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!

I haven’t read Funny you should ask, so I had zero expectations going into this one. I’m not a big fan of insta love and I feel that’s what happened with Lauren and Ben.. overall it was an okay book

I tend to gobble up Elissa Sussman’s books and this one was no different. It felt like it moved along well and didn’t spend too much time lingering in any given moment. I thought we’d get more “you’re not my dad” scenes with a single mom situation but thankfully the characters moved through their various feels relatively quickly. The grief felt very raw and believable (which after reading the Author Note makes sense.) I wish I had reread “Funny You Should Ask” immediately before reading this one as it feels more like a continuation than a straight up sequel. Different main characters, but the storyline is overlapped from what I can remember of the first book. We get lots of the same characters (particularly Lauren’s brother Gabe,) and I kind of wished we didn’t 😂 I wanted more of Lauren & Ben, because I honestly felt like Ben ended up being slightly one dimensional because we didn’t spend much time with him. The way Sussman weaves Lauren’s love story with her husband Spencer into the storyline is lovely, and I appreciate seeing Lauren’s past so thoroughly. A lovely nuanced story, but some heavy themes in this one. I love forward to future books from Elissa Sussman! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

I loved every second of this newest one from Elissa Sussman! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a hilarious and beautiful look at finding love again even after a devastating loss. I found Lauren incredibly relatable, and loved the dual timeline of getting to see her relationship with her late husband unfold as well as how she handles unexpectedly getting involved with another of her brother’s friends (who just so happens to be an incredibly handsome movie star).

Because we are getting the flashbacks of her relationship with her late husband and her family’s grief in the wake of the loss, we do get a little less time to see the current-day relationship between Lauren and Ben unfold, so be aware if you’re going into this with classic rom-com expectations. Overall, I loved this one, and highly recommend to anyone who wants to feel hopeful that things can get better after everything falls apart.

I’ve read and enjoyed both of Sussman’s other books but this blows the other two waaaaay out of the water. There’s such a beautiful story of grief and family and community, and you can tell that there’s something different about Sussman in writing this one. The new romance was a little hard to buy into at times but I had a good time overall. Tbh totally didn’t connect until reading other reviews that this was tied to Funny You Should Ask, so you can definitely read this as a standalone.

Some books sneak up on you...slowly pulling you in and leaving you breathless by the last page. Totally and Completely Fine is one of those books. It’s not just a love story—it’s a deeply moving, beautiful exploration of grief, love, and the complicated act of starting over.

Lauren Parker has always been a little bit rebellious. First as a teenage troublemaker in her small Montana town, and now as a widowed single mom just trying to keep it all together. Her husband Spencer died years ago, and while Lauren tells everyone she’s “totally and completely fine,” when the actual truth is—she’s not.

Enter Ben Walsh, a charming rising movie star working on a film with Gabe. When Lauren and Ben meet on set, it starts as nothing more than a fling, a brief escape. But soon, Lauren is forced to confront the unexpected feelings and the deep-rooted grief she’s been avoiding. The novel unfolds through dual timelines, weaving Lauren’s past with Spencer and the present with Ben. Elissa Sussman’s writing is witty, and warm. Lauren’s dynamic with her daughter adds another layer to the story.

This book doesn’t promise a neat, fairytale love story—instead, it gives us something even better: a story about healing.
A beautifully written novel that will stay with you long after the last page.

#TotallyAndCompletelyFine #ElissaSussman #RandomHouse #GriefAndLove #MustRead

One word describes this book - Feels. This is a book about grief, and it's also a story about love, and it's so beautiful and wonderful how both exist in this story. The book is in a Then/Now format. Then tells the history of the love story of Spencer and Lauren. Spencer has died, and Lauren is now a widowed single mom. Now tells the story of Lauren trying to figure out life. As part of this, she goes to visit her brother Gabe (and part of this story is also about the ebbs and flows of their relationship) on a movie set and meets Ben, a famous actor. They have a connection, but Lauren isn't sure what this unexpected connection might/could/should be. The storytelling between Then/Now is perfect, and I was emotionally connected to both. The way these thread together had me so captivated. This is obviously a heavy dose of feels, and because of that, it's a book I had to wait to be in the right headspace for. And when I got there and was ready, I absolutely loved it. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this July 2025 release.

I completely and totally loved this. It was such a cute celebrity brothers best friend romance. Elissa Sussman hit it out of the park with this one.

3.5⭐️ I really have enjoyed all of Sussman’s books, and this book is no exception. This felt like a prequel to Funny You Should Ask, as we get more details in Gabe/Chani’s relationship. I sort of wish we didn’t spend so much time with Gabe/Chani/Oliver because it felt like we got so little time to fall in love with Ben. His relationship with Lauren felt physical and quick and I liked them together but I was not emotionally invested. So when he took that huge leap at the end it was kind of shocking, to give up so much for what felt like a fling.

I cried…grief is hard. I thought this was written well, and it moved me to tears because I could relate. There was no doubt Lauren’s love for Spencer. I know Lauren was seeing a therapist but I feel Lena should be seeing one as well. She said some things that were brushed over and not handled properly and I found it hard to overlook her behavior.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy to review!

Got my hands on an early copy thanks to NetGalley. Thank you, NetGalley!

I read both “Funny You Should Ask” and “Once More With Feeling” and really enjoyed both. I loved that “Totally and Completely Fine” took us back to the world of Chani and Gabe and gave us Gabe’s sister, Lauren. I loved the dual timelines and getting to explore Lauren’s grief that Gabe had alluded to in “Funny You Should Ask.” I also really like how the timelines overlapped between the two books, it felt like a fresh way of meshing the worlds. It’s a book about love in all forms, new love and love in grief and love in motherhood and love in a family.

Girl you get me every time from laughing out loud to ugly crying. I appreciate the way you can put me in the story and pull at my heart strings.

Lauren has lost her husband and while she’s dealing with her loss she is trying to help her daughter navigate her feelings. However she’s closing up not just to her but her Uncle Gabe who she was close to. Gabe is a famous actor and Lauren and her daughter go on a trip to Philly. Where Lauren meets Ben this steamy actor and all hell breaks loose in her life. Even though everything was totally and completely fine.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy

The intertwining storylines connected to "Funny You Should Ask" drew me in right from the start. Loved seeing Gabe and Chani further in their relationship while also getting to connect with Lauren, her complex and loving daughter and Ben. Great read.