Funny You Should Ask
Sussman’s writing is intelligent and wryly funny. Some may say it’s akin to a Taylor Jenkins Reid and Emily Henry mashup. So if you like those two authors, this might be perfect for you!
It’s a journalist and movie star slow burner—then and now. Affiliate link
Before reviewing this book I need to bring up a point of great importance: WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! And by that, I mean, why is it easier for me to grind a dislikable book to dust under the heel of my (fictional) Louboutin stiletto than to sing the praises of a delightful tale? In real life, I don’t dwell on the negative. At least, I try not to. But usually I find myself readily pointing out what’s wrong with my fatigued ebook-swiping index finger instead of calling all the neighbors to tell them about the latest great romance they all need to read. It’s sad, but true.
Hopefully over the life of this blog it won’t be as big of a deal for me to “come on, get happy!” and find the positives. And have fun writing those! That’s what romances are ultimately all about, right! People finding each other! Getting what they want! Emotional growth! Happy endings! Good stuff! Yaaaas!
So here’s a book I liked quite a lot.
Funny You Should Ask was kind of a no brainer as a reading selection. If I bought it in *reality* (instead of as an ebook) it definitely would have caught my eye amidst a book display. The adorable cover shouts, “Pick me!” and I love anything combined with pink, especially loud color combos like this. There’s also the fact that this FYSA was a finalist on the Goodreads 2022 annual book popularity contest. I like to check most of those out to see how well I match up with everyone else. (Which is definitely not always!)
If you read my last post on Heaven, Texas, you’ll know that one of my weaknesses is the everyday regular human falling for someone famous, someone probably an egotistical superhuman looking character who is almost certainly out of touch, coddled, and blinded by their own fame.
It just checks a box for me—someone fancy or well known getting utterly leveled by love, no matter what form it comes in. Sigh!
Photo by Venti Views on Unsplash
Let’s get to the meat and potatoes, or brisket and latkes as the case may be for the leading lady, Jewish writer/jounalist Chani Horowitz. She’s got a brief, flirty and steamy history with actor Gabe Parker—ten years ago. What happened between them? Don’t you want to know! The details said previous interview/tryst are teased to the reader through most of the book.
In the present day, Chani is still reckoning with the consequences of their stint together and the interview that “made her career,” which of course, is the source of all her professional doubt: What if she’s a fraud? What if her articles sell only because she had the Parker interview? Will she ever have a career-making piece like that again?
When the Chani and Gabe are presented with the chance to interview again the do the “will they/won’t they?”tango.
(Come on. You know they will.)
The story flips back and forth between the two meetings, then and now, and various gossip pieces and news bits. The couple sorts through their past, hides and reveals feelings, before finally, finally getting it all out. You really have to work for it though, as the reader finally gets let in on what happened ten years earlier waaaay late in the book, and the miscommunication that was the undoing to all of their good-times and emotional intimacy.
Ah, the big misunderstanding. A key element in so many romances.
This fated-mates and second chance romance is a nice pairing to Nora Goes off Script, which I loved, loved, loved. This story is not as spicy as some, so it’s maybe a 2.5-3 🌶🌶 chili pepper rating, but the tension pulled me through. (Where is the half-chili emoji?!) If you like that sort of epistolary format, this one might do it for you.
The middle did feel a little soggy (I did some skimming for sure), and the ending was satisfying. It’s hard not to love Gabe for how hard he tires and how much he clearly loves Chani. Chani, on the other hand, didn’t do as much emotional heavy lifting in the end. She caps it off the finale with a fair bit of crying. As a fellow cryer, I get this, but I didn’t want to read it. I wanted her words! Her “why I love yous” and “how I will commit to you,” and “here’s how we can build our life together” words. That kind of stuff.
Overall, a good time with less heat than many.
Photo by John Fornander on Unsplash
Gabe Parker has a pool. Maybe it looks like this?
