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gabyhat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, and Death
thatswhatshanread'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? It's complicated
4.0
I must first say that this is a book you can judge based on its cover, at least I did anyway—fun, cute, light and flirty.
From page one I could instantly see myself as the MC. Everyone has fantasized about meeting their celebrity crush, right? What about interviewing them? Scoring an invite to a premiere and an after party? Such is the case for this story. We follow journalist Chani “Then” and “Now” as she pens a profile piece on Hollywood heartthrob Gabe Parker twice, ten years apart. Can a whirlwind weekend of fame and and glamour and intimate conversations really change the trajectory of your life?
In some cases, yes. Chani’s article goes viral. Gabe isn’t just a Hollywood Hunk from small town Montana, he’s now an A-list celebrity with Oscar buzz. And a new Bond girl wife.
Because it was just that one weekend they spent together. Ten years later everything has changed except the feelings still there between Gabe and Chani, never consummated. And then Chani is asked to interview Gabe again and maybe recreate the magic of the article that launched her career.
This is a really well-written novel, more character-driven than anything. I liked and sympathized with Chani, found Gabe charming but real, and enjoyed the setting and theming. The beginning and end were really great. The middle lost me a little just in the fact that we’re supposed to believe these two characters have been in love with each other for a decade despite only being around each other for a couple days. I suppose that’s the magic of Hollywood, though, and I don’t hold it against them or the author. After all, wouldn’t I want to write the same thing?
I wished for a little more backstory, but overall it delivered on everything I was expecting. Also, it’s smart and sexy the way a romcom should be.
A very cute book :)
From page one I could instantly see myself as the MC. Everyone has fantasized about meeting their celebrity crush, right? What about interviewing them? Scoring an invite to a premiere and an after party? Such is the case for this story. We follow journalist Chani “Then” and “Now” as she pens a profile piece on Hollywood heartthrob Gabe Parker twice, ten years apart. Can a whirlwind weekend of fame and and glamour and intimate conversations really change the trajectory of your life?
In some cases, yes. Chani’s article goes viral. Gabe isn’t just a Hollywood Hunk from small town Montana, he’s now an A-list celebrity with Oscar buzz. And a new Bond girl wife.
Because it was just that one weekend they spent together. Ten years later everything has changed except the feelings still there between Gabe and Chani, never consummated. And then Chani is asked to interview Gabe again and maybe recreate the magic of the article that launched her career.
This is a really well-written novel, more character-driven than anything. I liked and sympathized with Chani, found Gabe charming but real, and enjoyed the setting and theming. The beginning and end were really great. The middle lost me a little just in the fact that we’re supposed to believe these two characters have been in love with each other for a decade despite only being around each other for a couple days. I suppose that’s the magic of Hollywood, though, and I don’t hold it against them or the author. After all, wouldn’t I want to write the same thing?
I wished for a little more backstory, but overall it delivered on everything I was expecting. Also, it’s smart and sexy the way a romcom should be.
A very cute book :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Antisemitism, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Misogyny, Outing, and Sexism
Minor: Religious bigotry, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Car accident, and Cancer
sfbookgirl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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 book was a delight! Elissa Sussman’s writing style is so fun and electric that I couldn’t help but keep turning pages. While this isn’t one I will be thinking about months later, it is a novel I enjoyed while reading it. A young writer named Chani Horowitz is hired to write a profile on the famous movie star Gabe Parker in Los Angeles. Chan is obsessed with him and is tasked with interviewing Gabe for his new James Bond role. The interview ends up happening over the duration of one unforgettable weekend in which her feelings for Gabe only heighten.
Ten years later and after a terrible divorce, Chani is back in LA and is asked to write a follow-up piece on Gabe. Chani has still got the feelings and she is worried that maybe this follow-up assignment is a recipe for disaster. I loved the back-and-forth narrative that switches between the past and the present day of Chani’s (and Gabe’s) life. The pacing is fabulous and is filled with so much juicy gossip; it makes you second guess that this is fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
tatiannaskye's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
Cute book that was a fast read. Loved how it jumped from past to present. The characters themselves were lovable, this book felt so real and that I was reading nonfiction. Overall I would definitely read this again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Death, and Toxic relationship
Run of the mill stuff.kaltenmark24's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Addiction, and Car accident
sdupont's review against another edition
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
Everyone is talking about this book and I was getting FOMO so I had to join the party. Funny You Should Ask is a slightly slow start but things get interesting when you hit Gabe and Chani reuniting in the present. This book is a famous person/regular person trope lovers dream, especially that it was inspired by real life celeb Chris Evans’s GQ interview. I enjoyed this book, it was a solid read and would recommend it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Sexism
dogbuttsandbooks's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I was so looking forward to this book - celebrity romances are my favorite. But this did not live up to the hype. The two main characters were miserable the entire book and frankly making some very morally questionable decisions the entire time. I hoped we’d get some social commentary about how society judges and shames women, celebrities forced to hide their sexuality, and more. But NOPE, nothing. Instead it was just two people being depressed and refusing to communicate like the adults they are (but really, was so excited to have MCs in their upper thirties and forties but these two acted more immaturely than most teenagers). I cannot recommend this book.
Also I’m deeply uncomfortable with the similarities between this book and the 2011 Chris Evans GQ article by Edith Zimmerman. The comprisons between Sussman's novel & Zimmerman's article are undeniable & uncomfortable. At the very LEAST the author should have mentioned the original GQ journalist in her acknowledgments (she does follow her on social media after all)! At most, she could have mixed up the details to make the dupe less obvious. Everything about this is icky.
You can find the GQ article here: https://www.gq.com/story/chris-evans-gq-july-2011-cover-story
Also I’m deeply uncomfortable with the similarities between this book and the 2011 Chris Evans GQ article by Edith Zimmerman. The comprisons between Sussman's novel & Zimmerman's article are undeniable & uncomfortable. At the very LEAST the author should have mentioned the original GQ journalist in her acknowledgments (she does follow her on social media after all)! At most, she could have mixed up the details to make the dupe less obvious. Everything about this is icky.
You can find the GQ article here: https://www.gq.com/story/chris-evans-gq-july-2011-cover-story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Car accident, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, and Infidelity
bookcasey's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Car accident and Death
juliaconnelley's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
cinderellasbookshelf's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK by Elissa Sussman is one of my new favorite books to have come out this year. It instantly grabbed and held me in from the very first few pages up until the very end. Unputdownable is the right word to summarize my feelings. Apart from the story alone, the writing, the format, and the themes it explored are what made this such a great and compelling read.
I love a good Hollywood story, and this is one that felt grounded. Celebrity and fame are such a surreal concept that garners so much fascination and I liked how this book breaks down that idea through Chani and Gabe’s weekend together. There is also the added intrigue of the intimacy between them.
The writing was great beat after beat. I also really loved the format, which went between Then (the weekend of the first interview) and Now (ten years later) while also including excerpts from articles and blog posts that filled in the gaps in between or were related to the events mentioned. Together it worked in giving every side of the story while still maintaining one perspective. It kept me invested and left me wondering, much like Chani, on what was real or if it all was just in her head and how she perceived it.
My one criticism is that I wanted to know why Gabe was so attracted to Chani upon just meeting her. I thought maybe he liked her because he read her writing and he just happened to be physically attracted to her. Yet, it still felt like something was missing. I really liked Chani (she’s a fan of The Philadelphia Story), I just wish there was more to explain that instant allure.
That aside, I liked Chani and Gabe’s chemistry both during their first interview and when they reunite years later. When they first met, they were young with their whole lives and careers still ahead of them. There was still so much uncertainty, but hope on whatever could happen next. When they see each other ten years later it’s different, but also familiar. They’ve grown and changed having been through a lot whether it was divorce or rehab, but there’s still that memory of what they almost had. The many depths this book will go, or at least how I interpreted it, is why I love it so much.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexism, Death, and Toxic relationship