closer to a 3.5: for me the conversations of grief really carried this book for me, it is something so all consuming and common, yet we never seem to talk about it, i appreciated how raw and honest this was, but because of this i felt the romance fell by the wayside at times for me, it just wasn’t as strong as i needed it to be

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this title in exchange for my honest review!

ARC REVIEW

Totally and Completely Fine
By Elissa Sussman

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4 out of 5)

Publishing date: 7/8/25

I've really enjoyed the last couple books by this author and this was no exception!

I am really drawn to books about celebs ( in books, not real life celebrities) especially romance involving celebrities and " normal people."

In this book , the chemistry between Lauren and Gabe was CRAZY GOOD! They were so sexy together and had such great banter. Their connection felt authentic and they were hilarious together. Loved it!

The ending was freaking CHEFS KISS! Tears were bad. It was so cute!

I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you @netgalley and @dellromance
For the early read opportunity !

Lauren is balancing being a single mother to a teenager, a recent widow, the sister of a mega-movie star, and, most recently, the object of younger man and rising movie star Ben Walsh's attention.

I adore Sussman! This one was so good! Here's what I loved:

Lauren: She's a great character. I loved that she's so flawed and always working on herself. It made her feel real. You get a lot of background on her in the past chapters and she works through so much.

The love stories: Yes. Plural. Not only do you get the love story between Lauren and Ben but you also get her origin love story with her late husband Spencer. Both help give the full picture of Lauren and her life.

The family: I adored Lauren's whole family. You get a lot about Gabe, who we met in Sussman's first book (this was nice to see his happily ever after!) I think my favorite relationship was between Lauren and her daughter. It was such a beautiful story.

All in all, this was a great emotional romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman is an all-timer of mine. So when I heard that we were going to get the story of Gabe's sister Lauren?? SIGN YA GIRL UP.

Confession: I actually read this one way back in March, when I was in a book rut and SQUEALED when I got my the netgalley notification for this one. And when I tell you that I read it in 24 hours... well who is surprised?!

Lauren lives in the same small town in Montana she has raised. She married her childhood sweetheart, and her brother's best friend, and they shared a teenage . The unexpected loss of her husband has her trying to balance more than ever before. When Gabe offers for them to visit on set, she is looking forward to the break away from real life. What she doesn't expect is the instant chemistry with Gabe's costar Ben Walsh.

Lauren's story is told through present day and flashbacks. I love a dual timeline when done well, and it was here - helping to us better understand how we got here. Ben is everything I love in a leading man in a celeb romance.

I loved this one - revisiting some characters I adore, and navigating the hard shit. Y'all know I always say that my favorite stories are the ones that are rooted in real life, and that was done so well in this one. TW: This book gracefully navigates grief and loss of a partner and a partner. I think it is done so well, but be gentle with yourself when reading <3

Big thanks to netgalley and Dell for this sneak peek! Totally and Completely Fine is out on TUESDAY - add to your TBRs, library requests and preorder lists asap!

I could not get into this story, it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the main female character. The plot was slow moving in present time and it was hard to see how the past connected to the present. I found it frustrating how little the female main character communicated with her daughter who was clearly struggling to manage her grief. After loving Elissa’s second book I wanted another story of that vibe and caliber and this book just wasn’t.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is due to come out July 8, 2025.

4 stars! A sweet, heart breaking, and steamy follow up to Funny You Should Ask. I really enjoyed this one!

This book follows Lauren Parker, sister to world famous actor Gabe Parker (whose story we follow in the first book). We got glimpses of Lauren previously but this time she is front and center. She is a widowed mother of an angry teen, trying her hardest to process her grief while being a mother, sister, daughter, store owner, etc. But then heartthrob and younger man Ben Walsh enters the picture and turns her life upside down.

I loved the way this story was told. Like the previous book, we follow Lauren in the present and in the past. The past is her relationship with Spencer, who passed away several years prior to the modern day events of the novel. And the modern day follows her growing relationship with Ben. By the very nature of this format, I don’t think we get enough time with Spencer or Ben to feel as connected to them as we are to Lauren. But I do really like that this book feels, more than anything, like a story about Lauren’s growth. Now don’t get me wrong, Ben is a dreamboat and their chemistry is off the charts. But it did feel, at times, like physical chemistry was all they had going for them. I don’t think I enjoyed this quite as much as Funny You Should Ask but I still really enjoyed it and will absolutely continue to read everything Elissa Sussman writes!

After reading “Funny You Should Ask,” I loved diving back into the world of Cooper, Montana with Lauren (widowed mother of Lena, sister to Gabe) and Ben (rising star in the acting world) front and center. Their primary storyline was supported with characters we know and loved from FYSA and felt like a cherry on top to see a continuation of Gabe and Chani’s story that initially drew me into this world. While a romance, it also so beautifully shows the unconditional love of a mother for her child through the turmoil of grief, teenage years, and identity exploration. Sussman’s latest was funny, tender, and hopeful—cementing her as an auto buy author for me.

I adore Elissa Sussman's writing style! She masterfully mixes the traditional elements of a light romance, the tension, spice, and banter, with the complexity of an emotional contemporary fiction. I laughed and I cried throughout this book! Returning to the characters from Funny You Should Ask, while exploring the profound grief of losing a husband, parent, and best friend, coming out to family, and raising a teenager, gave a wonderful depth to this story. I loved the main characters and loved seeing more of Gabe and Chani's story from a different angle. I am a little hesitant about dual timelines in a romance novel, but Elissa Sussman is a master at them, and it added more backstory to the character's grief without taking away from the central plot. I loved seeing Lauren's story with her late-husband, while she learns to open up with Ben and the rest of her family. It was a wonderful story, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating 4/5
Totally and Completely Fine, another really good book by Elissa Sussman. I loved Funny you should ask, which led me to requesting this book, and I really loved this book too. but not as a romance.

There’s no denying that the writing was beautiful. She almost made me cry two or three times. But more than a romance, it felt like the main plot was about healing through grief and coming out stronger, feeling totally and completely fine, with the happily ever after being just a bonus.

Thank you to Netgalley, Elissa Sussman and the publisher for an earc copy!

‼️ARC REVIEW‼️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a beautiful story of life after the death of a loved one. The impact one person has ripples through others in many different ways. Seeing how these characters are removing through their grief after the death of Spencer was beautiful.

I appreciated the dual timelines, so that we got to see the beautiful love and friendship that so many people had with Spencer. It also helped provide so much perspective to their present day circumstances.

First and foremost, I am a HUGE fan of Elissa Sussman’s previous books, so I was beyond excited to receive an ARC of Totally and Completely Fine! This novel follows Lauren (Gabe’s sister from Funny You Should Ask), a widowed single mom who sparks a connection with her brother’s costar Ben. I knew Lauren’s story was going to be emotional but I was not prepared for just how much I connected to her grieving journey.

Much of this book revolves around Lauren’s healing process after tragically losing her childhood sweetheart and husband Spencer. It’s told in past and present timelines so we are able to see the roots of Lauren and Spencer’s relationship as well as the years after his passing. Lauren and her tween daughter Lena are both struggling and we watch as their web of grief unravels. The complex dynamics between mother and daughter are on full display and I found the scenes between them to be the most compelling moments of the book. Sussman is able to lay the intense, warring emotions of grief plainly on the page in a way that is understandable to anyone who has experienced loss. Lauren’s ability to keep herself afloat while raising her daughter endeared me to her and I was rooting for her to find love in whatever capacity she wished for.

Enter Ben Walsh, the perfect person to make Lauren’s heart race again. Ben as a character is perfectly constructed. He’s sexy, thoughtful, and compassionate, adding to the messy bounds of Lauren’s life without minimizing her past experiences. I loved the way his bisexuality was discussed. It was important to see that type of representation celebrated regardless of the gender of person he was dating. It also led to some meaningful conversations between Ben and Lena where they openly addressed queerness and living authentically.

As I’ve come to expect with Sussman’s writing, there is a grounded aspect to the narrative. I love the way she is able to imbue a keen sense of humanity into her larger than life characters. Despite Gabe and Ben’s celebrity status, their hardships are raw and relatable to the point where you almost forget that they are superstars. There’s an intimacy to her character’s journeys and at the end of the book you truly feel like you know these people inside and out.

Thank you Random House / Dell and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Dell, & Elissa Sussman for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is the perfect pairing to Funny You Should Ask and I feel that you must read the first to fully appreciate the second. We have an overlapping timeline from one book to the next. The prior book reallllllyyy leads to our curiosity about Lauren and Ben. The second book shows us so much more of Gabe's backstory. And VERY similar to Ali Hazelwood's Not In Love and now Problematic Summer Romance- I don't think you can appreciate the next steps of the first couple (Gabe & Chani.. Rue & Eli..) in the second book without reading the first.

THIS BOOK DIGS DEEP INTO GRIEF! The Parker family went through grief in their early years- losing their father. Both siblings "coped" differently. Then they went through it again when Spencer, Lauren's husband & Gabe's best friend, passed unexpectedly. Again- they both coped differently. The novel examines love and continuous grief- the acceptability of that- and how the right people will love you through it and with it.

The romance between Ben & Lauren ended up being more of a subplot for me- but that's okay! I loved the romantic tension and release their story gave us. Lauren deserved that release and self growth. The family dynamics really are what shine in this book! Lauren's parenting of a grieving teen, Lena, Gabe's relationship with both Lauren and Lena. It all was incredibly fraught- but realistic.

♡ thank you to Random House (Ballantine) and Elissa Sussman for an ARC of this book! ♡

4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

📖 plot & pace: i was hooked from the first page with this book! this is such a raw book. it touches on love, loss and grief but turns them into something so beautiful. i truly adored this book. this was a medium paced book, it never truly had its slow moments. there were so many pieces to Lauren's life that you were interested. ALWAYS.

👥 characters: i loved the characters in this book. all of them had their own internal battles and their energies felt so real. i could truly relate to many of the scenarios in this book. Ally is the best friend i've always dreamed of, lena is the typical teenage girl going through unthinkable things, ben is such a great book boyfriend and lauren is just trying her best. this book felt so real and raw to me!

🤩 tropes: grief & loss, small town romance (ish?), brothers best friend (x2)

this was such a good book! i just wish there was more chemistry between lauren and ben in the beginning. it seemed they just jumped to taking each others clothes off LOL. i lovee the writing style here and id seriously recommend this to anyone!!

i truly loved this SO much!! this was phenomenal from start to finish. i loved the then and now chapters and learning about lauren’s relationship with spencer & seeing her grieve and navigate her relationship with ben. i also loved the gabe and chani content!! i feel like elissa is growing so much as an author and it’s so noticeable the more i read her writing. this book covers grief in such a beautiful way and will break your heart and heal it all at once. can’t recommend this sweet story enough!!

Lauren's husband died three years prior, and now she's struggling with her grief, her identity, and her newly teenage daughter. Her brother is a movie star, and on a set visit she's introduced to Ben, an actor who's younger than she is. Sparks fly. Then Lauren goes back to Montana, and when Ben shows up to be in a play, they can't keep away from each other. Lauren struggles to reconcile her relationship in her former marriage with moving on but not alienating her daughter. I really enjoyed this book, and it kept me hooked to see how things resolved.

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.