Funny You Should Ask
Book: Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Synopsis:
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.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
My Thoughts: This book is charming, funny, and sure to make fangirls wish they could step into Chani’s shoes and live out the rest of her life for her. Current me loves how it’s a modern Hollywood tale ala the old Hollywood stories in the Evelyn Hugo universe. I love when books turn big movie stars into regular characters. Teenage fangirl me loves the idea of a writer falling in love with her favorite actor. Teenage fangirl me dreamed about certain actors and athletes the way Chani dreamed about Gabe.
I also need to say I loved how the book doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of early/mid-2000s celeb culture. At first I was shocked at the way people spoke about Gabe’s addiction, Oliver’s sexuality, and Jacinda’s, well, everything. But when I remembered how the internet is still barely waking up to treating celebrities like human beings today I actually really appreciated the fact that the book doesn’t rewrite reality.
On one hand this book is a definitely a fun beach read and on the other hand it’s a commentary on the toxicity of celebrity worship. On both hands it’s worth a read.
You can get your own copy of Funny You Should Ask here or borrow it from your local library.
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