Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me. I had to DNF it. Thank you for the opportunity to read regardless.

I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley and found it to be a much lighter read than I expected. It is a surprisingly uplifting book that definitely centers on Clover and her life more so than the people she works with. It didn't engage me as emotionally as I expected when characters passed on and it is hard to say why I didn't make a very strong emotional connection with them. Perhaps it was because Clover tried to keep herself emotionally detatched and that detatchment has been passed on to the reader? There is some character growth in Clover as the novel progresses so it was a nice, quick and easy read.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

Clover is a 36yo death doula, she is dedicated to her job and her pets. The only friend she has is 84yo neighbour Leo. Clover was raised by her grandpa after her parents died when she was 6yo.
Clover is a bit of loner but things change when she meets Sebastian in one of the death cafes.

What a debut novel this is. It is beautifully written with amazing characters. The story is easy to follow and you cheer for Clover and Sylvie, Leo and Claudia. Amazing strong female characters.

If you love A man called Ove, All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle, this book is for you.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is a charming but never saccharine book that really will warm your heart while also gently kicking you in the butt in an attempt to inspire you to live your life to the fullest.
Clover is a quiet, solitary woman who works as a death doula In New York , providing support and companionship to those nearing the end of their lives. At home in the apartment that she once shared with the grandfather who raised her from the age of six, she curls up with with her dog and records their last words in one of three notebooks , Advice, Confessions and Regrets. Each day she picks a page from one of these books at random and tries to follow the advice or make up for one of the confessions or regrets as a last remembrance of her client. She is reasonably contented in her life of isolation but still sometimes wonders about what might have been if her life had been different. When her latest client, Claudia ,a woman in her nineties with only weeks to live , admits that despite an amazing life filled with travel for her work as a photo journalist before she settled down, married and had a family, she has one regret that she has lived with for decades, Clover is determined to try to make it right. Claudia confesses that she met the love of her life on one of her last photo assignments in France , but because she was already engaged she left him behind and came home to New York. With only an old love letter to go on Clover embarks on a quest to find out what happened to Claudia's great love and along the way she starts to realise that she cannot live in the past, she needs to open herself up to what the future may hold and live life to the fullest.
This is a book that moves at a gentle pace and one where characters take priority over plot. There is a story that runs through the book and it is well told but it was the characters that made me want to keep reading, and not just Clover and Claudia, but all of the other more secondary characters who were so well written with an attention to detail that I really admired. The title and subject matter might make it seem like this is a sad book, but in fact it is anything but, it is uplifting and full of hope and I really hope that it gets the success it deserves.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

This is a beautifully written book about one woman and her relationship with death.
It was not what I expected, nor what I usually read but I ended up loving it. It was slow in pacing, but it really got right into Clover's character that I felt like I really knew her.
I would recommend this to everyone to read.

What an absolutely glorious, warm book that encourages us all to not just be alive, but to really live. I adored the character of Clover who as a death doula is more comfortable in the land of the dying, than the living. In fact she deliberately separates herself from the living as a protective barrier against her emotions. The dying don't stick around long enough to make lasting relationships,and participating in the living world has become exhausting for her. As she shepherds people.out of this world, Clover carefully records their regrets, advice and confessions, in notebooks, and attempts to put right their wrongs, and live out their advice. It's all just wonderfully human and honest.
Anyone who has experienced grief will find this book deeply comforting, and realistic. As an ex emergency services worker, on more than one occasion, I've been the last person to hear someone's voice, and the only person to witness their death. This book touched me to my core, and has in all likelihood helped heal some of the trauma I experienced in that occupation. I cried, and I healed, and I'll continue to be cautiously reckless. What a wonderful book!

Well I will always be grateful for the copy of this book thank you thank you thank you.

I had to think a while before writing this as I do not quite know how to do it justice.

This book is mind blowingly fantastic. It is wonderful, charming, emotional, sad, raw, heartwarming, life affirming, sentimental, poignant - I could go on and on.

Such a moving story. I wept and I enjoyed every single second of every single page.

Clover is a flawed but adorable lead character and as her relationships with Claudia, Leo, Hugo and Sylvia unfold you adore her more and more and become more invested in where this book takes you. It is also so lovely to read about her grandfather but again sad. The ending blew me away. I literally wept.

A very powerful and poignant read and without doubt one of the best books I have read in years. I actually think everyone should read this.

You don't just enjoy this book you learn from it, it stays with you, it teaches you and guides you.

I am beyond grateful for this copy thank you. So so very much.

This book shouldn’t have worked. It is mainly about death, a subject that lots of people will never talk about, be it their own or other peoples. But it does work, it’s beautifully handled and ultimately uplifting. I’d never heard of a death doula, but love the concept that some one is there for you when your life is coming to its end. There are no judgements made, they are there to ease the passing of the terminally ill, providing spiritual and emotional support.

Clover is a fairly naive young woman, who is still grieving for her own family, yet providing comfort to strangers. When she meets Claudia, she starts to come to terms with her own grief, and realises that she too must move on with her life. I love the idea that after her clients are gone, Clover collects their last words, recording them in 3 notebooks, Advice, Regrets and Confessions. A real gem of a book. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a lovely little book I enjoyed this one so much , the narrator a young girl works as a death doula in New York and the story is told via a series of flash backs into the lives of those she has helped in the past . At the same time we learn about her own childhood orphaned as a young child and growing up in the house of her elderly eccentric grandfather surrounded by a museum quantity of natural history objects
The novel looks at what its means to be lonely in the middle of a modern busy city and how family can be made through unexpected friendships .
I adored the characters immediately they were so real and well described totally recognisable people , there is a cast of smaller parts all as well detailed .
The author writes with an easily read style and I enjoyed the whole experience of reading this book , the job of the narrator I suppose might put some people off from reaching for the book but I would say that this would be a mistake as the general feeling of the book was warm welcoming and life affirming a big gental hug of a book that I shall remember for a long time
I would recommend if you liked a little hope by Ethan Joella , this is us by David Nicholls or A man caked one by Frederick Backman
I read an copy of the book on Netgalley uk it was published by Penguin Uk in January 2023

4.5 stars rounded up

I can already tell this is going to be one of my favourite books of the year. The Collected Regrets of Clover tugged at my heartstrings; the story was heartfelt, earnest and moving. Clover was a likeable, facetted heroine and I found myself relating to her a lot. I loved how the story diverted my expectations and managed to avoid some obvious clichés. I loved learning more about death doulas and exploring the grief theme.

Overall I'd highly recommend!

I so enjoyed this book! First and foremost, I'd suggest getting a hold of a copy ASAP and reading it for yourself.

'The Collected Regrets of Clover' is about living a beautiful life, a worthy life, and a fulfilling life now, with no regrets, 'just as we never know how long a match will last until we light it, we never know how long a life will last until we live it.'

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 realises the desolation of dying alone and becomes a death doula, 'shepherding a dying. person through the last days of their life is a privilege - especially when you're the only thing they have to hold on to.' Clover records dying moments in her clients' lives: regrets, advice, and confessions. Ironically, their statements, in their dying moments, are tips on how to live your life to the fullest; something which Clover has always hidden from, 'They had helped fill the void of intimacy that I felt so keenly in my own life.'

'The Collected Regrets of Clover' is quirky, heartwarming and thought-provoking. It's deep, yet it's light. Clover is a character you learn to love and most probably see glimmers of yourself in. Most of all, it delivers advice we should all be cognisant of and adhere to, 'instead of constantly asking ourselves the question on why we're here, maybe we should be savoring the simpler truth: We are here.' If this is Mikki Brammer's debut novel, I don't envy her task in trying to top it, but I'll gladly read more from her.

Ever since Clover started working as a death doula, she’d had the same ritual, documenting each client’s final words before the breath had left their body. Over the years, she’d found that people often felt the need to say something as they were dying, something of significance—as if they realized it was their last chance to leave a mark on the world. Usually, those last messages fit into one of three categories: things they’d wish they’d done differently, things they’d learned along the way, or secrets they’d kept that they were finally ready to reveal.

Clover sits with the dying, listen, and bears witness. Even if they were unhappy right up until their final exhale, at least they weren’t alone.

Despite being 37 years old, lives alone and has no real friends. She embarks on her first adventure when she meets Claudia, a woman with a completely different life than her own.

The novel is moving, inspiring, humorous and full of wisdom. Death is described as a natural and necessary part of life.

A very well-balanced book that is a pleasure to read.

You wouldn’t think a story about a death doula would be so uplifting and inspiring but this book was. I completely fell in love with Clover, Claudia and Leo and the lessons they taught me and this is one of those stories that will stay with me long after finishing it.

It was very moving without being schmaltzy and also light-hearted and humorous enough to balance the regrets and loss. It’s not at all maudlin, just a very sweet and meaningful story and I loved it. Highly recommend.

Clover is a death doula who sits with those who are alone in the world and ushers them out of this life. As her own personal tribute, she writes down their final words, dividing them into Regrets, Confessions and Advice. She also tries to follow their advice and, in Clover, Mikki Brammer has created a wonderful, nuanced character who is at odds with the world. I find the idea of a death doula fascinating and I think the more that fiction - and all of us - can talk about death in a natural and honest way, the better.
Because Clover has spent a large portion of her life dwelling in the past and thinking about death, she deserves to step out of her habits and live a richer life. No spoilers, but there's a strong Romance sub-plot that comes through and steers the book towards a sunny conclusion.

Endearingly evocative. In her work as a death doula, Clocer is confident, kind and thoughtful. In her own life she is lovely,grieving and riddled with self doubt. Without friends and family of her own her existence is one of routine and solitude. Change is necessary , firstly when a new neighbour moves in upstairs and the when she is strong armed into meeting her new client Claudia a fiesty nonagenarian whose past is aching for revisiting. A must read.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is a delightful, uplifting read that I really enjoyed and made me reflect on what it means to live a full and beautiful life.

Clover Brooks is a death doula – she has sat with strangers in their final days and moments on earth to provide comfort and companionship. She finds the people she helps usually talk about 3 things when they know their time is up; Confessions, Regrets and Advice. Clover holds onto these by keeping notebooks full of the things she is told but she isn’t putting them into practice in her own life. She has shut herself off from the world after the death of her beloved Grandfather and her world has become very small in the midst of her grief. But then she is contacted about a new client, Claudia, who changes everything and makes Clover reassess her life and what she wants from it.

So this subject matter could of made for a very depressing book but it is handled with such grace and tenderness that it actually left me with a feeling of wonder and love. I adored the line “The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life.”.

I also loved the character of Claudia – such a woman ahead of her time but ultimately, did what she thought she needed to do given the time in history. The story actually gave me a bit of a Sliding Doors vibe as in what would your life be if something didn’t happen the way it did and I loved it!

Highly recommend picking this one up as I feel there is something relatable in it for everyone and might just inspire the courage you need to live your life on your terms!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this. Clover is a likeable main character and you really feel for her throughout. I'd not heard of a death doula before, but a quick Google confirms it is a real profession. It's an original career path for a fictional character and therefore the story was original too. Overall a very enjoyable read.

This book deserves to be a bestseller! I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Not a sad book about regrets, but insight into living life well.
From a young age, Clover wasn’t a typical kid. Losing her parents at six, she is raised by her scholarly grandfather with outings to the bark park to observe dog behavior, and afternoons at the bookstore. She never learned how to play and interact with other kids, and by age 37, she still feels uncomfortable in society.
As a death doula, Clover sits with the dying helping to make the journey easier. Most people when dying reflect on life with regrets, confessions, or advice. Clover has 3 separate journals which she carefully transcribes the final words into the appropriate journal. Clover is still grieving her grandfather’s death after many years, and although her life is surrounded by people expressing regret for not living life more fully, she is unable to take their advice. Avoiding personal encounters, she escapes into 90’s romcoms over and over. Fortunately for Clover, Slyvie, a vivacious new neighbor, cracks through Clover’s walls of self protection and insecurity. For the first time in her life, Clover has a friend. It’s a real treat experiencing Clover’s emergence, and I think everyone can pick up some insight. As one very special dying man said to Clover as he lay dying, “The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life.”
Many thanks to netgalley and Viking for this advance copy, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

Clover is a Death Doula - she helps people face up to their impending death and is there for them when they die. Why? Her parents died when she was six and she lived with her elderly academic grandfather in a New York apartment. Now alone as her grandfather has died, Clover has to face up to her regrets and take a leap of faith into a world of emotion.
Clover is a fan of RomComs and this book reads like one of them! There are several unanswered questions ( how does she pay her bills? How much does a Death Doula earn? …) but the book is ultimately uplifting and life-affirming with all of the loose ends tied up in a nice big bow at the end.

Although the primary theme is death and grief this is actually very heartwarming and uplifting. With a socially awkward main character in Clover who works as a death doula and has been present at almost 100 deaths having witnessed her first death at just five years old when her teacher died and then shortly after her own life was impacted by the death of her parents leaving her grandfather to care for her. There’s some lovely characters in here including the memorable eponymous Clover and the storyline is very thoughtful and gentle. It’s very good about getting you thinking about death and how it can be dealt with positively and is very well considered.