The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for eARC. This one comes out next week.

For those of you who selected this as your #bookofthemonth book, well done! I loved this book!

I can only describe this book as a love letter to life. It was about friendships, taking risks, and grief. More than once I thought ‘Brené Brown would approve this message.’

I loved Clover, the death doula. I found her characterization important and her growth realistic. The other characters were well developed and added to the story.

This is a book that will make you feel all the things. It’s about being human and being alive. It’s about happiness and sadness. It’s about coping and moving on. Seriously, check it out!

3.75 stars.

I’d never read a book about a death doula before and this one was interesting. Western culture doesn’t like to talk about death but this novel raises the topic in an open, positive way. Clover is a death doula supporting people as they die by helping them talk about regrets, life lessons and acceptance. She, however, has trouble applying these lessons to her own life. She is a loner and lonely but learns to open up once she befriends one of her clients.

Clover was likeable and her relationship with her grandfather which provides the backdrop for the novel was lovely to read about. I found the topic of this novel interesting but the pacing was very, very slow and only picked up 60% or so in. You would think a novel about a death doula would be depressing but it’s not. Overall, I am glad that I picked this novel up as I learned about a topic I was unfamiliar with and the story gave me food for thought about not only how we live but how we die.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

“The truth is, grief never really goes away. Someone told me once that it’s like a bag that you always carry— it starts out as a large suitcase, and as the years go by, it might reduce to the size of a purse, but you carry it forever.”

Read/Listen if you like:
♥️ Heartwarming Stories
❤️‍🩹 Healing after Trauma & Loss
💔 If You Have Ever Felt Lonely
⏳Looking Back on Regrets
🗽 Books Set in NY
🌀 Quirky Characters
🕰️ Coming of Age Stories

“But the secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life.”

This one was such a heartwarming story with coming of age vibes for our 36 year old main character Clover whose life has been full of death to the point a natural career choice ended up being a death doula. Clover is a quirky introvert who was shunned by her peers at a young age due to her reaction to death that came across odd that set the trajectory of her life to be more of a loner who found comfort in death and made it her career and hobby to attend death cafe’s while keeping others mostly at arm’s length.

We follow Clover with one particular individual as she provides comfort and support during their final days, and while doing so, Clover starts to experience parts of life she never let herself live prior, including intimate relationships. This was truly a life changing patient in Clover’s journey that allowed her to truly start living.

I loved the journey of self discovery she went on as she evaluates the meaning of a life well lived and unpacks some of the regrets of those she has sat with during their final moments and correlates those regrets to her own life.

If you are looking for a thought provoking and heartwarming story of an introvert coming out of their shell and living life, I highly recommend checking this one out!

“Instead of constantly asking ourselves the question of why we’re here, maybe we should be savoring a simpler truth: We are here.”

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to read this book as it was surrounding a death doula and was immediately interested. It was a beautiful and poignant story with a wonderful message. I was truly surprised and so happy it ended up on my radar!

4.5 Stars!

I had this book for months before I finally decided to read it. Every time I read the blurb I was afraid it was going to be too depressing and just wasn’t in the mood for that type of book. Well, I’m sorry I waited so long to read it. I didn’t find this book depressing at all – although I will admit I shed some tears towards the end. I really liked the uniqueness of this story. I’ve never heard of a death doula or death cafes before.

I guess this book is really about Clover and how she dealt with death after the death of her own grandfather. For me, the book caused me to be introspective. Having lost my mother a couple of years ago, I actually found some comfort in this book. It also enlightened me on perhaps living a better life. After all, “The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life.”

3.75 stars rounded up, I think.

The Collected Regrets of Clover follows a woman in her mid-thirties who is a death doula, essentially a person who helps others in their final moments greet death. Clover chose this profession after not being present when her grandfather (her only parental figure) died alone. This story begins as Clover enters a phase of transition in her life.

I liked a lot about this book: I liked the way the characters were written as flawed but lovable and relatable people. I liked the conversations around death and grief. I liked the building of a community of misfits, and the recognition of how that community can be beneficial for people in multiple ways. The story was equal parts heavy, heartwarming, and light-hearted, which I think makes it a good beach read. It's not so heavy that it feels like an emotional gut punch, but it had a lot of one-liners to contemplate and a few tear-jerking moments.

Overall, a nice little read I'd compare to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine in vibes and overall juggling heavy and light-hearted topics. If it sounds interesting to you, this title publishes with St. Martin's Press on May 9, 2023. Thank you to them and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Only recently did I learn that death doulas are a real thing, that there are people skilled in the art of helping others die with grace, dignity, and compassion. THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER by Mike Brammer features the friendless, lonesome, solitary death doula Clover whose stifling and deadening life changes when a young man named Sebastian asks her to help his grandmother Claudia die well and a young woman named Sylvie moves into Clover's small apartment building. I will go no further with describing the events and the interwoven story of old friends, beloveds, family, and what it means to live well and die with grace except to say it was unpredictable and logical -- I completely trusted myself and the story in the hands of the talented author in weaving an exceptional tale with lush setting, deep character development, all the things that make for a deeply satisfying read that will remain with me for a very long time. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Clover came to an early acceptance of death and made a career out of helping others cope with the ends of their lives. She is a sweet and compassionate person with everyone but herself. In her work she is outgoing and intelligent. But on her own she is a naïve introvert, emotionally stunted by the otherness she has always felt due to her openness about death. In that way, this is the story of her coming into her own, and oddly enough accepting the one death that has overshadowed her own life. I liked the writing style and how the characters were subtly developed. Someone reading too quickly might miss little things here and there that really add depth to the story and characters. This is book to enjoy and maybe to take away some thoughts about how we all view mortality.

I loved Clover! What a lovely protagonist and such a noble profession. It's interesting to me that there is so much of a taboo around death doulas when no one bats an eye at a birth doula. For the most part, this was a wonderful book and I really felt for Clover and her life. Her relationship with her grandfather was heartbreaking in the best way possible, because they loved each other so much. Some might think that this obvious motivation for her becoming a death doula is a little corny, but within the confines of the story it completely makes sense.

I also loved her budding relationship with Sebastian as well as the friendship she forms with his grandmother, Claudia. Honestly, I would have been happy just reading an entire novel about the three of them and her quirky, fun neighbor downstairs who teaches Clover what it means to have a friend. The mission Clover and Sebastian go on to discover the truth about Claudia's love story felt a little rushed to me and like it was part of another story. I was so invested in Clover's life that I really didn't anything else.

For a book that talks so much about death, though, it was nice to see it handled with such sensitivity and lightness. Anyone wanting to learn more about death doulas should definitely check this out!

This was a deeply thoughtful book about life and death. It handles the questions about life choices. It also studies grief and how it affects us in a devastating and everlasting way. I loved the analogy that grief is like being caught in a dust storm - how we can't see through it in the beginning and even years later we may be hit by dust we discover in a crack. I loved the matter of fact, awkward and endearing character of Clover. This is a book which faces all the emotions - love, regret, anger, sorrow - and leaves the reader hopeful and eager to embrace life.

Clover, a 36-year-old death doula living in New York, knows far more about death than she does about life. Fascinated by death from an early age, she holds a master’s degree in the study of death and has traveled the world learning about various practices involving death. Despite her knowledge and travels, she is isolated in her personal life. Clover has never had a romantic relationship and has just one friend to speak of, her elderly neighbor Leo. When one of her clients finally forces her to branch out, she sees how lonely she really is and her world begins to grow.

I was very intrigued by the concept of this book. I think the work of death doulas is fascinating, particularly in the US where death is often a taboo topic. While some aspects of this book satisfied my interest in the topic, other parts were tough to enjoy. I know there are plenty of people in the world who are lonely and socially inexperienced like Clover but her character still felt a little unreal to me. Some characteristics, namely her naivete, made her seem more like a teenager and therefore it was hard for me to connect with her. The one falls solidly in the average 3 stars category for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy of this book.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of “The Collected Regrets of Clover.” All opinions expressed are my own.

Clover Brooks has dedicated her life to death. As a death doula in New York City, we follow Clover through her personal and professional life as she supports the dying in their last moments and investigates their documented regrets. “Most of them were recurring themes in my REGRETS notebook—people wishing they’d worked less, loved more, taken more risks, followed their passions. Sadly, regret was pretty predictable.” Clover’s regrets are revealed periodically, namely revolving around her own personal experiences surrounding death.

As Clover unearths how to live a beautiful life, the taboo topics of loneliness, grief, aging, and death are explored, and the importance of living a life true to yourself. Thought-provoking and celebratory, this is an admirable debut novel from Mikki Brammer set to be released on May 9, 2023.

Book : The Collected Regrets of Clover
Author : Mikki Brammer

"What's the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can't give yourself a beautiful life?"

Thanks so much NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review!

Let’s start with the cover! This cover is STUNNING. I am a sucker for a beautiful cover and I’d absolutely buy this just for the cover.

Debut what?! This debut was a home run! This book is simply beautiful. It is about life — death & all the things in between. The characters are wonderful, I adored Clover and she has got to be one of the most loved characters of all the ones I’ve read about.

Having gone through many many losses in just a short period of time myself recently, this book was great to see how the author respectively walked us through the topic of grief and all the aspects around it.

This book is such a beautiful story and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it as much as I did. Clover will too become one of your favorite characters. This is absolutely a 5 star for the year for me. Run and put this on your TBR!

This did not do it for me. I thought the plot was all over the place and I found most of it unbelievable. Great idea but poorly executed.

4.75 stars rounded up to 5 stars: I read this entire book on a flight from Portland to Chicago and loved every second of it. Though Clover is a death doula, this book is all about life. Despite the backdrop of mortality, the story felt like a warm and comforting hug. I enjoyed all of the very real characters, even the ones that were maybe a bit more flawed than others. Everyone was likeable...or likeable enough (Sebastian)...and I was rooting for everyone. I will say that it seemed a little unrealistic that Clover was the way she was at the age of 36, so I had to suspend my disbelief a little bit with the main character. She was incredibly mature when it came to everyone else's life/death except her own (life). The story wrapped up awfully nicely, too, but I'll forgive the author for that because the road was a bit bumpy along the way and I REALLY wanted a proper ending for Clover. I will say that the older characters (Claudia, Clover's grandfather, Clover's neighbor Leo) were absolutely delightful and perhaps my favorite characters of the book. I would love the author to write her second book all about Claudia's adventures as a journalist! That would make a helluva story (and movie if Katharine Hepburn were still alive...that's who I pictured). So, while this isn't the perfect book, especially when it came to the main character, it was still a lovely reading experience that I highly recommend to others!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book! You know it's been a great book when I make plans to purchase a physical copy of the book when it comes out (5/9/2023).

I really enjoyed this book! It is the kind of book that when you have finished the last page you immediately miss the characters. Even though the theme of the book is death, the story gives one hope and happiness and makes me want to live my life to the fullest. Now I think I’ll start my own books of regrets, confessions and advice.

Clover Brooks is a 36 year-old death doula, a person helping people who are dying find some solace in their final moments. a student of her beloved grandfather, she has notebooks full of advice, regrets and confessions people share in their last moments. However, she wasn't present when her grandfather passed. She is lonely but does not necessarily want the company of others. Her only friend is her neighbor Leo, a man in his 80s. When a new neighbor moves into her building, an opportunity to form a friendship and broaden her horizons opens up. At the same time, Clover is immersed in her latest job, during which she bonds with Claudia, a former photojournalist with terminal cancer. Now, Clover finds herself reflecting on how she has been living and what she wants to do to make the most of whatever time she has left. A lovely, compelling story.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

A pretty cover shouldn’t make me cry this much…..

Jk jk this was beautiful and evocative and moving and everything I want in contemporary fiction.

I loved it.

Totally unique concept but unfortunately it was lacking something and I just couldn't get as into it as I had hoped.

How on earth is this the author’s debut novel? I am beyond honored I got to read this ARC. I savored every word. I didn’t want to leave Clover’s world. I felt so deeply for her as a character. The reflections on death and her job as a death doula isn’t morbid or depressing. It’s truly inspiring and not cheesy. I think I need to start my own notebook. I’ve been personally surrounded by death for over 30 years, so this book was good for my soul.

It’s best that one goes in knowing as little as possible, but I will say these few things: I absolutely loved how the story came together, I enjoyed how the supporting characters affected Clover’s choices and life evaluation, and I could have easily read another 100 pages. The only thing actually hard to believe was that NYC gem of an apartment being consistently affordable, but that’s lightly acknowledged. I can’t recommend this book enough, and this is one I intend on purchasing. Thank you Mikki Brammer for sharing such a beautiful and special story, and I can’t wait to see future work from you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for kindly providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.