A rip-roaring romantic comedy that will make you scream with laughter, Karen Ross’s Five Wakes and a Wedding is a quirky, hilarious and uplifting tale guaranteed to brighten up your day.

Nina Sherwood is a typical thirty year old – except for the fact that she happens to be an undertaker. While other people would naturally run a mile from corpses, Nina wouldn’t trade her dead friends in the basement for the world. Death is a part of life and a process which every single person on earth will go through and Nina would much rather spend an entire day nattering with dead bodies than with a living and breathing individual. After all corpses make for excellent listeners, do not spill secrets and they do not bother you with their problems – which is just as well as Nina has got a very big problem on her hands that could see her lose her beloved shop and the business which means the world to her.

The residents of Primrose Hill do not want a funeral home in their neighbourhood and they will do whatever it takes to close Nina’s shop down. Heartbroken Nina doesn’t know what she would do with herself if she would have to close down, but she will not go down without a fight and she is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her shop open and her business going – even if sales are not exactly booming at the moment. Poor Nina seems to be going through one disappointment after the other and when a big break funeral turns out to be a cruel prank, it looks like her days are truly numbered. But fate has got a funny sense of humour as she discovers when she meets a new investor who happens to be brooding, mysterious and one Nina simply cannot stop herself from thinking about.

Is Nina about to lose everything? Or is she about to get all that her heart desires?

A fun and pacy page-turner that breathes new life into the romantic comedy genre, Five Wakes and a Wedding is a sparkling, moving and absorbing tale with a fantastic heroine you are going to love and cheer for and plenty of mischief and hi-jinks to keep you turning the pages and giggling late into the night.

Nina Sherwood is a wonderful heroine I absolutely adored. She’s funny, determined, resilient and somebody you cannot help but adore and root for. Add plenty of eccentric and colourful supporting characters and you have one effervescent read that you will not put down.

Karen Ross has got such a wonderful gift for writing comedy that she even made death funny! A hilarious, effervescent and breezy tale, Five Wakes and a Wedding is feel-good fiction at its finest!

The main character, Nina, has recently found herself terminated from her job at a popular funeral home after making a decision that went against her boss’s wishes. Instead of wallowing in her own self-pity, she makes the decision to open her own funeral home; however, this move comes with its own set of problems. The neighborhood in which her business resides is known for lots of thing from spas to high-end restaurants, but businesses involving the dead it is not.

The chairman of the town’s association committee immediately marks her as an enemy and sets out to exterminate her services from the area. She begins to bring other civilians into her plots to ensure that Nina’s business does not succeed while Nina is just struggling to find a way to feel like she belongs.

Will Nina be able to stand her ground and win, or will she accept defeat? You will have to read to find out! I found myself enjoying this book and recommend it best for those who enjoy women’s fiction, reads that are light and comical, and for those wanting to branch out into different authors.

Now here’s an unusual central character for a romcom – an undertaker! And Nina is an unusual example of one, which makes it all the more interesting. She’s lively and approachable as a person, and, on the work side, professional and totally dedicated to her trade. She spots a niche for her business and leaps into it.
There’s lots of wit and black humour in the novel. Neither the author nor Nina are the least bit squeamish about it all, which is a great approach. No sentimental mawkishness or overdramatic hushed reverence here. The honest, in a fictional way, straightforwardness of the novel is uplifting and admirable.
The pace is between steady and brisk, the characterisation varied and just the right degree of nicely eccentric, the plot original and absorbing. The novel makes for delightful reading, and gives you a thing or two to think about that other inescapable aspect of life that isn’t taxes.

Death is often deemed life's only certainty. It's something we often avoid talking or thinking about until its inevitability creeps upon us.

Fusing romantic comedy and death needs certain skills to work. Firstly, the ability to inject humour into a sad event, Secondly, creating a vivid setting, so that the reader can visualise the humorous events, as they read about them, Finally, the creation of believable, vibrant characters, who the reader can relate to. The author manages all of this, and the result is both funny, poignant and surprisingly romantic.

The plot is simple, an ambitious young woman encounters unexpected local resistance, which threatens her venture's success. Using the 'four weddings and a funeral', format, which works so well, we follow Nina's experiences as she tries to make a success of her business, keep on the right side of neighbours and cope with an enigmatic stranger.

There are five wakes and a wedding, and each is full of conflict, humour, and poignancy. The business of death and funerals is well researched and has intrinsic interest. Not as darkly comical as the US show'Six Feet Under', it does have the same noir comedy appeal, with distinctly British humour.

An original twist for the romantic comedy, which has wide audience appeal,

I received a copy of this book from One More Chapter via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Despite being set in the world of funerals this books is an amusing bit of light relief.  Perfect for busy times or in-between more intense novels. 

Nina is a fabulous character who has took the plunge and opened her own undertakers in Primrose Hill (London), much to the disgust of the local residents.  Unfortunately business is not booming but then a stranger comes to the rescue.  will Nina's business survive the hostility?    

I loved the thought of a female undertaker and the fact that she is so caring and wants to offer the best for her clients makes her all the more likable.  Her friends Gina and Edo really balanced out her quiet, sweet nature with their louder, more extrovert personalities.      

Funerals are such an individual thing and I love how this idea is addressed in this novel and I actually learned a lot about the process.  This book deals with the process in a light but sensitive manner and I thought this was really well written.

A cute a fun novel that was really enjoyable to read.  Perfect for a bit of escapism and a night in.

Tired of grief being monetized in her job at a chain undertaker, Nina quits to set up her own boutique business, wanting to give people both dignity and the choice to be sent off in the way they want. Unexpectedly getting an opportunity to set up in the rather ritzy London suburb of Primrose Hill, she soon discovers the other local business owners aren’t as welcoming as she’d hoped… they seem to think death will be bad for their business.

Nina has an intriguing cast of friends, and she’s the kind of person who makes more easily. Even some people who don’t want to like her are drawn into reluctant admiration for both her drive and her compassion. She’s easy to like and to root for. The issue I had was with her love interest, Barclay, who’s basically a bored, rich manchild, with his never-ending succession of expensive time-wasting hobbies. Honestly, I wanted Nina to get together with her artist friend Edo, who was much more interesting and hard-working. Maybe even a healthy poly relationship with Edo and bestie Gloria, who deserved a lot more page time than she got.

Billed as a rom com, this… didn’t really hit the comedy spot at all. Nina spends too much time struggling, financial pressures constantly on her mind, and, frankly, death is a pretty depressing topic. The book’s title is obviously meant to be a callback to Four Weddings and a Funeral, but if you remember the movie… the funeral was the serious, depressing part. There are FIVE funerals here, two of them of characters we’ve really come to care about, and when the wedding comes around, we know one of the characters very slightly and the other has been mentioned three times in passing. We don’t really CARE about them. Even the bits which could have been funny like the pet funeral were played very straight, no real humour there at all.

Now, pointing out the lack of humour doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the read… just that this is being billed as something it’s not. If you’re picking it up looking for something light-hearted to make you laugh, this is really not that book. And as I said, I didn’t particularly like Nina’s love interest… but the romance isn’t the major theme of the book. What this REALLY is, is a very good women’s fiction coming-of-age story as Nina finds her niche and builds her own success. It just seems to be being marketed all wrong, and it’s going to get panned in a lot of reviews because of that. I’m going to give it five stars for the book it actually is… just don’t be expecting a rom com.

As soon as I saw the title of this book, my interest was piqued straight away. You’ve no doubt heard of the film ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, so how about ‘Five Wakes and a Wedding’?

If you aren’t someone with a dark sense of humour that isnt afraid to giggle at the things that are a bit more farfetched, then I wholeheartedly suggest that you turn back now as you are more likely to be offended than anything else! For those who can laugh at things that arent deemed ‘appropriate’, or who doesn’t take themselves, or life too seriously, then you have come to the right place because this book is so wrong that its SO RIGHT!

For starters, death is what the storyline is centred around. Obviously grief is a very personal thing, as are funerals and, if you’re anything like Nina, you would agree that a person’s wishes regarding their final send off should be granted, regardless of how inappropriate their wishes may be. Personally I dont see the harm in having a not so typical funeral, why should I? As long as nobody else gets hurt in the process, i dont see the issue….to a point of course!

I thought ‘Five Wakes and a Wedding’ was such a brilliant, brilliant read. Death is usually seen as a macabre event, and no wonder, however the portrayal of it throughout the story was ingenious, humorous, heartwarming, memorable, and a true breath of fresh air.

I loved the random bunch of characters who, from afar, really shouldn’t have worked together, yet they fitted perfectly like puzzle pieces. Even the dog slotted straight into the fold as though he had been there all along! I thought Kelli Shapiro was bloody brilliant and definitely one of my favourites from the book.

Despite all of the giggles, Karen Ross leaves food for thought in her words along the lines of organ donation, life after death, same gender marriage, betrayal, infidelity, as well as many other topics. How the author managed to include a jam packed storyline without losing momentum is beyond me!

As I’ve already said, I throughly enjoyed every single that I read, and for a little while I was able to step away from ‘the norm’ and be a part of something so bonkers, so eye opening, and so cleverly done, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was still on this planet!

This genuinely light hearted giggle fest shouldn’t have worked, yet it definitely worked for me and left me with a massive beamer on my face. As far as I’m concerned, this book is a winner.

I always love a great British rom-com and Ms. Ross had me laughing, crying and rethinking my funeral plans.

Nina’s new shop is in Primrose Hill, “Britain’s answer to Beverly Hills”. Home of famous and wealthy people who “don’t do death” and who pull out every trick in the book to get Nina to leave the neighborhood. With the encouragement and support of Nina’s friends, Gloria (landlady and lawyer), Edo (starving artist) and Kelli (famous actress), she finds a way to overcome the bad and promote her own unique brand of funeral planning and end-of-life choices.

On another note, Nina’s love life has been non-existent for about 5 years since she lost her husband, Ryan, until she meets Barclay Banks, corporate lawyer, adrenaline junky, and playboy. His adventures at paintballing, go-karting and parkour, to name a few, are interesting, but it’s his pursuit of Nina that is his most challenging campaign. I love Barclay. His quirky activities and hilarious t-shirt collection are priceless, but it’s his respect and small gestures to win over Nina that are truly romantic and swoon-worthy.

Overall, I adored this fast-paced story of perseverance and determination to pursue your dreams no matter the cost. I learned a lot about the “modern way of death” and funeral planning. Fascinating stuff!! There are also a few surprises in store. I am a new fan of Ms. Ross and can’t wait to read more of her stories. Recommend very highly!

Thank you to Ms. Ross for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectation of a positive review.

There is quite a different feel about this romcom- probably because it is set around an Undertakers! There are plenty of light moments and amusing characters who appear and Nina's characters is so down to earth. She is genuinely funny and I enjoyed her attitude to life and death, seeing her business as a form of social work. She is empathetic towards her clients and you can see how approachable she is. In this 'RomCom Noir', you get to see the effect that the funeral business can have on a community. Not everybody welcomes it.

Despite its subject matter, this has an uplifting mood with a quick pace and amusing moments. It is an enjoyable read which is upbeat and does make you think a little. There is also a good portion of romance to add to the mix and a little jeopardy thrown in.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

At the beginning I think there is this subconscious expectation of making sure there are five wakes and eventually even a wedding, but the truth is you get so caught up in the read that they pass by without you realising it.

Nina's business is making sure the dead get the send-off they want and deserve. She sets up shop in Primrose Hill with the hope that her investment will pay out eventually. What she isn't expecting is so much confrontation and determination to close her down and run her business out of the neighbourhood. They will stop at nothing to get rid of the upbeat business owner with creative ideas on the final journey.

She also wasn't expecting to meet a very attractive investor, who tries to sweep her off her feet. The question is whether he is too good to be true.

It's a snarky romcom - a fun introduction to life before death and death itself.

I wasn't sure about the motive for opposing Happy Endings - not wanting to be confronted with death, perhaps because I have a more relaxed approach to it. I loved the way Ross takes the opportunity to take away a little bit of the fear and uncertainty by introducing something more than just the bog standard goodbye.

Around that she creates a lovely story about a determined young woman who moves over, under and through all the obstacles in her way without even blinking.

First of all that title!👏🏻 This was an entertaining story with an unusual premise. Nina Sherwood loses her job at a posh funeral parlor and tries to open up her own undertaking business in an up-and-coming part of London. The residence of Primrose we’re not having it, it gave all the wrong impressions of this newly transformed neighborhood. A lot of the story was about Nina convincing the locals that a funeral parlor will benefit everybody, because eventually we will all need to use it. A bit morbid, but true. At first I was having a hard time believing that people who live in a city the size of London would care one way or another, but then I remembered people like to complain about lots of things and I imagine it’s the same in the UK as it is in the US. But I honestly could not tell you where the nearest funeral parlor is around me. I’m sure there is one I live in a pretty big city, but I’d have to Google it (hopefully no time soon). There is some romance in the story as well, to contrast with the death theme. I’m still not sure how I feel about Nina‘s choice though? There were a few other secondary characters in the story that seem very interesting, I would’ve perhaps like them to have been be developed a little bit more. If Nina hadn’t been such a dynamic character, I definitely would not have liked this book as much as I did. All in all this was a clever little story.

This book in emojis. 🖤 ⚰️ ⚱️ 🏘

*** Big thank you to One More Chapter for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Rating 3.5/5*

This is a romantic comedy starring Nina Sherwood, a funeral director. Not the usual career you'd associate with romantic comedy but Karen Ross manages to add a light hearted aspect to Nina's experiences as she strives to set up her own business in an area where key members of the community are decidedly against having any such establishment in their high street. The relationships made between Nina and her friends is well established and I enjoyed how she started to make new friends and the character development throughout the novel. There are people to love, others to mistrust and a huge dog, Chopper, to get into mischief. Nina has secrets that she'll have to reveal but discovering those of others could ruin her chance for romance . . .

This story is a fun read and a definitely different take on funerals. It explores family relationships, expectations, underhand manipulations, romance and much more but always looking on the bright side of life and endeavouring to keep a smile on your face. There were a few of things that stopped me giving this a higher rating but they were personal quibbles - the pacing seemed inconsistent and I didn't like the diet references which didn't really fit in with the story but kept appearing. As I said, nothing major but somewhat detracting. It is still an easy read romance to relax and escape into.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

What a fun and different type of a read that I enjoyed and was really entertaining. This story is about Nina Sherwood a single 30 yo strong and stubborn woman who is an undertaker. She gets fired from her job and decides to open up a funeral parlor in the very posh, latte sipping neighborhood of Primrose Hill.

I learned more than I ever will want to know about the business of funerals, wakes and death. This is a nice light hearted read that I enjoyed and had fun reading.

I thought this was wonderfully written, with a great cast of characters. I flew through this book with ease. It was fast paced and a true delight to read.

This book intrigued me so much! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about an undertaker, so was interested in the angle and the story from the very start.

The writing style was spot on and I really loved the pace, language, relatability and relationships throughout the book.

I felt a good connection with all of the characters and there were little twists and turns along the way also. Thoroughly enjoyed following Nina’s life and business venture!!

The only reason it’s a 4/5 and not a 5/5 is that the ending was almost too perfect which I know, isn’t entirely fair of me. It was just wrapped up too nicely and although i know it’s fiction, it felt too abstract and made up which was a slight shame as the rest of the book was a delight.

I would recommend this book!

I can't name another book which combines romance and death, let alone one that does it so well. This was such an unexpected revelation that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Nina works as an undertaker and is used to people giving her sad looks when she tells people. She's been fired from her previous work in a well known funeral directors and is now braving it and trying to open her very own business in London - Happy Endings. Little does Nina realise that Primrose Hill is dead set (hehe) against having a funeral parlour open on its high street and her neighbours are about to make her life and new business increasingly difficult...

I really enjoyed Karen Ross' writing style in this book. The book remains light hearted and funny despite discussing heavy topics at times.

Nina is an fun, relatable character determined to do her best despite the majority of her neighbourhood being desperate for her to fail. She's too trusting of others at times but is likeable throughout. Barclay is hilarious too with fantastic one-liners and a carefree and adventurous look towards life. All of the characters are well written and feel realistic.

The main reason I didn't give the book five stars was the pacing of the story. At times I had to flick backwards to check I hadn't missed something because it flitted from one thing to the next too quickly. It's very fast paced and could have benefitted from slowing down at some points to fully appreciate the story and make it flow better. Having said that, it's the only issue I had with the book and I still really enjoyed it.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're looking for a fun chick-lit with a completely different and unique premise.

Review will be posted to my blog, Goodreads and Amazon on 9th Feb 2020.

Nina has just opened her first ever shop- Happy Endings. After working for a large chain and being fed up with them not putting the customers requirements first and having an ignominious end to that part of her career she decided to become self employed. Happy Endings is not a book shop as many first thought but a funeral directors. It turns out that in that area no-one wants to think about death- they seem to pretend that it doesn’t happen and so for the first few weeks she is left scratching her head as to ideas to get the ball rolling. I enjoyed this from the off. A lead character who has wit and charm and her feet firmly planted on the floor. A little humour along the way always helps, especially with what could be a drab subject and a little romance along the way. Humour and funerals? Yes it works as does romance and funerals. Most of the book is about Nina her life before hand and starting up the business- nothing too morbid at all and a refreshing change to not only have a book about it but one with a female lead. A book with a message (and not what you might first think) and an interesting read (I learnt things!). Uplifting with a smile.
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