"Everyone was on the same ticking clock. They might fool themselves into thinking that more time affords them opportunities to do more things, that the future is open-ended. But the world is simply too big. We weren't meant to see everything, we weren't built to do everything, we aren't capable of knowing everything. At a certain point, peace has to be found with the choices we've made."

After reading and loving Rowley's GUNCLE, I was so excited to read The Celebrants. I really enjoyed this follow up, not as much as Guncle but this book has a very different vibe that I not only appreciated but really related to. The Celebrants tells the story of college friends who lose one of their member and decide that they want to give each other funerals while they are still alive so they may learn from them how much they are loved when it is truly needed. We get to see a number of the friends' funerals in action after divorce, death and impending jail time. I loved following this chaotic and wonderful friend group as they aged, fell in love, fell out of love and came together over and over to celebrate each other.

This book made me think about death, living life to the fullest and the invincibility of youth and how fleeting it is. The important things are what we do now, with the people who love us and so much of this book was a warm hug of friendship and love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five friends, four funerals, three decades. Following the death of their friend just weeks before college graduation, five friends gather and make a pact to hold each others’ funerals while they’re all still alive. Over the next 30 years the friends go their separate ways, but still drop everything when one of their number invokes the pact.

I really enjoyed [book:The Guncle], and with [book:The Celebrants], [author:Steven Rowley] has kicked it up another notch. Rowley has written a funny, moving mediation on love and loss, friendship and family, and leaving nothing left unsaid.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🛩️🪂🪂
🏊🏽‍♂️🦈👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻
🖼️🖼️🤷🏻‍♂️
🤰🐈🐈‍⬛

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Flowers and GP Putnam’s Sons for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Loved the story but not the characters. They all felt like that coworker who just whines and complains about everything.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I heard that Steven Rowley had a new book coming out, I couldn't wait to read it, and when I read that it was "Big Chill for our times"...well I just knew this would become a favorite! The Celebrants lived up to my expectations, and then some, as I devoured this novel about college friends and the living funeral pact that pulled them back together over the years. The comparison to one of my favorite movies, Big Chill, was appropriate as the similarities were almost eerie at times. I really liked the idea of the pact, and the way it played out was beautiful. Wonderful story, great characters, and Steven Rowley's ability to make you see the humor in very serious subjects and absolutely fall in love with the people he writes about continues in his newest book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital ARC of The Celebrants by Steven Rowley. The opinions in this review are my own.

A story about knowing how loved you are before you die. A group of friends make a pact to have their own living funerals when in times of need. This story goes back and forth between various timelines to have readers see the previous funerals and the event that triggered this pact. Because the story jumped around so much I didn’t feel like I was attached to any of the characters.

After this, Steven Rowley is now on my auto buy authors list. I loved The Guncle and the same goes for this book! It was a beautiful, poignant novel of love, grief and letting the people around you know that they are cared about.

The one complaint I have is the EXTREMELY long chapters (I’ve been calling them “sections”) because it makes it difficult for someone like me to read when I don’t like to stop in the middle of a chapter but I don’t always have an uninterrupted hour to dedicate to reading.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Big thanks to Penguin Group, Steven Rowley and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

4⭐️

Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Ending: 3/5

Basic Plot: A group of friends vows to hold their own funerals over the years while they are alive after losing a friend in college. Secrets unfold over the years and it details their lives as they reconnect for each funeral.

My Thoughts:

First off, I loved the Guncle so I knew I had to read basically anything Rowley published so I was so excited to see I got approved for this on NetGalley. For fans of the Guncle, this one takes on a very different tone and isn't the lighthearted, upbeat novel that we got from Rowley the first time. That being said, I don't think everyone that was a fan of the Guncle will love this one.

I was a big fan of this book as it hit home with me since I lost a friend in our college years and we had a friend group similar to the one described. There were so many scenes and emotions that I could relate to and Rowlely did an amazing job at portraying those feelings through this book. I also loved the funeral pact they created to both keep them connected and to use in times of need to celebrate their lives before they were actually gone.

This book brought a new sense of meaning to life and was funny in ways that most people don't expect when reading a book that has so much to do with death. I actually really liked the characters in this one and how each of them had their own distinct personalities. There were a few points where I got a little annoyed with some of the secrets or the way things were handled - especially the ending. I wanted a little synopsis on where everyone was at the end and if they still planned on seeing each other.

Overall, this one was a bit slow in the beginning and it took time to figure out which character was which. Especially in the Jordy/Jordan situation. But by the time the secrets started unfolding, I was hooked. Rowley's writing had that same emotion from the Guncle but just in a different sense. I think this was a great next book from the author and I cannot wait to see what else they write.

This book has breathed life into my soul! It is that.damn.good. I’m turning 42 in June and have felt so disconnected from the person I was in my youth. Not just physical changes; grey roots, wrinkled eyes, and stiffer joints, but also spiritually. I barely recognize the girl who was surrounded by her best friends. She used to run for fun, lived off gummy strawberries and Diet Coke, fell asleep listening to music every night, was adventurous and had hobbies. She laughed all the time.
But then here comes @mrstevenrowley with his powerhouse of a novel and says: Ma’am, AGING IS A GIFT. 🎤🫳

The Celebrants is about a group of college friends and roommates that spans from 1995 to the present. When a member of their groups dies unexpectedly right at graduation they make a pact to leave nothing unsaid while they were still living. Each member, when faced with a life crisis, could evoke the pact and they would gather to throw a living funeral for each other to remind them they are loved. The novel flashes between the present and each member’s funeral over several decades. The friends experience growing pains, career implosions, marriages, divorces, childbirth, parental loss, cancer, and loss. Each section is full of wit, warmth, and reflection. I laughed and cried my way to the end and grieved when it was over.

Rowley’s book made me realize I might have put too much distance between that versionof me in the past and the woman I am today. Then he gives hope: “But we are still capable of amazing things, and we are not so old that past versions of ourselves are long gone. There is fire in us still. And there will be right up until the end. Nothing is over until it is.” And in the words of main character Jordy “I want to celebrate until it is over.”

Read if you like:
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Rep
👯‍♀️ Found Family/Long-term friend groups
☠️ Funerals for the living
⏳ Past and Present Timelines

This book moves from past to present and introduces us to a group of friends that truly are a wonderful found family. However, one member is missing and left a hole so they decide to do living funerals for each other to ensure that no one else is lost without knowing how they each felt.

This is a heartfelt book with witty and smart writing, truly this book is so well written!

The pacing is a bit slow, but the story makes the pacing okay in my opinion.

Thank you so much to the publisher GP Putnam Sons for my arc in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Publishing, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Fans of The Guncle will be excited to read Steven Rowley’s new book. The author again tackles difficult issues with respect and some humor.

The five main characters, Jordan, Jordy, Craig, Naomi, and Marielle, have been friends for 30 years. They all met in college at Berkeley. There was a sixth friend, Alec, who died just before graduation.

The five friends make a pact at Alec’s funeral that will keep them together. Any one of them can use the pact to gather together for a “funeral” when they are hurting and need to be reminded how important they are to one another.

This is The Big Chill for 2023. The story takes the reader from 1995-2023 as the friends celebrate the meaningful people in their lives. There are many life lessons in this book.

“Leave nothing left unsaid.”
“ Do as many things as you can to remind yourself you’re alive.”

As a reader, don't ever think you're going to go into a Steven Rowley book without getting all the feels. There are highs, and there are lows, and there is everything in between, but I'm there for all of it. The Celebrants made me want to call all my old friends, to reconnect, to remember what made us who we are. I was also lucky enough to have an early audio copy, thanks to PRH Audio, and I'm glad that Steven Rowley made the decision to self-narrate, because I can't imagine anyone else doing the book justice the way he did,

Thanks so much for the opportunity to review!

THE CELEBRANTS is a big hug of a book and you’ll definitely be in your feels as you read, so that’s your emotional warning. While the title claims for celebration, it’s very much a celebration of life and death. A group of friends unexpectedly lose a friend in college and they vow to throw each other a funeral, but while they’re all still alive. The reason? The wanted to make sure nothing goes unsaid and to ensure they know how much each person means.

UGH, MY HEART.

Told in alternating timelines and multiple POVs, we learn how this group became friends, what they became as adults, and how they drifted yet rekindled their pact. It’s a fun and witty novel that pulls at your heartstrings perfectly. Between the humor, the lessons you learn, as well as the personalities and dynamics between each friend, you’ll wish you were in this friend group.

As fun and lovable as it is, the story is of course very sad, mainly because you know how the book will end. While you know the ending, it's the journey getting there that makes it all worth it. Just like life, you know there’s an end, but it’s about the road you travel and what you do on said road to get to that ending.

Big thank you to Netgalley for the ARC as well as @PRHAudio for the audiobook #sponsored #PRHAudioPartner

Five friends, Jordy, Jordan, Craig, Marielle, and Naomi, made a pact to mourn each other's endings and celebrate the new beginnings with one another by throwing a living funeral.

I really loved the idea of a living funeral surrounded by loved ones that convince you that life is worth living when life throws a curve ball.

I love Steven Rowley's books, and this one's no exception, though I wished there was a little more background on each of the characters in the group. I just didn't feel as connected to any of them as his characters in previous books. Regardless, this was a great yearly dose of Rowley's signature heart.

I enjoyed the audio, which was expertly narrated by the author himself.

🩶BOOK REVIEW🩶

The Celebrants - Steven Rowley
✨Thanks for the free audiobook @prhaudio! #PRHAudioPartner ✨
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

“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.”

Absolutely LOVE Steven Rowley so I knew this one would be no exception! It follows college friends, who after the unexpected death of one in their group at 22, make a pact to have a “living funeral” for one another. To be reminded in life, not after, how much you mean to the ones around you. It is an absolutely beautiful idea and I loved getting to know the challenges, secrets and triumphs of the remaining 5 group members.

This one manages to be heart warming, tender, funny and witty without any cringe. It was a fantastic reminder to let the people in my own life know how important they are to me! Rowley’s own narration is spot on - just as it was in The Guncle - and brings so much to this audiobook. I was going between the physical and audio formats at first but switched strictly to audio shortly in just for the narration.

Recommend if you like:
🩶 Character driven
🩶 Messy, real characters
🩶 Celebrating life and friends
🩶 Tough topics handled with wit and humor

✨Publish date: May 30,2023

Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for my ARC and @prhaudio for the ALC.

🩶Do you have any traditions with your friends? Reunions, annual outings?

#stevenrowley #thecelebrants #theguncle #audiobook #audiobookreview #bookreview #bookrecommendations #lgbtqreads #livingfuneral #friendshipgoals #booksbooksbooks #goodreads #bookchallenge #bookcharacters #netgalleyreads #bestaudiobooks

Naomi, Jordy, Jordan, Marielle and Craig made a pact in college after the sixth member of their group, Alec, passed away unexpectedly. They can enact the pact whenever they need to, and everyone will gather for the individuals fake funeral, leaving nothing left unsaid.

This story was unique. It takes place over 30 years, starting when the group are graduating college, up until they are in their late 40s. Each member calls for the pact during a different life crisis. This story is heavily character driven. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in such depth and detail, but it became a little long at times, and I felt there wasn’t enough plot to balance out the character building. I loved this author’s first book, so I definitely will keep reading what he puts out, this one just fell short for me with a slow moving story.

I had high expectations after loving The Guncle but it fell a bit short for me. The premise was great but I found most of the characters dull and annoying. There were parts that I saw the style from Rowley that I loved before, and that kept me going. I think those that like unlikeable character driven novels will love this more than I did.

The Celebrants was such a poignant and beautiful novel. It’s a tribute to friendships, love, and the families we find along the way. The tone of the book is somber, but ultimately it’s a hopeful novel.

The past/present format of the book was unique and each chapter focused on a different character, with a shorter chapter about one couple in between. This made for some very lengthy chapters, but I think it worked well to reveal the story bit by bit. The author wove everything together so wonderfully. Because of the number of characters, I didn’t feel like each character was ever fully fleshed out, but I don’t think that was the point of the novel. It’s about the friendships that shape us, that grow and change with us, that stay with us no matter how brief. The everyday little moments and the big ones that make us feel seen, heard, and loved. The end of the novel was bittersweet (I cried!), but it also reminds us all to leave nothing left unsaid to those we love.

The book is narrated by the author and he truly does such an incredible job! His voice is so expressive and his comedic timing is perfection. I definitely recommend enjoying this one on audiobook.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

CW: drug overdose, death of loved ones, airplane crash, cancer, HIV diagnosis, grief, cheating ex

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin for the E-ARC! I loved this book! I loved the characters and the setting. I felt like I was reading The Big Chill. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Steven Rowley, and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I LOVED this. Literary fiction about the love of friends that makes you think about mortality and the purpose of life is probably my favorite book type of all time, and this was SUCH a beautiful example. Was it a bit cheesy at times? Perhaps. However, I don't even care because it was so beautifully done! This book gave me all the emotions, as I was laughing with joy and tearing up all throughout. Each of the characters are so unique and yet their friendship works, despite all the differences and years apart. I was able to relate to all of their feelings and challenges in various ways, and it made me want to pull all of my friends together to have living funerals. Life is so short and yet there is so much goodness that surrounds us at all points; sometimes, all it takes is the people who know and love us best to remind us of that fact. Rowley has a gorgeous writing style and knows how to tell a story. I loved how it was woven together, and I look forward to checking out his other works now. This is a book that will stick with me for a while and that I know I will recommend to lots.

The Celebrants is an emotional and character-driven story about friendship, loss, and life. When a group of college friends lose someone in their group, they make a pact to always be there for each other and to hold "living funerals." It is an interesting premise and this book will make you laugh and make you cry. It will also make you stop and think.