This was a somewhat lighthearted easy read! If you’d like a fun romance perfect to take to the beach, this one may be it! I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and how they overcame their issues.

Totally and completely fine is exactly how I would describe this book. There was a lot of potential, it just didn’t feel fleshed out and the pacing felt off. Lauren and Ben’s romance felt like it was much more of a physical connection than a romantic/emotional connection. By the time they started sipping their toe into the romantic/emotional territory the book was already at 90%. It didn’t feel believable to me that these two people were actually in love and would last long term. I also did not realize that this was a companion book to Funny You Should Ask, so I was confused why they kept talking about Gabe and Chani and bits of their story, until I double checked that they were the main characters in the own book.

⭐️: 4/5

I was not expecting Totally and Completely Fine to be a tie-in to Funny You Should Ask, since it was totally not advertised that way. I literally had to Google the main character’s names from Funny You Should ask to make sure I wasn’t imagining the connection, because I obviously can’t remember character names once I finish a book 😂 I was pleasantly surprised that it was so closely related to Funny You Should Ask, since that’s the book that made me an Elissa Sussman fan, but I also feel like it should have been more advertised that this is a book about Lauren, Gabe’s sister.

The back and forth, past to present chapter switches made this book so binge-able. It kept me wanting to read one more chapter, and kept the plot moving forward really smoothly. I don’t EXACTLY remember where Funny You Should Ask ended, plot and epilogue wise, so I don’t know how much of this book we already knew about, but I think that worked in my favor this time, since it all felt like new information due to my bad memory!

One of my favorite things about this book was the matter-of-fact narrative voice for the main character of Lauren. It made her so likable in my opinion, as a woman unapologetic about what may have happened in her past, as well as her current needs. There was a lot more grief present in the story of this one than I was expecting for a romcom book (definitely a TW), and I also found the immediacy of the sexual chemistry between the main couple kind of…random? The ending felt a little too unrealistic to me as well, and I know that realism isn’t really a trait of romcoms, but still. Overall though, a really good, entertaining, and well written read!

Thank you to @netgalley and @dellromance for providing this eARC for my review!!

This book was such a roller coaster of emotions and I could tell that Sussman poured her heart into writing it.

Lauren is a single mom, a widow. Her brother Gabe is a famous actor and introduces her to a costar from one of his films, Ben. Ben and Lauren have undeniable chemistry.

The book flashes back between THEN (Lauren’s husband is still alive)and NOW (three years after his death).

This book has it all: grief exploration, falling in love, family dynamics, queer representation, and parenting. I really felt for these characters in their grief and in their joy. This book had me choked up and then bursting with happiness at the ending.

3.5 stars! I had high hopes for this one having been a fan of Sussman’s previous novels but I felt like it fell a little short of my expectations. The plot seemed like it ~wanted~ to go somewhere but never really made it off the ground. Despite the pacing feeling off, I loved the characters and was excited to see some familiar faces as well as meet some new personalities. Also always love a small town setting.

One thing I feel like Sussman does really well, and this book is no different, is find the balance between the light fluffiness of your traditional rom-com and heavier themes like grief and loss and identity. Much like life, her writing demonstrates that two things can be true and coexist!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out 7/8/25!

Elissa Sussman does it again. I was immediately captivated by her characters. Between their banter, self-discovery, and dealing with the complexities of grief, I could not wait to see how everything unraveled.

A lovely read that dives into the messiness of real life, including the intertwining of grief, old love, new love, what it means to be a woman who breaks the rules, how to be strong and also vulnerable, and the costs of reaching for what you want, even if you're not totally sure yourself. Dual timelines mean the author doesn't shorthand the dead husband, and that's very nice to see.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I found the romance in this one to be a little forced and unbelievable. I think the characters needed more moments to build upon that relationship.

The origin story and brothers story with addiction felt like it was missing some key moments.

Overall enjoyed the writing and the characters, mainly the relationship the daughter had with her mother and uncle in the aftermath of her father’s death. It just felt like overall, the story it could be built upon.

If you're in the mood for a heartfelt romance that spans two timelines, Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman is a great pick. The story follows Lauren, a widowed single mom, who connects with actor Ben Walsh on the set of her brother’s film. Lauren's journey isn't just about romance- it's also about rediscovering herself.

If you enjoy romances that are celebrity-adjacent, this is the book for you! It also features a throwback to Gabe and Chani from Funny You Should Ask, but it’s not necessary for you to have read that book first. As always, Sussman delivers a book that’s both deeply romantic and also manages to ponder some of life’s biggest questions, too.

3⭐️
Totally and Completely Fine was a follow up to Funny You Should Ask that isn’t being advertised as a companion novel at all as far as I can tell. The further we got into the book the less I cared about present tense Lauren and Ben and the more I craved the flash back scenes with Lauren and Spencer. I didn’t get an emotional connection between Ben and Lauren and by the end of the book, our HEA didn’t feel earned at all.

Though the nods to the plot and characters in Funny You Should Ask were exciting, I sometimes felt there were too many and it distracted from the main story.

Overall, the story seemed a little messy and some of the characters one dimensional. Not the worst romance I’ve ever read but not the best either.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I LOVED it! I have read three books now by Elissa Sussman and have loved them all. She is one of my favorite authors and us up there in my mind similar to Emily Henry and Abby Jimenz.

Elissa Sussman has crafted a book that feels both distinct and reminiscent of her other titles. The book is filled with heartfelt moments between Lauren and her family and friends that are really what makes the story memorable. I was particularly drawn to Lauren’s growth throughout the book as she navigates the challenges of grief. It was so great observing Gabe and Chani from the sidelines of the narrative, and Lauren’s insights into their family dynamics grew both her story and Gabe’s as well.

Elissa Sussman’s writing has consistently impressed me and drawn me in. I cannot wait to see what she will be writing next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing group for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for this e-arc!!!

WOW Elissa Sussman…. thank you for this book. Waiting an extra year to read it was so worth it. I don’t even want to write a one liner but here goes: With dual timelines, a widowed mother meets an up and coming Hollywood star and sparks fly to the background of grief, familial healing, and a lot of love.

Anyway, I hate to mash it down to bits because every part of this messy, real, and raw story deserves its spotlight!!! I absolutely ate up this book. I think it’s Sussman’s best work yet and I loved every facet of it.

You guys know I’m a complete sucker for a grief plot line and Totally and Completely fine had many!!!! Meanwhile the love story had me kicking my feet and GRINNING and the family trauma and growth had me SOBBING!!! Ben, our MMC, is everything to me btw!

I laughed, I cried, I blushed… what more do you want when reading a romance?! This book is full of depth and characters you want to squeeze and root for. Ugh, I just loved this one so much.

Dead mommy club stamp of approval. Five juicy stars. Loved - pick this one up July 8 or else!!!

📚 Totally and Completely Fine
✍ Elissa Sussman
📖 Women's Fiction/ Romance
⭐4/5
🌶️ 🌶️
📆 Out 7/8/2025

🙏 Thank you to Ballantine Books, Dell Romance, NetGalley and the author for an advanced digital copy of Totally and Completely Fine. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: I'm not sure that I've ever read a romance before that was dual timeline where one timeline was the main character's life with one man and one was another which gave this book a unique feel. In the author's note at the end, it's clear that Sussman drew some of the issues that the characters were grappling with in this book from her own life and that really translated to the page. This is a surprisingly emotional read and it didn't really hit me until the last 5% of the book but then it just....struck me what the characters in this book were going through and how raw that left them. I do recommend reading Sussman's adult debut Funny You Should Ask before this book because the timelines crisscross and the main characters from that book play major roles in this storyline.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: The timelines with two different men was really interesting and while I think it was necessary to include a lot of Spencer to better illustrate Lauren's grief journey, it made it really hard to get invested in her connection with Ben. I also struggled to connect with aspects of Lauren's character- her lack of ambition seemed wildly different from Sussman's previous FMCs and she was honestly so mean to Ben during a lot of the book- I know she was going through a lot and was working to protect her heart but her cruelty was cringey. And, I missed the Jewish representation that Sussman did so well in her previous books (although there was a fun scene with Chani) but found the more conservative Christian representation interesting.
◾
Read if you love:
*love after loss
*single parent romance
*brother's friend (x2)
*celebrity romance without any celebrity drama (no paparazzi)
*small-town settings
◾
See also: Nora Goes Off Script, In Another Life, How to Fake it in Hollywoood

I always say reading a book is like getting a warm hug. Well this time I'd like to give the characters a hug.
I don't know how Elissa does it but she makes it so easy to connect with her characters and live through them.

Release date: July 8, 2025

This was such an enjoyable read - I absolutely loved 'Funny You Should Ask' and was SO excited to get an arc of this one! Sussman writes about grief so beautifully and I could not put this book down.

An easy 4/5 star read, Elissa Sussman has done it again. Totally and Completely Fine is not your typical "romance" book, it dives into grief and tough relationships, and navigating the passage of time among those things. Completely relatable, and not reminiscent of any other book of its genre, in my opinion. Small town vibes, close-knit (pun intended) family with real, complicated human issues? Sign me up. This is a perfectly done age-gap romance, and thank you for providing FMC characters my age.

As usual a lovely cover design as well.

Also, I walked away from this book wanting even more of Gabe and Chani's story - Elissa, please, I can't be the only one! Give the people what they want!

Reasons I read everything Elissa Sussman writes:

-I can never guess how she's going to get where she's going (her storylines are unpredictable)
-she's not afraid to write women who walk the line between likeable and unlikable (and someone falls in love with them anyway)
-I love the celebrity/normal person trope

This isn't my favorite Sussman for two reasons:

-everything wraps up too easily and quickly at the end
-it's mostly fade-to-black. This relationship revolves around sex but it skips those scenes. It wasn't completely closed-door, because details leaked out retroactively and there's on-page sex at the end, but I felt like I was missing half of what the story was about.

Hollywood meets small town in a romance between a widow and a very famous actor who is also best friends with her brother. Back and forth between the past and the present, between her late husband and her current love and the conflict resolution that allows her to move forward. Sweet, sexy and honest about grief.

I'll put this into the genre of a woman finding her path in life after a major upheaval, with romance woven in.

Lauren is practically drowning from grief, doing her best to keep afloat for her daughter. Then she meets Ben on the set of her brother, Gabe's, newest film. What she thinks will be a quick fling that provides a bit of happiness in her life turns into something more.

Overall, the story was nice and a good read for anyone that enjoys a second chance in your life story.