Oh my goodness, this book y'all!
This might be the best alternating timeline books I have ever read. The story itself is not new - Chani interviews Gabe for a profile after he lands a prolific movie role and this is their story of falling in love - from the moment they met to the present day, both recently divorced and somehow finding their way back to each other. The story itself is so captivating though. You feel the pain Chani has felt for wanting to fall in love but not wanting the exposure to Hollywood life, and when she as a writer blows up, she wants to be known for more than just the iconic interview. There was so much that I vibed with for this book, really the only qualm I had was with the ending, but that's just because I'm on the boat where happily ever afters don't always come so easily. The journey was well worth the read and recommend though.

3.5 I liked this book. The story of a deep connection between a journalist and an actor. It alternates between past and present. It was fresh, fun and creative but still dealt with some serious topics. I felt for the characters. It was a fast read that left me with a warm fuzzy feeling.
If you like romances about celebrities check this one out.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Journalist Chanti Horowitz has the career-making opportunity of a lifetime: an exclusive interview with Hollywood star, Gabe Parker. When their brief interview turns into a weekend of surprises, it’s clear that their connection is more than just professional. A decade later, after marriages, career changes, moves, and more, the two are asked to re-create their weekend together in hopes of another news-stopping article. Their time together proves that it wasn’t merely an interview and there are many questions between the two left to be answered.

What an absolute surprise this one was. It sucked me in the way that “Evelyn Hugo” and “The Idea of You” did: the draw of the Hollywood star, the awe of the world they live in, the aggressive attraction between two unlikely characters. I adored Chanti as the narrator and swooned for Gabe; I love way the author entangled the deeper themes like addiction, sobriety, and loss. The format was so engaging, switching between “then,” “now,” blogposts, articles, and more.

Funny You Should Ask is th funny and heartwarming story of Chani and Gabe. Told primarily from Chani's POV, you still get a good bit of what Gabe is thinking, thanks to the alternates between two timelines ("Then" and "Now") interspersed with celebrity news reports, movie and book reviews, Chani’s original interview with Gabe ten years ago and her own personal blog posts. I absolutely loved the originality, dry wit and the two main characters, If you love to devour celebrity culture and like to follow celebrity romances, this is a book you will enjoy. While some reviewers felt th ethe formatting threw them (one chapter a news article, the next will tell the actual events based on that article, then you might see a blog post) I actually enjoyed this format because it made the story move quickly and kept me interested in how the story was going to be told next. Funny You Should Ask is a strong adult debut from Elissa Sussman, and I look forward to what comes next from her. (Hopefully it is Ollie's story!)

What a great rom com. I really enjoyed this story. I think that the cover is so great. The outside totally matches the inside. I high,y recommmend this book. Looking forward to reading more books by Elissa Sussman.

It took me a minute to catch what was going on in this book. It starts off being told in current time by the main character, Chani Horowitz, but it switches back and forth from 10 years ago and current time throughout the book and also provides "articles" in between each section. I sometimes struggle when there's a back and forth but it helps when it's clearly labeled so you know you're time hopping. This book doesn't do a great job for me and I found myself confused sometimes. I didn't read all of the "articles" - towards the end of the book I found myself skipping them. I just didn't find them necessary.

The story itself was interesting, Chani is a journalist who writes about celebrities. She wrote about an actor, the male main character, Gabe Parker 10 years ago and it made her career and boosted his. Now, 10 years later, Gabe's people and her people want to recreate that meeting and article.

Chani of course, is absolutely gaga for Gabe, he's her celebrity crush. Gabe is a great guy with low self esteem. Actually they both have low self esteem, communication problems and poor timing. They're one of those couples that probably wouldn't work out in the real world but in the book there are no rules so why not. I thought some of the moments between the two were eye roll worthy, he said all the right things at the right time and it had fairy tale written in bold all over it during those moments. Cheesy but sweet.

This is my first book by Elissa Sussman. I really enjoyed it for the most part. Just a heads up, there's a lot of language and a steamy moment or two. I will probably check out her YA books, and might check out a future book of hers if I come across it.

Easily one of the best books i've read this year so far. Elissa Sussman has a way with words and has you hooked from the very beginning.

This book follows Chani who "then" had the opportunity to interview Gabe Parker and how ten years later, they meet up again to address the past between them. We see how ten years have changed the characters as they reflect back on the events that happened while also get to learn more about what the past actually meant to them.

The way this book was written was just beautiful. I loved the formatting of having other interviews or reviews inserted before specific parts. Not only that, but when reading the book, I found myself immensely invested into the characters, whether it were Chani or Gabe, or the side characters too. I couldn't find it in myself to put the book down and finished it in one day. Now that I am done reading, I want more. Not just of Chani or Gabe, but of Ollie, Lena, and others, which comes to show the power Elissa has in getting you hooked to just about everyone she introduces.

4 1/2 stars

This book took me completely by surprise. I thought it would be cute and enjoyable. I did not count on being sucked in to the point that I didn't want to put it down. The story is told in both present day and ten years before. Chani Horowitz is an up and coming writer who feels like she's being left behind by her peers. When she gets the opportunity to interview Hollywood heartthrob actor, Gabe Parker, she is determined that this article will be her defining piece. It ends up being just that, but not in the way she thought it would be.

Ten years later, life hasn't exactly turned out the way Chani expected. When she has an opportunity to meet with Gabe and write a followup article, she hesitantly agrees to do so. But meeting up with one another to do this profile piece may be more than Chani can handle. It will reopen old wounds and memories that may be better left in the past.

I simply adored this book. It had the perfect amount of regret coupled with bad decisions and insecurities for me. It definitely highlights how ten years can change the person you are in so many ways. In addition, some of the side characters in the book were so well written that you felt like you knew them which added to my love of the overall story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Ten years ago, aspiring journalist Chani spent the weekend with up-and-coming actor Gabe Parker for a magazine profile. It was a huge hit and launched both of their careers, but they haven't spoken since--until her editor decides that it's the perfect time for a follow-up. Chani reluctantly agrees to see Gabe again, and maybe get answers to the real events from a decade ago off the page. Their story unfolds in two time periods, now and ten years ago, as we learn more about what really happened. And whether there might be a second chance for these two.

This book was a delight. I don't always like stories with past and present narratives together, but Sussman wove it deftly together and kept my interest. Chani and Gabe have great chemistry, and they're surrounded by a fun cast of friends and family. I would like to see Sussman write more books in this world.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely inhaled Funny You Should Ask. It was smart, witty, and a feel-good read but doesn’t shy away from tougher subjects like addiction, slut-shaming, and society’s obsession with celebrity culture.

The structure of the book was creative, alternating between then and now, interspersed with excerpts from various movie reviews, celebrity news reports, Chani’s newsletter, and the infamous interview with Gabe Parker.

I loved reading the published interview juxtaposed with the tension and awkwardness of the actual interview. I loved Chani’s and Gabe’s dialogue. I loved all of the old movie references. I loved the Jewish representation. I loved the brief Woody Allen commentary (he IS a piece of shit).

Read if you like:
- second chance romance (with years of mutual pining)
- celebrity romances
- books like The Idea of You, Love and Other Words, or The Roughest Draft
- Jacob Elordi. This is who I pictured as Gabe Parker and it didn't dampen the reading experience.

Give me all the famous person/normal person romances, I am allll in. This one goes back and forth between Channi & Gabe’s first interview ten years ago, the profile that went viral and colored the rest of their careers, to the present: another attempt at a profile, bringing some publicity to Channi’s latest book & Gabe’s latest movie. It’s also interspersed with articles & online comments to add in context.

I read this in just over a day. I loved the second chance aspect of it, the (above mentioned) famous/regular person relationship, the slight mystery of uncovering what happened 10 years ago. My only dings: it felt like the friendships were cut from the book, and could’ve been useful in rounding out the story. And I wished we had more time to explore the 10-years-ago storyline with the characters. But overall, got a bit of Daisy Jones vibes in a good way, and really enjoyed this one.

This was one of my favorite books ive read in a long time. Chani, an up and coming journalist is tasked with interviewing heart throb and newly cast James Bond actor Gabe Parker. Chani knows Gabe all too well, well in her mind she does, as he is her celeb crush and backdrop on her phone screen. The interview leads to a complicated weekend and then the 2 go their separate ways. They each get married and divorced, one of them gets sober. life went on. But 10 years later they reunite for another interview. How will their past come into play and will they pick up where they left off?

I love a time lapse romance and i love a famous/non famous coupling so sign me up! I also really love pop culture so anything set in hollywood does it for me. I really liked the story of Gabe and Chani. Chani really frustrated me at times. I also wished there was more steam! 70% in and still no steam? come on. Either way this was a solid 4 star for me. I really enjoyed it.

I devoured FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK! It is everything I want in a rom-com: funny and heart-warming with characters you love and root for. These are characters that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. Elissa Sussman has created well-rounded and relatable characters that jump right off the page, and I can’t recommend this book enough!

Thank you to Ballantine, Random House, Netgalley and Elissa Sussman for letting me read this one early. This one will be out next week, April 12.

I enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were easily likable and the pacing of the back and forth timeline were intriguing. I loved the commentary on celebrity and pop culture. This rom com will definitely be enjoyed by all. I’m super excited to read more from Elissa Sussman.

Chani is a young journalist with huge dreams and when she get the chance to interview a heartthrob movie star has jumps at it. They spent a few days together and it’s a lot to unpack. Ten years later she’s going to interview him again. How much have they changed in these ten years? Will the feelings that developed last time still be there?

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the ARC. Funny You Should Ask is out next week on April 12th!

𝙂𝙖𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧...

This book stumped me – there were things that I absolutely adored and some things that just didn’t click. It wasn’t a knock-out-of-the-park feeling but I also found myself consistently reading as often as I could, wanting to see how Chani and Gabe’s story unfolded.

I love how the book was written – then and now, with article excerpts in between (that felt so realistic). I loved the glimpse into celebrity – sorry, they are not really just like us. I. Love. Ozzie (and that he got his own HEA). I think maybe what I loved the most was that they got their second chance. After ten very eventful years for both of them, they got what some people only dream of – that what if? Maybe now? chance with the one who got away.

And as much as I loved that, it took deep into the book for me to feel there was a deep connection between them. I was also frustrated with how much Chani second guessed herself and everything that resulted from the article. I can’t really put my finger on it but something didn’t click.

Overall I give it 3 stars, but I need to call out that the style of the book and Sussman’s writing was top notch and fresh so for that I’m rounding up to 3.5 stars - maybe even 3.75.

Elissa Sussman, you had my mind going everywhere and anywhere with this novel. I could not put it down because I just had to know what happened before and what was going to happen now.

The story between the two main characters were addicting. On one hand you have Chani, then a young and naïve journalist thrust into the world of celebrities, and now she’s has gone through the trenches in her personal life and is finally coming in her own. Then you have Gabe, the Hollywood up and coming star, who then was very self-deprecating but now has learned to deal with everything and put down the drink. The two of them together is intense and it’s as if you can feel the sparks in the air, the tension is thick.

Their love story was 10 years in the making and it was well worth the wait!

I loved every minute of this book and I suggest you pick it up and read this amazing story. I will most likely now search for more of Elissa Sussman’s books because she was just that good.

Well this is one of my favorite books I've read this year, hands down. I couldn't put it down and was definitely reading at my desk when I should have been working. The book was so fun with the celebrity aspect and the switching from current, to an article, to the past. I never felt confused or lost - everything tied together really nicely. There were multiple points where I got literal butterflies - Gabe was a dream. Chani was relatable and I really enjoyed her character. Plus any book with a dog in it is the best.

100% buying a physical copy to put on my shelf to reread and look at the beautiful cover.

Pros: I wanted to read this book when Becca Freeman from the Bad on Paper Podcast recommended it—the normal person and celebrity fall in love trope sounded fun! There are some great details in this book, including articles and blog posts between chapters, and I loved the appearance of the Fug Girls. It’s a fun and fast read that I think readers who love modern romance novels will enjoy.

Cons: As I started reading, the setup felt very familiar—a journalist interviews Hollywood’s newest movie star and the interview maybe crosses some journalistic/ethical boundaries when they meet back up for a movie premiere and parties, and she spends the night at his house before sneaking out. I realized it reminded me (too much?) of a GQ interview/profile of Chris Evans from years ago. The similarities distracted me to the point that it felt like fan fic of what if the journalist and movie star met up again 10 years later for a second interview.
(Here is a link to the article: https://www.gq.com/story/chris-evans-gq-july-2011-cover-story)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book.

I’ve shared this review on Goodreads and StoryGraph.

There are not enough words for how much I loved Elissa Sussman's adult romance debut. From the amazing Jewish representation alongside sobriety (namely one sober partner and one not) set alongside a Hollywood career, this book was everything and more from start to finish.

Although it is pretty easy to surmise that Gabe is based on Ben Affleck, that's where the real life comparisons end - Chani is certainly a character all her own, and an amazing one at that.

I certainly plan to pick up Sussman's YA novels after finishing this and look forward to more from her in the future.

What a delightful read! FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, the debut adult novel by Elissa Sussman, follows writer Chani and her celebrity crush Gabe through two unforgettable weekends a decade apart. I was hooked from the start and loved Chani and Gabe’s story, their connection, and their supporting characters. Sussman’s writing is sharp and entertaining, the story believable and yet a fun escape from reality.

I loved this story and would recommend FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK to any fans of women’s fiction or romance, especially fans of second chance love stories.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.