A realistic, engaging, compelling story about love after loss...loved the supporting characters and the love story was believable. The juxtaposition between telling Lauren's first love story and her current was also very compelling and helped the reader engage in her grief. Loved the small town aspect and the theater angle...definitely want to go back and read the other books by Sussman!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Random House for the ARC.

This was a miss for me. I realized that I prefer an upbeat flirty romance. This was mostly about mourning and healing. Not for me.

Lauren Parker is a widow and single mother. Although moving on feels so uncomfortable she can't help but be intrigued by Ben Walsh, a man she meets on the set of her brother's movie. (Her brother, Gabe, is the main character in Funny You Should Ask. You don't need to have read that book to read this one, although I highly recommend reading it). Lauren has to balance dealing with Ben's fame, dating again, and being a single mom,

I love Lauren and Ben's relationship. He is so sweet to her and it was so heart-warming. I will say there are slight undertones of sadness in this book in dealing with the death of a loved one, but overall it is a feel-good story.

I would highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read more from her!

This book was titled perfectly. I honestly forgot that I had started it, went to something else, tried to pick it back up and was still underwhelmed. None of the characters felt fleshed out enough. FMC mostly was but it was odd because the "love interest" felt more like just lust but then I didn't really care for the late-husband either. I wasn't really rooting for anyone. Totally and Completely fine. 3 stars.

I read this book in one sitting- it was the best beach read. As someone who has dealt with a lot of grief in her life (and a widowed mother), this book brought me to tears multiple times, and did a great job of capturing all of the feelings that come with missing someone. I wish some of the characters had been better developed - I think with this book being a companion novel some of that was missed.

It’s been three years since Lauren Parker lost her husband, Spencer, in a car accident. Lauren is navigating life has a widow, while raising a thirteen year old daughter. This is dual timeline story where we follow Lauren’s current life, as well as flashbacks from before her husband’s death. Lauren is the older sister of actor Gabe Parker, whose story we followed in Sussman’s earlier work, It’s Funny You Should Ask. Gabe and Spencer were best friends since childhood, which makes the shared grief of the family run deeper.

Lauren and her daughter, Lena, visit Gabe on set of his most recent project, where Lauren is introduced to hot, young actor Ben Walsh. Lauren and Ben are instantly attracted to each other and share an intimate night together. Lauren can’t stop thinking about Ben but she finds it highly inappropriate to explore any type of relationship with him, though she’s been feeling lonely and longing for connection.

I liked this book but it didn’t WOW me. It was a light and easy read, but it felt a bit dragged out and lacked direction. At the 70% mark, I had an idea of where it was heading but it wasn't super convincing nor was I on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened. I really liked all of the characters but the story fell flat for me. The title is very fitting, it was a totally and completely fine read!

Totally and Completely Fine is the latest romance release by Elissa Sussman. I have previously read and enjoyed her two previous novels and was excited to pick this one up but I was surprisingly disappointed. Main character Lauren has experienced a big loss - the death of her husband. Still dealing with grief and a moody teenager, Lauren visits her movie star brother and falls for (and sleeps with) up and coming hottie Ben. Thinking he is so busy with work that this could be a hook up situation to help get Lauren out of a funk, she is surprised when he continues to be in contact with her, even after she goes back home.

I am a few years out from losing my husband and was drawn to this, thinking it would be another sweet second chance at love story that I'm totally living vicariously through right now. I just don't see this as a romance story at all. There is so much going on in Lauren's life - her husband died a few years ago, she's still learning to live without him, her relationship with her teen daughter is strained, her relationship with her brother, and this new fling (which might work as a friends with benefits trope, but I don't see them having any lasting chemistry or anything - just lust, lust, lust). I was so innundated with all the things (not to mention that we're told REPEATEDLY that Ben is bisexual - which has no bearing on the storyline at all, it's just repeatedly brought up) that I couldn't connect with any of the characters and it was hard to become invested in what was actually happening with them. I understand that all the things often happen at once and can appreciate that, but I think Sussman did a poor job of creating any depth in any of the characters and things were a little muddy with so much happening.

Overall, this isn't a book that I would recommend to my besties to read. There are other books about young widows/single moms finding a second chance at love that are better than this one (again, coming as a recent young widow with a preteen). I did enjoy Funny You Should Ask and Once More with Feeling much better than this one, so I'm willing to try another romcom release by Sussman - this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I really enjoyed this story of grief and human relationships. Lauren has spent her life in a small town facing judgment and loss. Most recently she lost her husband. The book navigates the grief her family is experiencing and her eventually discovery that she can love again. I definitely recommend this book.

Run, don’t walk! Raw and heartfelt. Funny and charming. Didn’t love the dual timeline at first but I really grew into it and by the end it brought the story together so beautifully. So incredibly well woven. This isn’t a book about love, it’s about grief. Except, because it’s about grief it’s about love. So. Here we are. I sobbed through the last 10%. I loved this and tore through it in a couple days. Will read anything she writes, she’s an immediate yes from me.

If you’ve read her previous stuff, this one centers around Gabe Parker’s sister and his friend. It’s great. It was fun to revisit those characters and that world.

This is out now! Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books/randomhouse for the advance copy in exchange for honest review. Please always approve me for her books okay thanks!!!

I just wasn't in the mood to read a book about a dead husband/dad. I liked what I read though -- it just wasn't the right time or book for me.

The follow up I needed. Excellent book, five out of five stars! I can’t wait to recommend this. Thank you for providing the ARC.

Totally and Completely Fine is the story of a widow named Lauren who is trying to get her life back on track while still grieving her husband. She also has the task of helping her teenage daughter work through her grief and figuring out what it means to move forward. I enjoyed this, but think it will make much more sense if you've read Sussman's first book, 'Funny You Should Ask' first.

Presenting this novel as a dual storyline of present day Lauren and Lauren during her life with her husband who has passed away made for an interesting storyline. The story had a lot of humor but definitely hit the tough topics, particularly grief, as one would expect.

This book was just ok for me. I adored Funny You Should Ask and just wanted more of that same feeling and was not expecting this book to have so many other elements.

Having adored funny you should ask and once more with feeling, I was very much looking forward to diving into this author's latest!

And the best way i can sum up this book was totally and completely fine???
A book that is very much a companion to funny you should ask (definitely wish I did a reread before this one), with a few competing plot lines that I wanted more from each of them. The flashbacks were see of Lauren and her late hubby are great. The time we spend 3 years after his death, also great. But the back and forth between the two leads the transitions to be pretty choppy. I wanted more glimpses of her and Spencer. But I also wanted to spend more time with Lauren and Ben's blossoming (and lets be honest, immediate) chemistry.

What we see of Gabe's story from Lauren's perspective is truly where I would have liked to have done a reread, it felt like there were things that were missing from this plot that I know were covered in funny you should ask. The ending felt a little rushed and didn't really button up the plot lines enough and overall i just wanted more.

Regardless, can't wait to dive into whatever comes next from this author.


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This book follows the sibling of the main male character from Funny You Should Ask. The author did a wonderful job merging the two storylines. However, this book was more steeped in grief and I felt like it couldn’t dig itself out of the hole to bring it around to the romantics side of the story. The ending happened whip quick and was such a let down after the building and anticipation of the story. It was a heavier read than I anticipated. It starts off lighter and happier and goes dark quick without much time spent on the main characters relationship.

I went into this book with zero expectations and I'm so glad I did. It was raw, emotional, and romantic, with just the right amount of sexy. I enjoyed the cast of characters and I liked the jumps between the past and the present. I thought the grief aspect of the book was written well and felt very real, the romance didn't feel forced, and I loved loved loved the family relationships and how they healed through the book. I had tears in my eyes at the end!

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy!

My Ratings:
🧍🏽‍♀️ 5/5 Characters
🌶️ 2.5/5 Spice
🎬 5/5 Ending
🧩 4/5 Plot
💫 4/5 Overall

LOVEEEEE THIS BOOK. DAMN.

I have looked forward to each release Elissa Sussman has had since I read her debut novel. This book blew me out of the water. I’ve loved all she’s written but this book just really hit the spot for me.

She tackles beautiful depth in the novel around grief, family, parenting, substance use, and loneliness while maintaining her signature wit and excellent story structure. I loved this book so dearly and I could not put it down.

A few years after the death of her husband, Lauren hopes to cheer up her surly teenage daughter by visiting her brother, the famous Gabe Parker, on set. While on her trip, she happens to fall for the very handsome and much younger costar, Ben. When her brother returns to their small town hometown and Ben accompanies him, she has to balance the dynamics that come along with it.

I enjoyed this book and the more mature characters. I loved getting to read a bit more about Gabe and Chani and seeing how the two books were intertwined in the same timeline. There were a lot of heavy topics discussed throughout, but I thought they were handled well.

I absolutely devoured this book while nap trapped one afternoon but then forgot to write up my review for 2 months, so honestly the details are hazy, but I do know it got me out of a major reading slump.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for my copy of Totally and Completely Fine. That is how I ended up feeling about this book… it was totally and completely fine but also wasn’t anything too memorable.