Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and the author for this Advanced Reader Copy! I adored Elissa's book, Funny You Should Ask, where we were given the smallest glimpse into main characters in Totally and Completely Fine, Lauren and Ben. This was a highly anticipated book for me and it exceeded all expectations!

Lauren wears many hats as a mother to a teen girl, a widow, a sister of a superstar, and an owner of a Montana bookstore. She visits the set of her brother's movie in Philadelphia and meets Benjamin Walsh - a bisexual up and upcoming actor and People's Sexiest Man Alive. The two lead very different lives (age; career; where they call home); however, when they meet, the attraction is instant and undeniable (and they bond over their love of food!).

Lauren and Ben's romance is achingly human - they both have loved ones with an alcohol addiction; they both have experienced being shamed for being sexually active; there's an age gap (Lauren is 41; Ben is 30). They are blunt in their physical attraction to one another and Ben is gentle and patient with Lauren as they navigate their connection beyond the bedroom. There's a lot to consider with Ben only being in the same place as Lauren for a short while and Lauren's daughter and her feelings on their dynamic.

I adored Lauren and her family navigating the impacts of grief, finances, and addiction - they start with a fair share of compartmentalizing and avoidance, which I found highly relatable as we all so often fail to discuss the difficult things. Lauren reflects on the privilege it is to grow older and its a sentiment that can't help but be felt by the reader of this book.

If you read Funny You Should Ask, you're in for treats in Totally and Completely Fine as we get tender and silly moments with Gabe, Chani, and Ollie and references to that Broad Sheets interview that started it all! Elissa has a way of writing about the entertainment industry that feels deeply relatable - it's fascinating to see Gabe and Ben (both actors), the choices (and sacrifices) they make, and where they choose to call home.

This book is filled with:
- lots of laughs
- sexy, heartfelt chemistry
- reflections on grief and addiction
- celebrity x normal person romance
- a man who is transparent with his feelings

Be sure to pick up a copy when Totally and Completely Fine releases on July 8, 2025. In the meantime, read (or re-read) Funny You Should Ask by Elissa!

Holy smokes this is my first book by Elissa Sussman and it will not be my last. Totally and Completely Fine is a heart warming, inspiring love story mixed with feelings of grief, the hard parts of motherhood, and learning how to not care what people think. Lauren is a widowed mother of 13 year old Lena and with a world famous actor brother Gabe Parker. Through Gabe she meets Ben, the hot, young Irish actor who keeps giving her looks like he wants to see her naked. This one time things turns a question of “could this be more?”
My heart felt for Lauren during this read, her grief was palpable and heartbreaking. I felt for her and her daughter so many times, putting myself in her shoes while she navigating her daughter’s emotions like she was walking in a minefield. The love story was adorable and the right amount of spice. Again I’ll definitely be recommending and reading more by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts above are my own.

another great book from elissa sussman. this time about dealing with grief and trying to set your life after. i absolutely adore elissa’s style of writing and how she writes and grows her characters. can’t wait to see what more she her up her sleeve in the future

This book took you on such an emotional journey. I loved the dual timeline plot and how real the grief felt for Lauren. I did not want to put this book down. I can’t wait to read Elissa Sussman’s next book!

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC of “Totally and Completely Fine” by Elissa Sussman. I really enjoy this authorms works. This story follows Lauren Parker, the sister of Gabe Parker from “Funny You Should Ask”. Lauren is recently widowed, dealing with grief, dating and her teenage daughter. When Lauren travels to Gabe’s movie set she meets his younger co-star Ben Walsh. Sparks fly from the first meeting, but Lauren isn’t sure she can overcome her grief to start a new relationship. At first, this love story presented very one-sided, but as Lauren and Ben bond over their different grief their relationship changes. The story also alternates between the present with Ben and past with Lauren’s husband, Spencer. I don’t know how much I bought into either love story, but the overall message about dealing with grief was very well written. I also liked the family dynamics. They felt very real. I will definitely be recommended this to patrons and friends.

Pre-order this now as it is sure to be one of the highest rated books of 2025. Sussman brings us back to the Parker family in the same timelines set out in ‘Funny You Should Ask’, rather than feeling overplayed it is nostalgic and gives greater insight into her the beloved characters.
This book beautifully deals with the universal themes of love, grief, loss, loneliness, longing, self-discovery and identity while still being an enjoyable read with the fresh romantic scenes readers have come to expect from the author.
Sussman hit it out of the park once again and is sure to delight established fans and attract more devotees with this stunning new release!

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman is a witty, heartwarming journey of self-discovery and love. Lauren Parker is a small-town woman juggling grief, being a single mom, and living in the shadow of her famous brother. When she meets actor Ben Walsh, their chemistry is undeniable, and suddenly, Lauren is questioning everything she thought she knew about herself.

Sussman strikes the perfect balance between humor and emotion as Lauren navigates life, grief, and unexpected love. The relationship between Lauren and Ben is electric, and the small-town drama and family dynamics add just the right amount of chaos. It’s a beautifully messy story about finding yourself and embracing new possibilities.

Totally and Completely Fine is an engaging, fun read with plenty of heart and humor. It’s a book that will leave you laughing, thinking, and rooting for Lauren every step of the way!

Elissa Sussman’s novel combines past and present, weaving a tale with romance and heartache with steamy moments. The short chapters keep you engaged as it tackles tough topics of grief and addiction. Overall a great read.

Overall, I enjoyed this story but found the main characters storyline to be diluted by a lot of side storylines. I wanted more of the “Now” chapters and found myself rushing through the “then” chapters. I felt Lauren was a little too mean to Ben, to the point I wasn’t rooting for them at first because Ben deserved better. I understand Lauren’s hesitations due to age, grief and being a single mom but it was frustrating that she wasn’t communicating why with Ben so it didn’t seem she was running hot then cold on a whim. The book really picked up once she was honest with herself about her interest in Ben.

Elissa Sussman continues to establish herself as one of my favorite contemporary romance authors currently publishing. While this book didn’t quite reach the highs of her previous two for me, I will always turn to her books for complicated and flawed characters who you can’t help but root for and deftly-penned romance weaved in with all the feelings. Sussman is a master of the genre and should be getting more flowers!

Totally and completely loved this book. Following Lauren and her teenage daughter Lena through grief and growth was beautiful. There is plenty of romance in this book, but also love in other forms, especially familial.
Told in first-person, alternating timelines of Lauren’s past love with her late husband and her present exploration of motherhood and meeting someone new, this book was hard to put down.
A few hard themes in this one, including deaths of parent and spouse, so read with care. Also be sure you’ve read the author’s previous works for connection and context. Plus you’ll love them too! 👀

*I was honored to read an ARC of this book via
NetGalley and the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.*

I very much enjoyed this book and going back and forth between Lauren’s past and future lives. The characters are so fun and very real. Now I even want to go and explore small town Montana!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for providing an ARC

I loved Funny You Should Ask, so I was very excited to dive into this book; unfortunately, it was a bit of a miss for me.
I think Elissa Sussman is a great writer: her dialogue is authentic & the pacing is appropriate (loved the short chapters), but it did not make up for the blurry storyline.
This should have been a women’s fiction book at not a romance. I think Sussman tried to do too many things at once and it made for a dry get-together between characters that lacked real chemistry and interest. I loved the plot line of Lauren being a widow & her navigating her grief and relationship with her daughter, but it was overshadowed by the weird, oversexualized relationship she had with Ben. I didn’t understand why themes of sex positivity, queerness, and addiction were so focused on in this book, as they did not influence or change the plot in any way; it was almost like fluff to meet some sort of diversity requirement.

This would have been MUCH better if it focused primarily on Lauren’s healing journey and did not center it around getting in a “perfectly successful” relationship.

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman was a surprisingly good time. I really enjoyed her debut novel and found her second novel lacking so I went into this one with low expectations but it more than delivered! It was emotional, heartwarming and entertaining. The relationship between all the characters felt real and I found myself caring for them. It was a beautifully written book!

This book caught my attention from the very first chapter! The book follows the life of a widowed mother of a teenage daughter (who also lost her father at a young age), and the very true, non-linear journey of grief, finding yourself again after parenthood, and very real feelings of guilt that come when mothers, specifically, choose their JOY, too in life. I felt the characters were relatable, and I thoroughly enjoyed the aspects throughout the book where the female main character, Laura, explores her sexuality in a positive way with younger love interest, The book switches back from NOW and THEN from Laura's path of grief in highschool to her daughter, Lena's journey today. Overall, it's a lovely book that you can easily put down and pick back up again right where you left off. Spice factor 3/5, I'd say! Thank you to NetGalley for providing this copy for an honest review!

As someone who read and very much enjoyed Funny You Should Ask and Once More With Feeling, I JUMPED at the opportunity to read Elissa Sussman's newest book . The story slowly unfolds giving you details that fill in the blanks as we flip from the past and the present. It is sweet steamy romance with grief, loss, family ties.

As someone who has read all of Elissa Sussman's works, this one is honestly my favorite. In it, we follow Lauren Parker (the sister of Gabe from "Funny You Should Ask") before, during, and after the events of Gabe's book. Lauren, who's raising a teenaged daughter not long after the death of her husband, is struggling with the idea of potentially dating again. In comes Benjamin Walsh, who shows her that it's possible to date and fall in love again after death (but that grief is a part of us forever).

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I was so very excited to get an early copy of Sussman's new book.

Lauren Parker, sister to the movie superstar, Gabe Parker, (Funny You Should Ask), widow, and mother raising her teenage daughter in a small town in Montana. After losing her husband three years prior, when Lauren takes a trip to Pittsburgh to visit her brother's movie set, she comes face to face with her brother's new costar, the handsome, Ben Walsh.

As sparks begin to fly, and Gabe and Ben travel to Montana to start up a theater program, Lauren learns to navigate a love life after great loss.

Great cast of characters and a nice continuation of Gave and Chani's story intertwined, a beautiful read.

I wasn't in love with this book at first because it felt like a typical surface-level romance book, but once I got further along I realized this book handled meaningful topics, and real-life situations, and was entertaining (though there was still a bit too much of the miscommunication trope for me along the way). Small-town Montana was played up very nicely and this was a warm cozy read for the heart. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you for the ARC of Totally and Completely Fine. I enjoyed Lauren’s story, and revisiting with Gabe and Chani. Beautifully written story about love, family, grief, and relationships. I liked the alternating time periods-the past with Spencer and present with Ben.