This tender and powerful story is about grief, healing, and the fear of moving on. Sussman does a great job with the complicated mother-daughter relationship.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the e-arc of this book, that I had shelved in my tbr and I was very excited about.

Elissa Sussman writes a genre of romance that I always have a good time with, her characters are part of the movie/theater scene, and I always enjoy a celebrity romance kind of vibe.
This time we find a main character who is going through grief, and juggles all kinds of relationships: mother-child, sister-brother, widowed daughter in law-mother in low, love, lust, friendships.
One thing that was impressive in this book, is how you get to know the main character in relation with all these different characters, and by the end of this story, it felt fulfilling.

I couldn’t give this more than 3 stars, because the age gap kind of bothered me, but also the ending was a little too cheesy for me.

I would say tho that grief and love for someone who died was represented in a very heartfelt way, it was very quiet and very real.

I know I’m not supposed to quote anything from an arc but I hope this will stay in the published version:
“Love is a shape-shifter.”

It’s safe to say that Totally and Completely Fine was… completely fine. I found it to be weirdly shallow feeling, which is surprising considering some of the subject material, but I just think the author tried to incorporate too many stigmatized character traits into the cast of characters that none of them felt fully explored and fleshed out, and neither did the characters themselves feel fully fleshed out or unique in any way. For the most part it felt very run of the mill, each character fulfilling the role assigned but not really accomplishing much aside from the predictable “healing journeys” set out for them. I felt the same for “Funny You Should Ask” as well, though I did enjoy “Once More With Feeling”, so I am not sure of my full opinion on Sussman’s books, but I am leaning towards them being quite average and that they could use a lot more character work in terms of depth and feeling real, and work on less cliche feeling attributes seemingly only provided to add complications, not to actually fully expound upon with nuance. None of the characters felt unique in any way, or like real people at all, and the story felt like a jumble of anecdotes interspersed with overdone romance scenes and very sudden spicy moments that felt out of sync with the rest of the story honestly. I can see Sussman’s attempts at destigmatizing things like grief, alchoholism, promiscuity, etc. but it made each character just feel like a disorder given a name to fill a quota of diversity and not a genuine three dimensional character. There’s more I could elaborate upon but truly, as I said, it was just fine.

Lauren Parker, once a rebellious teen and now a widowed single mother, finds herself adrift in her small Montana hometown. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Ben Walsh, a charming actor and her brother's co-star. Their instant chemistry challenges Lauren to confront her grief and consider the possibility of new love. As their relationship deepens, Lauren must navigate the complexities of small-town gossip, her daughter's unpredictable moods, and the complications of Ben's fame. The narrative alternates between Lauren's past with her late husband, Spencer, and her present with Ben, offering a poignant exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery.

Reading this felt like an emotional journey through the intricacies of grief and the courage it takes to embrace love again. Sussman masterfully balances humor and heartache, crafting characters who are both flawed and endearing. The dual timelines enrich the narrative, providing depth to Lauren's character and highlighting her growth. While some readers noted a desire for more development in the present-day romance, the overall story delivers a touching and authentic portrayal of healing and second chances.

This book was written for you if:
- You're drawn to stories that delve into the complexities of grief and second chances.
- You appreciate narratives that balance emotional depth with moments of levity.
- You're looking for a contemporary romance that offers both heartfelt connections and personal growth.

I have been recommending Elissa Sussman since first picking up Funny You Should Ask a couple years ago. Her books are witty and fun but also emotional and raw and seem so real, even when a celebrity/normal person romance feels so far fetched. Totally and Completely Fine follows in that same vein. Movie star Ben and single mom Lauren feel worlds apart from each other, and yet they work. Both touched by the loss of a parent and a family history of addiction, the two feel connected on a deep level, even without really speaking about it. While this book is about them and their love story, it’s more about complicated family dynamics, parenthood of a teenager, and living after loss and grief. I smiled; I swooned; I cried. Elissa Sussman has done it again, and I can see that I will continue to recommend her books as long as she continues to write them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Dell for the ARC of this book!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this one. It was fun to return to the world of Funny You Should Ask and get to know some of the peripheral characters as well as seeing the main characters in supporting roles. I enjoy the way this author writes. She is able to imbue a story that has difficult issues with the right amount of humor and levity.

Thank you NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, and Randomhouse Publishing Group for this ARC!

Totally and Completely Fine is the first novel I’ve read by Elissa Sussman, and it certainly won’t be the last. The story follows Lauren Parker, a widowed single mother navigating life in her small Montana hometown. Sussman masterfully delves into the complexities of grief, portraying Lauren’s journey with authenticity and emotional depth.

The novel’s structure, alternating between past and present, allows readers to intimately experience Lauren’s memories with her late husband, Spencer, and her evolving relationship with Ben Walsh, a charming actor she meets on her brother’s film set. This dual timeline perfectly illustrates how grief intertwines with the process of starting over, highlighting the challenges and hope that come with opening oneself up to new possibilities.

Sussman’s writing is both heartfelt and nuanced, capturing the rawness of loss and the tentative steps toward healing. Lauren’s interactions with her teenage daughter, Lena, further enrich the narrative, showcasing the multifaceted nature of grief and the strength found in familial bonds.

While the romance between Lauren and Ben adds warmth to the story, it’s the exploration of self-discovery and resilience that truly stands out. As someone who met the love of their life at 19 and has built the life of their dreams with that person, I deeply felt for Lauren’s loss of Ben and empathized with her moving through her grief to find herself again. Totally and Completely Fine is a beautifully crafted novel that resonates with anyone who has faced loss and sought the courage to embrace life anew.

It was a fantastic romantic read that also spoke honestly about grief and how to move on afterwards. Revisiting familiar characters and learning more about the extended universe was also a fantastic touch.

Plotting was good and the pace of the novel felt lived in. Would absolutely recommend to purchase for library!

I really loved this one and I loved the descriptions of grief and moving on while not really moving on. Lauren and Ben were such well fleshed out characters and I loved their relationships with each other and those around them. I loved getting a little sneak peek back into Gabe and Chani’s relationship and seeing Gabe continue to be able to make amends for his past with those around him. Even Lena’s storyline just warmed my heart so much. I deducted a star because I just wish there was a smidge smidge more back story with Ben and Lauren besides just one almost hookup and one serious hookup in his trailer. It felt like maybe I would have bought into them saying I love you if they had met up a couple more times prior. But otherwise just loved this one. Thanks for the ARC!

Totally and Completely fine is the sister novel to Funny You Should Ask also by Elissa Sussman, and follows Gabe's sister Lauren while she navigates raising her daughter, grief, loneliness and dating after losing her husband. Told through two timelines; Then - Lauren growing up, meeting, and falling in love with her late husband and Now - A widowed Lauren meeting and falling for the famous and younger Ben. We're talking age gap (older woman, younger man), we're talking 40+ yo FMC, we're talking hot, Irish, dirty talking MMC, we're talking small town vibes (the good and the bad). This book has it all!
This book is full of great new characters and old (that we met in Funny You Should Ask) - and I loved being on the other side and seeing the continuation of Gabe and Chani's story. And as always, Sussman wraps heartache in humor and the sweetest romance.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!
4.5/5 stars

loved this romance and finding love and remembering love before the one. love the friends and the chemistry between the couple was on fire and loved the banter.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this!

This story is a romance between a celebrity and a 'normal person' but its so much deeper than that, as you realize early on how gritty and messy Lauren is, and in turn SO relatable. In the current timeline, 3 years off the unexpected death of her husband, Lauren is a single mom trying her best to navigate living in the shadow of her famous brother, small town, and less-than-virtuous past. She has an instant-chemistry with Ben, the next James Bond, and has to handle the duality of their attraction for each other physically and her barriers to opening up emotionally. In the past timeline, we get these beautiful glimpses of her romance with Spencer, two complete opposites who find stability and love together. It's heartbreaking since you KNOW how it ends, but also really lovely.

I love everything about this: it's deep dives into parenthood, small-town gossip, death and religion, sobriety, grief, LGBTQ+...this touches on some serious topics with a sense of realism and care that really work. I thought the relationships in this, particularly those outside of the romance, were beautifully done. Lauren and her daughter are struggling but also so understanding and nurturing of each other. As a child of an alcoholic, the conversation between Gabe and his niece WAS my family life. It felt like looking into a mirror.

I wanted the slow burn to move a bit more quickly and I think I really wanted even MORE of Spencer/Lauren finally coming together in the past storyline, but it was truly moving from cover to cover.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for sharing this ARC!

Totally and Completely Fine did not live up to it's predecessor, Funny You Should Ask. This book was more character driven and I was not able to connect with the story. This is told in dual timelines and I think that made following the plot confusing.

listen… i loved it. another book that fits perfectly into the being with a famous celebrity and all the details inbetween etc etc etc. it was different than i expected with the different povs but i actually really loved that. it was 2 love stories in one really. between her falling in love with spencer to the present being with ben, it definitely made me tear up. a solid 4 star read.

4.5 ⭐️ What a beautiful story about love, grief, and taking chances. Also, Ben is swoonworthy! I wish I could’ve heard his accent in an audiobook. Oof.

Elissa Sussman’s Totally and Completely Fine is a heartfelt companion to Funny You Should Ask, centered on Lauren Parker—a widowed single mom in her 40s navigating grief, motherhood, and a surprise romance with her brother’s charming co-star, Ben.

Told in dual timelines, the novel explores Lauren’s past with her late husband Spencer and her present with Ben. While the emotional depth of her grief and family dynamics (especially with her brother Gabe) really resonated, the romance sometimes felt underdeveloped—likely due to the split narrative. Similarly, the resolution of Lauren’s conflict with her daughter Lena felt rushed, missing the weight it deserved.

Still, this is a poignant and nuanced look at love, loss, and rediscovering who you are. Recommended for readers who enjoy single parent stories, age-gap romance, and a touch of Hollywood glitz.

Thanks to Dell, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

This reminded me so much of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid well without the whole "your husband came back from being presumed dead" thing. Overall it was a story about grief and moving on but also having it be okay that there are bad days but life also moves on at some point. It was also a story about falling for a famous man while having a child behind you from a previous relationship which reminded me of the Anne Hathaway movie The Idea of You.

I love, love Elissa Sussman's writing. Will read anything and everything she writes as soon as I can get my hands on it (and thank you so much for the ARC). I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

As always, the writing is beautiful. It's a complicated, nuanced picture of grief, parenting, and what moving on can look like. I loved the Lauren/Lena dynamic, and the last act of the book really hit for me.

I believed in Lauren and Ben's chemistry, but at the end of things I was craving more of each of them sharing their inner lives with each other -- another few conversations that felt like they were really connecting. The "Past" sections were powerful and good but felt like they took some narrative oxygen away from Lauren and Ben, especially in the first 2/3 of the book, and Ben ended up feeling enigmatic to me. Lauren trying to avoid Ben early on also contributed to the feeling of knowing him less. It was an interesting contrast from "Funny You Should Ask," where Chani's whole job was to try to figure Gabe out, and she was paying very close attention and describing him in her piece -- I felt like I knew him much better.

Things that really hit, though: the pizza dough, the kitchen conversation, fixing the chairs, the Montana stars, the almond extract scene, Ollie, the return of Teddy. This one is going to stay with me.

I gotta be honest...I didn't need the sex. Or the crude references to it. I am no prude and I read my share of smut for that purpose, but I felt like the use of the F word, specifically, did not flow in this context at all. It seemed forced from Lauren's character. The language of touch would have been much more fitting, as I enjoyed that a great deal. Truly, the reference to the act was what I found crude and off-putting, not the dirty talk during.

Cuz I really loved this book in general. Like, the discussion of grief and "how" to do it was really well done. Cuz, like, there's no way to do it. It's a get through it thing. I cried in the end, more than once. I adored Ollie and Chani as secondary-ish characters. And the MCs are lovely. I love the idea of a 40-ish woman being hit on and then loved by a ridiculously hot 30 year old movie star...though I had to suspend some disbelief to get there. And the struggles of literally every character were very real and centering. I dug it. ♥

This book was a heartfelt and emotional ride from beginning to end. The chemistry between the main characters was electric, and their relationship felt both real and deeply moving. With just the right balance of sweetness, tension, and heartfelt moments, it’s the kind of love story that lingers long after the final page. Perfect for romance lovers!