After losing one of their own, a group of college friends vows that they'll give each other living funerals. Each person can choose the time and place of their memorial, often at a significant moment like a divorce or a career milestone. But this time when they gather, everyone is holding on to secrets, including one that could change things forever.

Rowley is also the author of The Guncle, among others, and his trademark wit and sentiment are present in The Celebrants. I laughed, I cried, I wished the story could go on longer.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

"Guncle” was, without a doubt, my favorite book of 2021. Stephen Lawrie's extraordinary talent for writing goes beyond simple storytelling. He is a true composer, deftly juggling the threads of our emotions and triggering a whirlwind of complex feelings that we have hidden inside ourselves for so long. In each work, he masterfully orchestrates a symphony that makes us laugh and cry at the same time, finding a deep response in our souls and leaving a lasting impression.

A heavy but touching book, as seems to be Rowley's trademark after the premise of the Guncle, prepare to feel your feels!

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it! There's humor and heart! Its one I still recommend!

The premise on this one was much darker than I expected, and while I was very much looking forward to another work by Rowley I struggled to continue to finish.

I love Steven rowley. He stole my heart with the Guncle and this didn’t disappoint. While it didn’t live up to expectations set with the Guncle but the friendships and dynamics between friends was beautiful written.

I loved the premise and the idea of the book but for some reason it fell flat for me.
I enjoyed the friend group but I also felt like I don‘t know them enough to actually care about them.
It was a quick read and I would definitely recommend it but it sadly wasn’t for me.

The Celebrants will give you all of the feels while making sure you fall in love with each character to the point where they stay with you long after you finish. Rowley's talent is in transferring lessons from his mind, to the page, to the character, to you the reader. The journey that the cast goes through in grief and loss and celebration and love is something that we can all see ourselves going on as well. I am not normally one who likes to cry when I read, but this was a catharsis.

Thank you Steven Rowley and his team for allowing me the chance to read this ARC. This was the first book I had read by Steven and it was a perfect start!

I adored The Guncle and was so excited to read The Celebrants. The premise of this book is an interesting one, friends make a pact to celebrate the lives of each other before they die-living funerals. This book makes you appreciate the people you have in your lives and remember not to leave things unsaid. Steven Rowley has a talent for making you feel the feels with humor.

Really 4.5. My expectations for this book were pretty low since I wasn’t as crazy about The Guncle as most people are, but sometimes you just find the right book at the right time. A book about aging friendships, major life changes & embracing your life in whatever form it takes was just what I needed to read at this point in my life. What I loved most was that this book gives you permission to grieve through long stretches of your life that most books don’t give you. Most books tell you that you only get a limited time to grieve & then you have to pick yourself up, smile, and get over it, but that’s not how grief works. This book really gets it. My only issue was that some parts got dragged out unnecessarily.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley is a book that, while it had some interesting moments, ultimately fell a bit flat for me. The premise of the story had potential, but the execution left something to be desired.

One of the main issues I had with the book was that the characters all seemed to blend together. Their voices were too similar, making it difficult to differentiate between them. This was especially frustrating because two characters shared the same name, adding an extra layer of confusion. Instead of feeling like I was getting to know a diverse group of individuals, it often felt like I was reading variations of the same character over and over again.

While the story had its moments and there were times when I found myself engaged, overall, it just didn’t leave a lasting impression. The lack of distinctive voices among the characters made it hard to connect with the story on a deeper level.

That said, the book wasn’t without its merits. There were some thoughtful reflections on life, friendship, and the passage of time that resonated with me. However, these moments were overshadowed by the difficulties in keeping track of who was who.

In the end, The Celebrants was an okay read—certainly not bad, but not particularly memorable either.

While I loved The Gucle by this author, this title didn't draw me in nearly as much. It highlights the struggles of finding out who you are in the world and how friendship can help you celebrate the big and small things in life.

Steven Rowley is a must read author for me! He has such wonderful characters. This is excellent for those that love stories about lifelong friends. This was a Read with Jenna Book.

Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of the book.

Rowley has a talent for making readers belly-laugh on one page and sob on the next. His talent to provoke such emotions can be credited to his ability to write well-rounded characters with complicated lives. If you enjoyed The Guncle (Rowley’s most popular book), I encourage you to read this book as well. Actually, you might as well just read all of Rowley’s books while you’re at it, as they have all been wonderful, and The Celebrants is no exception.

Short synopsis: Five college friends reunite 28 years after graduation to fulfil a pact to celebrate their “living funerals” and remind each other how important their lives are.

My thoughts: The premise of this was such a thought provoking story, and so unique. I had such high hopes, but ultimately for me it kind of fell flat. I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters, I just didn’t really buy into their friendship.

Read if you love:
- College friendships that last though the ages
- Big Sur location
- Found family
- Heavy topics

Another Steven Rowley win with The Celebrants, a story about friends who come together to celebrate each other when they are facing some challenging moments in their life. I liked how the characters had flaws, things were messy but their life long friendship really shone through in the end. Great character development.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley is about a group of college friends who come back together when one of them is especially in need of love and support. I have enjoyed this book, but I loved his book The Guncle even more. That one was a hard book to follow up!

This is a different kind of coming-of age book. It is told from the perspective of 5 different characters. Overall, I did like The Celebrants, but my enjoyment varied depending on the character.

This was not what I was expecting after reading The Guncle. I thought I would be laughing and celebrations. And where there was that, there was also this melancholy just woven through this story.
I loved it... I loved the friendships. It truly was a test of their strength and being true friends that they were able to just pick up a phone and be there for each other after so many years. The conflicts seemed real and their moments of anger totally justified. But this story was really a story about grief and dealing with your grief and for that I absolutely loved it and needed it.
This story about found families and friendships that endure will be one that I recommend to friends that are struggling. I think it will be the hug thye need.