Funny You Should Ask

A Novel

By: Elissa Sussman

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A restless young journalist with big dreams interviews a Hollywood heartthrob—and reunites with him ten years later to discover exactly how he feels about her in this sexy and engrossing novel

“You will absolutely devour this book. It’s filled with delightful banter, hot romance, and a love story that’s worthy of the big screen.”—Kate Spencer, author of In a New York Minute and host of Forever35

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Cosmopolitan, NPR, The Washington Post, Book Riot

Then. Twenty-something writer Chani Horowitz is stuck. While her former MFA classmates are nabbing high-profile book deals, all she does is churn out puff pieces. Then she’s hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker: her number one celebrity crush and the latest James Bond. All Chani wants to do is keep her cool and nail the piece. But what comes next proves to be life changing in ways she never saw coming, as the interview turns into a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing—and Chani getting closer to Gabe than she had planned.

Now. Ten years later, after a brutal divorce and a healthy dose of therapy, Chani is back in Los Angeles as a successful writer with the career of her dreams. Except that no matter what new essay collection or online editorial she’s promoting, someone always asks about The Profile. It always comes back to Gabe. So when his PR team requests that they reunite for a second interview, she wants to say no. She wants to pretend that she’s forgotten about the time they spent together. But the truth is that Chani wants to know if those seventy-two hours were as memorable to Gabe as they were to her. And so . . . she says yes.

Alternating between their first meeting and their reunion a decade later, this deliciously irresistible novel will have you hanging on until the last word.

©2022 Elissa Sussman (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Sussman makes her adult fiction debut with a smart and sexy tale of second-chance love. The story thoroughly satisfies on a romantic level and packs an emotional punch with genuine characters.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Alternating between past and present, YA writer Sussman’s first novel for adults slowly lays out the events of her characters’ first meeting and how much has changed in the decade since. The result is a sexy, sometimes emotionally fraught tale that is both funny and romantic and that will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella.”—Booklist

“Sussman’s thoughtful adult debut explores the connection forged between an insecure Los Angeles writer and a charming movie star. A decade after Chani Horowitz’s profile of Gabe Parker went viral, the two are reunited for another interview. . . . Sussman’s musings about fame, success, and the bonds between people elevate this fun and charming narrative. This has ALL THE MAKINGS OF A HIT.”—Publishers Weekly

So much to say

About why I love this book. It was so tender & funny. Love the wit & nuggets of info that puzzled together beautifully. Whether it’s realistic…basically resigned myself to believing that true, genuine love between two people, is mostly a fairytale. But for those that find it together…they’re the lucky few.
With that said, this belief doesn’t stop me from dreaming. And this story would be one incredibly beautiful dream.
I am also a fan of the narrator and her range is amazing!!

Great book but a bit difficult to keep up with the shifts in timeline with audio

I loved the story, but with it being an audio book, it was hard to keep up with the shifts in timelines and shifts from actual story-telling to the article excerpts. The reader also read a bit faster than I prefer, but overall a good experience

Loved every word

This surprised me. I loved it. The characters and dialogue were rich. The storyline was I retesting and engaging. Top read this year!

Classic love story between movie star and reporter

It was a cute story… very predictable however. Great performance and great writing. Would recommend for any romance lover

Didn't want it to end!

The story is fresh, compelling, wonderfully written and beautifully narrated! Excited for every next chapter and disappointed when it ended!

Ehh

It wasn’t a bad book but it jumped around a lot which made it a little confusing. The end also felt rushed and then very abrupt. Not my fav but not the worst!

what you'd expect of a rom com

This was a cute, short, fun weekend listen. It met my expectations for a simple rom com escape, but I was longing for a little more character development and story. It honestly felt like 95% of the attraction between characters was physical and not much to do with backstories or connection in the dialogue... still it was a good beach read, just not excellent

Second chance romance

I’d give it a 3.5. There was definitely unnecessary content (all the fake articles). But the story is sweet.

I was waiting for the story get better…it didn’t.

I was waiting for something in the story other than the MC’s self deprecating humor but that was the only entertaining part of the story.

Mindless Listen

This was a mindless listen but mostly entertaining and good for a cross state drive. The end was really forced and cliche which ruined it for me. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to recommend it.