Meet Lauren, who’s determined to prove to everyone that she’s “totally and completely fine”. Even though she’s three years into healing from the trauma of her husband’s death, running a craft store in her small Montana town, and dealing with a moody teenage daughter. But then fate intervenes with Ben, her movie-star brother’s younger, irresistibly charming co-star, and Lauren’s idea of “fine” gets a whole lot better.

Sussman’s writing is witty and fast-paced, and Lauren’s self-deprecating humor is both refreshing and relatable. The chemistry between Lauren and Ben is electric, with sexy sparks, small-town gossip, and a slow thaw of grief that feels real. Yes, there’s the odd combination of grief and romance, but it’s delivered with such warmth and sass that you’ll happily binge it in one sitting.

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I didn't love this book, which was disappointing for me! I hadn't read any Elissa Sussman books before and I was excited to give this book a read but it just fell flat for me. Although I liked the characters, none really stood out to me. More detailed review to come
Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the ARC!

This was...okay? There's a lot going on and I think the discussions of grief is really well done. But everything is so lackluster and nothing gets the weight or attention it deserves. Also, I just happened to see that this was a companion to Sussman's previous book and had a general idea of that premise, but if you did not know anything about that book there is a lot that would be confusing in here.

The main issue is that the romance is kind of bad? The couple barely spends time together except for hooking up and then suddenly they are madly in love to the point they are sacrificing jobs to be with each other.

Which leads me to this rant: SPOILER
Did this man really give up a huge movie contract - one that he had been hoping for for the entire story so that he could buy his dead mom's house (the one thing he wanted that was hers and his evil dad kept from him) - just to be with a woman he had sex with a handful of times and went on one date with? I could maybe understand his turnabout if we had actually seen these two build a relationship, but they barely spent time together outside of hooking up.

Wow! This book made anything by Elissa Sussman an instant buy for me. It is an incredibly powerful story of moving through grief and loss. Lauren’s journey to trust herself to love and find happiness after the loss of her husband, and navigating what that looks like while trying to hold on to and honor his memory, is moving and honest. I’m not usually a crier but I fully weeped through the last 25 percent of this book. I love Sussman’s Then and Now timelines where she guides her readers through two stories, two tales of finding love in different phases of life and what that looks like. I also really enjoyed Lena’s storyline. No one knows visceral emotion the way a thirteen year old does and man does Lena pack a few punches that had me reeling.
It’s impossible not to fall for Spencer - the perfect husband and father- and be totally heartbroken the whole time because you know he doesn’t make it. And then to simultaneously fall for Ben for all of his honesty and pure heartedness. This will be extremely high on my recommendation list. You’ll cry, but you’ll be okay with it, I promise.

Terrific, funny, sensitive romance about a widowed mother finding a new chance at love, while finding ways to live with her grief, cherish the memories of her late husband, and connect with her teen daughter. The combination of small-town setting and Hollywood glamour works really well, and the alternating structure of "now" and "then" chapters enhance the characters' depths.

Lauren Parker is raising a teenage daughter in her small Montana hometown after her husband's sudden death. Her husband is a famous movie star and Lauren decides to go visit him on set to get a break from the stresses back home. On set she meets a much younger, extremely attractive actor and their chemistry is undeniable. After a brief fling with Ben, Lauren returns to her small town life. She can't stop thinking about Ben but she needs to figure out how to move on and get her life back on track. The only problem is that she no longer knows what that looks like and what she really wants.

These characters of this book were so good. I wanted to just hop over to Cooper, Montana and join right in. I loved the back and forth timelines between now and growing up in Cooper. It was an easy, cozy read that made me feel hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Totally and Completely Fine.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman follows Lauren, a 41-year-old widowed mother navigating grief, single parenthood, and an unexpected romance with her younger brother’s coworker — the charming and famous actor Ben Walsh. While the premise sets the stage for emotional growth and second-chance love, the story ultimately fell flat for me due to underdeveloped characters, lack of meaningful conflict, and inconsistent tone.
Lauren is presented as someone rediscovering herself after loss, but I struggled to get a clear sense of who she really is or what she wants. Her life before and after her husband’s death seems stagnant. We learn she barely finished high school, stayed in her hometown working at a supermarket, and eventually helped run her brother’s bookstore — all without much ambition or direction. Even by the end of the story, there’s little indication she’s grown beyond her grief or discovered a new sense of purpose. I wanted to see more self-reflection, more internal conflict, and some acknowledgment that she deserves more from life.
Ben, her love interest, didn’t fare much better. While we’re told he’s hot, friendly, and a daredevil actor, we don’t get enough depth to understand why Lauren — or the reader — should fall for him. His character felt more like a vague fantasy than a fully realized person. It was surprising to finish the novel and find the most compelling characters were actually the supporting ones: Allyson, Ollie, Lena, and Evie. Their emotional moments, humor, and heart added much-needed texture to the story.
The romance itself lacked tension or complexity. Aside from the fact that Ben is younger and Lauren lives in a small town, there’s little standing in their way. Neither of those obstacles are meaningfully explored or resolved — they’re mentioned, then dropped. The age gap (41 vs. 30) was treated as a major hurdle, but it felt forced and unnecessary given both characters are mature adults. The small-town gossip trope is briefly alluded to but never actually plays a role in the plot.
I also found the timeline structure hard to follow. The novel alternates between Lauren’s past and present, but the two versions of her feel so different that they could be entirely separate characters. The writing tries to emphasize that she had a “wild past,” but the portrayal — sleeping with a few guys and smoking pot — felt like an over-exaggeration and was written in a tone that didn’t match her age or voice. At times, Lauren’s internal narration sounded more like someone in their early 20s than a 41-year-old mother.
There were promising elements of LGBTQ+ representation, but they often felt underdeveloped. I wanted to see more from Ollie’s story about not being able to play James Bond because of his sexuality, more depth to Ben being bisexual, and more of Lena’s coming-out journey. These aspects were introduced, then left unexplored. Allyson’s surprise queer romance reveal at the end felt abrupt and disconnected, and Gabe’s storyline was confusing — even after finishing, I wasn’t sure how it fit into the overall timeline.
The informal tone made for a quick, easy read, which I appreciated, but it also contributed to a disconnect between the emotional themes (grief, healing, identity) and the pacing of the romance. In particular, some steamy moments felt awkwardly placed. One jarring example: immediately after a heated call from her mother-in-law, Lauren launches into a reflection on Ben calling her a “good girl.” Moments like this made the romance feel out of sync with the emotional weight of the story.
Overall, I had high hopes for a nuanced exploration of grief and healing woven into a mature love story. While a few scenes touched on that potential, the plot lacked a clear emotional arc. There was no real conflict, no strong turning point, and no satisfying resolution. If I had to describe the book in one word, it would be flat. The story seemed to assume the reader had more background knowledge than was actually provided — character names and references were introduced rapidly and without context, making the first quarter of the book confusing to follow.
If you're looking for a low-conflict romance with glimpses of emotional insight, Totally and Completely Fine might resonate. But if you're hoping for deep character development, meaningful plot tension, and a richer exploration of grief, this may fall short.

4.25 stars.

"Totally and Completely Fine" by Elissa Sussman is soooooo good. I loved reading this book, getting immersed in this town, and getting to know these characters. They are messy, imperfect, learning, growing, and healing. Lauren, the main female character, lost her husband Spencer several years ago and unexpectedly. The book flips back and forth between her present-day grief and the retelling of their love story, which began when they were kids. Spencer and Lauren's brother, Gabe (from Sussman's "Funny You Should Ask"), were best friends growing up. Lauren was always the third wheel, until she wasn't. Lauren and Spencer got closer and closer over time, and as we learn more about their gentle but big small-town love, we see why it's so hard for her to be without him now. Lauren is also presently caring for their newly teenage daughter, Lena, while balancing work at her family's bookstore, a mother-in-law who hates her guts, a brother who has previously dealt with addiction, and her brother's coworker, Ben, a smoking hot actor loved who has become a minor obsession for her. What starts as a one-night stand while on vacation visiting her brother quickly turns into more for both Ben and Lauren, who have undeniable chemistry despite their relatively large age gap. Sussman's commentary on grief and love after loss really spoke to me. It felt so genuine and authentic, grounded and realistic. Sussman doesn't shy away from the ugly, guilty, difficult, or messy parts of death and loss. In fact, she embraces them and allows readers to see that it's okay to grieve, that there is no one right or wrong way to do it. I cried SO much while reading this story, in a cathartic way, most of the time. I loved all of the characters here. I adored Lauren, even during her worst moments. I loved Ben, what a hunky sweetheart. It was great to get a fresh glimpse of Gabe and his girlfriend, Chani, from the first book. I especially loved Lena, who feels like an authentically written teenager (which feels increasingly hard to do properly!). There is some spice here and there, which is offset by the seriousness and depth of the story. I just loved this book so much. Please give it a chance!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Totally and Completely Fine, which came out on July 8th, is the first book I’ve read by Elissa Sussman—and it’s so much more than just fine! This was a FIVE STAR story that was emotional, romantic, and truly moving.

As a mom—and someone whose ex-husband has passed away—I really connected with the main character, Lauren. Like her, I sometimes worry about whether I’m doing things the “right” way when it comes to raising my daughters. I also understood her fear about falling in love again and being unsure how her daughter would react.

I loved the chapters about Lauren and Spenser’s past and how strong the chemistry was between Lauren and Ben in the present. The author did a great job showing big emotions and handling serious topics with care.

If you like books that deal with real-life struggles, second chances, and finding love again, I definitely recommend picking this one up. It came out on July 8th, 2025—so you can get your copy now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, and Random House - Ballantine for letting me read this gem of a book early in exchange for a review.

I loved Funny You Should Ask and didn’t even know this book was in the same world! And I loved getting more snippets of that story.

I love a celebrity romance especially when one of the people in the romance is a “normie”. I liked that both characters were “older” (31 and 41) and had full lives and even a kid!

I’m not usually one for an age gap romance, but I liked how it wasn’t made a huge deal. I also liked how it talked about grief. It’s always there, but you can love again.

Elissa Sussman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her stories are just so real and enticing. This one focused on grief and it really touched the heart. What a good story that shows that it’s okay to have a second love after tragedy. Although there are main characters, this story has many plot lines throughout. You learn about Lauren’s brother, daughter, best friend. This book kept me addicted the whole time! Just some absolutely great writing. Thank y out NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This is a companion book to Funny You Should Ask, so if you haven’t ready that one, I recommend starting there.

I enjoyed this novel. It is heart felt and a little messy, but so is the grief that the main character, Lauren, and her daughter are working through. I appreciated that this book combined a moving story about finding yourself again after the loss of your spouse with moments of funny and light hearted banter and romance, and some sharp social commentary (like how society treats teenage girls).

Thank you to Net Gallery and Random House for a copy of this book!

4.5 ⭐️
This was honestly a beautiful story that I was not anticipating! This was not just a romance, it dug info grief, parenthood, addiction, and other real life struggles. Lauren was such a real character, and she felt like some I could meet tomorrow. I loved getting to know her through the dual timeline (the quickest way to get me hooked into a book). Getting to see her love story with Spencer and Ben was beautiful. I wish we got more of a beginning with her and Ben, but the chaos of there relationship was very human. I loved Lena, Eve, Ollie, and so many other characters in this story. This was such a good read, and I absolutely will be recommending

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the digital ARC! All opinions are my own.

DNF. I couldn’t get more than 50% through this one, which is surprising as I ate up Elissa Sussman’s previous two books. There was something about this storyline that didn’t quite hook me in.

If you enjoyed Funny You Should Ask, you’ll love Elissa Sussman’s new book and will devour it. I recommend picking it up. Thank you NetGalley and Random House- Ballantine for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-book copy!

I hate to do this as I do feel this author can write a good book but this book was not good at all. I had high expectations for this as this is a spin-off of the author's debut which I enjoyed. However, this book just felt too juvenile despite the characters being adults. The main character did not display any character growth from her teen years and it just felt like I was reading a character stuck in arrested development. I also felt the chemistry between her and the male lead was lacking in a lot of ways which made it hard to read. I ultimately ended up DNF'ing this book and don't necessarily recommend it.

Elissa Sussman does it again! I think she incorporates time jumps so well into the plot. I cried so much. Sussman writes grief in all its messiness so beautifully! I highly recommend this book. A new favorite of mine for sure.

Thank you to Dell & Netgalley for sending me an arc!

This book was a major miss for me. I loved Funny You Should Ask, so I hoped this spin off would be just like it. I hated the main characters and really didn't care what happened to them at all. I also found the back and forth between past and present annoying, as the main character in the past wasn't in the present (obviously). I feel like you could have gotten the back story of the FMC without so much back and forth.

♡ thank you to Random House (Ballantine) and Elissa Sussman for an ARC of this book! ♡

📖 plot & pace: i was hooked from the first page with this book! this is such a raw book. it touches on love, loss and grief but turns them into something so beautiful. i truly adored this book. this was a medium paced book, it never truly had its slow moments. there were so many pieces to Lauren's life that you were interested. ALWAYS.

👥 characters: i loved the characters in this book. all of them had their own internal battles and their energies felt so real. i could truly relate to many of the scenarios in this book. Ally is the best friend i've always dreamed of, lena is the typical teenage girl going through unthinkable things, ben is such a great book boyfriend and lauren is just trying her best. this book felt so real and raw to me!

🤩 tropes: grief & loss, small town romance (ish?), brothers best friend (x2)

this was such a good book! i just wish there was more chemistry between lauren and ben in the beginning. it seemed they just jumped to taking each others clothes off LOL. i lovee the writing style here and id seriously recommend this to anyone!!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. I really loved this one. The characters were great and not one dimensional. I loved the LGBTQ representation. There have been a lot of romances that were also about grief this year and this was one of the better ones. I will say I don’t think this is a romance. Not every book that has romance in it is a romance. I think this is more woman’s fiction (a term I hate), or just fiction. It is a book about a woman moving on with her life after her husband dies and embarking on a new relationship. And a family. 4.5 stars.