3.5 stars rounded up. I honestly went back and forth about rounding up or down on this one for a while. I decided on up when viewing it as a contemporary fiction novel more so than as a romance. It does fit the genre standards, but I was less invested in the romance aspect of the book than anything else that was happening.

The exploration of family dynamics and especially in grief was incredibly well done throughout this book. Some of the best parts of it for me were the conversations and interactions between Lauren and Lena. Truly, just about everything that involved Lena was a standout of the book. She was the most interesting character to me and brought so much depth to the story. I also appreciated the time with Gabe and Chani and gaining more perspective on Gabe’s past through the eyes of his family. And again, one of the most impactful scenes to me happened between Lena and Gabe and really drove home how much everyone was affected by his addiction.

As for the romance, I never really felt overly invested in Lauren and Ben. I did that Lauren was older as a change of pace to most age gaps. Aside from that, I just didn’t feel a deep connection between them. It felt more like instalust to continued lust for most of the book. The way their story comes around to a relationship in the end was sweet, but I was a lot more interested in all the family stuff than their situationship.

The dual timeline was an interesting choice, one that I don’t think worked for me. I did like the added perspective it gave on Gabe’s past with his family, but overall it felt like there were things I was supposed to get out of it that I didn’t. I think others might have a different reading experience than I did and it will have a bigger impact for them when it comes to Lauren’s complete story.

Thank you to Dell via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review of “Totally and Completely Fine” by Elissa Sussman

⭐ 4/5 Stars

“Totally and Completely Fine” is more than just a second-chance, small-town romance - it’s an emotional, layered story about grief, identity, and what it means to rebuild your life after loss. Told in dual timelines, we follow Lauren through the tender echoes of her past and the messy, hopeful steps of her present as she begins to open her heart again to the possibility of love.

This book really pulled at my heart. I’m a huge fan of “then and now” storytelling, and Elissa Sussman uses it beautifully to explore Lauren’s growth. The romance with Ben is sweet and complicated, but it’s Lauren’s journey - navigating small-town expectations, motherhood, and her own self-worth - that stole the show. “Totally and Completely Fine” isn't just a love story, it's a smart, sensitive look at womanhood, grief, and the courage it takes to imagine something new for yourself. If you like your romance with a side of soul-searching and emotional depth, you’ll find so much to love here!

Thank you NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, and Random House/Dell for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own ♡

Review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7392670868
And StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0c9dcfb1-c998-4a50-9581-0b4f3b0bd5ba

Elissa Sussman always knows how to bring a fun, sparkly romance to the page. I loved Lauren and Ben. This was an exciting take on the small town girl x famous guy concept, and I ate it up. Definitely recommending to anyone looking for a fun romance this summer.

Devastated to DNF this highly anticipated book for me!! Felt like it was missing the heart and humor I’ve come to expect from this author :(

Made it 25% in and realized I was not enjoying myself and I wasn't sure it could get better from there for me.

I devoured this book in two days and would’ve finished it in one if I didn’t have to be a semi-functioning adult. It’s emotional, funny, romantic, devastating, and healing—basically everything I want in a story, and somehow more. Easily a five-star read.

Elissa Sussman’s writing always hits, but this one just felt extra special. Lauren’s grief is big and messy and real, and the way the story moves between her past with Spencer and her present with Ben (sweet, sexy, Irish, bisexual, HOT, I’m obsessed) had me fully in my feelings. Like, laughing one minute and tearing up the next.

Also, Lena. Oh my god, Lena. A 13-year-old who is grieving so fiercely it’s like she’s on fire. She’s moody, brilliant, hurting, and absolutely unforgettable. Every scene with her was so sharp and tender and honest. She’s not a side character, she’s a force.

If you read FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, you’ll love being back in this world with Gabe and Chani, but this is 100% Lauren’s story. And what a story it is. This book broke me and then gently put me back together. I'm not totally and completely fine about it, and that’s ok.

If you haven’t read FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, what are you even doing with your life? You don’t have to read it before TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FINE but it’s smart, funny, romantic, and totally worth your time. Plus, it gives you extra context that makes this one hit even harder.

100% recommend both books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

5 stars

Ok Elissa rip my heart out why don’t ya! Having the dual timeline and getting to experience Lauren’s first marriage and loss was like getting two romances in one. And finding a new and different love after such a devastating loss was beautiful and hopeful. I also LOVED getting a deeper exploration of Gabe’s troubles from a different perspective since we didn’t get as much of that in his book. And even though the main romance between Lauren and Ben wasn’t a huge portion of the book, it still felt real and believable. Honestly, just so much to love in this book but you WILL cry. Maybe multiple times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Totally and Completely Fine is kinda sorta the sequel to Funny You Should Ask, picking up with Gabe’s sister Lauren as the protagonist. She’s a single mom and struggling with missing her late husband and to maintain a relationship with her teenage daughter. Then there’s Ben, the actor. Lauren shouldn’t be into him, doesn’t want to, yet she deserves some fun. And that’s all it is: fun. But sometimes life likes to take us on a ride of its own.

There’s something simple about Elissa Sussman’s writing that I just love. Or maybe it’s the fact that, despite these characters being larger than life (a famous actor who might become the next James Bond, really?), the plot is so down to earth that it could almost actually happen. Lauren feels like a real person, her struggles so familiar. The story has dual timelines, showing us how Lauren and her first husband got together and their little life together while also giving us a new ending for Lauren. One epic love story doesn’t have to be it. We also get more on Gabe and Chani’s love story from the first book so while you don’t have to read Funny You Should Ask first, I highly recommend doing so just to make better connections to what’s going on (and also because it was such a good one too)! Totally and Completely Fine had me in all my feelings and sometimes that’s just what you need. 5 stars and all my love to this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for an ARC of this novel!

Probably my least favorite of what this author has released (so far) but still very good! It was heavy on the mourning and grief and lighter on the romance than her other books but still steamy in its own! I was just hoping for more from the ending but still a satisfying read!

Totally and Completely Fine comes out next week on July 8, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

His eyes met mine, lips curled into a seductive, satisfied smile. For a fleeting moment, I wondered how many others he'd seduced in the exact same way.
In the next moment, I realized it didn't matter. I didn't care.
All I needed was him. Right now. Right here.
There was such freedom in that. In caring only about this moment-not the past, not the future. Everything contained in the present.

“Totally and Completely Fine” was an exceptionally emotional experience. The depiction of grief within this book was masterfully executed. I genuinely appreciate the narrative's structure, alternating between timelines—one featuring Lauren's husband, Spencer, and the other focusing on Ben. Initially, I found it challenging to fully engage with the past timelines. It was difficult to transition from rooting for Ben and witnessing their intimate moments in the now to feeling sorrow for Lauren and her daughter, Lena, in the absence of Spencer. However, upon finishing the book, I recognized how the backstory enriched the overall narrative, deepening my connection to all the characters. Elissa skillfully explores the complexities of grief and highlights how each individual navigates it in their own way. I would wholeheartedly read anything Elissa Sussman writes and eagerly anticipate her next book!

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FINE [thank you to Dell Romance and PRH Audio for my #gifted ARC + ALC copies!]

Title: Totally and Completely Fine
Author: Elissa Sussman
Genre: Women’s Fiction + Romance
Format: Digital + Audio
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I think this is a case of “It’s not you, it’s me,” in that I went into this book thinking it was going to be more of a romance, and really it’s a novel about a woman accepting her grief and trying to move forward with it instead of in spite of it.

If you go into it knowing that you’re reading women’s fiction about grief and family, you might really enjoy it! It does have great humor and excellent characters/relationships — I did enjoy that. I just found myself feeling like something was missing.

Lauren does go through a tremendous amount of re-self discovery and working through tough conversations and situations with her family as they navigate life after loss - and I’ll admit that I cried several times. So I do recommend this book, even if it didn’t hit for me!

🎧 Patti Murin nailed the various characters in this book and I wish I could have listened to more of it instead of doing an eyeball read - because I do love her narration. However, Sussman tends to overuse “said” in her writing so it really took me out of the story to keep hearing “I said, she said, etc.” But if that’s not something that sticks in your brain as your listening, I highly recommend doing the audio!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Love After Loss
Single Parent Romance
Found Family
Hollywood Adjacent Stories
Finding Love
Dual Timeline

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.96 ⭐️
# of Pages: 448
Pub Date: July 8, 2024

Ended up not finishing. The writing was too heavy handed - information was just given rather than allowing the reader to figure it out. Also, too many topics I personally don’t enjoy reading about all together in one book - widow, moody teenager, celebrity, age gap. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

First of all I'd like to thank the publisher, Random House / Dell, for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. I must have missed where this was a sequel to Funny You Should Ask, which was a perfect happy accident because I LOVED that book! This book was just as great! The tension, the age gap, the brothers coworker and rolled into that was a grief journey. Wonderfully written! Definitely recommend this if you loved her previous books! You may want to read Funny You Should Ask first though as the characters are a major part.

I loved everything about this story. It was packed with love, and not just romantic live. There was so much authenticity in this story of Lauren who is a mother, widow, woman, sister, friend and more. I laughed and I cried and I cheered for Lauren and her daughter and all of the characters in this book. When I wasn’t reading these characters stayed on my thoughts and now that I’m done reading, I’m wishing there was more of this story to enjoy.
Sussman is a new to me author but I definitely will be picking up her backlist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy of Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This novel is a “totally and completely fine” mashup of grief and healing, romance, coming of age story and family drama. It’s ambitious in everything that it’s trying to accomplish, but it did not fully succeed for me. The story focuses on Lauren, a 40-year old widow and mother to her 13-year old daughter, Lena. Lauren is the older sister of Gabe Parker, a famous actor and the MMC in Ms Sussman’s companion novel, Funny You Should Ask.

The story is told in short chapters from Lauren’s perspective using alternating time lines. The reader gets a glimpse at Lauren’s rebellious teen years and how she met her husband, Spencer, as well as in the present when meets Ben, a handsome, on the cusp of stardom actor. Lauren is the most fully developed character, and I rooted for her happy ending. She’s written in a raw, messy way. Her grief and attempts to do her best for her daughter and her brother felt authentic.

The author attempted to wrap up the novel while simultaneously introducing new plot lines, which didn’t totally work for me. She briefly explores sexuality, single parenthood, addiction, and religion/spirituality, but it felt incomplete and I was left unsatisfied. And although I love and appreciate a happy ending, this ending seemed somewhat unbelievable. Overall this talented writer may have overextended themselves with this novel, attempting to juggle too many elements at once. 3.5/5⭐️

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great romance read for my summer road trip! Engaging characters and good plot.

First I want to say that I LOVE that the FMC is older (40) and that the MMC is also older (30). Feels like we don’t get a whole lot of older characters in the romance book department so this was a nice change!
It started off a little slow for me but it quickly picked up! Sussman wrote about grief so beautifully and you can see how it affects everyone differently from her own self, her daughter, Ben, her mom and brother. Everyone has a story about loss but seeing her showcase the difference was wonderful.
I laughed, I cried and by the end I couldn’t believe how amazing of a book this was.
I must read her back catalog now!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I found myself relating to this story's main character, Lauren, as she struggles to find herself again through motherhood and loss and the many identities she had shed throughout her life. There were many moments in this story that were laugh-out-loud funny or cringe-worthy or just plain emotional. It's hard not to root for Lauren because she's so adult, so together even though she's going through so much. Having not read any of this author's other books, I would definitely be interested in more of Gabe's story too.

But there is also a lot happening in this story, and the pace is slow at times. I didn't feel like I connected at all with Spencer's storyline and was mostly interested in Lauren's character development. In the second half of the book there were so many new plot elements being introduced it felt like the story really tried to do too much and never really came together. I groaned out loud at the ending.

Because this book is rated below 4 stars, this review will post on Instagram at the end of July in a round-up of July new releases. I will edit my feedback to include the link once posted.

Some books have love stories that are light and fluffy. Some are gut-wrenching and devastating. Totally and Completely Fine is a companion and sequel to Funny You Should Ask, which was also a love story that fell somewhere in between.. The premise is set up to be the perfect instalove, easy love affair, but is actually far more complicated because one of them carries the emotional weight of spousal death and grief. It opens with Lauren Parker - older sister of movie star, Gabe Parker, from Funny You Should Ask - arguing with her teenage daughter Lena and wishing her husband Spencer was still alive. Three years after his death, they’re both still grieving. When they’re invited to visit Gabe on set, Lauren meets Ben, his much younger costar. It’s insta sparks, chemistry she never thought she’d feel again with anyone, and she gives in to temptation and has a passionate one night stand with Ben, and returns home, back to nursing her grief and trying to resume living her small-town Montana life. But when Gabe returns to town a short while later to stage a play in town, with Ben in tow, Lauren is forced to admit that maybe it was more than a one time thing between them. But with mixed feelings of grief, guilt, and lust, it’s not going to be an easy journey. I really, really loved this book. It had so much depth, and the push and pull of Lauren and Ben’s relationship was such a rollercoaster ride - you just couldn't help but root for them to make things work. What was most compelling about the book, aside from racing to get that resolution and finally ease the tension, was the juxtaposition between the past and current timelines, with the evolution of Spencer and Lauren’s relationship as well as the parallels with Ben and Lauren’s present day relationship, and how much Lauren’s conflicting feelings of grief and guilt has been holding her back in life. Overall, this was such a moving and emotional love story between mother and daughter, husband and wife, and widow with a potential happy future. I truly believe this will be one of this year's best reads, and would make the perfect beach read. Just remember to reapply the sunscreen after you ugly cry!

This is my second widow romance in a row. Why, Smutty, why? I actually went into this one blind bc I love and trust the author, so I didn’t do it on purpose. But it was good and worth it.

Lauren lives in Montana with her surly teen daughter and has been widowed for three years. She goes to visit her movie star brother on set and meets Ben, a young rising dreamboat star. They have instant chemistry and bone in his trailer. Get it Lauren, you deserve a good dicking. She returns to Montana with her byatchy daughter, but surprise Ben shows up with his talented penis to help her brother start a theater in their hometown! Don’t let that penis go to waste, Lauren!

The book bounces back and forth between the story of Lauren’s past and present, while
she deals with all her traumas and her guilt of moving on with a younger, richer, hotter man. Sussman perfectly depicts grief and lust and the complexities of being a single mom who is both horny and sad.

Overall this was great, despite the bratty/forlorn teen. Sure, her dad is dead and she never had any proper grief counseling, but her shitty tude is yucking everyone’s yum…including mine. Teen boner killer aside, I still devoured this book and even shed a few tears at the end (damn you, Sussman!!). I totally recommend this (if you loved Idea of You, this may also scratch the IOY itch).

I appreciate what it seems, this book, TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FINE is trying to do in exploring grief, lonliness, identity, etc., however, I dont know if it really 'hit' the way it could have. Lauren lives what might be considered to be a life of exceptional circumstances which, in my opinion, makes it difficult to relate to her. That said there were moments when the facade of celebrity is stripped away from the characters, in Lauren's life, which allowed for more relatable familial dynamics to be presented.

One question for readers - Did anyone else get Keanu Reeves vibes from Ben?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House
Publishing (Ballantine Books) for the advanced digital copy of this book, My reviews will be posted to my socials on July 1, 2025, (Fable and Goodreads)