Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. This one just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get in to the writing style nor was I invested in the characters.

I loved Funny You Should Ask and Once More with Feeling, so I was excited to dive into Totally and Completely Fine. It features Lauren, the sister of Gabe from Funny You Should Ask, who’s a widow raising a teenage daughter in Montana. She visits Gabe on his film set and is immediately drawn to his costar, Ben.

And that’s where things kind of fall flat. Lauren has a compelling story — she’s dealing with grief, a changing relationship with her daughter, and dating again after the death of her late husband, Spencer — but the romance with Ben is entirely physical. I would have loved to see a deeper connection between them, but it’s just not there. I don’t know what they have in common or what they like about each other besides sex. All but one intimate scene was fade-to-black, which was disappointing given how horny these two are!

Complaints aside, I thought the depictions of grief were incredibly well done — so well done that I found Lauren and Spencer’s love story to be much more compelling than her romance with Ben. I know dual timelines are Elissa Sussman’s thing, but trying to do two love stories in one book was just too much. Lauren had such a strong relationship with her husband that her romance with Ben paled in comparison.

This book wasn’t bad, but it was a letdown after loving the author’s other two books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Sussman excels at crafting the do-again, not the do-over, as she leads her characters through grief toward another relationship, one that doesn’t replace but weaves in Lauren’s grief of her husband and continued struggle with her grieving teenaged daughter. I adored Ben’s character - he’s found a lightness despite his grief, and he embodies a golden retriever adoration for Lauren. I have never been a fan of dual timelines, but I do think it was executed well. Lauren’s background was set up well, but I wish the pacing was a little faster or we spent more time with Ben and Lauren’s relationship.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Dell Publishing (Imprint of Penguin Random House) and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Totally and Completely Fine! This book was a fun, witty, spicy rom-com with all your favorite tropes. The story handles some heavier topics such as grief, difficult family dynamics, and alcoholism, but it was a good time from beginning to end. A great choice for your next summer read!

The story is told in a dual timeline format, taking the reader back and forth from “then” and “now,” as it follows the journey of Lauren Parker and the sudden loss of her husband Spencer. She is then left to raise her now teenager daughter Lena, while navigating life in her forties and trying to find happiness again. She runs a store with her mother, with financial support from her brother Gabe, who is a successful actor. Lauren meets another famous actor, Ben Walsh, who immediately captivates her and they ultimately hook-up. All the while, she is struggling with raising her introverted teenage daughter, and all of the struggles one goes through as a single parent.

The past timeline dives into Lauren’s adolescence and the start of her relationship with her late husband, who was also her brother’s best friend. She goes through a rebellious streak, is bullied for being promiscuous, and is betrayed by her best friend. These chapters also focus on the grief of losing their father to cancer, and how that shaped the trajectory of their lives.

There are so many topics covered in this book, but it is done in a way that keeps the story light and fun. The banter and spice were very enjoyable, and it kept me turning the page. This is a small-town romance, both past and present, and I could easily envision it as a film script. The beginning of Lauren and Ben’s relationship felt like insta-love from the start, of which I’m not a huge fan. I did find myself slightly bored toward the end, and it left me wanting a bit more. As is typical with rom-coms, the plot became predictable and left some to be desired. Lena’s character became irritating toward the end. The author portrayed her as both a mature teenager struggling with sexuality, bullying, and alcohol consumption, but at times she acted like a whiny, disrespectful child. The dichotomy was a bit jarring.

Overall, if you are looking for an easy, entertaining summer read, this small-town romance has spice, banter, and meaningful topics that will keep you engaged. I would likely pick up another book from this author.

Topics/Themes/Trigger Warnings:
*Small Town Romance
*Age Gap
*Brother’s best friend
*LGBT rep
*Single parent
*Loss of parent
*Loss of spouse
*Cancer
*Car Accident
*Alcoholism
*Bullying
*Religion/Christianity
*Teenage Promiscuity
*Marijuana Use
*Absent Parent

I've always enjoyed Elissa Sussman's writing and Totally and Completely fine is no exception! I really liked the overlapping timeline with her other book, and she captured grief so well. I cried so much while reading this (extremely affectionate).

Not going to lie. I only read Elissa Sussman's latest work to get the update on her characters Gabe and Chani. I couldn't be happier since I was also able to fully fall in love in Lauren. Love interest Ben was somewhat of a cipher compared to Spencer, but was extra enjoyable due to the age gap. I was impressed by the push and pull of the dual timeline. I even had a spot for the snotty teen. Overwhlemingly enjoyed.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

I’m a big fan of Elissa’s other books and I was so excited to read her new release. What I love about her books is so how mature and realistic her characters are.

I really enjoyed that the FMC was older than her early twenties and it was nice to see her fall for a younger man. Sussman writes about grief and heartbreak in a refreshing way.

I was very excited when I saw who was going to be featured in this book. I loved Gabe and Chani's story in Funny You Should Ask and I hope to see more of them here. While that does come to fruition (and there are some great moments!), I did not love this book as much as I enjoyed her previous two novels. This one does focus heavily on grief and Lauren has definitely suffered a lot of tragedy in her life. I cannot imagine losing two important people before age 40. That said, I did not feel drawn into her story either in the then or now. I think that I felt the back and forth more abruptly this time. I am hopeful that maybe the author will explore a different approach in her next novel. For those to whom it is important, this book is definitely open door with some spice.
Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Lauren is a widow and a single mom of a teenage girl. This story centers on her journey of maybe finding love again and reflecting on her relationship with her late husband, Spencer.

I initially liked the idea of the story but I just didn't connect with it. I did enjoy her past chapters when her husband was still alive and their relationship but I didn't feel much chemistry between her and the "hot" actor Ben.

I thought the author did a good job braiding the two timelines together, helping us get to know Lauren on an emotional level but I just didn't get captivated by the romance side of it.

Totally and Completely Fine combines lighthearted and tragic themes including loss, grief and addiction while exploring new romances. It felt incongruent to me and was hard to keep reading at some points, but overall a sweet story about a grieving single mom who is re-learning herself. Thank you NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Dell for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Elissa Sussman is a go-to, auto buy author for me. She has such a talent for writing heartfelt stories with character development and depth that still feel like a romcom. These relatably flawed characters are dealing with loss, grief, and other real life hardships, and the path through is messy, beautiful, and definitely not always forward progress. The alternating timelines were clear and easy to follow and the small town setting was cozy. The one character I found a bit much was Lena, a teenager still finding her way through grief and hormones, who was disrespectful and obnoxious under the guise of "she's a teenager, whaddya gonna do?!" I know what MY mother would have done and I certainly wouldn't have tolerated that behavior out of my own child, but fiction isn't meant to be reality, right? This novel can be read as a standalone, but there are delightful callbacks to Funny You Should Ask, so I highly recommend you start there as this layering gives more context (and easter eggs!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine/Dell for a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review. Can't wait to see what Sussman comes up with next!

Since I loved "Funny You Should Ask," I had high hopes for "Totally and Completely Fine" and was eager to explore Lauren's story. The chapters set in the past, detailing how Lauren and Spencer got together, were a real highlight. Unfortunately, the contemporary narrative didn't quite hit the mark. I found it hard to believe in the quick romance between Lauren and Ben. The book's tone also felt mismatched, attempting to be upbeat while addressing serious themes. On the bright side, it was great to catch up with Gabe and Chani. Overall, it was an okay read

Elissa Sussman always writes the perfect famous/non-famous person romances and this is no exception. This story follows Lauren (the sister of Gabe from Funny You Should Ask) and Ben Walsh, a famous actor known for being a bit of a dare devil. We also follow the story of Lauren and her now-deceased husband Spencer, who died three years earlier in a car crash. This book manages to balance grief, romance, family, and a moody teenager so well.

This was...totally and completely fine.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

Everything is Totally and Completely Fine! I was prepared to slog through this book since the last book spanned 10 years but this book moved so fast! I loved the family dynamics and Ben and Lauren were so much fun to watch. I want Lena’s story of her relationships and how her life ends up ASAP.

It’s probably time to admit that Elissa Sussman is a one-hit wonder for me, because I was entirely underwhelmed by this disjointed romance and wasn’t won over by Once More With Feeling either. Where the complex timeline in Funny You Should Ask added a lot of richness and tension to the story, the dueling timelines in Totally and Completely Fine simply made every plot point feel underdeveloped. It felt so scattered - the heroine’s love story with her deceased husband, her strained relationship with her teenage daughter, her brother’s role in her life, and then finally her fling with an up-and-coming celebrity. I know that it was all meant to showcase how the past has influenced the heroine’s present, but everything ended up feeling surface level as a result. I struggled to connect with the characters, and was left feeling wholly uninvested in seeing them find their way together.

The story follows Lauren, a widow who lost her husband a few years ago. Still trying to get out of the fog of grief, Lauren’s relationships are all a little strained. So when she meets a sexy young actor with a playboy reputation, Lauren doesn’t see the harm in spending the night together. Ben has a bright career in front of him, and Lauren is confident that he won’t get attached. But when Ben continues to keep in contact, their relationship starts to head in a direction Lauren never anticipated.

First and foremost, this is very much a sequel to Funny You Should Ask, with overlapping characters and timelines. I’ve read about a thousand books since FYSA, so it took me a bit to settle in and remember some of the things Lauren referenced. I also struggled with how much we bounced between the past and present, with two totally different love stories developing throughout the book. I like the idea of seeing how Lauren’s past has shaped her, but the execution didn’t work. I felt like I didn’t know Ben well, and their relationship was lust-focused for sure. I didn’t particularly like Lauren as a person either, which was unexpected. Ultimately, it wasn’t a win for me, but there were elements that showed so much promise.

"Completely and Totally Fine" follows Lauren Parker, a widowed single mother in small-town Montana who's struggling to cope after losing her high school sweetheart and husband Spencer. When she meets actor Ben Walsh on the set of her brother's movie, their instant chemistry jolts her out of her grief-related fog. What begins as an unexpected fling becomes complicated as Lauren navigates small-town gossip, Ben's celebrity status, and her own journey toward rediscovering who she wants to be.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy a romance novel interlaced with themes of grief as much as I did, but this novel by Elisa Sussman won me over. I read it in one sitting. I especially loved the bold and brash nature of the protagonist in her younger years—she felt refreshingly unapologetic and therefore compelling. Sussman's portrayal of motherhood was well done, capturing both the overwhelming love and persistent doubt that is part and parcel of parenting.

The way grief is interwoven throughout the story never felt forced or manipulative, but rather provided meaningful ways for the central couple to connect with one another. This is a fresh, nuanced, and mature romance that delivers the HEA we all want while tackling life's harder moments with honesty and heart. I have read all of Sussman's novels, and this is my favorite based largely on how well-drawn Lauren is as a character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Funny You Should Ask and was really looking forward to this. In FYSA, it centers on the story of Gabe Parker. Totally and Completely Fine hones in on the life of Gabe's sister, Lauren. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much. I felt like the chemistry between Lauren and Ben lacked. I did enjoy the grief aspect and how difficult starting over after the loss of a spouse can be.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After the loss of her husband, Lauren Parker feels lost in her small-town life until she meets actor Ben Walsh, who sees her in a way no one has in years. As their connection deepens, Lauren must navigate love, grief, and rediscovering who she really wants to be.

Totally and Completely Fine is a companion novel to Funny You Should Ask, which I loved, so I was really looking forward to learning more about Lauren, Gabe’s older sister. I really enjoyed the “then” chapters and liked seeing how Lauren met her first husband, Spencer, and how their relationship developed. The “now” chapters didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect with the insta-love between Lauren and Ben. The author seemed to be trying to check off boxes and kept repeating why Ben was such a catch physically. The characters in the present timeline were underdeveloped and mostly just there. There were a lot of subplots that didn’t feel fully explored. The tone also felt a bit off where it was trying to be light and breezy while tackling heavier topics. It was great seeing more of Gabe and Chani and watching their relationship progress. Overall, this ended up being a low 3-star read for me.

“Totally and Completely Fine" is a perfect conclusion to Gabe and Chani’s love story, while seamlessly introducing a compelling new voice: Gabe’s sister, Lauren. The novel centers on Lauren’s journey through grief following the loss of her husband, while also exploring her path to new love and the challenges of solo parenting. It’s a moving, honest portrayal of healing, deeply emotional yet filled with hope. The story stands out for its inclusive and modern representation of same-sex and bisexual relationships, which are integrated naturally and meaningfully. Lauren’s grief is at times heartbreaking, but equally powerful is the joy, vulnerability, and excitement of falling in love again.