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A review by mahaofhyrule
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
3.5 Stars
Kinda fun and kinda boring at the same time, but mostly fun.
What I DID like though was the following:
- The Writing Style: Very easy on the brain. I also liked the inclusion of the media outlets here like Chani's blog, news articles, etc. to support the narrative too. Very creative!
- The talks on female journalist stereotypes and actor typecasting: Probably my favorite parts of the book. Chani's addresses on breaking that stereotype that female journalists sleep their way to good stories, and actors being criticized for taking roles that break their usual mold (and what it means to be a public figure). I really like these parts of the book and lowkey I wish this book was more of a character study on that vs. the romance.
- Oliver Matthias: What a gem. Also ties in with actors as a public figure point.
- This line: “He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.” Like what does that even mean? I love it.
And now the dislikes:
For one thing, I didn't connect with Chani and Gabe's romance. To me, their whole dynamic felt like insta love, which is a trope I don't really like that much in romance novels. (Though this might be on me, I probably could have inferred that from the title.)
Chani and Gabe as individual characters were kind of a hit or miss for me too. Chani's insecurities made sense when she was younger and made the choices she did , but the way it carried onto her later years was crazy. Girl was still hung up on her no good ex after so many years. (On that note, it got a little annoying that she mentioned Jeremy in pretty much every other sentence.)
I also didn't really like that ending. It felt a little too rushed. More in the spoiler tag.
They slept together and then had this weird fight about Chani's article, and this point there was like 10 pages left in the book. HUH? And the way they immediately made up was so quick. Very romcom Hallmark movie vibes
But anyway this was a quick fun read!
Kinda fun and kinda boring at the same time, but mostly fun.
What I DID like though was the following:
- The Writing Style: Very easy on the brain. I also liked the inclusion of the media outlets here like Chani's blog, news articles, etc. to support the narrative too. Very creative!
- The talks on female journalist stereotypes and actor typecasting: Probably my favorite parts of the book. Chani's addresses on breaking that stereotype that female journalists sleep their way to good stories, and actors being criticized for taking roles that break their usual mold (and what it means to be a public figure). I really like these parts of the book and lowkey I wish this book was more of a character study on that vs. the romance.
- Oliver Matthias: What a gem. Also ties in with actors as a public figure point.
- This line: “He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.” Like what does that even mean? I love it.
And now the dislikes:
For one thing, I didn't connect with Chani and Gabe's romance. To me, their whole dynamic felt like insta love, which is a trope I don't really like that much in romance novels. (Though this might be on me, I probably could have inferred that from the title.)
Chani and Gabe as individual characters were kind of a hit or miss for me too. Chani's insecurities made sense when she was younger and made the choices she did , but the way it carried onto her later years was crazy. Girl was still hung up on her no good ex after so many years. (On that note, it got a little annoying that she mentioned Jeremy in pretty much every other sentence.)
I also didn't really like that ending. It felt a little too rushed. More in the spoiler tag.
But anyway this was a quick fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Addiction