Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman is the perfect romantic comedy. The celebrity/normal person trope and alternating timelines keeps this story fast paced. Both Gabe and Chani are so relatable they have you hooked and turning each page to hear their story. Gabe is the ultimate young hot celebrity that instantly makes you fall in love and Chani is so likable I could not put this book down and it left a giant smile on my face. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: alcoholism, homophobia

This book popped up on my radar through an upcoming Jewish books post on Instagram, and I’ll be forever grateful to the person (I can’t recall which friend it was) who recommended this book. Just in case it isn’t already obvious, this book is amazing, and there were so many things I loved about it.

The writing is fabulous. It’s written in first person from Chani’s POV and I could literally feel all of her discomfort and awkwardness and angst and longing and stress. I was pulled into this story from the very beginning, with the writing flipping smoothly between what happened 10 years ago and in the present day. Another thing that I loved was the way the author incorporated blogs and excerpts from news articles throughout the story, and how each of these actually worked to forward the story.

The characters are incredible. I fell in love with Chani, but also with Gabe and Ollie. They’re all portrayed so beautifully, with flaws and expectations, and pressures that they struggle to cope with in their own ways. There’s solid Jewish representation, and I was thrilled to see that the main character is named CHANI, which is such a Jewish name. She incorporates a bit of her culture into the story, but for the most part, it’s just one aspect of who she is, like it is for so many Jewish people. There’s also gay representation, and the kind of impact it has on a person and their career in Hollywood. In addition, there’s representation of alcoholism and recovery, which is nice to see portrayed accurately.

The plot. Right from the start, I was invested in the characters and their connection. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to hear about what *really* happened that night ten years ago, but more importantly, I wanted to hear about what was going on with them in the present day, dealing with the fallout of choices that they had made a decade ago. The romance was gorgeous, and all I wanted was to see them get together happily. It was done so masterfully, and the sexual tension that threaded throughout the story had me absolutely flying through this book. There were some spicy scenes but not overly so, and it was the perfect balance.

This was a super fast read, taking me only a few hours to finish, but I enjoyed every second of it. I was expecting a fluffy, happy read, and while this was definitely happy, there were incredibly touching and sweet moments that pulled at my heartstrings and had me tearing up. I’m going to be shouting about this book to everyone to read it, because yeah, it’s that good.

I devoured this book in one day! This is a delightful novel about a writer interviewing her celebrity crush and not being able to escape the very personal article she writes about him. The story is told in a Then and Now format that keeps you guessing at the truth as the novel unfolds. All of the characters are likable so you end up cheering for them to talk and work it out. I recommend picking this one up. It's not syrupy sweet but it makes you feel good.

If you're looking for a book to break you out of a reading slump, do yourself a favor and grab Funny You Should Ask right away! I read this book in one sitting, addicted to the dual POV of Chani, an aspiring journalist and Gabe, an aspiring actor, over two time periods: one in the past in their first interaction, and the second taking place ten years later, as they meet again. Part mystery, part celebrity tell-all, and filled to the brim with humor and longing, Sussman makes something magical in these pages. The dynamics between the two characters highlight the ways in which the stories we read, those we tell ourselves, and our own experiences can all be different -- and you find a surprisingly emotional tale wrapped in a very delicious, dynamic package. I can't wait for other people to enjoy this with me. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own. Now time to go read through Sussman's YA backlist!

Not at all what I'd thought it would be based on the write-up... But that's because of the unique dual timeline with articles thrown in that was employed for conveying the story. Personally, it didn't work well for me. So I found it very hard to become invested in the characters or story.

The writing was strong though. It especially resonated with me when Chani and Gabe were talking about the effect of an article on both their careers and lives, and she explained why the fame it brought her was damaging to her in ways Gabe had never experienced.

I do appreciate NetGalley, Random House and Elissa Sussman providing me with an advance review copy.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reader copy of this book.

This was definitely one of the more unique romance novels I've read recently. It's weird because I would almost hesitate to call it a romance, even though a romantic plot is the main through line of the story. It seems to fall in the weird in-between of "women's fic" and romance.

I loved the way this book was set up-- over the course of two weekends set ten years apart when both characters are at wildly different points in their lives. I am usually very insta-love averse, but the way this book was structured did help with that a decent amount. I also thought this was very well-written in general-- I've been having a hard time getting sucked into books lately but I was engrossed with this one. I enjoyed the little multimedia elements throughout. I would recommend for fans of Kennedy Ryan or Emily Henry as I feel like the stories they both write reminded me of this book.

This is definitely a slow burn, and that mixed with the insta-love did make it kind of difficult for me to feel the chemistry, especially since we don't get Gabe's POV. I was definitely on board at the end though. I need an Ollie book next! Definitely a strong adult debut and I look forward to what comes next from this author!

A female reporter, Chani Horowitz, goes to interview an actor, Gabe Parker, over lunch. They end up spending a whole weekend together, and the resulting article launches both of their careers. Ten years later they meet up again.

I loved this. Number one, gorgeous cover, more of this in the romance genre please. Loved the dual timelines, with the articles sprinkled in, loved the characters, loved the chemistry, and the writing was stellar. I do wish we were able to go a little deeper on the subjects of Gabe's family and on his and Chani's initial connection so as to help justify the pent up longing a little more, but again, I absolutely loved this. Great fun.

This book was such a delight! I felt so connected to all of the characters, and was rooting for Gabe and Chani the entire time. I flew through this one, and would absolutely love a sequel!

(4.5) Thank you to Random House Publishing House-Ballantine and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! First of all -- that cover might be my all-time favorite. It is absolutely stunning, and I have to be honest, the first reason I wanted to read this book so desperately. Luckily for me, the story was even better. I love Jewish representation, so I immediately fell in love with Chani Horowitz, and only shortly after Gabe Parker. The chemistry was undeniable and so well written. Ollie was also an insanely well-done secondary character, and I fell in love with him as well. I want to be in Montana with them all and shop at Cozy. The last thing I want to talk about is the format of this book -- so good. I am a sucker for news articles about characters interspersed in a story, and going from Chani's depiction of events to the actual ones was just so, so well done. I will definitely be buying this.

i'm about to make this book my entire personality.

just based on the summary of the book, i knew it'd be something i'd be into. it checks a lot of boxes for me: celebrities, celebrity culture, journalism, famous person/normal person romances, etc. i loved this book even more than i was expecting to.

chani and gabe were an amazing pair. even though i did spend so much of the book trying to figure out the exact amalgamation of celebs sussman used to create gabe (i have so many thoughts), he still felt wholly original. he was so charming, as james bond should be! but i especially loved how kind and thoughtful he was, the way he turned chani's questions around onto her just because he was genuinely curious. and chani was an incredible match for him. she felt familiar, reminding me of my own best friend (especially during her rant about 'angels in america'). and together, in both the then and now sections, it was impossible not to root for them. also, i absolutely adored ollie. he was a fabulous side character and i loved that in the "now" sections he wasn't just there for gabe, he was there for chani, too. i also really appreciated how seriously chani took the fact that ollie was placing a lot of trust in her to not reveal his sexuality before he was ready. this book could have very easily included some kind of outing plot and i'm glad it didn't.

i also really loved the way this story was structured and the way sussman didn't reveal all of the information at once. it made me want to keep reading to understand the things chani was referencing in her internal monologue. outside media, like other articles, are integral to this story as well; i liked how they filled in the gaps and informed character decisions from a detached pov.

'Funny You Should Ask' is a look at a world that is so completely different than mine even though I grew up in LA with friends who could have written 'the article' and am now in the Rocky Mountains and can get Gabe a little. The language was difficult for me to get through, but there is warmth and goodness and growth in both Chani and Gabe that is appealing. The revolving timelines took getting used to but all in all I had a glimpse of another world and lifestyle that was at best interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own,.

If you like second chances, find awkward, ungainly heroines charming, and have ever had a crush on a celebrity, Funny You Should Ask is for you.

Sussman takes the "celebrity falls for a normie" trope and adds a few interesting twists with a clever, non-linear structure and a cast of characters that, while not incredibly diverse, is more generous than other iterations of this trope. Moreover, this isn't like Twilight; Chani isn't some inhumanly gorgeous gal who can't see it because her immense inferiority complex is blocking her senses. She is written as someone who does not compare to the beauty of the celebrities she finds herself surrounded by, and the author does not renege on that at any point, does not pull the chair out from under us and declare, "HA HA, she was a model all along!" No, instead, she's beautiful in the way that everyone is beautiful to someone: in her own, unique way. She's beautiful to Gabe.

Cue the aws.

The book is written well. The different types of writing were done beautifully. The book and movie reviews felt real; the celebrity interviews felt real; the gossip blogs felt real. I can't stress enough how believable these were. If for no other reason, this story will stick with me because of how successfully Sussman managed to harness the quirks of the different styles.

Now, to the imperfect parts, because of course it wasn't perfect. I can't decide whether or not I like Chani. I'm someone who nearly always attaches to the POV, and sometimes that sucks (like when I find myself sympathizing with Cersei in ASOIAF). So, when I don't attach to a main character, it's definitely noteworthy. This is one of those times. Chani doesn't say much, and that's fine, but it did make me wonder why and how other characters became so enamored by her. I certainly appreciate that she's different from a lot of rom-com heroines. She's extremely introspective, awkward, fearful and vulnerable, prone to anger as a coping mechanism, and can be... demure. I'll be kind and call it demure. (Though I sort of want to say she can be a bit of pushover.) She feels real. She doesn't feel endearing. And honestly? That's okay.

Gabe is lovely. Oliver is lovely. There are some adorable moments that made me smile. Not everything is resolved—Funny You Should Ask is not a book that ties up the plot with a neat little bow, but there's lots of good here. It's not my favorite novel of 2022, but it's absolutely worth a read.

Chani is asked to profile the latest Bond, new actor Gabe Parker, to help him overcome some bad press. She ends up spending three days with him, and writes a profile on that experience that goes viral. Ten years later, they are reunited to try to create the same magic from that first interview.

Written from Chani’s perspective, but with dual timelines, this book is such a sweet take on insta-love and fangirling. Chani and Gabe both have issues and relationships that arise in the time between the first article and second, but keep thinking about each other. The story moved along well with the dual timeline, and I read it in less than 24 hours. Will read more by this author.

Thank you Ballantine for be ARC to read and review.

Reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Funny You Should Ask follows Chani and Gabe in two weekends 10 years apart. She is tasked with penning a profile for a celebrity magazine of her childhood celebrity crush and he is so much more complex than she believes. We get an impressive slow reveal of their time together and what went wrong and the redemption of their relationship.

Flashbacks and clever magazine articles fill in the blanks for us and progress the story.

Loved this one.

I loved everything about this book. The writing was fantastic, the characters truly felt like real people and the story kept me glued to my seat.

It didn't feel like your typical famous person/normal person romance but it definitely made me root for the romance. I loved Chani and Gabe's story, together and separately, and I just wanted to stay in this world a little longer.

I also enjoyed how the story is told with the back and forth in the timelines.

Overall, I'm definitely going to be recommending this book to everyone and will be purchasing copies to give away to friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this.

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

I loved how this story was told, alternating timelines of two weekends from present day to ten years ago during their original interview. I loved the blog posts, reviews, and other articles that were sprinkled throughout the story and added a bit more layers to the characters and their history. This really did feel like a behind the scenes look at a famous movie star and his life. I was so engrossed in what happened in their earlier weekend together, what was true from the article, and how the rumors played into their story. I loved Gabe's story line to see him at his peak, getting cast in such a high profile role, to where he was present day and some of the demons he faced. Chani was relatable, witty, awkward, and I loved her writing style! Her feeling of imposter syndrome and if she's a good enough writer was so accurate and I really liked seeing her progression.

This book publishes April 12. Thank you for my gifted copy @ballantinebooks!

Funny You Should Ask is a decent read. Chani, a writer, and Gave, an actor are reunited after 10 years. Both are divorced with lots of vac choices between them. The story flits e tween then and now, which sometimes it was hard to discern which time period it was in.
The heat between the two main characters was lukewarm at best.

I really really enjoyed this book. The famous/regular person trope is one of my favorites in the romance genre. I read the book so fast because I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended. The characters were heart warming and I was really rooting for them.

I really enjoyed this book! The juxtaposition of the storylines from both 10 years earlier to the present day was super engaging. The blog posts, articles, and reviews sprinkled throughout also were fun and gave dimension and depth to the story. The pages seemed to fly by, and I loved the juiciness of the “did they or didn’t they?” idea that the article Chani had written 10 years earlier was centered around. I felt like I was reading a really well-written exposé about what movie stars are really like behind the scenes.

All in all, this was a compelling read that was reminiscent of The Idea of You. Celebrity romance is one of my favorite tropes, and I hope Elissa Sussman writes more of it!

Elissa Sussman wrote a really captivating novel about a writer who makes her living writing celebrity profiles and the movie star who's profile gave her notoriety. Channi feels so real, especially being in the place in your career when you aren't doing what you thought you would be and you are comparing yourself to everyone around you. With that level of self doubt, Channi interviews Gabe Parker, who is just as good looking in person and even more charming than she imagined. Gabe was a sweetheart of a character, despite his obvious flaws. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Elissa Sussman.