The Guncle was my favorite book of 2021 so to say I was a little excited for his newest release was an understatement.

Those hoping for the comedic and dry humor of The Guncle might be a little disappointed with The Celebrants. Don't get me wrong, there were still times when I would stop after a sentence and just absorb the depth and beauty of it, but it didn't have that magical touch that The Guncle had for me.

I did enjoy being able to grow with this group of friends over their years to see how life treated them and what would ultimately make them trigger the pact; I just personally felt that it dragged a little too long in spots.

Having recently finished “The Celebrants” by Steven Rowley, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam!

Unfortunately, this was a story that was easy to put aside and a struggle to pick back up again. That usually happens when I feel little connection to the characters. I wish I had felt more of a constant friendship with this group, instead of the bickering when they were reunited after years of disconnect. Friendship is what I was expecting when I chose this story; and these five celebrants are more than likely not friends that I will remember.
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"At a certain point, peace has to be found with the choices we've made."

I’m consistently amazed by how Steven Rowley can write on such a wide range of unique topics, but all of them create such an emotional connection to the characters. The Celebrants is no different, by the end of the book I was attached to each member of the pact for different reasons and wanting more of their stories. It’s a story that reminds us to tell people what they mean to us throughout life, that each day isn’t promised, and even a life cut short can still be a life well lived.

What a fascinating group of characters to follow through life. I thought this was going to end up being an ugly-cry kind of book. Instead I found it very heartwarming, genuine, and impactful. These characters are going to stick with me for a long time to come.

Book Rating: 3.5/5 rounded up
Audiobook Rating: 5/5

Steven Rowley may have blown me away with his prior novel, The Guncle but I tried to go into The Celebrants without insanely high expectations. I think I mostly kept myself in check and I'm glad I did because as much as I loved that book, I didn't have quite the same feelings about this one. The concept caught my attention immediately, friends that throw each other living funerals? never have I ever seen that in a book before and I was excited to see where Rowley would take it. It was strange, but I felt an odd disconnect from the characters and it almost felt like I didn't get to know them well enough to actually care about what they were going through. It's like when you look through the windows of a house at the people within and are interested in what is going on, but you don't actually CARE since you don't know them. Does this make sense? And now I probably sound like a stalker... 😂

I did love the dry humor that permeated the novel, and I will forever enjoy Rowley's writing style which I definitely did again. There is a distinct literary fiction feel to the story, and I loved the message of caring and friendship and how it can remind us of how great life can be even through tough times. One of the things I appreciate most is that the author narrates his own audiobooks, and there really is nothing like listening to Rowley narrate. I didn't feel like I knew the characters on the level I wanted to, but he brought them to life in his narration in a beautiful way, and I highly recommend listening to his audiobooks. The Celebrants may not have been what I expected, but I enjoyed it overall and I hope others will too.

Steven Rowley has a way of writing that brings me comfort even when the topics may be hard. In The Celebrants he brings us a group of friends who after the loss of one create a pact to call upon each other whenever it’s most needed to come back together and hold a living funeral. To celebrate their lives while they’re still here and breathe more life back into them reminding them of how loved and special they are. The idea is creative and I loved the thought of having those you love and who know you most around to lift you up when you’re not sure it’s worth it anymore. Like The Guncle (which is one of my favorites) the topic is tough but somehow you find yourself smiling and feeling better in the end. Life is short, make sure you celebrate it.

I’m so happy that I discovered Steven’s books and cannot wait to see what’s next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read this early digital copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Whew. Cue the tears. I knew a vague synopsis for this book going in, so I was prepared. But, man, it still got me.

I'm really glad I continued reading this book. This is a book I would have been sad if I had chosen to place it the DNF pile. It was a slow start and took me a while to get into it. I put it down for a few weeks and decided yesterday to give it another chance. So glad that I did!

Initially, it was hard to become attached to the characters and with a character driven book that is a must! The jokes weren't landing right for me, I couldn't get a good read on the characters and keep them all apart, and it was hard for me to get into the flow of the book. But because of the unique layout of this book, you start learning more and more about each character and start to grow an attachment.

I loved how the meat of the story is 5 college friends, who continue to stay in touch by throwing their own "living" funerals. But we have an undercurrent story that is intertwined of the two college friends, who become married and the trials they are having to go through. Whew, that's the gut punch.

This was my first book by this author. I requested this book for the hype his previous book, The Guncle, brought. Whether I liked this book or not, I wanted to check it out as well. After finishing this one, I'm even more excited to see what it's all about, and I have a feeling I will enjoy it even more.

This was in many ways a heavy book, but it was also so enlightening and uplifting. I'm giving it three stars, only because it took me roughly 30% to start becoming invested in the story. The last 50% was definitely what saved it for me.

TW: cancer, grief, loss of spouse, loss of parents.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

It took me a lot longer than usual to read this book and I’m not sure if that’s because of the book or life just being a little extra crazy lately. Either way, I definitely enjoyed the book and I’m very thankful I got to read an arc. I wasn’t super invested in the story but I did really like how it was written. I liked seeing how the friendship shifted as time went on and their lives changed. Contemporary fiction isn’t my favorite genre, but if it’s yours I’d recommend checking this book out!

This book had a brilliant and unique storyline. A group of college friends come together for their own funerals when they need support the most. Rowley is a brilliant writer as he can easily add humor one one page and sadness on the next. Loved the different funerals (with themes similar to wedding destination and birthday surprise). Struggled really understanding all of the characters at the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh, this was SO good. I read it in one sitting and had to just sit there afterwards and process. Watching the five characters grow after the loss of their friend Alec and overcome some incredibly significant setbacks in their lives was both comforting and heartwrenching at the same time. The characters were real and imperfect and the story made you feel like you were right there with them as they supported each other through triumphs and trials. I do think I am a bit younger than the target audience, but I was still so moved by the story and feel like I've learned a lot about grief and the power of love. I highly recommend this -- it's something I'll be thinking about for a while.

content warnings: grief, death of a loved one, plane crash, mentions of drug overdose, mentions of s*icide

This was a cute feel good book. I won’t lie, I listened to this Mostly during the late night newborn feedings, so the experience was way different. But this was short and cute. A great light summer read.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: Steven Rowley has become an absolute must-read author for me, and The Celebrants did not disappoint. As has been the case in the previous two books by him that I’ve read, the storytelling in this book was superb. You can really feel how much care and thought Rowley puts into his characters.

What I love most about Rowley’s books is that he explores the topic of grief with humor and heart. I had the pleasure of seeing him at an author talk about this book last night, and he said something that really stuck with me about his own process with writing grief—despite approaching these heavy and complex topics, his readers can always trust him to bring us back to the surface.

The Celebrants is a heartwarming story about the power of lifelong friends and their ability to see us through our lowest moments. It’s about coming together, even after years, and feeling as though you picked up right where you left off.
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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: I think the only reason I may not have connected with these characters as deeply as I did with those in The Guncle/Lily and the Octopus was just because of how many of them there were to get to know in such a short span of time. But as with everything Rowley writes, it was really beautifully done and I will continue to read any book he writes.

I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of "The Celebrants," given how much I loved listening to both The Guncle and Lily and the Octopus. I had always listened to Rowley's books, and didnt realize until starting this one on kindle how much the narration can help bring his characters to life, especially because of how dialogue heavy this particular book is. It took me some time to get into this one, and I ended up listening to the second half once the audio book became available from my library. The pace picks up in the second half, but I think the plot still struggled a bit. Loved the concept, but it felt like it relied too heavily on witty and funny dialogue and little vignettes between the characters. A collection of scenes but not a fully satisfying novel. That said, if you enjoy Rowley's characters and writing and go into this without super high expectations, I think his fans will enjoy it.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

Overall I ended up enjoying this one, but I think the multiple perspectives had me wishing the shifts didn't happen. I found the concept of living funerals interesting even though I didn't feel too attached to all the characters. Thank you so much to Putnam for the ARC of this one.

4 1/2 stars

Seeing this book compared to a modern day version of The Big Chill drew me in almost immediately. I loved that movie when it came out and was thrilled to read something with a similar feel.

This book focuses on a group of friends who've known one another since college. When one of their friends died during their senior year, it changed everything in how they looked at the world and stripped away any innocence they had left. They end up making a pact to be there for each other in a unique way. Whenever life gets to feel like it's too much, each of them gets one chance to invoke their pact and a "living funeral" will be held in that person's honor. The hope is to remind that person of the support they have within their small group as well as what they have to give to others. As each person is thrown a curveball in life, they act on this and it both draws the group closer together while sometimes also driving a wedge between them. Life is hard and they each have their own personal battles.

There wasn't any one big "wow" moment in this book, it was a steady progression of watching these characters grow and learn how to survive life's challenges. It was just a special read that felt a bit nostalgic.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group-Putnam for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Their lives changed overnight. They went to bed exactly two weeks before graduation day thinking they would live forever and woke up to the last real lesson that college would teach them: all that begins, ends. They did not live in a womb, safe until they commenced. They weren't killing time in some sort of heavenly waiting room, readying to be born into adulthood (no matter how much Berkeley felt like that for so much of their academic careers). They, like every other living thing that drew breath, were already in the throes of dying, used cars losing value the moment they were driven off the lot. And yet here they were at a starting line, comically stretching cold muscles, waiting for the BANG of a starter pistol, not realizing they were twenty-two years into a race that had different finish lines for them all."

When Marielle, Naomi, Craig, Jordy, and Jordan's roommate and friend Alec dies unexpectedly before their college graduation, they decide to make a pact to initiate their own living funerals when life gets hard. No one really thought that anyone would trigger the pact...until many years later when Marielle does and after that they start taking turns triggering the pact.

"It was indeed his funeral they had congregated to celebrate. Just as they had in years past gathered to celebrate Marielle's, then Naomi's, then Craig's in their individual hours of crisis and need, the result of the decades-old pact they had made in their grief over Alec to throw their funerals while they were still living so that none of them could ever question exactly what they meant to the others. Leave nothing left unsaid had been Marielle's motto when the idea was first hatched. If nothing else, it would be clear that they were loved."

The Celebrants starts with the 5 at Jordan's living funeral in present time, but what many of them do not know is that Jordan is dying from cancer and that there will be an actual funeral for him in the near future. We then travel back into the past starting in 1995 when they were in college and navigate through these characters lives over the many years. We see the hardships each one goes through and them triggering the pact. We learn how they grow from their funerals as well and how cathartic it was for each of them and how they really needed it in that moment.

The Celebrants is definitely a bit different from The Guncle. The Guncle was more lighthearted with a lesson involved, but with The Celebrants it is a little bit of a heavier read because we are following the hardships of each character and see them go through the best and the worst of times but do know that there is a lot of comical moments in this book that had me cracking up and highlighting them on my Kobo.

Each of the characters: Marielle, Naomi, Craig, and the Jordans (Jordan and Jordy, who are married to one another) were such a delight and fun to follow. I loved seeing each of the characters grow from each time a living funeral happened over the span of years. Their friendships were well done, and you can see how they truly love one another and support each other.

With the living funerals, they were never the same and gave different experiences to each of the characters even if it took them out of their comfort zones. My favorite funeral moments were when Noami had her funeral and they went skydiving, then when Craig had his funeral and a man named Fluffy came to give Craig a consultation based off something that was happening to Craig. Both moments ended up in a lot of hilarious moments.

I just want to gush and gush about this beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking novel. I just loved every single moment, and I will admit that I delayed finishing the last 10% of the book because I knew the ending would break me. Thankfully it did not break me like I thought it would, but I was definitely tearing up. As I am writing this review it is bringing up all the bittersweet and heartbreaking moments of this book.

If you are a fan of Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, then I would recommend this book to you. Actually, if you like TJ Klune, then I recommend you Steven Rowley and vice versa. Both authors do an amazing job of crafting beautiful, heartbreaking, witty, and life lessons in their books. Yes, TJ Klune is more on the fantasy side and Steven Rowley is more contemporary/literary but trust me if you like one of these authors, then you will like the other because like I said how they craft their stories, but their characters are similar too.

Hmmm... I am struggling with my feelings on this one. It was very sad and depressing, which made me struggle to really connect with it. The characters all bothered me at different points in the story. However, it was incredibly well written. The characters were detailed, dimensional and their relationships were realistic. The story line is fascinating, and definitely keeps moving to keep the reader interested. Maybe if I were in a different mental space I would have enjoyed it more, but I have been living my own personal emotional rollercoaster the past few weeks and did not need another reason to cry! I think I just needed a more lighthearted book and this is definitely not that. Anyone looking for a well written, darker story, definitely read this!
THank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy

I would love to give the glowing, enthusiastic review I gave The Guncle to The Celebrants. Sadly, I can not.

Perhaps there is the seed of the problem with my enjoyment of The Celebrants. It suffered in comparison to The Guncle.

The Celebrants follows 5 college friends who remain in each other's lives throughout adulthood. One of their group died suddenly right before their college graduation. From this experience they formed a pact to give and attend each other's 'living funeral' whenever one of them made the call. We follow their friendship through the lens of each of these funerals, until we arrive at present day for one last funeral.

I struggled with believing the strong bond of friendship between these characters. Throughout most of the novel, I was questioning if they even liked each other. They seemed to stay connected out of obligation rather than any genuine desire. For me, I didn't find the characters particularly likeable, which doesn't preclude me from enjoying a novel. The last quarter of the book brought the moment of connection and genuine affection I was looking for throughout the story.

I appreciated the diversity of the characters and how the author portrayed shared trauma and the connections it can forge.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a novel. What a story. Heartbreaking and warm all at once. Absolutely adored. Despite it being a story centered around death, I just found the characters so endearing.

I was really excited about starting this novel but I just couldn’t really get into it. I think a lot of readers are going to love it but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you netgalley for my free copy.