To be fair, a lot of what made me giddy was the cute fake blog posts from Go Fug Yourself as a long time stan (especially laughed at the hoik) but this really was a fun and enjoyable read.

If you like novels that are about Hollywood - especially the darker sides - this book will delight you. The romance was fun, the side characters were WONDERFUL and I just loved this read SO much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! I've been seeing so many videos on Tik Tok about this book and I knew I had to pick it up. I was actually sent Funny You Should Ask on Netgalley as well and I'm so glad I purchased a copy because I absolutely needed this book in my collection. (Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC!). The story follows Chani Horowitz, a writer who's invited to interview a famous actor and the next James Bond, Gabe Parker. The story is told through two timelines, the past where Chani spends a weekend with Gabe, and the present, where the two reconnect after ten years and respective divorces. I thought Sussman's use of the alternating timelines and the articles inserted between was fresh and compelling. It sort of reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and the way that story is told. Chani and Gabe's story kept me enthralled as I read, trying to guess what happened ten years ago. This story was really very deep and it asks some compelling questions about fame and its repercussions. This wasn't a typical romance by no means. But, the dialogue and the characters held my attention. The complicated relationship between Gabe and Chani and their careers almost felt real. I thought I could pick up my phone and Google them after I put the book down. Also, I won't spoil it for potential readers, but Chani's perfect day and their time in Montana? It had me squealing. The one thing I wanted more of was Chani's own background, but that's pretty minor for me. Go read this book, you won't be disappointed.

Love love loved this easy to read romance. Gave me wattpad vibes in the best way possible which brought me straight back to my middle school era.

I. Loved. This. Book.

Every last word on every page was a home run. I devoured this love story and wanted more!

easily my favorite book i’ve read this year. as soon as i finished i preorder a signed copy because there’s no way Gabe isn’t going on to be one of my all time top book boyfriends.

heart wrenching, beautifully written, so unique. this book is not to be missed!

Funny You should Ask
3/5 stars

Was a very interesting read.
It won't be for everyone given the format and style.
This was my first time reading Elissa Sussman's writing is excellent!
I did have a few issues with the pace but other than that I had a lot of fun reading this.
The characters were very well developed.

Thank-you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this ARC.

My first book by Elissa Sussman & I loved it! A perfect summer read. Chani and Gabe are a fun pair. he is so charming, as James Bond should be! but i really loved how kind he is, the way he turned Chani's questions around onto her just because he was really curious. and Chani was an awesome match for him. I absolutely loved Ollie. he was a great character and I loved that in the "now" parts he wasn't just there for Gabe, he was there for both of them.
i also really loved the way this story was planned out and the way Elissa didn't give up all of the information at once. It made me want to keep reading to understand everything. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for a beach read this summer!

I was so looking forward to this book - celebrity romances are my favorite. But this did not live up to the hype. The two main characters were miserable the entire book and frankly making some very morally questionable decisions the entire time. I hoped we’d get some social commentary about how society judges and shames women, celebrities forced to hide their sexuality, and more. But NOPE, nothing. Instead it was just two people being depressed and refusing to communicate like the adults they are (but really, was so excited to have MCs in their upper thirties and forties but these two acted more immaturely than most teenagers). I cannot recommend this book.

“I love the way he says my name. And this time, there’s a question there. A question I finally have an answer for.”

The concept of this book was fantastic, but I have questions!!! Like how do two people spend a weekend together, then part ways for a decade only to come back together for another “replica weekend” where they admit they’ve been pining over each other for years and years? I’ll be honest I wasn’t sold by the romance in this one (like that final conflict, why????), but I did appreciate watching the characters develop from 20-something’s to 30-something’s throughout the story. Ultimately though— this one was just middle road 3🌟 for me, but it was fast and fun and bingeable nonetheless! And we meet Ollie. I loved Ollie 😍👏🏻

(TBH my biggest peeve was/is trying to figure out the title and what it means in relation to the book?????)

If you’re looking for a fun pop culture journalist-meets-famous-actor type book (oddly specifical, right?), read Funny You Should Ask. Then read the Chris Evan’s GQ article because this book was inspired by that interview and it’s startlingly similar. I wish the author would have put something about it in the acknowledgments but that’s just my opinion. Especially when the premise of a book is based off some real events, it helps add more authenticity to the book itself.

Special thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for gifting me this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe my favorite rom-com EVER!!! This book will make you grin from ear to ear and you will read it in one sitting!

When Chani gets to interview her celebrity crush, Gabe Parker, what could possibly go wrong… or right? This book had so much promise but it fell flat for me. Parts of the story were told through Chani’s point of view but then there would be segments of her blog or interviews she had given. It jumped all over the place and the characters were predictable & one dimensional.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The back and forth timeline across the decade since MCs Chani and Gabe met worked so well to tell their story, and while I am a big fan of dual POVs, I was almost glad that we only got to hear the story from Chani's perspective. It kept the angst at the perfect level.
The fact that the story was interspersed with news articles, website blurbs, etc .of major events in their lives and careers was a really good way to not get too bogged down in a million details since there was so much time to cover in this story. I thought that was a really effective stylistic choice.
There were just so many beautiful details in this book. How Gabe makes a point to pronounce Chani's name correctly, how he reads everything she writes/ publishes, him dancing with her at the club, and HER PERFECT DAY?! I may as well have melted into a giant puddle. And the puppy?! Gah! My heart!
This was such a different take on a movie star/ "regular person" romance book. It made me feel such a huge range of emotions, and the HEA brought me so much joy. I cannot wait to read whatever Sussman writes next!

Compulsively readable…I didn’t want to put it down.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a HUGE romance fan and I absolutely LOVED this novel. The plot was interesting and kept me engaged the entire time. The romance was cute and perfectly written.

I find this a difficult book to review in a strange sort of way. The synopsis is very well done, so there is no need to rehash. The premise sounded quite fun; but in the end I was left feeling, meh.

Pros: I liked that the characters were older--(late 30's- early 40's). Said characters had significant flaws to help give them a realistic touch. Nice look at how choices & perspectives change as we age. Quick read.

Cons: The main female protagonist, Chani (still can't figure out how to pronounce the name), surprisingly is intellectually & emotionally immature. She is all worked up over a man she's only known for a couple of days 10 years prior. She doesn't appear to be grown up or have moved on wiht her life. She doesn't grow in either of these areas in the 10 years the novel progresses. The book isn't written in a linear fashion. This in itself isn't bad; but when the jumping or transistions occur is sometimes odd & hard to follow..

These are just a few in each category. I couldn't get behind the main character because of said immaturity. Also, this wasn't a romantic comedy nor was it heavy romantic drama either. I honestly had a difficult time getting through the last half. It just didn't end up being for me.

I like this book a lot! I'm such a sucker for books with celebrity romances and second chance romances so both of them together PLUS A you throw in flashbacks as well? I gobbled it up like Thanksgiving dinner. As a bonus, I liked that it had a Jewish representation and dove into the topic of sobriety. It also made me cry, which I wasn't expecting, but I love angst with my romance.

I am such a big fan of fictitious celebrities ever since I read a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book had me by a chokehold within the first 30 pages. I loved the breaks between chapters with articles and the way the author plays with the sequence of time. Every time I got to a page with “Then” printed across it I felt myself so excited for what part of the past would be exposed in it. God this was such a good book.

Title: Funny You Should Ask
Author: Elissa Sussman
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Read if you like:
Second chances
Romance
Non-linear timelines
Contemporary romance
Celebrity culture


My Thoughts:
This book was a very quick read, I read it in 2 sittings, so if you’re looking for a book to binge I do recommend this one. However, I did feel like it was very predictable and the payoff wasn’t worth the work to get to the end of the book. I liked the non-linear timeline, but the article snippets didn’t do a whole lot for me because it kept taking me out of the moment. I also wasn’t the hugest fan of the “now” timeline being full of flashbacks because it didn’t really follow the usual flow of “then” and “now” stories that I’m used to. All of that being said, I did overall enjoy the writing.

This book was SO MUCH FUN. I picked it up while I was in a slump and blew through it. I loved the dual timeline and the unique writing style with the various news articles interspersed throughout. I did wish there was MORE at the end with the HEA, but it definitely didn't ruin the story for me by any means...I just didn't want it to end.

Wow I loved this book! It started getting more and more hype, so when I found myself in a reading slump I figured, why not? I devoured this book over a weekend, and wished it didn't have to end. I loved the second chance romance trope, and the characters, the banter, and the LA setting were all fantastic. I'm going to purchase a copy of this book to have on my shelves so I can revisit it again and again.