Reviews with content warning for Grief - Funny You Should Ask

trigger warnings: alcohol addition, alcohol and drug mention, slut shaming, sexual harassment, infidelity, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, death of family member, car accident, sexual content

A mix of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and How To Fake It In Hollywood, this was a delightful novel about a missed connection and a second chance given ten years later.

Chani is a writer who got to profile the first American Bond which leads to the explosive success of both their careers. Ten years later she gets asked to do another profile on him as he attempts to resurrect his career after conflict and rehab.

Right from the get go, you experience the weight of their relationship. Despite Chani being the pov you see through most of the book, Gabe is a looming influence throughout the book, in the flashbacks and in their present timeline. The book really hammered in that their lives were intertwined. This gave you the incredible experience of being a spectator to their lives through the articles interspersed throughout and also get the insider scoop through Chani's timelines. You get to question their lives and speculate about their relationship while also getting a lot of insider information. It creates this really intriguing dramatic irony of knowing what the public doesn't know while also knowing what perhaps Chani and Gabe weren't privy to about outside opinions on them.

I loved how strategically the story was constructed. News excerpts and flashbacks were not tossed in willy nilly for funsies. Every piece of story provided fed into the next level of development in the story. You built sympathy for the characters before you even knew what pain they were going to experience, making the low points in the book personally painful for you as the reader.

I also really enjoyed how many full circle moments the book provided. Earlier throwaway lines that the characters and even the reader would overlook were given a moment of reprise with a significantly altered a deeper meaning than before. This punctuated the emotional moments in the book beautifully, providing depth to emotional moments without saying much.

This book is a masterclass in stating and withholding just the right amount of information to keep you pondering the story past its conclusion without feeling like you were cut short on a clean ending.

Incredible.

Content Warnings

kassielovestoread's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

I seriously cannot believe I read this entire book in only a matter of hours. It was addicting! Before I knew it, I had already reached the halfway point of this book and decided, fuck it, just finish it in one go.

I was bummed that this book wasn't a dual POV as it is a must have in rom-coms for me, but I realized that the book probably wouldn't have worked if we got a Gabe pov on top of everything else. I thought the book was a little busy in the switching timelines and the articles/reviews/blog posts in between the chapters. It took some adjusting! Once I overcame that hurdle, I literally couldn't put this book down. Chani and Gabe remind me why I love reading contemporary romances- some moments were so deeply romantic that I had to put the book down to squeal of joy

(Teddy. "I thought we'd established that I've read everything you've written." Gabe Parker-Horrowitz. AGHHHHH)

It was just so darn good!

This book does pack an emotional punch however. It deals with some heavy themes: addiction, grief and sexism being the most prevalent. Gabe has done his fair share of fucked up things and at first, I was shaking my head at Chani to protect herself from his charm. But the way his trauma and addiction is explored is deeply impactful, you can't help but want to protect Gabe from just about everything.

I'd absolutely recommend this book to all. It's got a little something in it for everyone, I think!

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writtenbydnicole's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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gabbadabbadoo's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.75

This book felt particularly refreshing and I can't exactly figure out why. maybe bc it was the first nonlinear timeline I've read in a minute, or maybe bc it felt pretty straightforward in a good way??? might've read it too fast but there definitely wasn't a lot of unnecessary fluff or dancing around the point and i like that. i also loved the bits of articles and blogs between chapters. i wanted to give this 4 stars but it just feel slike there's something missing like 70% in and the confession at the end sort of fell flat for me.

i also loved that gabe hyphenated his name lmao

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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

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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 :)

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dogbuttsandbooks's review against another edition

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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

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