spotlight does not mean people know our true selves.

When Chani agrees to interview Gabe 10 years later, questions will be asked, truths will be revealed and feelings are no longer kept secret. It is such an honest look at relationships, divorce, depression, addiction, and self-esteem. It shows so much growth for both characters. I loved Chani and Gabe’s journey and couldn’t wait to find out how their story would end.

“…I didn’t want to be successful. I wanted to be loved.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What did I think of this book? Funny you should ask!

Okay, now that that's out of my system. I really, really loved this book. This was my introduction to Sussman's writing, and now I cannot wait to dive into her backlist. This is a dual timeline, second chance romance revolving around a writer and movie star. Basically, my ideal book.

Sussman had the perfect mixture of humor and thoughtfulness. I loved the articles sprinkled throughout that showed how real life gets turned into something picture perfect in Hollywood. I think fans of Robinne Lee's The Idea of You will especially love this one. So, so, SO good!

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!