first, I’d like to thank @prhaudio as well as NetGalley, and the publisher for audio and digital copies of this book to read and review. I will start this review by saying that the Guncle is one of my favorite books ever, so I probably went into this one with unrealistically high expectations. While I did like this book, overall, I do have to admit, I felt somewhat disappointed. The synopsis sounded fantastic to me because I love the Big Chill the movie as well as this author’s work. I listen to the audio mostly and I can’t help but wonder if I should have read the digital copy instead. The audio was well done and read by the author, which was great, but I felt something lacking in the beginning and middle of the stories with the character and story development overall. I did absolutely love the two characters named Jordan and Jordy. I do have to say that the ending did redeem this book quite a bit for me. I really thought the ending was well done and I really enjoyed it and I even shed a tear or two

I really wanted to enjoy this book as much as I did the author's previous work, The Guncle. Sadly, the characters were not grabbing me in the same way. The various stories of the friend group were interesting enough, but there was not that emotional punch that I was hoping for. That said, I do think this book will work for others. It just didn't click specifically with me. I give The Celebrants 3/5 stars.

This book was so good! It’s a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but as the characters developed my interest and investment peaked. I’m a huge fan of Steve Rowley and his ability to make his readers fall in love with his characters. “The Celebrants” did not fall short. It’s full of Rowley’s wit, humor, and hilarious banter. Loved it!

This was such a feel good read, which seems odd for a book about a group of friends throwing each other living funerals to remind them of the value of life. But by the end, I was left with a full heart and the feeling that life is a gift to be treasured.

The Celebrants follows five friends - Jordan, Jordy, Noami, Craig, and Marielle - who, years ago in college, created a pact that they would each get a living funeral as a way to remind them how loved they are. At the start of the novel, all funerals have been had, except for Jordan and Jordy's. The book goes back in time to show each characters' life and how it led to them activating the pact, all leading up to the end where Jordan and Jordy have their own living funeral.

I love stories that center familial and platonic love, so I figured I would like this book. A bit into reading, I made note of the fact that this is typically the kind of book I would get bored easily by - there's not a lot of action, and the plot is simple and flexible. It's more of a character and life study, an exploration of these people and their friendships and passions. But not one part of this book was boring, and it wasn't super dense either. It was honestly a fairly quick read, because as I got more into the characters and the story, I wanted to know more. The characters all care for each other so much and it's evident in how they interact, and it's heartwarming. This novel is all about finding life and love in the mundane, which is always a nice reminder. It's also a reminder that I needed, so this book was perfect for me at this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel; this review reflects my honest opinions.

2023 LGBTQIA+ Pride Month #13 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

This book broke me, as I knew it would. My introduction to Steven's work was The Guncle, which one may assume is lighthearted based on the fun cover. You could surmise the same here. You would be wrong.

Steven and his husband released new books on the same day. When talking about why he wrote this book, he explained that a friend committed suicide in college. Their friend group often wondered would that have been the case if they knew how loved they were? That is, in short, the premise for this novel.

After Alec dies quite young, the other five friends make a pact. Wherever they are in life, whatever they are doing, when one is at the lowest point in their lives, the rest of them will drop what they are doing and hold a living funeral for the person. The first one is obviously terrible and awkward, but they get their bearings for the others. The friends see each other through marriages, divorces, children, and more.

It's not a happily ever after, but life very rarely is. I won't spoil anything. Just know this. You will cry. You will cry a lot. Tell your friends and family you love them. You never know if this will be your last chance.

Beautifully done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I absolutely adored this book. The way that friendship is depicted, the way it changes through the years, and the ways these friends celebrate each other. I gave it five stars and brought my full review to Currently Reading Podcast on 6/19/23

This book found me just when I needed it. The Celebrants is filled with so much heart and the perfect amount of humor, I could have spent another 300 pages in these characters’ lives. In some ways I think more depth to the book could have been useful; the amount of time they all spent together was so minimal, it seemed fairly unlikely that the impact of the group on each individual character’s life would be as big as it was (especially with the 18 year gap between contact in the middle). That being said, it was such a beautiful story of life, death, and friendship. It felt so very true to life; imperfect people loving and being loved, in the best way. I cried at the end, which is something I very rarely do while reading. I will eagerly read whatever the author writes next, and FWIW I would watch the hell out of a screen adaptation of this book!

Unfortunately, this felt short from what I was hoping for from it. The characters didn’t really feel like actual friends and I found the funeral concept a bit strange.

I loved this Author’s previous book and was so excited to get an ARC of this one.

The writing is well done, but I found the book overall hard to finish. The subject matter was a little dismal but that’s to be expected when the book starts with a group of friends who have lost someone to suicide.

Between the time span over decades and the characters falling a little flat to me I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped to.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

One of my favorite things in books is the theme of friendship and found family, which I found both while reading, and I was once again pulled right into the wonderful storytelling that I’ve come to expect from author Steven Rowley.

The Celebrants was such an emotional story told with humor and heart, as it explores themes of grief and the unexpected situations that life brings.

I always appreciate when an author also narrates an audiobook, so I highly recommend this format if you’re looking for your next listen.

* Thank you Putnam Books and PRH Audio for the gifted copy and audiobook for review

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨
✍🏻Steven Rowley
🗓️5.30.23
🧡Literary Fiction
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a moving story!

A group of college friends make a “pact” when they lose one of their group right before graduation. At any point in the future, you can request the group reconvene together to host your “funeral”, sharing what they love about you with you while you’re still around to hear it.

A story about friendships, adulthood and life. Check this one out - The Celebrants is available now!

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Wow oh wow, this one gave me chills on the beach. I love love love Steven Rowley's writing and I found this one to be an absolute joy — despite it tackling a pretty heavy topic (aka death). Loved the characters, the theme of friendship, and aging, and more. I loved it! Great read!

I loved this book!! Steven Rowley immerses us right into the friend group. Their witty banter, inside jokes, and the invented dialect they share amongst each other - the kind that only they, as friends of many decades, could ever understand, made me loser-smile at my kindle countless times while reading (the Courtney scale…. come ON 😂).

I loved the found-family relationship between Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Marielle and Craig. Whether they are roasting each other, consoling each other, bickering, encouraging each other, going on extreme adventures together (sky diving.. swimming in shark infested waters..), or simply gathering at the kitchen table together over coffee at Sur La Vie, they are next-level comfortable in each other’s company. It often reminded me of my own friend group - the many trips we’ve taken together, the memories we share, and the jokes only we understand (and, probably, only we find hilarious).

After losing their friend Alec in college in the 90s, the friends make a pact to come together any time one of them is in need, to perform a “living funeral,” during which the honorary person is reminded of their importance and how much they are loved by their closest friends. We get a closer look at each character and their “funeral” over the course of many years, and a look at where the friends are in the present day, as they face a terminal diagnosis of one of their own. “Leave nothing left unsaid” is their motto, and it’s a damn good one in my opinion.

My biggest takeaway from the book is that there’s no better time than the present to tell the people you love exactly how much you love them. Why do we often wait until someone is gone to write paragraphs and give speeches and make posts about how wonderful and loved they were? Why not let them know now? After all, tomorrow is never promised. I thought this was such a unique idea for a book, unlike anything I’ve ever read before!

Bonus: major 90’s nostalgia when it comes to music and pop culture references (the author has even made a Spotify playlist for each character.. think Roll to Me - Del Amitri, No Rain -Blind Melon, Come to My Window - Melissa Etheridge, Closing Time - Semisonic, Walking on Broken Glass - Annie Lennox…yes please).

I will also add that Steven Rowley is an amazingly kind and approachable author! He’s responded to my tags/comments on more than one occasion, and I was able to chat with him a bit, and share how this concept really resonated with me after dealing with near-death illness and hospitalization this year. So, thank you, Steven! You are a gem.

Read if you love:
🏳️‍🌈LGBTQIA+ rep
👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 Found family
🧍🏼Character driven plot
🫶🏼 Friendship
💿 90’s nostalgia
💬 Witty banter
✈️ Travel

This one didn't quite hit for me as much as I had hoped. The Guncle is one of my favorite books so this was my most anticipated read this year.
Overall I enjoyed it but I didn't quite connect with the characters like I did in The Guncle. I know I shouldn't compare the two, but when you love one SO MUCH it's hard to not go into the next with the highest of expectations.
I loved the idea of the book, and some chapters really stood out (skydiving had me so on edge... ifkyk
") but I wasn't really fully invested in this until the very very end. The ending though was ... Where is the emoji for chef's kiss?! Absolutely fantastic
PSA: If you struggle with characters having similar names this one might be a struggle for you. Or maybe it's just me there were a few parts I had to reread!

“I want to celebrate until it’s over. And, when I’m gone, I want you to celebrate again because it happened.”

Five college friends make a pact after the tragic loss of a friend, to come together when one of them calls. The gathering is only to be used once by each of them, to hold their funeral while they are alive and need it most. Although funerals, the act of remembrance and honor, are for the living, the friends want to be sure that they all know how much each are loved at a time when their life feels like it’s crumbing; after a divorce, loss of parents, an impending prison sentence. The book follows each of the funerals and the celebrants through the twists and turns, highs and lows of their lives.

I think Steven Rowley has a special ability to break my heart but somehow make me laugh while I cry. The friendships in the book are messy and strained but real. At least for me, as I get older and life gets busier I am not as close with many of my friends and I’d like but I know that if something really bad (or good) happened, they would be there and I for them. This book really spoke to me but I didn’t fall in love with the characters as much as I wanted to. I didn’t cry as much as I did with Lily or laugh as much as The Guncle but I definitely think I’ll be revisiting this book in the future.

"To think about life is to contemplate death-it's what makes living so valuable. Our time here is limited, gone in the blink of an eye."

Thank you Steven Rowley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

The Celebrants is about a group of five friends, who after losing a friend in their early twenties, decides to make a pact and throw living funerals when they need their friends. The pact has rules and each person can only call on their living funeral once,

This book is a beautifully written story about friendship, love, grief and loss. It was a little slow paced in the beginning, but once it picked up, the story truly flowed. I love Steven Rowley's writing style, His talent for writing relatable stories and characters is something I will never be able to stop raving about. The Celebrants may not have the typical HEA the a lot of readers enjoy, it does have an ending that others will be able to relate to.

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend adding The Celebrants to your tbr!

rating: 4.5 stars

I did a tandem read for this novel. I read part on my Kindle and listened to other parts on audio. I have to say if you get a chance for the audio, take it. The author narrates and does such a phenomenal job at narration. I loved his narration for The Guncle and loved it just as much for The Celebrants.

This may easily be my favorite read of the year. As with The Guncle, I laughed, I cried, I invested in this group and became so enraptured with the growth of these characters. This story is thoughtful, memorable, makes you want to just cherish your life and those in it. Steven Rowley will always be an instant read for me. He is such an incredible author that breaks the mold on a unique story.

I've never seen THE BIG CHILL, so I don't get the reference, which I found to be a good thing. I preferred going into this story blind and then bawling my eyes out within the first few pages. Yep. If I wasn't crying with sorrow for my new fictional friends, I was crying from laughing. Either way, I received a lot of side eye from Ben and our pup, Nora, as I loudly bawled in the corner of our couch.

This story makes you want to text old friends that you love them, it made me hug Ben and a reluctant Nora tight, until she squirmed out of my vise grip. It made me think about everything that I would say to my loved ones, and even what they would say about me, once I died. This story is relatable, hilariously heartbreaking and filled to the brim with witty one-liners that will make you reread the sentence with a smile.

If that doesn't convince you to run to your local bookstore and pick up a copy, I quit. Just do it. There are a gazillion rave reviews online, it's a Jenna's Book Club pick and because I said so. You won't regret it!

Five college friends decide to host "living funerals" for each other after one of their friends passes away unexpectedly just weeks before graduation to remind each other how much they love one another. The catch: they can only trigger the pact once in their lives, at their lowest point. The book walks through each member's living funeral and lowest point, from Naomi's parents' deaths, Marielle's divorce, Craig's impending imprisonment for art fraud, and eventually, Jordan and Jordy (but no spoilers there).

WOW, just wow. Steven Rowley has done it again! After reading and loving The Guncle, I was super excited for this book which had a premise I was even more intrigued by. I had the pleasure of attending an author talk with Steven which made me even MORE amped to read it, and it still didn't disappoint! It's such a beautiful, emotional, and creative book that I can't see how it could have been better! Would definitely recommend this to anyone who reads fiction.

Thanks to Putnam for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

The Celebrants is about five people who became friends in college and, more than twenty years later, their lives are still entwined. As they navigate the ups and downs of adulthood they find themselves drawn to the people who just might understand them best.

Author Steven Rowley has written a book with interesting characters. Somewhat reminiscent of a popular movie from 1983, The Big Chill, the characters in The Celebrants also gather together amidst tragedy and uncertainty. But, instead of gathering for a single funeral, they gather for multiple funerals while the subjects are still very much alive. The premise is that it’s better to let people know how much they’re loved while they’re still living. Throughout the various get-togethers, the characters are reacquainted and their friendships are re-kindled.

For the most part I enjoyed The Celebrants. It played on a lot of different emotions with a doses of humor. It was an easy read and I felt somewhat invested in the characters, their triumphs and problems. The one thing that I found annoying was the use of all capital letters to emphasize that the character was shouting. This sometimes occurred when it didn’t seem to be warranted and I noticed it more as the story progressed. For me it was distracting and unnecessary.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.