Clover Brooks works as a death doula in NYC, helping those who are nearing the end of their lives come to terms with death and wrap up what they need to for the living. At 36 years of age, she lives a reclusive life in the West Village apartment that she lived in with her grandfather, with just her two cats, a dog, and her neighbor Leo as her friends. On her bookshelves are three books: Regrets, Advice, and Lessons - and after working with each client, Clover records in each the respective takeaways she's learned.

Clover's life begins to change after meeting Sebastian, a man with a dying grandmother, at a death cafe one evening and reluctantly agrees to work with her. She's pulled into her backstory and life, and grows closer to Sebastian as well. Clover also meets Sylvie, a young woman who moves into her building, and begins to form a friendship with her as well. As time goes on, Clover's own past is revealed, including her motivations to become a death doula in the first place, and she's challenged to live the life that she wants for herself.

"The Collected Regrets of Clover" is such a deceptively simple, yet heartwarming story about identity, friendship, and self-worth. I think many readers will connect and empathize with Clover, and the anxiety and reluctance she has to open up to and become vulnerable to others, especially given her past. We watch as Clover slowly gains confidence in herself and begins to take risks, first for others and ultimately for herself, and the relationships that she forms along the way. Brammer's writing is descriptive and well-paced, and she's crafted a cast of characters that feel real-to-life. For those who also live in NYC, the accuracy of train lines, stores, and neighborhoods was also a nice touch.

Very much a recommended read for when it's published in May 2023!

The Collected Regrets of Clover is an excellent novel highlighting a little known profession that is important but forgotten since those most appreciative of the service are no longer available to express their feelings. However, the main thrust of the book is to live life to its fullest before death thus emphasizing just enough romance to keep the interest.

A moving story of how one woman's obsession with death helped her rediscover how to live.

You'll instantly find space in your heart for Clover. After she was halfway across the world when her beloved grandfather died, she moves into his apartment and works as a death doula - making sure that others do not have to die alone. She's living an isolated life as a kind of penance for the guilt she feels. Clover's an interesting heroine - big-hearted but unwilling to connect with those not dying, awkward yet draws people in, and finding peace through tracking others' last words, regrets and advice.

When she gets a job sitting with Claudia, a former photographer dying of cancer, her nosy grandson seems determined to pull Clover into his orbit. When one of Claudia's regrets is never getting in touch with a long-lost love, Clover and the grandson, Sebastian, set out on a road trip to find him.

The perfectly-paced, deeply-felt prose brought the characters to life. I loved watching Clover gain confidence and work through her emotions both surrounding her grandfather's death and her own lack of experience in love. She's a heroine to root for.

This memorable book will make you think: what makes a life well-lived? This one is perfect for book clubs, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life." Before reading this book, I had never heard of a death doula but I think it would very comforting for someone on their deathbed. I am far too emotional a person to be able to bring someone comfort in a time of such sadness, but Clover is perfect.
I loved getting to know all the characters that were important to Clover and seeing her evolve throughout the story has me feeling all the feelings. I enjoyed the times when the author went into the past because it helped to see all the events that made Clover who she was as an adult and why certain things were incredibly important to her.
I love the somewhat hidden background role that fate seemed to play in the story. Claudia was one of my favorite characters and I'm so glad the she and Clover crossed paths. It was meant to be in a way that wasn't clear until the end of the book.
There was a lot of great advice in the story but it doesn't come off as preachy or anything like that. It just adds to the story in a way that really makes you stop and think about life and whether you're living life to the fullest or if you'll get to the end and have regrets.
I think this just became one of my favorite books of all time.
I look forward to more books by this author in the future.

What a beautiful, well written story. All of the feels! Clover is a death doula. (Yes, I had to google upon coming across these words) It takes a very compassionate, special person to see people through their death. Clover's own experiences and personality make her the perfect candidate for this job. She is a loner and yearns for friendship, but not quite sure how to get there at this point in her life. She loves rom/com and people watching. Read her amazing story.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. I recommend this book for everyone!

Where do I even begin?! I was initially hesitant to read this book as someone who has always been uncomfortable discussing death, but it really made me pause and take stock of my feelings and fears. Clover is such an honest, raw character and I was surprised at how much I related to her despite thinking we are opposites. Unlike some books where events or endings might feel overexaggerated or unrealistic, I felt like everything in this story happened when it should have. I honestly don't think I would change a thing.

This is quite good, which is reflected in the many existing reviews. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

From the first page, I was drawn to the unique plot following Clover, a death doula, and the isolated life she lives. Surrounding herself with the dying, she ironically hides herself within a cocoon, preventing people becoming a part of her life in fear of losing them. Trying to shelter herself from connecting with others, Clover’s loneliness was the first aspect of many I empathized with. The fear of losing a loved one all over again drew me in deeply. I loved the emphasis on regrets you have before dying and cliched but important reminder to “live a beautiful life.” One of my favorite quotes from the book was a piece of advice given to Clover, “don’t let the best parts of life pass by because you’re too scared of the unknown.” Such a simple but beautiful piece of advice that I plan on carrying in to my own life. This is a surprisingly wonderful debut that everyone should take a chance to read. I adored this story and the characters, loving how loneliness is portrayed, resonating with each person who reads. It is a poignant reminder that death is the only constant in life, but that does not mean it needs to be feared.

I will post a review on Instagram closer to the date of publication.

I love the death doula and death cafe facets especially given it’s an area I’ve been investigating - the role it played in both narrative and characters. I was emotionally invested from the first page and beyond the turn of the last page.

My favorite character is undoubtedly Clover because she’s beautifully flawed. She has an unbelievable sense of self and knows so much more than she gives herself credit. Bottom line she’s imperfectly perfect and grows as her story unfolds along with her experiences. Overall, this book was captivating and truly a favorite. Memorable, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. Unobtrusively beautiful. Definitely looking forward to more of this caliber from Mikki Brammer.

Wow, this is the best book I have read in 2022 so far. This book will be published in May of 2023 but I am so grateful to have received an ARC. Thank you to St Martin Press and NetGalley for this incredible book. The description is what caught my eye. Death Doula? What? So Clover is almost 40 women living in New York City with the occupation of a Death Doula. So this is a new occupation for me but I found it fascinating to think about. The book is not really what I had envisioned from the description but it was so much more. We follow Clover through her daily life and see why she does what she does. We come to understand why Clover is the way she is and we get to see how through her client's final words Clover is changed. I just fell in love with Clover. I learned a lot about life from her wonderful insights. I love how Mikki Brammer writes. It reads like a movie in my mind and flows so well. It's hard to believe that this is the first book for Mikki. I hope there are more books to come.

A respectable debut by author Mikki Brammer, The Collected Regrets of Clover will tug at a reader’s heartstrings, especially those who have loved and lost.
Early on, the reader learns that Clover is a “death doula”—an intriguing, emotionally-demanding, and little-known profession the protagonist did not choose at random. Raised by her grandfather in NYC, Clover has allowed her past to paint much of her present.
Preferring solitude (save for a trio of beloved pets and an elderly neighbor, Leo) to socializing, Clover doesn’t seem like a typical 30-something city dweller. As several characters insert themselves into Clover’s day-to-day, the protagonist’s preconceived notions (and anxieties) slowly chip away as she looks internally and questions what it means to regret and what it means to truly live.
Though a bit slow through the first quarter, Clover’s story works its way into the heart. Readers will find themselves thinking about their own loved ones, their own regrets, and the mysterious way that human beings are connected and come to influence one another’s lives in various ways.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Ahhh this one was hard to get through for me, not because it wasn’t great, but because it made me so sad! Super well done and worth the read…and the tears!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and to share my honest review. As a person who has experienced loss as well as being a hospice nurse, this book touched my soul completely. It’s a story of death, dying, love, loss, regrets and how to live our lives to the fullest. Absolutely amazing book that I couldn’t put down and read in less than a day. Everyone should experience this beautiful story.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is about a death doula named Clover, who found her calling after being surrounded by death at a young age. It started when her elementary school teacher died during class and followed with her parents passing away while abroad in China. With her parents gone she was taken in by her grandfather and moved to New York City. Surrounded by routine, they frequented the same diner and bookstore during the week and spend most of their time together, When her grandfather passed while she traveling in Cambodia, her world changed and she felt a lingering guilt that he had died alone. Devoted to helping those transition to death, she found her calling as a death doula to help those who didn’t have anyone during their remaining weeks so they don’t have to die alone. Clover then finds herself caring for someone as she is passing and finds that her experience with her has taught her that she has to start living her life for herself rather than just for others.

Throughout this book Clover starts to find small wins as she starts to build relationships and friendships with new people and starts to find joy in her life outside of work. This book shows Clover blossoming as an individual and really take to heart the advice of people she has cared for. It was beautifully written book that approaches death in a natural light.

This book isn’t one that I would typically like but I found myself really enjoying this outlook and approach to death and seeing how it impacts others that are left behind. I rate this book a 4/5 stars!

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

Clover is a woman who appears to have her life in order. She has a successful, if unorthodox, career as a death doula and has created a contented life with a simple routine and the love of her various pets. Yet something is missing. Her grandfather's death seems to come up frequently, and she can't seem to create new relationships, friendly or romantic. But soon, everything changes when she meets Sebastian, whose grandmother is dying. Clover is forced to live in the discomfort she has desperately tried to avoid, and who knows, maybe it will all be worth it in the end.

I was immediately intrigued by Clover. I found her to be not only relatable but very likeable too. She and many other characters felt very realistic, and they were all beautifully flawed creations. I believe it was the characters that made this such a phenomenal read for me. They are so fleshed out, and they captured my full attention while I was reading. I could not put the book down, and I was even reading while standing on the bus to get home; it was hazardous, and I don't recommend this activity. The novel's pace moved very well, with unexpected twists and new exciting plot points frequently introduced. I also thought the chapter lengths fit the flow of the book.

I was initially intrigued by this book because I listened to the Thanatology episode of Ologies with Alie Ward and found it fascinating. So a book about a death doula was right up my alley. I found this book captured how death and dying affect people. It delves into the loneliness, the regret, the fear, the love, the everything. And Clover was a perfect person to act as a vector for the reader to experience all of this. I also loved the idea of Clover noting people's dying regrets and trying to do those things in her life. Quite poetic!

Emotion was also used so well in this book. There were moments when I laughed out loud and cried and everything else in between. It was an authentic depiction of the emotions tied to death and dying. Especially scenes about Clover's grandfather made me miss my grandfather, who I was close with as a child. That nostalgic reminiscing with grandparents is beautifully woven throughout the book.

I'm usually not a fan of romance, but I've got to say this is easily one of the best books I've read this year. When it hits the shelves, I encourage you to check it out. If The Collected Regrets of Clover is anything to go off of, I think Brammer will have an incredible literary career ahead of her.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found the idea of this book very intriguing, but over halfway through, I still found myself not caring. I was not excited to pick the book back up. The storytelling was not my cup of tea.

This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this story of Clover, an introvert living in NYC. Her character felt real, with flaws and admissions of mistakes. I would definitely read other books by this author.

This book was so enjoyable and I could not put it down. I was drawn in from the first page! While I cannot say I particularly relate to Clover, I did empathize with her. I felt the general frustrations as an onlooker with her decisions and actions at times, but they were totally valid choices based on her personality.

I appreciated that the author made the characters so realistic - I feel like I have known or met each of them before. It was a delight of a read and I was sad when it was over. I became totally invested in the story.

The idea of death is (obviously) prevalent throughout, and there were a few moments that made me sit back and really think and go "oh, wow." That doesn't happen often. I unequivocally recommend this book.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.

Thank you to the Author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a wonderful story about the intricacies of dealing with life, death, and learning to live without regrets.

Clover is a death doula living and working in New York city. She lives an isolated life where she only really interacts with her clients and their families. Clover lost her parents at a young age, has never been in love, has never really had a true friend, and was raised by her late grandfather. It is only after she meets Sebastian at a death cafe that Clover begins to see that life may hold possibilities for her that she hadn't allowed herself to dream of; she begins to blossom and it's a breathtaking site to behold.

The Collected regrets of Clover is beautifully written. This was one of the first books in a long time that I stayed up until 2:00 am reading. Mikki Brammer is an evocative wordsmith, and I cannot wait to read more from her in the years to come.

This book hooked me in from the first page. I was immediately drawn to Clover. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book in which I identified with the main character so deeply. I understand what it feels like to have been (essentially) raised as an only child and the profound loneliness that comes with it. I can empathize with the social awkwardness of trying to make a friend when you have none.
The plot ended up being sort of a “slow burn” but watching Clover learn to trust herself and take a few risks while healing from her own grief was worth it.