Overall I enjoyed this book, but I felt like parts of the plot were underdeveloped. I wanted to see more of the couple's intimate moments because their relationship ended up feeling rushed

I’ve had <i>Totally and Completely Fine</i> preordered for over a year now and it was one of my most highly anticipated releases for 2025, and while I did really like it and loved getting Lauren’s story, it just couldn’t top <i>Funny You Should Ask</i> (which is one of my all time favorite books). There was something about the writing structure that kept me from fully connecting with Lauren, but I did enjoy the dual timelines and getting the opportunity to watch her fall in love with Spencer. All that to say, I think Elissa Sussman did a phenomenal job with Lauren and Lena’s grief and their individual struggles to keep living after the worst happened, and I loved being back in the Parker world.

Totally and Completely Fine is a novel about grief with a side dish of romance. We watch main character, Lauren, recover from the loss of her husband and fall in love with Ben. I wanted to read this follow-up to Funny You Should Ask, and my favorite parts were the appearances of Chani and Gabe. Totally and Completely Fine doesn't quite have the magic of Funny You Should Ask, but I enjoyed getting to know Gabe's sister, Lauren, a little more.

For me, Sussman is a consistent author. Her books are well written; she has good character development; and the romance tends to be believable. And this was no exception. Lauren has a lot to contend with, and most of the book is really focused on her and how she is coping with her loss. The back and forth between falling in love with her husband and then finding a way to move on after his death is handled well. It does, however, swing the story very heavily towards Lauren and results in Ben being very much a secondary and background character. Yes, this is a romance, but it's more about family, including Gabe and Chani. Ben comes across as an interesting character, comfortable in who he is and also aware of what he wants most of the time. Lauren is the one who bounces back and forth and actually strings him along to the point where I did feel bad for him.

I had read Funny You Should Ask before, so it was interesting to see how that story was woven into this one, because it really wasn't linear or, as with many romances, a case of Gabe and Chani popping in after their story ended like a cameo. It was more that Chani and Gabe were living their own story in tandem with Lauren.

There is no need to read about Chani and Gabe first, because there is enough in this book to give them personalities without needing to have read about their romance; however, the book does spoiler a bit of their story so if you do decide to pick up Totally and Completely Fine first, be prepared that it may give you some hints (more than that) about the other book couple.

All in all, a satisfying read and a good story. Romance for sure, but also family focused.

Elissa is a master at blending humor and wit with deep feelings and swoony moments. Can't say enough good things. Delightful!

Celeb + Normie has historically been one of my fave romance tropes. This one was surprisingly heartfelt and tender. I'm just here to report, friends!

Lauren Parker, recently widowed with a surly teen daughter, is also small town biz owner and proprieter, is also sister to Hollywood megastar Gabe Parker--Bond guy, enigmatic front man. When Gabe has Lauren and her daughter meet him on set in Philly, she becomes enamored and tied to (younger) super hot, up and coming actor Ben Walsh. It's all fun and games until he shows up with her brother in small town Montana. Lauren had a "reputation" when she was younger.

The crux of this book is moving Lauren past her dead ex husband and her past that still seems to scandalize her small town.
There were sections of this one I adored, but it fell short. The retelling of a dozen times that the MMC was bisexual was unnecessary. There was a preoccupation on the character's sexuality that diminished from the narrative. This is a hard line to hold, but this book would have been been bette focused on the main characters.

That said, the representation was great.. I loved the daughter and her relationship with her uncles castmates. Some the relations were a bit too clinical and on the nose. Overall, I did enjoy this.

This one was an emotional read, as it navigates grief, love and starting over. It was beautifully written and there were times where tears fell.

Dual timeline book with a slow burn.

A little unexpected but loved how it all unfolded with a great reminder that you don't have to have it all figured out.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Dell for the chance to read this eARC!

With a cast of characters that feel so real they practically walked off the page, this book is bound to hit even the most emotionally stunted reader directly in the feelings. In a genre full of smut and “get-love-quick” schemes, Sussman creates a romance that is wrapped in a fabric of truth. This book will make you hug your loved ones a little tighter, and will leave you feeling grateful for every fleeting moment of life we have the privilege to live.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read in exchange for an honest review! Totally and Completely Fine follows Lauren, a widow, as she grapples with a teenage daughter and a gossipy small town all while figuring out a relationship with a younger man named Ben, who just so happens to be an actor with her brother Gabe (who you may remember from Sussman's other novel Funny You Should Ask). This book is full of beautiful depictions of grief coupled with a budding love affair.

Heres some things I really enjoyed about this: the conversations about grief, the depictions of a small town, and the genuine love displayed between Lauren and Spencer, her husband who tragically passed away. Sussman's writing really shines in the passages about Lauren and Spencer as they fall in love, as well as Lauren's continued feelings of loss that felt incredibly real. I found myself incredibly drawn to the chapters taking place in the past, even though that was not the focus of the story.

However, I felt that the tones of the past and present chapters were disjointed. Of course, no one expects Lauren to be this forever depressed and sobbing widow who experiences no love for Ben, but I felt Ben and Lauren's relationship fell flat because of how gorgeous Spencer and Lauren were together. Also, Ben and Lauren's relationship is built, at the beginning, on this lust that they have for each other, but because the sex scenes were fade to black, I felt even more disconnected from their emotional or physical connection.

I think that writing a romance novel that focuses on this many things is difficult. There was Lauren feeling isolated in her small town, the death of her father, Christianity as an oppressive force, Gabe's alcoholism, her daughter's sexuality, their money troubles, Ben's family trauma, Gabe and Chani's wedding, and probably more I can't think of. This book struggles with having bitten off more than it can chew, and the love story itself suffers.

I think Sussman has some great chapters in here, but I found myself wanting more and less at the same time with this one.

I liked Lauren in Funny You Should Ask. Her story was so relatable, and I felt for her throughout the book. The book drew me in from the first chapter and it didn’t disappoint. Looking forward to the next novel by this author. Thanks NetGalley for an arc

This was a cute follow-up to Elissa Sussman's “Funny You Should Ask,” featuring more of Gabe and Chani’s story, but focusing more on Gabe's older sister, Lauren. Lauren is a recently widowed 41-year old, now raising her 13 year old daughter alone. Both mother and daughter are still grieving in their own ways. The book alternates between two timelines: Lauren and her husband Spencer in the past, and Lauren and young hottie Ben in the present.

I enjoyed the Lauren/Spencer plotline, but the Lauren/Ben arc was too unbelievable for me. It was a mix of “Nora Goes Off Script” and “The Idea of You,” where somehow a hot young up-and-coming actor falls for a 40-something widowed mother who lives in Montana. And they have nothing in common. I would have gone for it if Ben hadn't been both famous AND young/super hot, but as it was written, it felt more like fan fiction for middle aged women. HOWEVER, as a middle-aged woman myself, I did enjoy suspending reality for a bit to live vicariously through Lauren. 😁

Some trigger warnings: the book does deal with the death of several family members, alcoholism/addiction, and very messy portrayals of grief.

Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this book to come out. I liked Lauren in Funny You Should Ask, so I was glad that she got a book of her own. Her story was so relatable, and I felt for her throughout the book. The only thing I wished for was that the romance with Ben had been a little more fleshed out.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have loved what I have previously read from Elissa Sussman but unfortunately this one did not hit the mark for me. I didn't really feel connected with the characters or have a sense of care of what was going to happen to them. To be honest, I didn't really love the main character, Lauren, and the love interest Ben. They felt a bit forced into the trope of, "Here's a guy who will bring out the spark you used to have". I can understand why things were the way they were but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I did love seeing the family dynamic and gabe and chani being togther. Honestly, the side characters really sold me on loving this book a bit more.

Overall, I did enjoy the writing style but the story just wasn't for me. At times, it felt like I dragged a bit and others, that it moved too fast. But this won't stop me from reading other Elissa Sussman books because like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed previous ones.

An intricately woven story of grief and hope and everything in between. Elissa Sussman creates a beautifully flawed character in Lauren and shows how she can choose to grow or stay suck in her monotonous and painful life. As Lauren meets Ben and sparks fly between them, we watch her balance motherhood, the loss of her husband, and how to approach new beginnings when you are closing the door on a painful chapter of your life.

I was really excited to read this one after loving “Funny You Should Ask.” I enjoyed how the two stories intersected and the way this one was told in dual timelines between present day and Lauren’s younger years.

The family dynamics and complexities of grief and parenting felt heavy at times but it was an enjoyable read.

𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦 is a companion story rather than a sequel to Elissa Sussman’s previous novel 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘬. It’s told from the point of view of Gabe’s older sister Lauren, a single parent in her early 40s who lost her husband to a car accident a few years ago and has been juggling co-running a bookshop/craft store and raising a moody and distant teenaged daughter. Though she is a smart and capable woman, she often feels listless, disconnected, and unable to face her grief and other negative emotions head-on.

The book, interestingly, has dual timelines. In the present day—which is roughly around the same time period as Chani and Gabe’s story in 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘬—Lauren meets her brother’s co-star Ben, a 30-something up-and-coming actor who is sexy, charming, and adventurous. They share an instant spark and Lauren struggles between giving into her lust and acting like the sensible and responsible person she believes she is expected to be. And in the past, teenaged Lauren deals with—or rather, avoids dealing with—her father’s death through pot and some promiscuity. Over time, she falls for her younger brother’s friend Spencer and the two set up their own home and start a family.

𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦 is not only a romance but also a heartfelt exploration of grief. To be honest, I was much more interested in Lauren’s earlier life with Spencer, her complicated feelings about mourning, and her sibling dynamics with Gabe than her relationship with Ben. Though she and Ben share both steamy and genuine moments, Lauren’s indecisiveness about their relationship and the reuse of the Hollywood romance trope left me disengaged at times. But this was still an interesting read that I would recommend to those interested in single parent and age gap love stories, especially those who have already read and enjoyed 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘬.

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me first start off by saying- I love this author. Her books make me feel all different types of emotions. This one started off a little chaotic/messy (maybe that was the point?) about 30 percent through- I wasn’t sure if I was liking it but then it quickly picked up and by the end of the book, I was a blubbering mess. 4 stars!

A widowed Montanan store owner falls in love with one of the biggest movie stars in this quick and spicy romp. Thanks to her brother Gabe's industry connections, Lauren gets to meet Ben Walsh, one of the hottest stars on the planet, and he pulls her back to herself as she deals with the ongoing issues of her husband's tragic death and her brother's addiction issues. There was some good commentary on grief and how we can be expected to move on from tragedy. Not a stand out to me, but it was quick read with some good nuance, even if it was ultimately unbelievable in terms of how fast the relationship moved.

This was a fu, but uneventful read. The book felt familiar; the premise not too original, but the story was an easy, fun read otherwise. I like Elissa Sussman's writing style, which made the difference for me. I do not know if I would have finished it otherwise.

I loved this book so much! I loved the care in which Sussman handled Lauren's past with her brother, her husband and frankly, Lauren herself, through flashbacks and then switching to the present tense. I love the daughter's role in the book and how real she felt. All of the characters felt fully fleshed out and real and the book was funny and sad and sexy at the same time. I think this is Sussman's best book yet!