I very much enjoyed this book and going back and forth between Lauren’s past and future lives. The characters are so fun and very real. Now I even want to go and explore small town Montana!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for providing an ARC

I loved Funny You Should Ask, so I was very excited to dive into this book; unfortunately, it was a bit of a miss for me.
I think Elissa Sussman is a great writer: her dialogue is authentic & the pacing is appropriate (loved the short chapters), but it did not make up for the blurry storyline.
This should have been a women’s fiction book at not a romance. I think Sussman tried to do too many things at once and it made for a dry get-together between characters that lacked real chemistry and interest. I loved the plot line of Lauren being a widow & her navigating her grief and relationship with her daughter, but it was overshadowed by the weird, oversexualized relationship she had with Ben. I didn’t understand why themes of sex positivity, queerness, and addiction were so focused on in this book, as they did not influence or change the plot in any way; it was almost like fluff to meet some sort of diversity requirement.

This would have been MUCH better if it focused primarily on Lauren’s healing journey and did not center it around getting in a “perfectly successful” relationship.

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman was a surprisingly good time. I really enjoyed her debut novel and found her second novel lacking so I went into this one with low expectations but it more than delivered! It was emotional, heartwarming and entertaining. The relationship between all the characters felt real and I found myself caring for them. It was a beautifully written book!

This book caught my attention from the very first chapter! The book follows the life of a widowed mother of a teenage daughter (who also lost her father at a young age), and the very true, non-linear journey of grief, finding yourself again after parenthood, and very real feelings of guilt that come when mothers, specifically, choose their JOY, too in life. I felt the characters were relatable, and I thoroughly enjoyed the aspects throughout the book where the female main character, Laura, explores her sexuality in a positive way with younger love interest, The book switches back from NOW and THEN from Laura's path of grief in highschool to her daughter, Lena's journey today. Overall, it's a lovely book that you can easily put down and pick back up again right where you left off. Spice factor 3/5, I'd say! Thank you to NetGalley for providing this copy for an honest review!

As someone who read and very much enjoyed Funny You Should Ask and Once More With Feeling, I JUMPED at the opportunity to read Elissa Sussman's newest book . The story slowly unfolds giving you details that fill in the blanks as we flip from the past and the present. It is sweet steamy romance with grief, loss, family ties.

As someone who has read all of Elissa Sussman's works, this one is honestly my favorite. In it, we follow Lauren Parker (the sister of Gabe from "Funny You Should Ask") before, during, and after the events of Gabe's book. Lauren, who's raising a teenaged daughter not long after the death of her husband, is struggling with the idea of potentially dating again. In comes Benjamin Walsh, who shows her that it's possible to date and fall in love again after death (but that grief is a part of us forever).

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I was so very excited to get an early copy of Sussman's new book.

Lauren Parker, sister to the movie superstar, Gabe Parker, (Funny You Should Ask), widow, and mother raising her teenage daughter in a small town in Montana. After losing her husband three years prior, when Lauren takes a trip to Pittsburgh to visit her brother's movie set, she comes face to face with her brother's new costar, the handsome, Ben Walsh.

As sparks begin to fly, and Gabe and Ben travel to Montana to start up a theater program, Lauren learns to navigate a love life after great loss.

Great cast of characters and a nice continuation of Gave and Chani's story intertwined, a beautiful read.

I wasn't in love with this book at first because it felt like a typical surface-level romance book, but once I got further along I realized this book handled meaningful topics, and real-life situations, and was entertaining (though there was still a bit too much of the miscommunication trope for me along the way). Small-town Montana was played up very nicely and this was a warm cozy read for the heart. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you for the ARC of Totally and Completely Fine. I enjoyed Lauren’s story, and revisiting with Gabe and Chani. Beautifully written story about love, family, grief, and relationships. I liked the alternating time periods-the past with Spencer and present with Ben.

Beautiful book about love, grief, and family. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading a lot of fairytale romance, but I was hooked by the realness of this book. The short chapters moved you between the past and present and tackled tough subjects while guiding you through it. Will need to read everything else Elissa Sussman has got on her shelves.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for the ARC!

Utter perfection, such a fresh voice, and I was bawling at the end. Elissa Sussman is a very special writer. Thank you NetGalley and Random House publishing for the ARC for my honest review.

To say i have been waiting for a new Elissa Sussman book would be an under statement. I love being in her writing and i love being the universe she created.i love how everything is connected. I love seeing the easter eggs,even the tiny blink and you'll miss it moments had Me beaming with joy. The detail and continuity is incredible you can definitely tell that sussman puts time and thought into everything she writes. I loved seeing the return of old characters. I loved the way the mmc(and mmcs in the elissa sussman universe in general) communicated. I loved seeing the growth/journey that we see not just our main characters go on but the side character as well. I was always so excited to pick this book up and i am even more excited to read what Elissa does next.

Absolutely loved this book and classic Elissa Sussman telling two stories in alternating timelines. But this time it isn't a second chance romance. It's a wonderful story with an unforgettable protagonist you will root for.

Lauren is a widowed single mom to teenager Lena, her husband Spencer died in an accident when Lena was only 1o. One timeline is about Lauren falling for her brother Gabe's best friend Spencer. The second timeline is after Spencer's death and Lauren falling for Ben, a famous movie star. The setting is the small town of Cooper, Montana.

Falling for Spencer involves them coming to terms with his faith tradition which seems like an evangelical type of Christian upbringing. Also she unfairly has a reputation born of small town life. There is a strong theme of being against purity culture in both timelines, Lauren's birds and bees lecture to Lena and her friend is excellent. All of the dialogue really rings true. Lauren must rationalize and understand how she can still grieve Spencer while being able to fall in love again.

"Love is a shape shifter. It will look different at 18 than it will at 40 than will at 80. It will feel different. You don't fall in love- it isn't something you trip and tumble over. Love is something you need to hurtle yourself into-- something you race toward heart first, even if you don't know what will happen. Especially if you don't know what will happen."

Read it. Save it. Re-read it. I can't wait until it is published so I can highlight my favorite parts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the ARC. Book to be published July 8, 2025.

Well I am NOT Totally and Completely Fine! I really really liked this book, but man was it an emotional journey. This book was another great example of Elissa Sussman’s mastery of a dual timeline. Seamlessly weaving together the story of Laurens first love and deceased husband with her current journey in a new romantic relationship.


This is a sometimes sweet, sometimes weighty story of a single mom wading through the grief of losing her husband, while also helping her daughter through her own journey of grief and loss. Meanwhile also tackling the heavy issues of alcoholism, parental loss, and sexuality. It is handled with such grace, but it still packs an emotional punch. I am not sure I was quite prepared for the heaviness of this book, but it did not dimmish my enjoyment in the least.

Lauren, a single mom, and sister to big time actor Gabe Parker is trudging through life in small town Montana. Slowly working her way through the grief of losing her husband three years prior. She meets Ben, a devastatingly handsome, and much younger actor on the set of one of her brothers movies. Instantly Lauren is feeling things, she hasn’t felt in years, but is she ready for another relationship? Everything feels complicated. You get the experience the joys of her falling in love for the first time with her deceased husband Spencer while she navigates what life looks like now dating as a widow with a teenage daughter.

I had not realized before starting the book that is was Gabe’s sister. What an amazing surprise! I had been hoping for this story since reading Funny You Should Ask. It was so fun to get more of Gabe and Chani mixed in with Lauren and Ben’s story. That being said if you read Funny You Should Ask you absolutely have to read this!

This is the third book by Elissa Sussman that I have read and it did not disappoint. She is a great writer and I love all of her characters.

Elissa Sussman’s Totally and Completely Fine is a heartwarming and emotionally rich romance that beautifully captures the journey of healing, self-discovery, and the unexpected paths love can take. The story follows Lauren Parker, a woman who’s been defined by grief after the sudden loss of her husband, Spencer. Once the rebellious teen, now a single mother in her small Montana hometown, Lauren is struggling to reconnect with herself and her desires. But when she meets Ben Walsh, a charming and handsome actor, everything begins to shift in ways she didn’t expect.

The chemistry between Lauren and Ben is immediate and palpable, and their relationship evolves in such an authentic, raw way. What starts as a seemingly simple fling grows into something deeper and more complicated as Lauren tries to navigate her grief, her role as a mother, and the challenges that come with being involved with someone so famous.

Elissa masterfully alternates between Lauren’s past with Spencer and her present with Ben, allowing readers to witness how the past shapes her, while also showing how much she still has to give in the future. It’s a powerful reminder that love can be both a way to honor the past and a bridge to something new.

The Montana setting adds a cozy, intimate feel to the story, and the small-town dynamics—complete with gossip and close-knit relationships—make Lauren’s journey feel all the more grounded and relatable. The tension between Lauren’s private struggles and Ben’s very public life is handled with sensitivity, and it’s easy to see how their love story is complicated by their contrasting worlds.

Lauren’s evolution throughout the novel is incredibly rewarding. Her emotional journey, as she grapples with her grief and comes to terms with her identity beyond being a widow and a mother, is depicted with depth and care. She’s a character you can’t help but root for, and her fierce independence, along with her vulnerability, make her someone readers will connect with on a personal level.

At its heart, Totally and Completely Fine is a story about the messiness of life and love, and how we find strength and joy in unexpected places. Elissa balances romance, family, and personal growth with ease, and the result is a heartfelt and inspiring book. This novel will leave you with a renewed belief in the power of second chances and the reminder that it’s never too late to live fully and love deeply.

It is a beautifully crafted, emotionally satisfying romance that will resonate with anyone who’s ever had to rebuild after loss or struggle to embrace the future while honoring the past

An easy 5 stars for me. I love this book so much. All of the complexity, longing, & heartbreak of Funny You Should Ask & then some. Lauren Parker is a widow raising her 13 year daughter, Lena in their small Montana town. Both are still grieving Spencer, husband & father. While visiting the set of her brother Gabe’s movie, sparks fly between Lauren & Ben Walsh, the younger co-star. The story moves back & forth in time. We see Lauren & Spencer’s earliest days and her present day maybe something with Ben. I loved the steamy attraction between Lauren & Ben, all the complicated family dynamics, and the realistic depiction of grief. It shows up in different facets of many characters. I always appreciate a nuanced portrait of how messy & all consuming it can be. Just like the love that came before. This is beautiful.

I really liked this book, noting that it skews way more to women's fiction than Sussman's first two adult contemporaries than romance.

She authentically grapples with grief, identity, and sense of self in a vulnerable, and sometimes awkward way that was endearing of Lauren rather than irksome. Ben was shockingly sweet and wholesome despite his reputation. Eve, Lena, and Allyson were great side characters and I loved getting to know Spencer from the flashback scenes.

I do think that romance readers may bristle at the dual timeline involving two different love interests, I loved it and thought it illustrated the expensive nature of love, but it does detract from the budding romance between Lauren and Ben. I would recommend this enthusiastically to contemporary/women's fiction readers and with caveats about the dual timeline with her husband whose death left her widowed to die-hard romance readers.

I don’t think I could love this book more. It’s a great story about grieving and figuring out how to live with that, but also how to make room in your life for all that remains. I love a love story that makes me cry and this one did not disappoint. Elissa Sussman has become one of my favorite authors.

Elissa Sussman is maybe my favorite romance author so I went into this one knowing I would like it. While I did miss the Jewish representation she usually writes, this book still had many of her characteristics; sizzling romantic/sexual tension, funny narrative, explorations of how fame effects mental health, and flawed yet lovable characters.

This book was heavy at times, as it explored grief, and the many people the MC is grieving, including her ex husband. The dual timelines of Lauren falling for movie star Ben and her now-deceased husband Spencer was a brave and interesting narrative choice and one I think really worked.