This book was just a total hit for me. Lauren was so relatable as a mom of a teenager. The constant struggles of what to say and how to say it, how to reach out across the divide that happens at that age. Compound this with the grief they were dealing with and it makes for a lot of room for growth. I loved Lauren’s growth and her reawakening of the stronger version of herself.

I loved Ben and wished we had seen more of him. There was a lot to unpack in his story and he was a very compelling person. I also loved the glimpses into Gabe and Chani’s life after the last book. (Funny You Should Ask - which I also loved!) This was a romance with a lot of heart and family.

This book was so good! It was so emotional and dealt with grief and family implications of grief in a very real way. I found myself crying ALOT. The writing was so good it’s quick and smart and I adore Sussman’s writing for these reasons!!

I feel for Lauren and Lena so much I felt so emotionally connected to the both of them. Both of them are so raw and the grief is reflected so well in them both, I resonated a lot with them.

Ben was fun but I do wish there was MORE of him and MORE of their relationship, I didn’t mind it taking a hit of a back seat to Lauren and her grief and growth but I did want more.

Also was excited to see this was so directly connected to funny you should ask!!

Yes, Sussman does it again! I've read all of her novels and this one doesn't disappoint either! There's something so engaging about the characters she creates that makes the reader care for them so deeply. If you're looking for a romance that packs an emotional punch, look no further than this book. Can't wait to see what Sussman writes next - she will always be an auto-read for me! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I was excited to read this book but I will say it is a mixed bag. While I liked the MMC, Ben, I had a hard time liking our protagonist FMC, Lauren. Age gap (she’s older) trope is not a favorite of mine, but ultimately I had a hard time understanding what made her interesting. She felt very flat even though she was supposed to be dealing with all of these hard things.

As an Pro, we get a peek into Gabe and Chani’s story (Funny You Should Ask).

Wow, I cried SO MUCH reading this. I think the exploration of grief in this book would be poignant for anyone, but hit particularly close to home for me. The main character, Lauren Parker, lost her husband Spencer several years ago, and she and their daughter Lena have been struggling through their grief and pain in different ways for years. There are several points at which Sussman's writing about grief is so relatable to me as someone whose partner had a serious and life-threatening medical emergency in the recent past - I almost couldn't handle it, but it was also so good. I've only read one of Sussman's books before, Funny You Should Ask, and while I definitely liked that, I think the writing was even better in this one. With the structure of the narrative (alternating between "now" and "then"), we see Lauren fall in love and wade through grief more than once, and at the end I felt like I really understood her well as a character. Also, it was great to see Gabe and Chani (from Funny You Should Ask) again - Lauren is Gabe's sister and both Gabe and Chani have important roles in this one. Content warning for death of a parent, death of a spouse, and references to addiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I didn't realize this was a sequel until I looked at reviews after finishing. I wish I had read the first book before I got to this one. This was uneven for me at times. Lauren is grieving her husband when she meets a movie star and there is instant attraction. The book was a lot spicier than I thought it would be so I was just confused about the purpose of the story. I liked the pieces with Lauren's family, her brother and daughter, and how they are coping with grief too. I just didn't feel that I really understood Ben's character quite as well.

This one was a little hard to get going with at first but it did get better. The story really surprised me and it was definitely not what I was expecting. Overall I enjoyed it but I am not sure if I would recommend it.

I liked this. I had to go back and figure out how it fit with her previous book because I kept half remembering pieces that coincided. I did think it was odd Lauren’s mother wasn’t more prominent in the story though.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

this was sweet and to clarify, i did enjoy it - but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. first of all, i think the publisher should clarify that this is essentially a sequel to funny you should ask. yes, it focuses on different characters, but there’s a lot of context from funny you should ask that’s important to this story and i don’t think the exposition quite does a good enough job of cluing in readers. i would recommend reading funny you should ask first - and honestly, i think it’s a better book.

i think the problem is that this book tries to do too much. i liked lauren (although tbh i found her and their dirty talk pretty cringe) and i liked her relationship with ben, but i just wasn’t fully invested? there’s not enough time spent with the two of them as a couple because the author is also trying to get you invested in lauren’s relationship with her late husband and the story there - it was far and away the stronger, more impactful relationship, and the relationship with ben just paled in comparison. there are also subplots about sexuality, grief and addiction that aren’t given enough space to breathe.

all that said, again, i did enjoy it! it just wasn’t a perfect romance and missed a few things for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: ❤️Romance
Recommend:✅

“Totally and Completely Fine” was such a unique and deep romance that still has so much snark and banter. I really, really enjoyed it from beginning to end.

This one is really two books in one; it focuses around Lauren, a newly widow mother who is (kinda) getting her mojo back. We get both her love story with her husband through flashback chapters and her life now as she falls for her brother’s friend; who also happens to be a major movie star.

I don’t know who I loved more, Spencer, the husband or the new love interest Gabe. This book was heart breaking but so hopeful and fun. It’s an easy recommendation for a quick romance read!

You’ll love this book if you love:
✅Celebrity Stories
✅Life after Grief
✅Snark

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for the ARC!

Elissa Sussman does it again.

I absolutely loved Funny You Should Ask and Once More With Feeling so when I saw another book by Elissa Sussman, I knew I just HAD to read it.

I was hooked from the very beginning with this book. Typically, I'm not one for insta-love, but the chemistry was just undeniable with our main characters. Sussman did a great job of painting the picture of trying to live and love again after such devastating loss. The shorter chapters made navigation from the past and present a breeze and allowed me to absolutely CRUISE through this book.

I love a book that involves famous people — especially if it's a romance between a celebrity and a normie. This is way more than a romance, though.

While Ben and Lauren have instant chemistry, the story isn't mostly about them — it's about Lauren and her grief. Elissa Sussman delicately but perfectly balances the time jumps between chapters, giving us sneak peeks into Spencer and Lauren's romance, while also showing Lauren come to terms with having feelings for someone new, and how that still-lingering grief is affecting both her and her daughter. There's some beautiful character development here.

There's lots of great queer representation too which was wonderful. And If you've read Funny You Should Ask, we get more Gabe, Chani, and Ollie, so that's a plus.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine / Dell for the e-arc!

I requested this book not knowing it was part of a set and honestly, it didn't matter one bit!

It's written in a dual timeline and delivered exactly what I thought it would and I loved it. Elissa really nailed the process of grief and how messy and complex it can be. Starting new sucks. Starting new is hard. This book is a love letter to the mess.

I will say for me personally, I was so much more invested in her relationship with Spencer. That could be because Ben just did not feel fleshed out as a character and maybe that's on me for not reading the previous books, I'm not sure. All in all though, I still really enjoyed their story.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this early, and I think it is going to be an incredible read this summer.

I really appreciated the author's perspective on grief. I kept thinking she must have first hand experience with loss because she explained the grieving process and all its craziness so well. The romance was a bit too insta-love for me but Ben and Lauren worked well and I loved watching their story unfold. I enjoyed the chapters being divided into Then and Now so we could get a good history on Lauren and Spencers relationship and what they were like before he passed.
A great cast of characters and an endearing storyline!

Totally and Completely Fine hit me right in the feels. Elissa Sussman captures grief, healing, and messy new beginnings so well it almost hurts. I loved the dual timeline showing Lauren’s beautiful past with Spencer and her struggle to move forward, though honestly, I was way more invested in her old love story than her thing with Ben—it just never felt super deep to me. Still, the writing is sharp, emotional, and full of heart, and Lauren is one of those flawed, real characters you can’t help but root for. This book is about more than romance; it’s about surviving loss, rebuilding yourself, and figuring out who you are when life doesn’t go as planned—and for that, it totally delivers.

thank you to netgalley for this ARC! i have read elissa sussman's first book, which i really enjoyed, and this one had some similar vibes with the celebrity love interest- i do feel like for the first half of the book, i had a hard time connecting to the characters, and i think the aspect of dealing with grief gets stronger as the book goes on- the second half of the book i definitely felt more connected to our characters. i liked the choice of the back and forth timeline and i think the mmc seemed like a great match for our fmc! overall i wish this book had some stronger characterization but it was a fun and quick read and if you like her other books you will like this one! 3.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I went into this book extremely optimistic since I have loved Elissa Sussman’s last two adult releases. Not only did I love this book, but I was extremely moved by the exploration of grief as another layer. I loved the structure of the novel, the new characters we met and catching up with characters we met previously.

Thrilled to have been able to devour this book early and can’t wait to see what the author shares with us next!

I am so sad to say I didn't finish this one. I LOVED the two previous books by Elissa Sussman but this one felt more sad than I wanted it to be (a personal preference) but also the insta-connection didn't work for me, it felt too cutesy at times, and the dual timeline did not add much depth in my opinion, just thinned out each of the love stories.

4.5⭐️

When it comes to celebrity romances, no one writes them like Elissa Sussman. I have been not so patiently waiting for this book since it was announced and I devoured it in less than 24 hours. I love that Sussman returns us to the world of the Parker family - I absolutely loved getting more peeks into Gabe and Chani’s story.

Typically I’m not an insta love/lust fan because I find there isn’t much in the way of emotional connection, friendship or intimacy, but my gosh, it worked phenomenally here because Sussman brought those important pieces into play after the initial fireworks and I couldn’t get enough. Lauren and Ben’s chemistry is undeniable - I LOVE that she’s older - and things are hot and heavy in the beginning, but then they pull things back and focus on their emotional connection and fostering intimacy.

This is the perfect read for the summer, but while you’re packing it in your beach or pool bag, you might want to add some tissues too. While this is a romance, it is very much a story about loving and grief being an extension of our hearts’ ability and capacity to love and care for others. It was beautiful and at times heart wrenching reading the ‘then’ chapters where Lauren and Spencer’s love story was unfolding and then jumping back to the present where Lauren and the family were trying to process their grief and figure out who to keep living following Spencer’s passing.

I appreciated how messy and layered this story is because it reflects the complexity of real life and how each of us are imperfect and a little broken, but worthy of loving and being loved.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early copy! I've been itching to get my hands on this one; Elissa Sussman got me hooked for life on her books starting with Funny You Should Ask. While that one still remains my favorite, Totally and Completely Fine was a lovely follow-up that I really enjoyed reading.

Lauren is a firecracker of a heroine — equal parts sarcastic, soulful, and slightly emotionally fried (girl...same). She’s got the small-town baggage (always a hoot), a tragic backstory (necessary of course), and a wildly inconvenient attraction to a ridiculously charming movie star (girl same!!). The movie star in question? Ben Walsh: swoony, complicated, and just the kind of chaos Lauren doesn’t need... but definitely wants. We first met Ben in Funny You Should Ask, and I'm so excited to see him pop up again!

The story unfolds in dual timelines, so that we can see Lauren's life with her late husband, Spencer, and the now present as Lauren explores her connection with Ben. I always struggle a little bit with dual timelines like this one, because you get to know the person the main character loses, but that's also the beauty of it — you feel their loss just as acutely as they do by the end, which makes a happy ending for them all the more sweet.

What starts as a spicy little fling quickly turns into something more; while this is a romance, it's less about intense and fiery chemistry, and more about healing and growing through connection with others. We also see Lauren's relationship with her daughter, which adds and additional layer of depth to the overall theme of rebuilding after the loss of a loved one.

One thing Elissa writes so well are strong female characters and Lauren is no exception — her voice is sharp, honest, and refreshingly unfiltered, and her journey toward figuring out who she is, without a label or a man defining her, is just as satisfying as the romance itself.

If you like your love stories with a little mess, a lot of heart, and a heroine who’s more than just “fine,” this one’s for you. This is a story about finding joy in the mess, that accepting that sometimes everything *isn't* fine, and finding light and joy in the darkness — a message that's especially important right now.