Thank you to Random House, Dell, and Elissa Sussman for the ARC of this book. I’ve been a big fan of Elissa’s books in the past and was thrilled to receive this advanced copy. While I did enjoy Totally and Completely Fine, unfortunately it didn’t fully connect for me. Lauren is the older sister of Gabe who we met in Funny You Should Ask. Although this is considered a standalone, I don’t think you would know what was going on without reading Funny You Should Ask. It’s been several years since I read it and it feels like if I had completed a reread prior to this I would have enjoyed it more. The book makes a lot of assumptions about what you know about characters. I did enjoy the family aspect of the story and the close relationships between all the characters. The looks back in time were also quite enjoyable although you never really feel a strong connection between Lauren and Spencer. The way grief was handled was quite beautiful and realistic. I did struggle a little with the romance. Ben was just a very flat character to me. I didn’t feel like he was realistic as an actor or that their relationship was realistic. Sometimes when there is a famous person in the book, it just doesn’t feel real. Unfortunately this was one of those times. I look forward to reading what Elissa writes next and all in all did enjoy this one as well!

I found Sussman's first two books to have great, pithy premises but mid execution but a romance about a member of the #younghotwidows club and a hot actor is calibrated to hit me right in the feels.

I absolutely adored Funny You Should Ask and was beyond excited to learn that Elissa Sussman was writing a follow-up novel!

Totally and Completely Fine follows Lauren Parker and her teenage daughter, Lena—whom we first met in Funny You Should Ask. Still navigating their grief after the loss of Lauren’s husband a couple of years ago, both mother and daughter are figuring out how to move forward. While Lauren has devoted herself to managing Lena’s teenage dramas, an unexpected companionship enters her life, making this book utterly unputdownable.

Told through a dual timeline that seamlessly weaves the past and present, this novel offers an intimate look at how Lauren’s past choices shape her present and, ultimately, how she takes control of her own future. I felt like a fly on the wall, completely immersed in her journey, rooting for her every step of the way.

Having read and loved Elissa Sussman’s previous books, I am continually amazed at her ability to craft heartfelt, five-star novels that I devour. Totally and Completely Fine is no exception—I highly recommend picking this one up!

Totally and Completely Fine is a book about grief, love and living without regret. I could not put this book down. Lauren is a widow in her 40s who lost her husband 3 years ago and continues to grieve. Ben is a famous actor in his 30s who is starring in a movie with her brother Gabe. They are immediately drawn to each other and this book follows them from where they meet on set in Philadelphia, back to Montana (Lauren's home town).

I enjoyed the way this book was written alternating with chapters from the present and the past showing us Lauren and her husband Spencer's relationship. Lauren's grief journey is very authentic and I enjoyed her genuine connection to Ben. I enjoyed the strength of this family, the acceptance they had for each other and Lauren's journey to allowing herself to love again.

Thank you Dell, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman left me with mixed feelings. While I really enjoyed her writing, I struggled to connect with the story and the characters. The book starts with some heavy themes, as our FMC, Lauren, navigates being a widow and a single mom, but the way she and Ben came together felt a bit off. The immediate attraction between them didn’t quite feel authentic to me, especially considering Lauren’s grief. I had trouble relating to her, and Ben, as a celebrity, came across as too cliché. The family dynamics were interesting, but ultimately, they didn’t redeem the book for me. It was just okay—definitely not as strong as Sussman’s previous works.

This book was such a fun, unexpected read that I couldn't put it down. I loved how beautifully messy and real the characters and their problems/lives were. I learned a lot about grief and healing though this story, along with being okay with letting yourself be you. I was a little apprehensive of the age difference romance between Lauren and Ben but they were so perfect together that it ended up not mattering as much as I thought it would.

Elissa Sussman's writing is so incredible that she has become an auto-read author for me.

TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FINE was a really beautiful, moving read! You might remember Gabe's sister Lauren from Elissa Sussman's debut novel, and now she's stepping into the spotlight as the star of her own story about learning to live—and love—again. Lauren is still grappling with the sudden, tragic loss of her husband Spencer, and also figuring out how to connect with her daughter, Lena, who has mostly shut her out ever since. When Lauren meets charming, handsome actor Ben Walsh on the set of her brother's new movie, their initial spark soon blossoms into an undeniable connection. But soon, a fun flirtation becomes something more, and amidst the complications of her relationship with Ben and all the other aspects of her life, Lauren must figure out a way to appreciate the past, enjoy the present, and move forward towards the future. Can she hold onto her old self while also growing into the person she's meant to be?

Just like in her previous books, Sussman incorporates the celebrity romance trope and alternating "then-and-now" chapters into the story, both of which I (as always) loved! I flew through the book, and was completely absorbed in Lauren's journey. I really enjoyed her as a character—how unapologetic she is about who she is, how fiercely she loves her family and friends, how she slowly opens her heart to finding fulfillment, love, and joy again, even after experiencing something so painful. I will say that this book felt distinctively less "romance-y" than the other two, despite the two love stories being told, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting! Sussman definitely gets readers invested in both Lauren's past relationship with Spencer and her current one with Ben, showing how both are so different, yet equally special and important. She also does a great job of fleshing out other aspects of the story beyond the romance, exploring themes of family, self-discovery, and grief, among others. However, I found myself wishing we got more of the relationship between Lauren and Ben—they clearly had this immediate chemistry and complemented each other so well, but the development of their relationship feels somewhat quick, and then they spend quite a bit of the book apart. I really liked them together, so selfishly, I would have wanted more!

However, I think if you go into the book expecting more of a contemporary fiction story with a side of romance, you might feel differently, and if you tend to enjoy those types of books, I would especially recommend this one! Lauren's healing journey was so beautifully done, and in my opinion, is the true heart of the story. I would also recommend reading FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK beforehand if you haven't yet, since some of the characters reappear in this book, so it just adds to the reading experience! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Dell for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Phew. That was quite the emotional read, which is not exactly what I was expecting after reading Sussman's first two books previously. The grief that Lauren is experiencing is palpable throughout, and that made some points of the book challenging to read from an emotional standpoint. I think there is definitely a leg of the romance genre that feels incredibly far-fetched, and this was not that AT ALL. I felt like I was reading something that someone actually went through and to me, that made the book all the better.

I am docking one star because the romance between Lauren and Ben felt purely physical and nothing more. Maybe that's all she was capable of? But I just felt like it needed something more to really feel believable.

Four stars!

beautiful book! thank you Dell and NetGalley for the opportunity to read early.

the exploration of family dynamics and navigating grief throughout this book were so well done.

without spoiling anything, I’ll say that I found myself gravitating more to the “then” chapters than the “now” chapters in terms of romance. I almost wish this were a women’s fiction book with more focus on Lauren and Lena! or that the book was a tad longer to further flesh out the “now.”

all that being said, I really really enjoyed this read! flew through it in three sittings! now I want to go back and read Funny You Should Ask

Such a good follow-up to Funny You Should Ask, I really enjoyed seeing Lauren and Lena on page again! In Totally and Completely Fine, Lauren and her daughter Lena are visiting Lauren's brother Gabe on a movie set. Lauren is still grieving the death of her husband, Spencer, and she and Lena are together trying to find their new normal. When the very handsome and much younger actor Ben Walsh shows interest in her, Lauren decides to try something new and have a fling with Ben, but when he shows up in her small hometown, the situation gets a lot more complicated.

I absolutely loved seeing Lauren's evolution from traumatized teenager in the flashbacks, to confident 40-year old in the present. We also get to see the evolution of her relationship with Spencer which I loved -- it added so much depth to her character to see how they had grown together. The backstory of Lauren's struggles in high school, and her current strained relationship with Spencer's mother, also seemed quite realistic. Lauren makes the best of it, but understands that some people can't change their world views.

Overall a 5-star read from me! It was sexy but heartening, and I thought the characters seemed very real. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC! Very much looking forward to Elissa Sussman's next book.

Elissa Sussman is an absolute delight, and Totally and Completely Fine was no exception. Deftly handling grief and dating as a widow with child, I adored this book (as someone whose father passed when I was young, and watched my mom go through her own journey).

This was a nice follow up to “Funny you should ask”. Dealing with grief, moving on after the loss of a parent and spouse, parenting a teen, dating again. I thought it was cute but sometimes when dealing with these heavy topics it ran around in circles at a surface level. Yes teenagers can be monosyllabic but they are also very sensitive and can be deep and complex. It was fine but left me wanting a little more.

Lauren’s husband died three years ago and she is still grieving and trying to raise her teenage daughter. When her movie star brother invites her to visit his latest film set, Lauren unexpectedly clicks with his gorgeous co-star. Amazingly, this gorgeous co-star agrees to move to Montana for a couple of months (where Lauren lives!) to help her brother put on a theater production.

There were parts of this I enjoyed (I was rooting for Lauren and Ben, however implausible their love story), and parts I didn’t think worked as well (some of the flashbacks between Lauren’s life with Spencer and the present were abrupt). I think readers looking for a insta-love/celebrity/age-gap romance that weaves in a story of grief and second love may enjoy. This can be read as a standalone and if you’ve read Funny You Should Ask, you’ll be able to check in on Gabe and Chani. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I don’t know why I even try with Elissa Sussman anymore. Her first book was good, but these past two have been so bad. I don’t understand how anyone can cause such secondhand embarrassment, but she has managed to do it. It was just a no for me

I would read Elissa Sussman’s grocery list ok?

Totally and Completely Fine was so beautifully written and navigated grief so, so well. Mingling it with love, both old and new, it really is evident that grief is complex and a journey.

As I get older, I really enjoy reading stories about women around my age. And the women that Elissa Sussman writes are complex and funny and still so freaking cool. In a world where we aren’t supposed to look like we age, reading about women with stretch marks and grey who are still desirable makes me feel so seen.

I LOVED that this was the same universe and family as Funny You Should Ask. It was like getting a sneak peek into Gabe and Chani, but integrating them into Lauren’s experience.

Beautiful. Five stars. I’d give it a million if I could.

Death of a Spouse
Alcoholism
One-Night Stand
Reverse Age-gap
Gender Sexuality
The emotional price of fame and celebrity

All of these topics are dealt with humorously and tenderly in the newest book by one of my one-click authors, Elissa Sussman, TOTALLY AND COMPLETE FINE.

The title is a misnomer because none of the main characters in this book are fine. Either totally, completely, or any other way.

The Parker family has known tragedy in spades. Lauren and Gabe lost their father at a young age; Lauren lost her husband Spencer, who was Gabe’s best friend, and now she is dealing with a confused, frightened, and moody teenager as a single mom. She lives in a small town and we all know how vicious and gossipy those can be.

Gabe is a mega movie star and invites them both to a movie shoot where Lauren meets his much younger bisexual costar, Ben Walsh. Sparks fly and the two (Lauren and Ben) enjoy a very hot interlude. Just once.

That’s enough for Lauren. Or so she thinks.

I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but this book was an emotional rollercoaster after that one-night stand that was so filled with drama balanced with humor that I had to finish it in one sitting.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Random House for a sneak peek at this wonderful book. 5 stars from me. I highly recommend this author’s works and this book.

Totally and Completely Fine is the first book I've read by Elissa Sussman, but it most definitely won't be the last.

Lauren Parker is a tragically widowed young mother who finds herself floundering since the death of her husband, Spencer. When she goes on set to her brother, Gabe's movie, she meets Ben and sparks fly. She decides to give into the chemistry with Ben and what she thinks is going to be a short fling turns into more.

I generally don't like books that have now/then flashbacks, but they made this book so much more than it would have been if just in the present time. We got to know Lauren, her family, and how those dynamics helped her during her time with Spencer and into the present.

I laughed and I didn't just cry, I sobbed through this book. I'm going back to find the other works by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All opinions are my own.

I was really intrigued by Lauren and Lena when I originally read Funny You Should Ask so of course when I found out about this book I was ecstatic. I am a sucker for books that will undoubtedly make me sob and this book did exactly that. It is such a brutally honest depiction of grief and hope and love and family and it was absolutely beautiful. It’s so easy to care and root for every character from page one. Elissa Sussman crafts stories that immediately hook you in and make you love these characters because of how relatable and down to earth they are. This is a book I will be recommending to every one I know the second it comes out.

What struck me most about this book was its exploration of family dynamics, often overshadowing the romantic elements. I particularly enjoyed the moments spent with Gabe and Chani through Lauren's eyes, which enriched their backstory and gave readers a deeper understanding of their roles, especially for fans of "Funny You Should Ask." However, I found the subplot involving Lauren's daughter to be somewhat lacking. Her character felt flat and unrelatable for the most part, and the resolution of her conflict with Lauren seemed rushed and not quite satisfying. Overall, while the novel excels in many areas, some aspects left me wanting more depth and nuance.

I absolutely loved this book! Elissa Sussman writes such fun, sexy dialogue that has me absolutely kicking my feet while I read. It even took me a few chapters in to realize that I had met some of these characters before. Based on the synopsis, I wasn't sure this storyline was going to be for me, but I fell in love. Elissa writes adult characters as real mature complex adults (which is rare). It's romantic and fantastical and Hollywood, but it also feels like the best kind of love story you hear from a couple who you meet at a bar. Do you know what I mean?

Read this book - I kept going back to it days and days later to reread my favorite parts. I want to know more about Ben and his mother, and his days in Ireland. I can picture him so clearly that I feel I should become a casting director for this specific film. Call me when it gets picked up.