Steven Rowley writes beautiful stories. I absolutely adored the Gungle and The Celebrants is equally impactful. I found myself in tears from page 10 and they never stopped coming. This is a book about loss, appreciating the moments, and celebrating life to its fullest while we can. The characters are so human and relatable. I could write an incredibly long review about The Celebrants, but I would be taking away from the impact of this book. Some books will stay with you for a long time to come and Steven Rowley's books are exactly that.

A group of friends from college makes a pact to throw each other a “living funeral” when they are having a difficult moment in their lives. The idea is to say the things they love the most about their friends while they are all still alive and when they need it the most. Even as they go separate ways and move on with their lives, they keep reuniting for this living funerals.

From the very first page, you know this book was written to appeal to your emotions and wreck you at the end. I definitely enjoyed Steven Rowley's signature humor but if you read The Guncle, don’t expect warm and fuzzy feelings after reading this one. The book serves as a reminder of the importance of celebrating the people you love while you still can, doing the things that make you feel alive and always treasuring your true friends.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted digital copy.

Fun and engaging read about friendship. The good, the bad, the lonely, the love and support. This isn't normally the type of genre I'd read. There was something about the synopsis that grabbed me and I had to read. I laughed, cried, and went through it emotionally with the characters. Satisfaction is what I felt when done. Looking forward to more by this author.

#NETGALLEY
#STEVENROWLEY
#THECELEBRANTS

It absolutely pained me not to love this book. I was a huge fan of The Guncle, and I think my expectations were unfair. I wasn’t expecting the heaviness of this book.

I've read all four of Steven Rowley's books. The Celebrants continues his excellent sweep. A slow, but pleasant start, I felt about halfway through everything cliqued and I got to know the five main characters more intimately. A fascinating premise that has made several conversations around our library focus on how can we honor our friendships with the ones we love? Beautiful.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, it was very unique. A college friend group begins to hold "living funerals" after one of their friends passes away. Each member of the friend group can hold the funeral when they're feeling like they aren't doing great and need a little encouragement. It was great to see this group of friends be there for each other during all the rough times.

What an incredible celebration of friendship and growth! In Rowley's latest novel, we follow a group of college friends as they navigate life in the wake of the loss of their "leader" and go-to-fun-guy. As each character enacts their pact for a "Fake Funeral" you learn more about the dynamics of the group and of each individual as they face the challenges of adulthood. Filled with sharp wit, sarcasm, and Rowley's signature humor - you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you may even be inspired to host your own "fake funeral".

A story of friendship, loss, and perseverance told from multiple perspectives. I enjoyed the guncle but this book was hard for me to follow and I never felt invested in the characters. Maybe just not for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the electronic copy.

After really enjoying The Guncle, I knew I wanted to read Rowley’s newest release! This was such a heartwarming and heartfelt book of found family, long-standing friendships, grief, love, and a unique story!

This was such a different concept of experiencing living funerals! I think there was a bit of yourself that you can find or relate to in some way in these characters! This is one I would recommend especially if you enjoy character-driven stories.

The Celebrants

I wanted to love this so much, but I think I hyped it up so much in my mind and it fell somewhat short of my expectations.

Old college friends getting together to celebrate their funerals while they are living. Genius idea btw, I might run with this. They come to this agreement after loosing a friend in college.

All friends are from different walks of life and carrying their own strengths and shortcomings. Really trying to make the most of life while they live.

I suppose my hesitant to give it a higher rating is the way I connected with the story. I felt very distant from the characters and it may have been the 3rd POV or too many different POVs to really build that relationship. I would have liked to hear more about Jordy & how he is coming to terms w the end of his life. Just wanted MORE.

Overall, very cute. Would recommend and keep this author on my radar!

3⭐️

This was good and I found I wanted to read slower than normal as I took in the lifetime journey with these college friends. Just a few weeks before their Berkeley graduation, Naomi, Jordan, Jordy, Craig and Marielle's friend Alex dies. Connected at first because they had all transferred into Berkeley, they thought they would be friends forever. After Alex's death, Marielle floats the idea of a pact, to come with no questions asked if one of the remaining five needed each other. After graduation they go their separate ways, but when Marielle makes the first call, they all return to Naomi's family home in Big Sur to remind her why she is so special. I won't go on about the other calls. The book is very emotionally packed and part of the journey is obviously learning why as you are reading it. The story does a great job of going back and forth in time to fill in what seem like gaps but aren't all of the time.

Three of my fave reads for Pride Month!⁣
* 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨, by Steven Rowley. (Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for review!)⁣
* 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙂𝙖𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, by Byron Lane (Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for review!)⁣
* 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚, by Matt Cain (MomAdvice Book Club June Pick!)⁣
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#thecelebrants #stevenrowley #biggaywedding #byronlane #thesecretlifeofalbertentwistle #mattcain #momadvicebookclub ⁣
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#pathologicallyliterate #TBCreads

I’m going to start this by saying The Guncle was one of my favorite books. This fell flat for me. I couldn’t keep track of the timeline and I was ultimately bored.

Thank you Putnam Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Steven Rowley is one of my favorite authors. I love how he balances heavy topics and mental health with colorful characters and sharp dialogue. The Celebrants is no exception, as it follows a group of friends who make a pact to throw each other a “living funeral” when they are at their lowest points.

This books is warm and engaging, difficult and heartbreaking, but it still contains the trademark wit of Rowley’s writing. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Synopsis:

“It’s been a minute—or five years—since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began. Now Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle find themselves at the brink of a new decade, with all the responsibilities of adulthood, yet no closer to having their lives figured out. Though not for a lack of trying. Over the years they’ve reunited in Big Sur to honor a decades-old pact to throw each other living “funerals,” celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth living—that their lives mean something, to one another if not to themselves.But this reunion is different. They’re not gathered as they were to bolster Marielle as her marriage crumbled, to lift Naomi after her parents died, or to intervene when Craig pleaded guilty to art fraud. This time, Jordan is sitting on a secret that will upend their pact.A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley’s signature humor and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.” —NetGalley

What I LIked:

The Characters—I loved this friend group so much and I loved the idea of gathering to celebrate your friends when they need you most. As someone who’s love language is words of affirmation, it really resonated with me.

The Structure—It was perfect to go back and forth in time, when all the friends needed their “funeral”.

The Prose—I LOVE Rowley’s writing. I’ve been a huge fan of his work for a while now and his writing is always perfectly balanced with witty dialogue and poetic lines that go straight to your heart.

What Didn’t Work:

No complaints from me, just wanted a little bit more.

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 4.5

Content Warnings:

cancer, death, overdose, grief, drug use, death of a parent, suicidal ideation

A friends reunion of sorts, this read will have you thinking about treasuring your friends. Filled with laughter and sadness, I found this to be a good follow up to The Guncle.

The Guncle is still my favorite Rowley read as that was something really special.

Definitely check out the audiobook for The Celebrants as Rowley is the narrator and does a great job.

I really loved previous works by this author and expected a lot going in. Unfortunately the characters didn't really vibe with me and I felt like I was missing something.

Steven Rowley has once again stolen my heart. This book is so masterfully written, I couldn't help but devour it in two sittings. The Celebrants is the story of a group of college besties who make a pact after losing one member of the group young. If one of them needs to be reminded they are loved they will call the others. The alternating timeline of the book was a little chaotic at times but the story was incredible.

How does one follow up a treasure like The Guncle? @mrstevenrowley did it brilliantly with The Celebrants. It might be because I’m roughly the same age as these characters, or maybe it just made it that much better, but I absolutely adored this one.
This is a superb exploration of the enduring power of friendship. I laughed and cried, possibly at the same time, and fell in love with each of these five characters. Their pact to be there for one another, connecting them through decades, made for the loveliest summer read.
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Loved this book so much, I'm a sucker for friend group stories! I also loved the format of reading about the friends' journeys over a longer period of time. I do think there could've been more development with some of the storylines (like the father storyline). But it was a really enjoyable read and loved how we see the characters evolve over their lifetime.

I love Steven Rowley so much!! The Guncle is one of my favorite books of all time and The Celebrants did not disappoint! I thought it was such a unique concept and I loved how bonded they friends were over time. I loved the concept of attending your own funeral and leaving nothing unsaid. Just so good!!