This was brilliant. Six college friends become five when one of their bunch dies from an overdose - whether it was intentional or not, it made quite an impact on each of their lives and they made a pact to allow each of them an opportunity to request one living funeral each if and when they needed a reminder of why they are important in each others lives and to ensure nothing goes unsaid while they can still hear it. They are a mismatched group, serendipitously thrown together in college, and the friendships just stuck. Sure, they go on their separate ways, living their own lives with little to no contact, but through the pact they come together and it's as if nothing changed and no time has passed. And this is entirely true of your tribe. When you find them, they are your tribe for life. These friends don't seem like they should go together, and oftentimes they don't, sometimes even seeming like they don't really like each other. But the friendships always abide. This is at times heartbreaking and uplifting, but always a reminder of why we need our tribe, our ride or die, our unquestioning and unjudging friends.

This is a novel about college friends, years later, getting together to commemorate the faux death of one of the group members. His meeting is too real since one of them is actually dying. Although I like The Guncle, Rowley’s last novel, I found this difficult at initially confusing. Why would two of the main characters, a couple, be Jordy and Jordan? I must admit it took me a while to get it all straight.

So, this story is deeply sad, as we move toward the inevitable, it is simply not a great book for me. The inclusion of the eyeless kittens has been haunting my dreams since I read this. Rowley is a fine writer, but the subject matter is painful. I find so many books about college friends reunited before or after a significant life event derivative. This book didn’t entertain me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Celebrants.

I enjoyed The Guncle so I was excited my request was approved.

The Celebrants is about a group of friends from college who began a pact after the sudden death of a friend in their group, very The Big Chill-like.

The pact is ignited to throw each other living “funerals,” celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth living—and living well when each of them find themselves struggling through difficult times.

This time, Jordan has called them all together and the news isn't good.

But, the point of their reunion is the point; that we only get one life and we need to make it a good one.

I enjoyed the premise but not the narrative, which I found pretty uninteresting.

The chapters are devoted to a member of the group when he or she invokes the pact and for what reason; what the group does to strengthen their bond and what they've learned from it.

Some secrets are revealed, truths are brought into light, and the group moves on.

I guess I didn't feel invested in the story because I didn't really connect with anyone.

I did like the Jordans, but I didn't really like anyone. I didn't dislike anyone, but I just felt meh about everyone.

The ending is sad, but thoughtful, loving, exactly what you expect from the author of The Guncle.

This is the second book that I read by Steven Rowley and I loved "The Celebrants" as much as "The Guncle"! The concept of throwing "living funerals" to make sure that friends know that they are loved and that they made a difference is so heartwarming and beautiful. This is a story of a group of friends who met in college and then made a pact to throw each other living funerals. They can enact the living funeral whenever they're feeling down or need assurance from their friends that they make a difference in each other's lives. I loved learning about each person in the group of friends. At times, I honestly wanted to be part of the group of friends. Even after growing up and going their own ways after college, they still remained as close as they were when they were younger. Such a good story and a wonderful way to end my reading in 2022. I can't wait to read the next book by Steven Rowley!

I wasn’t personally invested in the story but I can see this going over really well in our libraries. Great cover, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

This is a sweet story of college friends who band together after the very early death of their friend at age 22. The friends develop a tradition to hold an early funeral in order to celebrate one another and to stay in touch. It's been many years but the group has come together in all of the perfect imperfections. There are divorces, tragedy,true love, and even a jail sentence to deal with. On this anniversary of their friend death however, one of the group is facing a true trial.

As they work out what has happened in their adult lives to date there are tears and laughter some anger and lots of great flashbacks. Steven Rowley does a great job of creating interesting characters that are believable and while not always likeable, still people you root for. If you liked the Big Chill, like your books with a big side of emotion or are a fan of Guncle's author Steven Rowley, The Celebrants is for you!
#PenguinGroup

Steven Rowley has a way of weaving together emotional vulnerability and humor that creates the perfect blend. Just like The Guncle, I found myself laughing at this book but there were also moments where I wanted to cry. I struggled to get to know the characters in the beginning, and I wish the book was broken into chapters more, but I loved reading about a group of friends that can always be drawn back together even when they have drifted apart. It made me appreciate all the close friends I have in my own life and made me reflect on how each of them have impacted my life this far. I enjoy the easy nature of Rowley’s writing that really allows you to become enveloped in the story and appreciate his ability to evoke such a range of emotions.

When this one is released, I suggest picking it up! Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC!

The Celebrants is a story full of heart and humor. As a huge fan of Rowley’s previous novel, The Guncle, I had high expectations and was not disappointed. The Celebrants tells the story of a group of five college friends who make a pact following the death of the sixth member of their group to gather for each other’s funerals while still living so that nothing goes unsaid. A story of friendships that span a lifetime, The Celebrants captures the experience of having friends who have known you through the many versions of yourself and knowing who you in the moments you need a reminder. As I read, I thought of the people in my life who I met when I was a young person, naive and barely an adult, and the griefs and triumphs that have brought us back together no matter how far apart we may live. This book was warm and funny, making me laugh and smile and cry and nod along. I loved this group and the way that Rowley wrote characters with flaws, who made mistakes and got mad and loved each other anyway. I loved this book. I can’t wait to get my own copy of this book when it is released May 30 so I can return to these characters again and again. A massive thanks to Net Galley and GP Putnam’s Sons for the advanced e-copy.

I loved this book and the author. It was an adventure of reading with the characters, setting, and not to mention this beautiful cover. I love reading books by this author.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley follows five friends as they each take a turn invoking a pact they made while in college. After the sudden death of the sixth member of their group shortly before graduation, the remaining five promise to hold living funerals to remind one another of each person’s importance in the other’s lives.
I absolutely loved this book; It is a beautifully written, emotional journey through each character’s life. I can’t remember the list time a book had me loudly laughing on one page, and openly sobbing on the next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Celebrants in exchange for my honest review.

Steven Rowley is a highly skilled writer whose imperfect characters are expertly crafted. His depiction of grief and wit working together to demonstrate the value of life despite its challenges is truly moving. The Jordans were particularly endearing to me and I felt great sadness for them. Even Alec, who is deceased at the beginning of the story, evoked feelings of grief within me

Initial thoughts: Steven Rowley has written another emotional book that is packed with heart. My first experience with Steven as a writer was with his first novel, Lily and the Octopus, a heart-wrenching love story between a dog and a human, the love, joy, and pain of being a pet owner. The story forever touched me as we both share a deep love of dogs, especially Dachshunds.

Last year, Rowley gave the world the most fun book of the year in The Guncle, which is packed with laughs and heart-warming dialogue between kids and their uncle, who was “forced” to care for them while their father was getting mental health care. The Celebrants is a perfect mixture of both of these books; it’s a bit sadder similar to Lily, but packs in the laughs like the Guncle.

More detailed review to come, closer to publication.

Pub Date: 30 May 2023
Star Rating: 4.5

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. That’s 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—and living well.

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.”

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes May 30, 2023.

This is Steven Rowley’s next book after The Guncle. This book was a solid combination of joy and melancholy - I laughed and I cried. It uniquely explores themes of friendship, hardship, love, and telling people how you feel about them before they die.

Summary: A group of five friends make a pact to celebrate each other’s funerals while they are all still alive so that they know how they impacted their friends’ lives. Each part of the book is a different friend’s funeral.

Positives:
-The tone. The tone stays light and fun despite exploring dark topics. The book felt unique because of this.
-Originality and pacing. Even though we read about several different funerals throughout, each funeral felt original and not repetitive since each one is held under different circumstances, at different locations, and with a different character’s emotional arc.

Criticisms:
-I mainly only cared about two of the five people in the friend group, Jordan and Jordy. As for the other three, while well developed, I didn’t feel as emotionally compelled by their arcs. This would have been a five star if I had cared for the rest of the friend group.

A fantastic new book by the author of The Guncle. The Crlebrants is a soul-stirring gem full of humor, grief, growth, and warmth.

I almost screamed out loud when I got approved for this book. My hands were shaking a little when I started reading. I gulped down the first words at a furious pace. And when I read the last sentences, I didn’t want to let go. There’s something about books that nestle themselves into my heart. They cause this fuzzy feeling inside my chest and make me want to read on and on and on. They put smiles on my face and make tears cloud my eyes. They make me stare in the distance and muse. And I keep thinking about them for a long time after I finished them. The Guncle was such a book, and I’m happy to announce that The Celebrants is too.

Steven Rowley is a writing genius. His imperfect characters are perfection. Grief and wit take each other’s hand and show that even though life can be hard, it’s so worth living. The Jordans were my favorite characters by far, and my heart ached for them. But I also grieved for Alec, although he was already dead at the start of this story.

Read this book if you love a whirlwind of emotions. Read it if you loved The Guncle. Or just read it because I highly recommend it!

What an interesting premise. Five friends, having assembled Big Chill-like after the suicide of their friend, decide to have funerals while they're alive. They agree that if they're ever feeling so down they can't cope, they can trigger a funeral. Over the course of the story, funerals are held, each very different and entertaining. I laughed out loud, I cried, I got pissed off. Through the eyes of the five, the reader visits a house in Big Sur, skydives in Puerta Vallarta, enjoys a rich museum experience in New York City, and more. Each of the characters undergoes a developmental arc as they experience their funeral, and what began as a bit of a joke becomes serious, given the diagnosis one of the characters has received.

There's a lot to this story, including a trove of heartfelt observations about human nature, community, mortality, change, loss, recovery....well, it's Rowley. At the end of the story I cried. The story begins slowly and the point-of-view characters change too quickly, sometimes within a paragraph. But all in all, a treasure, as with his others. Recommended.

This book was something I really needed at this point in time. I just lost my grandpa and this book really made me feel things. It was so nice to see friends sticking to together celebrating each other well they live when they had hard moments. I liked the characters a lot as well, each of their stories something someone can relate to. There were a couple things I didn't love, some of the jumping back and forth was a little confusing at the time of reading but once you got past it you figured out the story line. Also the switching between character perspectives could be a little confusing as well as it happened fast sometimes. Over all though it was a very lovely read, with a lot of meaning.

4.5 rounded up. Guncle was a favorite last yr and this one didn't disappoint either. Loved the premise, writing was great, perfect ending. Auto buy author for sure.

This book was a good story overall. I enjoyed hearing about this group of friends and their lives over many years. The characters were all so relatable which I loved. My only complaint was that I fell a little flat at times. I wanted to know more about the friends, but I wasn’t feeling like I needed to know more. I recommend this book to all, but know it is a slow read.

Steven Rowley is becoming one of my favorite authors for the emotions he’s able to evoke throughout his novels and the way my love for his stories grows during each read. The Celebrants promised big time drama in its premise and it did not disappoint, but each character had enough real-life depth that it felt both comforting and heart wrenching to follow along. Excellent!

Like a lot of people on here, I adored The Guncle and I'm sure it was hard to write something else after its success. This one had its moments but I just didn't really feel connected to any of the characters (The Jordans were the most interesting to me).

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.