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Rae | The Finer Things Club CA's Reviews > Totally and Completely Fine
Totally and Completely Fine
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๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ is a companion story rather than a sequel to Elissa Sussmanโs previous novel ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ด๐ฌ. Itโs told from the point of view of Gabeโs older sister Lauren, a single parent in her early 40s who lost her husband to a car accident a few years ago and has been juggling co-running a bookshop/craft store and raising a moody and distant teenaged daughter. Though she is a smart and capable woman, she often feels listless, disconnected, and unable to face her grief and other negative emotions head-on.
The book, interestingly, has dual timelines. In the present dayโwhich is roughly around the same time period as Chani and Gabeโs story in ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ด๐ฌโLauren meets her brotherโs co-star Ben, a 30-something up-and-coming actor who is sexy, charming, and adventurous. They share an instant spark and Lauren struggles between giving into her lust and acting like the sensible and responsible person she believes she is expected to be. And in the past, teenaged Lauren deals withโor rather, avoids dealing withโher fatherโs death through pot and some promiscuity. Over time, she falls for her younger brotherโs friend Spencer and the two set up their own home and start a family.
๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ is not only a romance but also a heartfelt exploration of grief. To be honest, I was much more interested in Laurenโs earlier life with Spencer, her complicated feelings about mourning, and her sibling dynamics with Gabe than her relationship with Ben. Though she and Ben share both steamy and genuine moments, Laurenโs indecisiveness about their relationship and the reuse of the Hollywood romance trope left me disengaged at times. But this was still an interesting read that I would recommend to those interested in single parent and age gap love stories, especially those who have already read and enjoyed ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ด๐ฌ.
Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book, interestingly, has dual timelines. In the present dayโwhich is roughly around the same time period as Chani and Gabeโs story in ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ด๐ฌโLauren meets her brotherโs co-star Ben, a 30-something up-and-coming actor who is sexy, charming, and adventurous. They share an instant spark and Lauren struggles between giving into her lust and acting like the sensible and responsible person she believes she is expected to be. And in the past, teenaged Lauren deals withโor rather, avoids dealing withโher fatherโs death through pot and some promiscuity. Over time, she falls for her younger brotherโs friend Spencer and the two set up their own home and start a family.
๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ is not only a romance but also a heartfelt exploration of grief. To be honest, I was much more interested in Laurenโs earlier life with Spencer, her complicated feelings about mourning, and her sibling dynamics with Gabe than her relationship with Ben. Though she and Ben share both steamy and genuine moments, Laurenโs indecisiveness about their relationship and the reuse of the Hollywood romance trope left me disengaged at times. But this was still an interesting read that I would recommend to those interested in single parent and age gap love stories, especially those who have already read and enjoyed ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ด๐ฌ.
Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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