Reviews

There’s nothing you could say to make me believe Lauren and Ben would reasonably end up together. I wish we had seen the two work through their issues and grow a bit more together as a couple. Lauren is so scared to be in a relationship until she just…decides that she’s not.

This did touch on grief at the end in a way that resonated. I even shed real tears. This was ultimately fun and quick.

laurensum's review

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bgerson09's review

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4.25

I really liked Sussman's first book and was happy to receive this one. Her writing is great and it was nice to revisit familiar characters. I thought the Then and Now storylines both read honestly and give a realistic picture of grief from all angles and viewpoints. I think the last 10% felt rushed and then slammed to the ending and I'm not sure I really bought the connection between the two leads - how they went from seeing each other on a set to where they ended up so quickly - but overall I enjoyed the writing and am going to go back and read the novel by Sussman that I missed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and am happy to provide an honest review.

abbymal's review

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3.25

I think overall, this was a beautiful book about love and grief. I found myself getting made and Lauren and Lena for their actions but as the book shows people deal with the loss of a loved one in their own ways. I loved that Gabe and Chani were there and we got an update on their story as well. I liked Lauren and Ben together and I liked Lauren and Spencer together too. I think it’s hard for people to find love after something like that because most people think it’s a replacement so a lot of Lauren’s character and development is centered around that.

alexaisreading__'s review

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emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was and remain a superfan of Elissa Sussman's Funny You Should Ask, a story that runs parallel to this one (the respective main characters are siblings). Unfortunately her other work has not quite hit the high bar that one set. I did enjoy returning to the world of FYSA, and loved the unique characterization of Lauren, a single mom and young widow. Sussman is so good at dual timelines that aren't confusing, but I wasn't quiiiiite as engaged by the past timeline here as I would have liked. The fits and starts of the romance were constantly teetering between intriguing and infuriating. Overall, this was easy to fly through and I appreciated the sometimes surprising, always tender ways that the cast of characters interacted and the way their stories resolved.

the_boozy_baking_bibliophile's review

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4.0

This one gave me “Nora Goes Offscript” vibes in the sense of small town woman with kid(s) falls for big Hollywood star.

Except in this case, she’s a widow, there’s a good old age gap between them and you’ve got the grief aspect. Solid read - lots of heart - good sexy scenes. Left me with some relatable tears when it comes to processing the death of a loved one.

marleyshelves's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Having gone in blind to this ARC, my expectations were that it would be similar to others from the author, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I didn’t feel that special charm with this one, and that’s okay. It will be for someone, maybe someone who needs to connect with a book that centers grieving or similar themes.

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