This book genuinely feels so cinematic as I'm reading it. The plot and the characters make decisions that would never in a million years be translated to reality but it was still very charming. And funny, I laughed out loud several times which is rare for me. ( )

This was charming. Gabe is a full on dreamboat, and Chani is so relatable, the awkwardness of finding her path felt familiar, and I really just liked her. I have mentioned before that while some of my favorite characters in literature are wildly unlikable, in romance I need to like the MCs because no one wants an asshole to live happily ever after.

For those who don't know the backstory, IRL Edith Zimmerman wrote a GQ profile of Chris Evans just as he was preparing to premiere as Captain America. She basically spent 3 days following him around and maybe trying to shag him, and it is one of the best celebrity profiles ever written (GR won't let me link, but Google Chris Evans, Edith Zimmerman, and GQ and you can get it. Anyway . . . The article went viral, and made Zimmerman a little famous and a lot infamous. Elissa Sussman took that foundation and ran with it in creating this fictionalized version of those three days, and then covering the characters' parting and next decade. Both MCs are smart, very verbal, and exceptionally charming and there are a couple of very good side characters, I especially liked Oliver. It did not hurt that Sussman and I have a few shared interests. Among other things, she repeatedly refers to GoFugYourself and as a fellow member of Fug Nation I loved that, and from her section on "The Novelist" and "the literary Jonathans" I suspect we read many of the same things. I truly liked the read, but I didn't get as absorbed in the story as I love to do, especially in romance. That total immersion, where the world melts away, never happened. and it is that (in addition to good writing, good character development, sexy banter and sexy sex) that makes for a 5-star romance for me. I think here the impediment to immersion was the quite short alternating "then" and "now" chapters. That nearly always kills momentum - something is happening, your heart races, you get invested in what comes next, and then suddenly it is 10 years earlier and it feels like the writer slammed on the breaks and you have been hurtled through the metaphorical windshield. Anyway, it was a super-fun if imperfect read, and Sussman really knows how to write. ( )

Funny You Should Ask is the delightful adult debut for Elissa Sussman, combining romance, celebrity and second chances in a fun read. I enjoyed the back-and-forth style from past to present and the excerpts of articles and blog posts at the end of each chapter.

Chani is a writer. In the present day, she’s successful in the non-fiction sphere but dreams of writing a novel (preferably involving dragons) one day. In the past, she’s less successful than her ex-partner and writes celebrity interviews. What sends her viral is a career defining article of her time with Gabe Parker, the first American actor to play James Bond. What starts as an interview at his house moves to lunch, a movie premiere, after parties and back to Gabe’s house for another party. But Gabe and Chani haven’t seen each other since that last party and now ten years have passed. Chani married her ex, divorced him and is now back in L.A. while Gabe got out of control, got sober and is now no longer James Bond. But he’s about to make a comeback in a different way and the plan is for him and Chani to repeat that interview. Same house, same restaurant. But it doesn’t end the same way.

What I really enjoyed about this book is the combination of fantasy in the past with the reality of being older, wiser and regretful. That’s not to say that the present day is all unhappiness and gloom, rather it’s necessary (and still interesting) for Chani and Gabe to reconnect on a different level to what they had originally. Their first meeting was full of fun, spark and a fair bit of alcohol. Their reunion is all sorts of awkward but shows how far they’ve come since their twenties. It’s an interesting flip that Chani is now the more celebrated one while Gabe is in more bad books. Before, Chani was the ‘nobody’ who took on the fantasy role as Gabe’s insta-friend and potentially more to the global superstar. I really enjoyed reading about Gabe’s friend and occasional co-star, Oliver (the man who should have been Bond according to the critics). His grace and wisdom provide a nice balance to Gabe’s chaos and Chani’s indecision.

Overall, it’s a fun ride into the world of celebrity combined with reality. The romance is not front and centre most of the time, which was fine with me but the sparks still fly between Gabi and Chani in their dialogue and actions. It’s wonderfully fun and escapist mainly, with some endearing grumpiness and a happy ending. I really enjoyed it, thanks to the algorithm that recommended it.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

Instalooooove. Oh, instalove! Instalove! How I do not buy you! Not now, not ever! Well, maybe with some very good detailed writing, but...

This was artfully done. I loved the articles and the timeline, the flashbacks and the present, the blog posts, and it was a pacy read. But I didn't but the romance which was so central to the plot. Sigh. ( )

Funny You Should Ask wasn't offensive, and it wasn't so dry that I dnf'd it, but I would not read this book again. I would recommend to folks looking for a light-hearted romance that is mildly humorous. ( )