One of my most anticipated reads of 2033, and sadly, this felt like a miss. Usually, when it’s a Steven Rowley book, you just KNOW you’re in for an emotional gut punch, yet this, despite all the making of a book that would resonate deeply (found family and adult friendship, bonding over trauma, buried secrets, a cancer prognosis, and loss and death) I found this lacking..a spark. I just couldn’t find myself connecting with any of the characters. They felt very one note, in that over dramatic stereotype way of the show Friends.

I think the Jordans were also difficult because I often got them confused and the narration, usually stellar by the author, just didn’t do enough to distinguish each character. Instead, they ran together while reading via audio and when I went back to reading the arc, I found I just couldn’t imagine my own voices and personalities for each character.

Perhaps I’m just in a weird reading funk and being distracted while reading certainly didn’t help but this just wasn’t enough to help me escape into. These didn’t feel like friends I would have or would want in my life as an adult. Sadly, a big miss for me, but I hope others find joy in these pages and the idea of celebrating your funeral while alive does has its allures! I can see the inspiration, i just wish I fell in love with the group.

Rating: 2.75/5, rounding up to 3. Thank you Putnam for my galley and arc and Penguin Random house audio for my ALC!

The Guncle is one of my favorite books and my expectations were really high for this new novel by Steven Rowley. I was very disappointed.

Jordan, Jordy, Craig, Marielle and Naomi meet as students at Berkeley. They are supposed to be a tight knit group of friends mourning their friend Alec who dies suddenly near the end of their senior year.. I did not feel any connection or warmth in any of the friendships; the female characters, Marielle and Naomi were snarky, self centered and prone to temper tantrums. Even Jordan and Jordy, who were married, didn't seem that happy together. I can't say that I liked or enjoyed any of the characters. I udnerstand there is a BTS reason why there are two characters named Jordon but please.... save it for real life... not a book. It's confusing and annoying.

There wasn't much to laugh about in the this book either and that is a shame because I know Rowley is a genius with using humor to convey serious themes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book has been on pre-order since December, and I literally screamed when I was approved for the E-ARC.

The Celebrants follows a group of friends celebrating three decades of being in each other lives.. Every year they get together to remind them that life is worth a party. This tradition was started after they lost one of their closest friends in college, Alec.

Meet the cast:
The Jordan's - Jordan & Jordy with ones life on a final countdown.
Craig - An art dealer who's found himself in a world of trouble.
Naomi - Struggling with grief after the loss of her parents
Marielle - A single mother who hasn't been truly honest about the father of her 22 year-old daughter.

I absolutely loved the fact that this novel featured middle-aged characters. There were fun, silly, heartfelt moments as the reader read glimpses into each of their lives over the years. I adored these characters, and got emotional multiple points throughout the story. I'll take a GIANT deep breath after the ending.

I will always read Rowley, as he's two-for-two with 5-star reads with me.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary copy.

Completely adored and for sure my favorite Rowley book to date. I thought it was exquisitely well-written with a unique concept and characters you quickly fell in love with.

Wow. He did it again. He’s written a book that is witty, charming and will make you cry. Remember that line from Steel Magnolias? “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” That is this book, these stories of friendship.

I think everyone who reads this lovely book about the Jordans, Naomi, Marielle and Craig will find one, if not two, of the characters that they relate to as they navigate the good things and the hard things in life. Mr. Rowley’s wit and heartfelt stories of family, friendship and loss make this another exceptional read.

I was just so excited to read this book! I read The Guncle by Steven Rowley in 2022 and it was one of my top reads of the year. The Celebrants was just as heartfelt, funny, and thought-provoking for me. I enjoyed it so much!

The Celebrants follows a group of friends who met as transfer students at Berkeley. After the untimely death of one of the friends, Alec, the rest of the group gathers in Big Sur to mourn his loss. Naomi, Marielle, Craig, and the Jordans enter into a pact together - they vow to throw each person in their group a living funeral when they need it most. They’ll get back together whenever a funeral is called and make sure the friend knows they’re loved and leave absolutely nothing unsaid.

I thought the friendships portrayed in this book were so beautiful. The thought that these 5 friends could make it over 30 years loving each other, through so many of life’s challenges, is inspiring! I loved all the snarky banter (especially from Naomi), all the hilarious pop-culture references (like the Courteney scale), and the way that the friends kept coming back to each other over the years. I really enjoyed the way this book was written - it jumped between the characters’ storylines and through time, but in a way that added to the story and helped me understand each of the friends better. I thought the pacing of the book was wonderful. While it was definitely more character driven, I never found myself bored with the plot or wishing that elements of the story would move faster. This book really made me think deeply about a lot of life’s biggest ideas - grief, loss, love, friendship, time. Don’t mind me if I spontaneously burst into tears thinking about these characters over the next few weeks. (Months? Years?!) This one is going to stick with me for a long time!

Thank you so much to @netgalley and publisher PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an eARC of the Celebrants in exchange for an honest review.

Leave nothing unsaid. After an unexpected death of a beloved member of their group and in the midst of their grief, four college friends make a pact to reunite for a living funeral so that when one needs it the others can remind them what their lives mean to each of them. Say it while they're alive, not when only when they're gone. It takes twenty-five years before anyone invokes the pact. At forty, Marielle is the first to reluctantly call on her old friends when she's at a crossroads in her life and feeling alone and empty. And so it goes. Until Jordan calls for his living funeral, but he has something important to share.
I absolutely loved The Gruncle by Steven Rowley but this is a very different read. And while it had its heartwarming moments and the message is important, I wasn't pulled into the story as I can be. It's not only that it has a very different vibe than his other books, but I also didn't feel the connection that you want these friends to have and as a result I didn't feel connected to them.
I'm thinking this is just a one off for me as I know others loved this and I already look forward to Rowley's next novel!

This was another heartwarming and heartbreaking story from Steven Rowley. After the loss of a close friend in college, five friends make a pact that whenever they hit a low point in life, they will come together and have living funerals for each other. Their friend died without knowing or understanding how important he was in each of their lives and they don’t want that for themselves. Why save kind words for a funeral when the person that passed away never gets to hear the impact they had on us?

This book really makes you think and I’m so glad I picked it up. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC- available 5/30/23.

Loved this book! Great character building and pulls at your heartstrings.

I was drawn to each individuals story and also how they connected as a group.

Will definitely recommend this to friends!

Hi - I love Steven Rowley, and to be honest he can do no wrong in my book. I absolutely loved The Guncle when I read it last year, and I was so so excited to get my hands on The Celebrants.

I adored this imperfectly perfect group of friends. The intricate relationships and discussions around love, friendship and grief were so well done.

I will read anything and everything Steven Rowley writes.

Big CW for cancer and death here. Wow this was a heavier one than I expected. I loved the themes of friendship and always finding your way back to one another throughout the years. I also loved the idea of celebrating someone’s funeral while they’re alive. My only complaints were it was hard to get to know the characters at first because for the first 20% ish besides the Jordan’s, the only things we really learn about the others (Craig, Naomi and marielle) are about their relationship to Alec. I also was expecting something a little more fun compared to The Guncle but that’s maybe on me for not expecting the author to switch things up a little. I did really enjoy this big hearted novel and would recommend but overall preferred the vibes and tone of The Guncle more.

After the death of one friend right before college graduation, the other five friends vow to leave nothing unsaid. They form a pact that each one can have one living funeral at a time in their life when they need it most. As decades pass and the group falls out of touch, the living funeral pact is invoked when someone needs their oldest friends the most.

It's Steven Rowley, so I was going to like it, it was just a matter of how much. Well, I liked it but didn't absolutely love it. It just didn't sparkle for me the way The Guncle and even The Editor did. However, those shoes are impossible to fill and if this was by another author, I would have probably liked it a lot with much lower expectations. This book is more somber and sentimental and less snarky than previous Rowley books- I know dying isn't funny but the tone of this book is more serious and less- well, fun.

I did love the characters, especially the gay couple Jordan and Jordy (named after my favorite bookstagrammer and his husband!) and the structure of each friend having a section where they were the focus, but not the storyteller, with short Jordan chapters to transition. I felt like it did a great job of easing back in time and to the present. This is hard to do but Rowley made it look easy. The characters, structure, storyline, and writing are all great. Is it my favorite of his books, no. Is it worth reading? Absolutely.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

The Guncle was one of my most beloved reads last year, so I was thrilled beyond measure to have the opportunity to review the latest novel ahead of publication. The Celebrants is sort of a modern spin on The Big Chill. Following the untimely death of a friend when they’re young, a group of friends come found family decide to get together through thick and thin to celebrate each others lives through the format of a living wake. Over the years the thick and thin takes the shape of breakups, heartbreak, cancer, art heists and more. The motley characters are all thoughtfully developed and you’re pulling for each of them! Special thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC.

It pains me to leave this review. Because I was super excited for this and loved his previous book, The Guncle.

Immediately, I got Jordan and Jordy confused. But that’s on me. I am never good with names and characters. And as we got to know everyone in the group, I found myself struggling to keep track of the plot and who is who.

Around 20% I was bored. I’m sorry!!!! But I was. It seemed like a lot of storytelling, and it didn’t really let up. I didn’t connect with any of the characters or feel a special bond with anyone. I expected some dark humor given what the story is about. I was hoping for a few laughs? Maybe I was holding this too close to The Guncle, thinking the same styles and dialogue would be similar. It wasn’t. I didn’t cry either. Granted it takes a lot from me, I truly thought I would have used up all the tissues in the house because of this one.

But! I do think you should give this a read. You might enjoy it and love it more than I did. I will still read everything he writes regardless.

The Celebrants

4.5 ⭐️

In perfect Steven Rowley fashion, this book hits all the feels. I both laughed out loud and cried through it.

Five friends make a pact after their close friend dies to celebrate their funerals before death so they know how much they are loved. Each chapter centers around one of their lives as they lean on each other over the years.

This book was so so good. It has real characters with such emotion. Be sure to check this book out when it publishes later this month!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC.

I know I’m late for Library Reads nomination but The Celebrants is a winner that I will be recommending just as often as The Gruncle also by Steven Rowley. Real life wrapped humor - sure to be an excellent book club book and simply a life affirming hopeful read.

Another solid read by Steven Rowley! I absolutely loved The Guncle and knew it'd be nearly impossible for a book to top that, but this one had a lot to love too. I enjoyed following this group of friends and learning about how they handled struggles throughout their lives. The dialogue was hilarious and well written. I loved the antics they all got into but the book is also very emotional and pulls on the heartstrings. I do wish there'd been a bit more development in the very beginning of the characters because it took me a bit to understand each individual character (and I got a tad confused on Jordy vs. Jordan throughout), but ultimately, I really enjoyed this one!

This book releases on May 30th! Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the gifted e-Arc. :)

A wonderful and heartfelt look at friendship, growing up and learning who your friends really are.

Each year a group of college friends gather to throw a funeral for one of them. The purpose of the funeral is so that the person being eulogized will understand just how much they are loved and what they mean to everyone. These friends have always been there for each other through the years as they each face different challenges. This year will be different as one of them has something to share that will rock their world.

Funny, sad, messy, it is a glorious look at friendship and the families we make.

I read and enjoyed the delightful book "The Guncle", by Steven Rowley, and when I saw this book, "The Celebrants", by the same author, I grabbed it without a second thought! Though very different from "The Guncle", "The Celebrants" was also heartwarming and moving.

The backstory... In the 1990s, a group of six students at Berkley bonded as a friends group. They were shocked when one of their own died just 2 weeks before their graduation. After his death, they reminisced together and wondered if Alec had known how much they loved him, and they created a pact with each other than whenever any of the remaining five called on the group, the others would immediately gather for a "live" funeral, in which they would come together and celebrate and uplift the friend in crisis,

When the book begins, the celebrants have all reunited to support and celebrate Jordan, but he knows something that they don't know... His cancer has returned, and this is the last time the five of them will be together. From this point, the book jumps back and forth from the present moment- at Jordan's "funeral"- to earlier moments when the other friends reached out from their own crises. Despite the serious subject matter, "The Celebrants" still manages to end on a beautiful, hopeful note. A lovely read.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
#TheCelebrants

Steven Rowley is one of my favorite authors so when I saw this on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. I’m really torn as to whether I liked this or loved this. It took a little bit for me to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked.
College friends Jordan, Jordy, Craig, Marielle, and Naomi gather shortly before graduation for the funeral of their friend Alec. Marielle decides funerals should happen before someone dies so they can actually know what an impact they made on their friends and family during their life, so the 5 remaining make a pact that whenever one of them is feeling down, they’ll call everyone else together for a living funeral. The group meets every few years from 2013-2023 to support one of them each time. While the premise sounds morbid, this is actually a book about living, as opposed to dying.
In true Steven Rowley fashion this book is completely different than any other he’s written. Instead of focusing on one person, he has written from 5 people’s point of view. Each friend has a completely different experience both with their crisis and their funeral.
I loved all of the characters and I loved how even while dealing with the heavy topics of overdose, cancer, and loss of parents, there is so much lightness sprinkled throughout. I think the theme of living for today is one that most people need.
This is most definitely not my favorite book by Mr. Rowley, but it’s still worthy of being read. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this. This hits the shelves on May 30th.