This is a gem of a debut novel and I think it's one of my favorite reads of 2023 so far!

I had no idea that a book about death could be so beautiful and uplifting but that is what Mikki Brammer has created with this story about Clover, who works as a death doula in NYC.

From the first chapters I was hooked and completely engrossed in the life of Clover as we alternate between the present day and key periods of her childhood and young adulthood. Clover has always been a loner and struggled to fit in with her peers. We go on a very emotional journey with Clover as she works to figure out who she really is and what matters to her. The ultimate journey to a life lived without regrets.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading future books by Mikki Brammer.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me an advance copy of this book for review consideration.

This is a beautiful book! I was very emotionally invested in this one and enjoyed it from start to finish.

I loved this book. Such a good story about grief, and dying, and loneliness. I related to the main character a lot, so this story appealed to me. Look forward to more by this author.

This book was such an awesome read. It definitely sticks with you and will probably do very well judging from all the positive reviews. This book sucks you in from the very beginning and even though I would stop and read other books I always came back to this one eager to continue. It’s a book you can’t easily forget. It’s sweet and endearing, heartbreaking and heartwarming, and I didn’t want it to end. It gave me a lot to think about. A beautiful story about life and the way we should approach it.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC. I truly appreciate it.

This is a sweet story about a young lady learning to live life to the fullest while helping terminal patients with the best possible transition into death. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to thank the author for the ARC

Clover is a death doula. She sits with the dying and helps them along. As she sits with more individuals during their deaths, she collects their regrets and advice. She’s been so involved in helping others, she may have some regrets of her own.

For being about death, this book was more hopeful and pleasant than I thought it would be. It got into the job of a death doula, and how meaningful that can be. It made the process of death something that can be beautiful as well. I loved Clover and her development over time. I liked how there was a sub-plot with a story that really affected the character and her future.

“The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life.”

The Collected Regrets of Clover comes out 5/9.

4.5/5

This is such a beautiful, whimsical book about death.

Clover is a 30-something who’s always preferred being alone. She’s a death doula who helps people prepare for the end of their life. But her newest client changes her life forever.

This book is a wholesome, emotional read that’s truly unique.

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

Book Title: The Collected regrets of Clover
Author: Mikki Brammer
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: May 9, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

Clover has always been fascinated by death, ever since her kindergarten teacher keeled over and died during class.
The following year, Clover's parents die in a tragic accident, and she is sent to live with her grandfather. It's a relatively solitary life but it's safe, warm, and assured.
But after finally losing her grandfather when she was 23 years old, and away traveling, she realizes the desolation of dying alone and becomes a - 'death doula'.,
( Hmm: Is it me or does anyone else believes they should come up with a better name? Perhaps “Doula Specialist”? )

Note: I remember "Me Before You" by author, JoJo Moyes, In that story I laughed and cried. However, one reader described it as a ‘feel worst” read as it really is sad
This story was recommended by a FB book group member ~ She said ~ Anyone who loved Eleanor Oliphant should absolutely read this! It is a heartwarming story book with the quirky Clover and how much death teaches us about life.
However, when I started it I feared it was going to be depressing but I was pleased that it was better than expected.
Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 9, 2023

This was a really good debut. It was really unique, and something I haven't read about before. Clover is a Death Doula and is hired to stay with, and help comfort people during their last moments. She keeps a notebook of their last words or regrets. She honors them by finding ways to incorporate those regrets into her own life so she doesn't have those same regrets. She is a quirky character who was raised by her grandfather in NYC. She is very introverted and doesn't have many friends. I felt bad that Clovers only "friend" was her elderly neighbor Leo. I did love Clovers character alot, and loved reading about her in her younger years and as a grown adult. I found her profession as a Death Doula so interesting. I've thought about that kind of career before. This wasn't a depressing book as you might think. The author did a great job making it a light hearted read, and giving you so much to think about at the end. I really enjoyed this one!

Comes out May 9

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.. I will post my review on Instagram, Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon once it publishes.

The Collected Regrets of Clover
by Mikki Brammer
Pub Date: Mary 9, 2023
St. Martin
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own, for readers of The Midnight Library.
I really liked this novel. It is very unusual, and I don't think I ever had read anything remotely like it. Clover will stay in your mind because she is so unique and quirky.
It's a reminder to enjoy your limited life and learn to let go.

5 Beautiful Stars

Wow, I loved this wonderful debut novel by Mikki Brammer! It has everything I look for in a book. I learned new things, the characters were well drawn, and I was presented with much to think about. And it was so heartfelt. The beautiful cover, the title, and the presence of an epilogue earn this one extra points as well.

Clover is a death doula. I never knew exactly what a death doula did. I thought they came in at the very end to be with people who had no family. There is a lot more to it than that, and I’d like to find more books featuring this intriguing subject. There are many fully developed likeable characters, especially Clover, her grandpa, Leo, and Claudia. My favorite is Clover—a character I will likely never forget. Most importantly, and what I liked best are the many words of wisdom about how to navigate a fulfilling and meaningful life. Some of the quotes are priceless. These are words that come from Clover’s clients and the few people that came into her lonely life. I cannot share any of these lovely passages as this is a review of an advanced copy. However, many of these quotes are already available on the author’s Goodreads page. I found the last two chapters and the epilogue especially inspiring, and I will be thinking about what was presented for a very long time.

This book is different. It is also memorable, engaging, thought-provoking, and brings out all the feelings. I cannot recommend it more highly.

I would like to thank Ms. Rivka Holler of St. Martin's Press, Net Galley, and Ms. Mikki Brammer for an advanced review copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

3.5 stars - this was a push/pull for me. I loved the idea and found some characters (and "New York as a character") really interesting. On paper, Clover and I have a lot in common, but because this book was driven by her loneliness and we mostly stayed inside her head, it was a bit of a slog at times. Her introversion designed many "show, not tell" moments that felt overly platitude-y. I enjoyed the time jumps but, as another reviewer said, it didn't feel like Adult Clover's voice had grown up when we returned to her perspective.

This is for sure a story about friendship, but I loved the romance angle more. It was heartwarming to have so many stages of life partners to root for!

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy and for the chance to support a debut author!

This was an enjoyable read with some interesting, and at times, beautiful thoughts on death and dying. I had trouble fully enjoying the main character as she came across, as did her contemporaries, as very young though she was written to be in her mid-thirties. It was an inconsistency that kept catching me off guard. I loved the wisdom of the main character's past clients, as well as the journals she kept of them, and wished there were more of them as they really added to the depth of the story.

A notebook of regrets?

Were these regrets a way to live your life so you don't have any?

Clover was a death doula who was familiar with seeing people die.

Clover would write down the last words or regrets of the person she comforted in their last hours.

She would try to honor one of the regrets or incorporate it into her life so she wouldn't have that particular regret.

There was a special woman, Claudia, she stayed with whose family didn't tell her she was dying. Sort of odd to have a death doula in this situation.

Claudia was wonderful for Clover, though. Clover felt she replaced her mother that she didn't have when she grew up.

And Clover was good for Claudia because she found out that the love of Claudia’s life she gave up to marry someone else may be living close by.

Would Claudia be sadder knowing he was close by all these years?

THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER seems like it would be a depressing read, but the main character pulled you right in, and her thoughts and caring were what will keep you reading. You will LOVE Clover.

Her introverted personality was sad, but her relationship with her grandfather and her neighbor Leo was heartwarming and endearing.

This book made me think about what I would regret as my life was ending.

Readers who are looking for something different, wonderful characters, wonderful writing, and an actual heartwarming theme will like this book. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I give this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

To be honest, for the first two-thirds it was a solid 3 for me - a bit too slow, and I felt like I was being hit over the head with certain points/themes. But the last third or so made me happy I'd read to the end.

I appreciate the opportunity to read the e-galley in advance!

What a powerful, sweet, poignant, and extremely unique novel to start off the new year. Most enjoyable read. Clover is a death doula and most people can not understand her job. But Clover is sure that she is here in this job for her clients to die with dignity and she make sure they do not die alone. Clover's parents died in a accident when Clover was 6 and her grandfather raised her by himself. When clover was in her 20's she was traveling and received a text to call her grandfather's friend. Clover had a bad feeling when she placed the call. The friend informed her that her grandfather passed away alone in her office the night before. Clover was distraught thinking of her grandfather being alone when he died. Clover then make it her life's work to be there for the dying. This is a story how Clover discovers the regrets she has and how to make choices to live for the now. I really love the people that were invited into Clover's life that helped her to see that she could change her life. There was some parts of the story that are emotional and I did shed some tears. Well done story

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC

Thank you to the author Mikki Brammer, publisher St. Martin's Press, and as always NetGalley, for an advance audio copy of THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER.

Okay, I feel bad about this after reading how many people wrote in their reviews how much they related to Clover. I'm almost convinced those reviewers missed a few plotpoints later in the book, but I don't really want to spoil the book for anyone who (still) wants to read it.

This is a book about Clover, the fmc. By "about Clover" I mean, this main character drives this whole book. And I can't stand her.

Clover is a death doula, which means she charges wealthy-enough people who are close-enough to death to accomplish tasks their friends or family, executors of estate, and hospice staff should all be doing. Funny enough-- Clover never collects any actual payment in this book, even though the reader sees more than one client. Probably because it would be unseemly and Brammer really jumps through hoops to sell us a pristine picture of her primary protagonist.

In a work context, Clover presents herself as overly pious. Away from work, she is selfish and spies on her neighbors, which is creepy, although the text handles her like she's made of spun sugar, ugh. I wouldn't leave her alone with my dying gramma or mom, even though both of those propers would eat this little waffle with afternoon tea.

Rating: ☘️.5 / unlucky Clovers
Recommend? Everyone but me seems to love it, but it's a no
Finished: February 16 2023
Read this if you like:
👭 Friend drama
😒 Real creepers
🧟‍♀️ Unreal jobs
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family drama

Such a sweet story about Clover, a young "death doula" who has essentially withdrawn from life in order to care for those who are dying. I was initially concerned about indulging in a story about death, but found quickly that this book is about so much more than death. Clover has never dated, didn't have any friends, and spent her life in front of her TV. After meeting a fellow at a Death Cafe, she takes on a new dying client. A new tenant moves into her apartment. She begins to engage in her community. The story weaves this new life into Clover, and the it ends beautifully, though in a slightly predictable way.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Collected Regrets of Clover.

I absolutely adored most of this book. As someone who has struggled with retreating into an introvert shell herself, I related to the main character so much, and I loved watching her journey. There were just a couple aspects to the story I didn’t love and that’s why it’s a four star instead of a five, but I really did enjoy this book so so much.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I really liked this novel. The Collected Regrets of Clover was unique, beautiful, and very touching.

Clover is a death doula who has collected the regrets and advice of her past patients, yet she doesn’t seem to take their advice herself until one of her patients sends her on a cross-country trip. On this trip, Clover begins to discover herself and face her fears.

I enjoyed this charming book; however, at times the pacing felt inconsistent. I would still recommend it!