3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Mikki Brammer’s debut novel THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER is about a death doula (named Clover) who, due to her own complicated grief, has been living a solitary and isolated existence. Having developed a fascination with death at a very young age, Clover chooses to support people through dying instead of living her own life (somehow she hasn’t figured out that both can exist in parallel). Following a few particularly meaningful deaths and with encouragement from some new friends, Clover will learn to break free from her own barriers to find meaning (and love) in the world she lives.

I’ll admit, I did not love Clover. She was too plain for a main character, acting overly simple and naive for a woman in her 30s living and working in New York City. But the story that surrounds her was sweet and redemptive and held my attention, so I overlooked it/her. There were a few unnecessary hiccups (no spoilers!) but nothing that a bit of skimming didn’t fix. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like a therapy session about dealing with death. It made me laugh and cry, though more like cry towards the second half of the book.

The Collective Regrets of Clover follows Clover, a death doula who spends most of her time with the dying than living. Clover has always been surrounded by death, first at the age of five when her interest was first piqued; then when her grandfather dies alone. This motivates her to become a death doula, ushering people into death, easing their last moment and collecting notebooks filled with Regrets, Memories, and Advice. It's only when she tries to fulfill a wish for Claudia, one of her clients, that she finds herself looking back on her life.

Like Clover, I always found death fascinating, so when I looked at the blurb, I was immediately intrigued. A death doula learning how to live her life? Sign me up!

I found Clover to be lovable and relatable: she tends to keep to herself in her apartment, read books, and has some eccentric hobbies (we love that for her!). In fact, I think all the characters in the book all had interesting qualities and they all felt human to me. They all had something to offer in Clover's life and mine, from a reader's perspective.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is thought-provoking and had me sit back in my chair and think about some of the things were said. Despite the book revolving around death, it felt hopeful. I can't wait to read more from Mikki Brammer; her prose and writing was easy to follow and flowed beautifully.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGallery for the eARC!

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I appreciated how Clover related to the world, and how she matured as a person throughout the story. This is a very philosophical read. I found the ending uplifting.

I look forward to reading more from Mikki Brammer.

Clover has been comfortable with death for as long as she can remember. In fact, she's made it her job — as a death doula – to help people approaching their death, in whatever form that may take for them. It seems like a super personal and super emotional job, but Clover has more or less closed herself off to those sorts of feelings and experiences. Working a new job for an annoyingly personable man and his dying grandmother, Clover starts to question her style of living and wonders who will note down her own regrets in her final days. Is it too late to change what those pages might hold?

I fell head over heels for this book. Just, WOW. Like so many, I struggle with grief and acceptance of the death of loved ones, so particular notes of this book struck an intense chord with my own experiences. I absolutely love Clover, Leo, and Claudia, and was moved to tears more than once during my read. I don't want to give away too much here because it would spoil things, but I think the whole notion of Clover's happy ending coming about because of the sacrifice of someone else's (in this life, anyway) was beautiful and impactful. Stunning prose, characterization, and concepts all around.

This is a DEBUT novel, y'all, and I can't get over that fact! A stunning bit of fiction that has ensured that I'll be picking up whatever Mikki Brammer writes next. Thank you to Mikki, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advanced physical and digital copies!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I was immediately so drawn to Clover and couldn’t help but get caught up in her story. She’s so quirky and interesting. I couldn’t put it down. The book ties life and death and love all together beautifully into one story. It’s not very often a book can bring me to tears but this one definitely did. I would definitely recommend this debut novel from Mikki Brammer.

“Grief, I’d come to realize was like dust. When you’re in the thick of a dust storm, you’re completely disoriented by the onslaught, struggling to see or breathe. But as the force recedes, and you slowly find your bearings and see a path forward, the dust begins to settle into crevices. And it will never disappear completely- as the years pass you’ll find it in unexpected places at unexpected moments. Grief is just love looking for a place to settle.”


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the early copy of this book.

Laughed and then cried and then cried some more. Such a great book with amazing life lessons throughout.

The characters were brilliant, and gave great pieces of advice. 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 This was a 5 star read for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc:)

Clover is a death doula in New York City. She spends her time with people who are at the end of theirs, helping them come to peace at the end. From the beginning it was easy to see that this story would leave a place in my heart. It's a charming tale about a subject most people don't like to discuss. I would give this book to everyone if I could.

Such a beautiful story from Mikki Brammer. She draws attention to grief, death, and things that we, at least in the western world, tend to avoid. Clover Brooks is a death doula. Where birth doulas help usher life into the world, death doulas help usher life out. Although most people Clover has met throughout her life think it's weird that she would choose such a profession, I think there's quite a bit of beauty in it.

I greatly enjoyed this concept and the story, but I also felt like it was slow. For the first half of the book it seemed like there wasn't very much happening. I do believe the second half helps make up for that, but it definitely made it harder for me to get there.

I'm excited to see where Mikki Brammer goes from here!

I loved this story!
Clover is a 36 yr old death doula.
She had been in the presence of death since she was five years old and her Kindergarten teacher died in class. The next year her parents died while vacationing in China, and she had to move to New York City to live with her maternal grandfather.
Clover grew up a real introvert and didn’t have friends and never dated, a bookworm, who became very close with her grandfather.
After college and her grandfather’s death she starting being a doula and helping people prepare and be comfortable as they prepare for their next journey… in doing so she eventually comes to realize how she must live her life.
Loved this!

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Clover is death doula she makes sure people aren’t alone when they die and they with comfort and dignity. I have to admit I didn’t know this profession existed but I definitely think it is one we need. Clover wasn’t there when her grandfather died and she think this is her biggest regret and is trying to atone by helping others through the dying process. As she grows closer to a client she begins to see she may have other regrets and she has been so focused on death she’s missing her life. This books was so well written and I really enjoyed all the characters in the novel. I liked Clover a lot and was definitely hoping to see her move on properly from her grandfathers death and live her life to the fullest. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far my top read of 2023 so far! Clover is no stranger to death, but she hasn’t quite figured out life yet. Clover’s experience with death in her personal life, and then in her career as a death doula provide a unique perspective of death that drew me in from the very beginning. There were many lines in this novel that I deeply connected with and that challenged me to think about my own views regarding life and death. I loved Clover’s character development over the course of the novel and appreciated her insights. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with honest and thought-provoking characters

Ever heard of a death doula? Most people have not, and yet, Clover is a death doula who has witnessed the death of over 100 people. Clover has also suffered personal loss of her own, as her parents were killed and she was sent to live with her grandfather. Her grandfather became her best friend, and the two had an almost co-dependent relationship. When her grandfather passes, Clover is forced to face some harsh truths about what it truly means to die, but more importantly, what it truly means to live. In the midst, Clover meets a new client who forces Clover out of her comfort zone, and soon Clover must examine her own life, existence, and what she wants in this world.

Clover is sort of an "odd duck" and so in that way, this book was reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant, or Nita Prose's The Maid. Clover is a likeable woman, with an odd past and unique upbringing. She has forced herself into this box and it takes meeting a special client in order for her to get a fresh perspective on life.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for fans of Eleanor Oliphant or The Maid. Clover is a character that I will not soon forget.

Special thank you to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story has a powerful message and is very thought provoking. Well done.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

b><blockquote>The truth is, grief never really goes away...it's like a bag that you always carry---it starts out as a large suitcase, as as the years go by, it might reduce to the size of a purse, but you carry it forever</b></bloclquote>

This is the story of Clover Brooks, a death doula. This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing, but it was an intriguing read.

From an early age, Clover was surrounded by death. First, her teacher died in front of her, then her parents died in a car accident. Somehow, Clover has been fascinated and almost calm around the dying. She decides to travel the worth learning how other cultures usher people peacefully through their end of life process. She's also studied it at school.

Clover lives in the same apartment she lived in with her grandfather. During the day, she takes care of the dying, at night she comes home to her quiet existence, a few elderly neighbors as friends. She's collected three books as guides for herself: Regrets, Advice, Confessions. She often looks through these books, wondering how she wants to live her own life.

She joins at death cafe and meets a boy named Sebastian--he's instantly drawn to Clover. When Sebastian learns of Clover's career, he asks her to help his grandmother transition peacefully through life. Clover quickly forms a bond with Claudia, a photographer and witty women with a colorful past.

Even though the content of this book feels heavy, I was drawn to many of the quotes-=inspirational and important. Death is often a topic we shy away from, but Mikki Brammer writes with honesty and integrity, never brining a morbid vibe to her story.

<b><blockquote>Grief, I'd come to realize was like dust, When you're in the thick of a dust storm, you're completely disoriented by the onslaught, struggling to see or breathe. But as the force recedes, and you slowly find your bearing and see a path forward, the dust begins to settle into the crevices. And it will never disappear completely- as the years pass, you'll find it in unexpected places at unexpected moments</b></blockquote>

The part of the book that was a miss for me was the character of Clover. Her job requires her to be extremely apathetic, nurturing, intuitive--which she is when she's with her patients. However, outside of her job, Clover seems socially inept, almost awkward--it was hard to process the two varying characterizations. Clover is 36, yet she's never dated, had a boyfriend, or any friends? It was impossible to believe. She's traveled the world, yet doesn't know about yoga or a first kiss? This was the great miss for me in the story.

Otherwise, I was vested in her relationships with the dying, the way she approached her clients, making sure they were comforted and comfortable in their last moments.

<b><b;ockquote>The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life</b>

3.75/5

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this advanced copy of The Collected Regrets of Clover

great book and such great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and some romance. I also enjoyed the journey of the characters. I didn't know what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it .

Beautiful story that makes the reader think about their life, regrets, advice, and adventures. Particularly enjoyed the wrong connection prior to finding the right one. The final scene and lines of the novel were heartwarming.

I completely fell in love with Clover from the first chapter. And I guess I must be in love with Mikki Brammer, too, for writing sentences like “the overhead light reflecting in his eyes like sunbeams on an unopened Coca-Cola bottle.”

Clover is a death doula. I had never heard the term and didn’t even know if it was real, so, of course, I googled it. Yes, there is such a thing, and yes, there are death cafes also, where people come together to talk about death. A death doula walks with you through the last days of your life, and helps you process.

Clover keeps three notebooks, in which she keeps notes on the last words or moments of her clients. One is Advice, one is Confessions, and one is Regrets. Clover tries to learn from them. She even tries to do some of the things people regret they never did.

You see, Clover is an extreme introvert. After her (rather uncaring) parents died in an accident abroad, Clover is raised by her grandfather. A wonderful man, he nevertheless presents a world in which the two of them are enough. So after his death, Clover really doesn’t know things like how to make friends or find lovers.

I don’t want to give away too much of the book (which is a must read) but two people walk into Clover’s life. One is Sebastian, whose grandmother is dying but the whole family thinks she doesn’t know. Sebastian wants Clover to be his grandmother Claudia’s death doula.
The other person is Sylvia, her new neighbor, who won’t take no as an answer, from life or from Clover.
Before the book is over, there is also Hugo.

I have a feeling this is one of those books I’m going to reread, just for the pleasure of revisiting it. I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest review, but I am quite sure if I hadn’t, I would have bought it anyway.

P.S. I do hope Mikki is going to write the screen play for the movie herself. It’s got to be a movie! It should be one of those ones with translucent figures of Grandpa, and Claudia, and Hugo each standing behind and watching over their loved one.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a delightful, ultimately heartwarming debut novel by Mikki Brammer. Clover Brooks has a unique experience with death. In kindergarten, she observes her teacher pass away in the middle of story time and her reaction stands out from her classmates. Her parents die in an accident while they are traveling abroad, leaving a young Clover to live with her grandfather in New York City. After her grandfather dies while Clover is abroad, she turns to a profession unknown and misunderstood by many- a death doula. She helps individuals who are close to death through the end of life process, including many who would be alone otherwise. This profession, not surprisingly, can be a challenge to bring up when meeting people. While Clover is good with the dying, she finds herself not putting herself out there in relationships of her own. She is very much a loner, retreating after negative experiences both in friendships and potential romances. Her only consistent friend is an elderly man who lives in her building that she has known since she was a child.

After establishing Clover's life, Brammer introduces unexpected risks for Clover to take. After meeting Sebastian at a death cafe, she agrees to spend time with his dying grandmother Claudia. She also has a new neighbor move in below her who is persistent on getting to know her. She has to open herself up to new adventures (road trip to uncover a mystery love) and relationships (friendship and budding romance). All while trying to not to regress to her mean solitude when things do not go smoothly.

This is a lovely debut. Clover is an enjoyable and memorable character to follow throughout and I found myself deeply moved as the book came to an end. While I had some minor quibbles with how one of the side characters was written, this book was a delight, and highly recommend to readers interested in a moving tale of connection and finding joy and peace in difficult life circumstances. Well done!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Clover, a death doula, has struggled to live a life worthy of the books after the death of her grandpa over a decade ago. With the help of a persistent new neighbor and a new client Clover slowly comes out of her shell and builds a life worth living.

This one hit a tad too close to home for my liking. “I regret existing out of habit.” What a line and what a massive gut punch. The first line of the book was also a banger. “The first time I watched someone die, I was five.”

Even though Clover insisted she isn’t asexual, she’s definitely demi coded.
- “I studied his face as he talked, trying to decide if he was attractive.”
- “I couldn't tell the difference between platonic admiration and the lukewarm beginnings of romantic attraction.”
These lines could be attributed to Clover’s inexperience but even those who have little experience don’t usually have trouble deciding whether they have romantic feelings unless they’re on the ace spectrum. The world needs more demi rep anyway so I hope she is.


Other notable quotes for me:
“But extended solitude was always a fickle thing. At first it soothed, swaddling me from the chaos and expectations of being human. Then, in an instant, it shifted from rejuvenation to numbing isolation.”
“Loving someone inevitably also meant one day losing them-if not by rejection or betrayal, then most certainly by death.”
“Just because you don't feel your feelings, doesn't mean they don't exist.”
“Pitying them wouldn't take away their pain. The kindest thing I could do for them was to look them in the eye and simply acknowledge their presence as human beings.”

3.5⭐

Thirty-six-year-old Clover Brooks works as a death doula in New York City, guiding her clients through the last days of their lives – keeping them company while also taking note of their last wishes and much more to make the transition easier for them. Witnessing the death of her kindergarten teacher as a child fueled her interest in the subject of death and her academic pursuit in thanatology. When she was twenty-three her grandfather who had raised her passed away while she was traveling and this further motivated her to her engage in this line of work. Though she is a consummate professional and takes pains to not get emotionally attached to her clients, she does record her experiences in three notebooks documenting what her clients share with her through their interactions in the form of -“Regrets”, “Advice” and “Confessions”. Her social life is practically non-existent and her closest friend is Leo her elderly neighbor and a friend of her late grandfather. When she isn’t working she spends her time watching movies, attending death cafes and watching her neighbors through their open windows. When Clover meets Claudia, a terminally ill but spirited ninety-one-year-old former photojournalist and grandmother of Sebastian, whom she met in a death café, Claudia’s stories and her regrets encourage Clover to take stock of her life and her own regrets. Uncharacteristically for her, she finds herself on a quest to help Claudia in a personal matter – a regret that Claudia has harbored over a lifetime – and doing so just might enable Clover to look at her own life and regrets from a fresh perspective.

One might expect a story that revolves around a death doula to be morbid and/or depressing. But Mikki Brammer’s debut novel The Collected Regrets of Clover is far from that. A celebration of life that urges you to enjoy every moment, take advantage of the opportunities life throws your way and live life with as few regrets as possible is a wonderful message this story conveys. The flashbacks to Clover’s childhood and her memories of her grandfather are so beautifully written and I just loved Claudia. Sylvie was an interesting character, to say the least. However, there are a few aspects of this story that prevented me from giving it a higher rating. Clover’s characterization felt both inconsistent and unconvincing. On one hand, she is portrayed as someone well-traveled and displays much maturity in her professional life but much of what we see of her in her personal life reads as a tad immature for a thirty-six-year-old. I also understand loneliness and the importance of human connection but Clover’s attempts at alleviating her feelings of loneliness by peeping into the lives of others (literally, with a pair of binoculars) was a tad off-putting, though I did feel sad for Clover. On this note, while I can see a character who has led an otherwise solitary life harboring a great deal of grief and closed off from friendship or romantic relationships take gradual steps in emerging from her self-constructed shell, the romance track (which I felt was unnecessary) and the changes in Clover’s worldview in this story felt a tad rushed.

Overall, this is a lovely story with a beautiful message that will resonate with many. I truly appreciate the premise and found the subject matter relevant and thought-provoking. There is a lot to like about this story and I appreciate the author’s effort to shed a light on sensitive topics such as aging, loneliness and the need for end-of-life respect and comfort.

Many thanks to author Miki Brammer, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on May 9, 2023.