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kmsander4's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one is cute. It's bubblegum and rainbows (with some rain sprinkled in there too). There's spice but just a quick taste. It's romcom fluff. Which, sometimes, is exactly what you need.
But what I truly loved about this book was the pacing and structure. The use of then and now plus the article excerpts...it was the absolutely perfect way to tell this story. We weren't bogged down in unnecessary flashbacks and painful memories. And some of those little throwaway tidbits in the excerpts nestled their way beautifully into the story.
I think Sussman deserves major kudos for how she told this story - even moreso than just for the story she told! Need a fun, light, romcom read? Don't skip past this one!
But what I truly loved about this book was the pacing and structure. The use of then and now plus the article excerpts...it was the absolutely perfect way to tell this story. We weren't bogged down in unnecessary flashbacks and painful memories. And some of those little throwaway tidbits in the excerpts nestled their way beautifully into the story.
I think Sussman deserves major kudos for how she told this story - even moreso than just for the story she told! Need a fun, light, romcom read? Don't skip past this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
gemin1reader's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
3.25
I really enjoyed how this book was written - a mix of present-day, flashbacks, magazine articles and reviews. It made for a fun read but it also meant it felt like we missed some of the emotional connections between the main characters
I also found the FMC just a teeny bit irritating by the end.
I also found the FMC just a teeny bit irritating by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Homophobia
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Car accident
hellopatrycja's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Addiction, and Alcoholism
auudrey's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia
Minor: Death, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
mrsbennettreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
3.5
A slow-burn, second chance romance between Gabe Parker, a movie star cast to play the new James Bond, and Chani Horowitz, the journalist hired to write a profile about him. After a wild weekend that leaves rumors spiraling, they part ways. Now, 10 years later, she gets an offer to write another piece on him. They’re both drastically different people, but some things haven’t changed.
I listened to this on audiobook, and the narrator did a great job using voices to distinguish characters (even if her British accent is subpar). The timeline alternates between the present and a decade ago, which occasionally got confusing when I was listening (might’ve been easier if I was reading a hard copy), but if I gave it enough time, I was usually able to pick up by context.
Ollie is one of my favorite side characters ever. I wish he’d gotten more development, but he’s such a good friend and voice of reality. I appreciate how realistic and flawed the main characters are; Gabe isn’t the perfect golden boy and Chani is a bit cringe tbh. It has some insta-love vibes, which aren’t always my thing. Feels a bit like fan fiction at times, but take it at face value, and it’s a cute, easy, satisfying read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death
thesmutsister_emma's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Almost, But Not Quite
I am about to commit the sin of all reviewing sins... and make a book comparison. When I first started this book, I devoured the first 25% of it the night I got it on Libby. I was so excited, and if you know me, you are aware of why this is the case. I read Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren last year and have been searching for something similar ever since. Despite being a similar setup, as you can tell from the title, lightening did not quite strike twice in this case.
In Funny You Should Ask, we follow Chani and Gabe on two different sets of interviews a decade apart. We see an alternating timeline, observing what happened ten years ago, versus what is happening in present day. I thought this set up was going to be what did it for me because it was one of the things I adored about Love and Other Words, yet I found myself searching for more.
The Characters
Chani: I felt like when it came to Chani's character, there was much left to be said. I did not feel like I could name any of her personality traits other than the fact that she is Jewish, she is a writer, and she enjoys Star Trek (and has a weird thing for dogs' tongues...) It didn't really feel like I was reading a three dimensional character. I felt like a lot of everything that came with her was very surface level.
Gabe: I feel very similarly about Gabe as I did about Chani. I feel as though most of what happened in this book with Gabe was very surface level. Not a lot of it felt much deeper than if someone had yelled "For the plot!"and carried on. There was an attempt to try to explain why Gabe fell in love with Chani the first time around but honestly? It felt very shallow. Not everything has to have this huge, deeper meaning behind it, but this one didn't really make sense. And it really didn't make sense as to why he still cared ten years later. There was not much there other than common interests and physical attraction that gave me any reason to believe these two should still be in love.
Things I Loved
I adored the set up of this. The idea of a weekend long interview and then an attempt to recreate it to revive Gabe's career was such an amazing concept. I also loved Chani's blog posts and being able to see what she had written over the years, as well as what had been said about each of the characters. It was a neat spin to give some more outside info.
Things I Didn't Love
The way that these characters interacted was amazing, I just wish it had gone deeper. Maybe a few more interactions over the years or more the first time around would have helped me fall in love alongside them. I feel like had I read this before other books with this main trope that I would have enjoyed it more.
The Final Verdict
If you are wanting a second chance romance that is a mash up of. Emily Henry and Christina Lauren's writing styles with a little bit of Lucy Score, this is definitely the one for you. Sending all my love to you and Teddy.
I am about to commit the sin of all reviewing sins... and make a book comparison. When I first started this book, I devoured the first 25% of it the night I got it on Libby. I was so excited, and if you know me, you are aware of why this is the case. I read Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren last year and have been searching for something similar ever since. Despite being a similar setup, as you can tell from the title, lightening did not quite strike twice in this case.
In Funny You Should Ask, we follow Chani and Gabe on two different sets of interviews a decade apart. We see an alternating timeline, observing what happened ten years ago, versus what is happening in present day. I thought this set up was going to be what did it for me because it was one of the things I adored about Love and Other Words, yet I found myself searching for more.
The Characters
Chani: I felt like when it came to Chani's character, there was much left to be said. I did not feel like I could name any of her personality traits other than the fact that she is Jewish, she is a writer, and she enjoys Star Trek (and has a weird thing for dogs' tongues...) It didn't really feel like I was reading a three dimensional character. I felt like a lot of everything that came with her was very surface level.
Gabe: I feel very similarly about Gabe as I did about Chani. I feel as though most of what happened in this book with Gabe was very surface level. Not a lot of it felt much deeper than if someone had yelled "For the plot!"and carried on. There was an attempt to try to explain why Gabe fell in love with Chani the first time around but honestly? It felt very shallow. Not everything has to have this huge, deeper meaning behind it, but this one didn't really make sense. And it really didn't make sense as to why he still cared ten years later. There was not much there other than common interests and physical attraction that gave me any reason to believe these two should still be in love.
Things I Loved
I adored the set up of this. The idea of a weekend long interview and then an attempt to recreate it to revive Gabe's career was such an amazing concept. I also loved Chani's blog posts and being able to see what she had written over the years, as well as what had been said about each of the characters. It was a neat spin to give some more outside info.
Things I Didn't Love
The way that these characters interacted was amazing, I just wish it had gone deeper. Maybe a few more interactions over the years or more the first time around would have helped me fall in love alongside them. I feel like had I read this before other books with this main trope that I would have enjoyed it more.
The Final Verdict
If you are wanting a second chance romance that is a mash up of. Emily Henry and Christina Lauren's writing styles with a little bit of Lucy Score, this is definitely the one for you. Sending all my love to you and Teddy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Car accident
taelorslibrary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
laheath's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Given the opportunity to interview celebrity, Gabe Parker, who is poised for a comeback, writer Chani Horowitz is having second thoughts. Her first interview with him, ten years prior, helped to launch her career, but not for all the right reasons. Told in alternating chapters of Then and Now, interspersed with Chani's blog posts and articles, as well as other reviews, this was a fun story of can a regular girl get the celebrity? At times, Chani is so self-deprecating that the reader is left agreeing with her, why would the celebrity be interested in her? When they're together, they have great chemistry, though, and at least the ending of this very slow burn finally answers some of those questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, and Classism
Minor: Drug use and Antisemitism
alucile2's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
I enjoyed the story. I actually really liked that the format and that it jumped between time periods with the articles and reviews mixed in between chapters. Chani was a bit self-deprecating, but on some level I related so it didn’t bother me too much. I loved Gabe though, and I felt like he went through way more character development than Chani ever did, even though she was the main character. I appreciated is vulnerability and working through his struggle with alcoholism. I thought the slow burn romance, and the banter between Chani and game was perfection and it definitely kept me listening. Oh and Ollie! Loved his character! Overall enjoyed this cute romance!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Alcoholism