FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK is a fun romance between writer Chani Horowitz and Hollywood hunk Gabe Parker.

Chani's long harbored a (celebrity) crush on Gabe; after he's cast to be the new James Bond she's assigned to write a profile of him. There's been blowback and his people are hoping she can contribute some positive press. Which she does -- and then some, when her piece blows up.

Elissa Sussman played with the traditional romance book structure in this one, giving readers several chapters that took place "then" before jumping forward to "now" for a bunch, then back to then, and so on. There also are interstitial movie reviews, celebrity gossip pieces, and articles (including Chani's!). I enjoyed those and felt they helped flesh out the story, especially given that the reader just gets Chani's perspective (rather than trading between her and Gabe).

I thought FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK was just plain fun -- certainly engaging, and sexy too. I so enjoyed the ride and am hopeful Sussman will write more adult romance in the future.

I really enjoyed Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman. It absolutely consumed me and I devoured the book in just a day. But it is by far and away once of the least realistic romances I’ve ever read, so be fully prepared to suspend your disbelief.

Told partly in news articles, interview snippets, and reviews, this book captures what I imagine being a celebrity is like — constantly reevaluating and reimposing your image until it all crumbles around you. And then having to figure out who is still around when you’ve been kicked to the curb of fame.

Although there is realism when it comes to the depiction of mental health, career struggles, and more, the plot itself is truly unbelievable anywhere outside of entertainment purposes.

I adored the flashback component of the book, and its layers of storytelling, which all seemed to depend on who the audience was. Some of the romantic choices are wild (like getting married just to spite someone is…wild), but the romance itself is sweet, sexy, and the kind of immediate but enduring love that I think everyone craves. I mean, we all want someone who we’ve met once and remembers our favorite movie and beer orders, right?

I highly recommend this one if you’re obsessed with pop culture, read a lot of fanfiction, or fantasized about falling in love with a celebrity as a kid.

I received an ARC for an honest review from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book.

I love second chance romance, my first book reading from this author and I see she has other books, I'm going to read also.

Thank you, once again NetGalley.

"Funny You Should Ask" has taken Tik Tok by storm and for good reason. It's a charming and refreshing romance spanning multiple time frames that is perfect for fans of Emily Henry in a slump after finishing "Book Lovers".

This charming romance flips the Notting Hill script—Gabe Parker is the hunky Hollywood star, while Chani Horowitz is the every-day girl—and adds an extra dash of social-media-celeb-obsession fun.

Chani writes a profile of Gabe Parker, the Hollywood himbo who’s trying to nab the role of the new James Bond. Chani’s profile goes viral and is so intimate and engaging, readers are left wondering—did they or didn’t they? When Gabe runs off literally the next day and marries the hottest Hollywood starlet, most assume they didn’t.

Plagued by the success of the profile—and its assumption that all she can write are puff pieces—Chani is hesitant to write about Gabe ten years later…after his fall from Hollywood’s grace due to his divorce and several rehab stints. Yet it seems like the original chemistry is still alive. Now did they or didn’t they becomes will they or won’t they?

I really enjoyed this romance. It takes a familiar trope and shakes things up, focusing on Chani and Gabe’s individual growth, which we see as it switches between the past and present. Chani can at times seem too timid, yet the seeds of that discontent become clearer later in the story. Sussman’s writing is funny, heartfelt, and perfectly in tune with the gloss of celebrity culture and the humanity that can be found beneath the glitz. Pick this one up, you won’t regret it!

It definitely wasn’t a bad book, I know people that have read this book and loved it but it just wasn’t really my cup of tea. I hate to say that because I was so excited for this arc but I just couldn’t really get into the book :/

I can't describe how much I loved the plot of this book. It's honestly like nothing I have ever read and I still think about it often.

There were some parts that I felt fell flat and I wish their romantic fallout in the past and then fall in during the present was showcased more but I genuinely felt what Chani was going through.

This story was so sweet. It sucked me in and my heart was attached from the start. These characters are so much fun. The dual timelines worked well for me, I enjoyed seeing the differences too in how the events surrounding the interview happened and seeing then how the article written changed ever so slightly.

The chemistry between the two characters was electric, their banter and respect for each other was adorable and charming. I love the way they adored each other and tried to keep secrets about it, and think they acted like real people, full of mistakes and inner turmoil. I loved this story, I wish there was more it was so fun to be in their world and see them figure out that they have always belonged together. Lovely. Can't wait to read it again.

I love that this book is based off of a real-life interview a budding journalist had with Chris Evans years ago. Basically creating published fan fiction of the "Best Chris" is exactly what I wanted to read.

I delighted in this novel and wanted to move to Los Angeles to head to a cabin-like retreat in the hills and just relax and enjoy life for a moment.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE READS SO FAR THIS YEAR.

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update: hardcopy secured and sitting beautifully on my shelf 💖💖💖

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can a book make you feel like you’re floating?

answer: yes.
follow up answer: it’s this book.

it’s apparent to me in this moment that i will reread this next year, and possibly countless more times yet to come.

guys, it’s not just good. it’s incredible. it feels REAL. chani and gabe feel like real people. their thoughts, struggles, interaction with the world (and all that sucks in it), banter, their intimacy— it wasn’t crafted to make the reader swoon (it definitely did though), it was raw and vulnerable.


and elissa, besides this book being amazing in every single way, you’ve given me, the reader, so much more.

it left me with the kind of feelings that make me fall more in love with my partner and all of our imperfections, in every season where we may not feel like ourselves. once the last page was turned, my heart warmed even more (i thought it had reached a limit while reading WOW but nope, my heart kept going), and given me that little push we all need (more often than we’d like to admit) to keep on writing, to keep figuring it out, and to keep pushing forward, together.

thanks to netgalley and penguin random house for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts— now, i must got find a hard copy of this asap so i can highlight all the words, and hug this little book close 💖

A very high 4 stars! I’ve never been an especially big Chris Evans fan, but when I saw a tiktok saying that this book was based on a whirlwind weekend-long interview he did with a reporter I IMMEDIATELY closed the app and opened my kindle to dive in. Dear reader, I am SO glad that I did. From page one I was completely endeared to both Gabe AND Chani and this was just an all-around delight. I devoured it in one sitting because I just couldn’t get enough. It was equal parts swooney and heart-felt and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment spent between these pages. Oddly, I’ve read quite a few Hollywood-centered romances this year (some I’ve loved and some… not so much lol), and this one definitely managed to stand out amongst the crowd and I just highly, highly recommend. Absolutely one that I will be re-visiting for years to come and I can’t wait to pick up whatever else Elissa Sussman puts out next!

CW: alcoholism, divorce, death of a loved one, terminal illness (cancer), discussions of weight gain/loss

this story reminds me so much of Emily Henry! such a cute love story between deeply complicated characters plagued by the insecurity that they don’t deserve any of their success. loved it and couldn’t put it down

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and seeing the way the timeline alternated. this was a fun book that i think is a great poolside read.

This book was so so so good! I absolutely love the celebrity/"normal person" trope, and knowing this was loosely based on a Chris Evans profile made it even better. This is the perfect summer beach read. Chani & Gabe find themselves revisiting a pivotal weekend ten years later, and the chemistry/relationship that they had from years earlier had not faded. I found it so realistic that they were trying again after years of "trying out their lives". I loved the intermittent article snippets as well.

This was a VERY difficult book for me to get into, hence the late review date. Apologies. I was REALLY thrown off by the time skipping and all of the "articles and reviews" did not enhance anything, in fact they took away from the story. I found Chani VERY immature and did not care for her. It also irked me to no end that Gabe would only call Jeremy "The Novelist" like he was below him. (I had to look back to remember their names 10 minutes after I finished the book. Not a great sign) Their chemistry felt forced if any and she had more with Oliver than her love interest. When they DID finally get together it was VERY lackluster.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and fun read. I read it in one rainy weekend. I enjoyed the characters and the story.

Thank you Random House & Netgalley for the eARC!

This was exactly what I needed to escape from…::gestures wildly all around::.

The most common trope - miscommunication - usually bothers me but I found myself getting swept up into Chani & Gabe’s love story.

What I really enjoyed too were the Then and Now time jumps and how they went from “kids” to adults figuring their shit out in order for them to be together.

Solid debut!

Chani gets the interview of a lifetime with Gabe Parker, the next Bond. However, things are never just that simple. Chani is wined and dined by Parker and she gets an introduction to his world. To no one's surprise, things fall apart when Parker is announced to have married his co-star and catch Chani off guard. Readers are then taken on a journey toggling between past and present as both Gabe and Chani work their ways back to each other through life and hardship, grief, and disappointment. The book will make you laugh, question things, and relate to Chani's overthinking. I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for the arc of Funny You Should Ask. This has the movie star and normal person love trope. Typically it’s not a trope I normally enjoy, but I loved this book. It’s written with a 10 years ago and then present timelines. It’s a fun, escape, chicklit book.

I fell in love with this story immediately and it was a great debut novel for the author, Elissa Sussman.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.