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jenn_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Alcoholism
abbeyroad1410's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
One of my favorite parts of this novel is that it doesn't just rotate between the present day and the past, but it also includes articles from both times. The articles really push the theme of reputation, and readers can see how the media portrays both characters despite not knowing anything about them or their relationship. It is also fun to see how Chani herself plays into her role as a journalist and painting a picture that is slightly less than true from her articles. My only disappointment on this front was that we didn't get Chani's follow-up article on Gabe Parker - the main plot point of the book.
Of course, this book loses me at times because I have a lot of trouble believing that characters can fall in love in such a short time. This isn't quite the insta-love that really takes me out of a novel, but it is very quick. I think this book strengthens the plot by having Chani ask the same questions the readers may have about how quickly things progress.
Additionally, I was very upset because the novel had me convinced for awhile that the dog was dead, and the whole time I was thinking "but she would only be 10! She has to still be alive." Dog death messes with my anxiety.
However, this novel had one of the strongest romance novel endings that I have read. I love the idea of Gabe watching an article for the newsletter and getting his perspective rather than Chani's to end the novel. The ending is heartfelt, emotional. One quote hit me so hard that I texted my boyfriend about it.
Overall, this book is worth the read and was a nice light-hearted book for exam week.
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Addiction, and Alcoholism
askurm0m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Death, Classism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
glass_carousel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
alexcooper88's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism and Addiction
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment
muchadoaboutliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Sexism
fromthefoxhole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Rather than flat up front, their story is told through a series of flashbacks, articles, and snapshots from the present.
While I can definitively say I enjoyed reading Funny You Should Ask, I also found myself regularly rolling my eyes at Chani. I found her immature and incapable of recognizing her own faults, so much so that
Graphic: Cursing, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
auudrey's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia
Minor: Death, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
3.5
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
- 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
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.
Moderate: Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Car accident