Clover is an introverted lone-wolf who collects advice, confessions and regrets from her clients who she helps to die with dignity. She has a very limited social life and as a woman in her 30s has not made many friends or had any romantic relationships.

This book would appeal to fans of quirky characters who find the courage to come out of their shells, as in “The Maid” by Nita Prose, or people who like to contemplate how to make the most out of the one life we have to live, like in “The Midnight Library.”

This novel did not delve into any indication of what is to come in the afterlife, yet this story did explore the themes of losing people we love, and how those facing the end of their lives can find closure. Despite being a book focused mostly on dying, it was not depressing and provided a sense of hope for the living.

The secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 is an endearing story that reflects on what it means to live fully and die peacefully. Clover is a 36-year-old death doula, who has lived somewhat of a solitary adult life after having experienced loss. She isolates from friendships and relationships to avoid heartache. Yet she is a comforting, calming presence for her dying clients. She collects their final musings in three journals: Regrets, Advice and Confessions. As she helps her latest client Claudia, Clover slowly begins to step outside her comfort zone of 90’s romcoms and familiar surroundings to take a chance on fully living.

I want to start by saying thanks to MacMillian Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for supplying me with an ARC of “The Collected Regrets of Clover” for an honest review of this novel which is available on shelves everywhere starting Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Our story begins on a notorious day in Kindergarten when her teacher dies in the middle of his read-aloud of Peter Rabbit. Then, not too much later Clover learns more about death on the same day she learns why pigs bathe in the mud. Ever since then, she has felt more connected with the dead and dying than she has with the living. Now she’s living in New York, visiting death cafes with a harmless fib, a neighbor who loves mahjong, exploring what it means to live in your grief, and of course, acting as a death doula to help people move peacefully through their end-of-life process. However, Clover has been so focused on the lives of those who have passed that she hasn't been able to concentrate on living her own life. That is until a feisty old woman sends Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story.

This book was a highly anticipated read for me and a book I have been looking forward to being able to read all year. I was not - for a single moment - disappointed. The narrator alone was able to draw me so quickly into the story. I feel like it’s important to say that this book is slow and steady throughout. The book isn’t a thriller and doesn't have a crazy unbelievable storyline but it still managed to hold my heart as I followed along. I also feel the need to share how this book made me ~feel~ so many emotions as I listened through each chapter. The grief over the death and dying of several grandparents, and their family members' reactions to it was one of the most emotional things to me which definitely changed how this book related to me personally. This book was sad in the absolutely most heartwarming way but it was slow and sweet and overall I really liked it.

I do not ‘regret’ reading this one.

4.25 stars rounded down.

I feel like this is one of those books that sticks with you long after you read it. It's a reminder to live life to the fullest and enjoy life, so you have no regrets when your time comes.

Clover has an interesting career, a death doula. She provides support and sometimes companionship to people who are near the end of their lives. She first experienced death at age 5, when her kindergarten teacher died, and then at age 6 when her parents died on a trip to China. She then spent the rest of her childhood living with her grandfather. Clover is fascinated with death, and customs of different cultures related to death.

Clover is excellent at her job, but her social life is clearly lacking. She had traveled the world learning about death and other cultures. But when her grandfather died while she was away, she returned to live in their once shared apartment and strives to make sure others don't die alone. She is very introverted and a bit socially awkward.

Then Clover takes on a new client, Claudia. And I adored her. We watch Clover struggle a bit when she's pushed out of her comfort zone. But we see her grow so much as a person, finding friendship and possibly even romance.

This was an excellent debut and I look forward to more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a hard one to write, I loved the book, but it is hard to really explain and not give so much away, but let me try here...

Clover Brook is a death doula in NYC, she helps people pass on to the other side by staying with them and comforting them, hoping to keep them calm and unscared. She also keeps notebooks of their last words, which are usually regrets, she hopes to learn from them so she doesn't make them in her own life.

As a character Clover was likable, she was compassionate, and caring, but she was also a bit like me, she was an introvert who would rather read, she might have even been described as strange or quirky, but considering her occupation that might have been expected. She lives alone in her dead grandfather's rent-controlled apartment surrounded by things from his life and nothing from hers. Many times I felt she was so busy helping the dead pass that she herself forgot to live. Her one good friend, an elderly neighbor woman named Leo was even a good friend of her grandfather

Clover is good at her job, she takes it seriously and tries not to get attached to her patients, but that all changes when she meets terminally ill Claudia.

Claudia was probably my favorite character in the story, she had a good life with only one big regret she had kept secret for her lifetime. I love the interaction and the relationship between Clover and Claudia. They are only together for a short amount of time, but within that time Clover discovers the secret and goes against her rule of not getting involved. From Claudia, Clover learned so much, mostly how to live, something she needed.

Despite this book being filled with death and dying, it is not morbid, or sad, infact it is the total opposite, it is a beautifully written book about the celebration of life and the living. I love a book that when you close the cover on it you take a bit of time and think about what you read, and The Collected Regrets Of Clover does that, it makes the reader think, am I loving my best life and will the impression I leave behind make a difference.

Great book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy.

I really enjoyed the narrator of this book. As for the book itself, it was a good read. It really made me think about all the regrets that I have in life.

Add this to your text sets of late bloomers and loners!

Birth Doulas advocate for and guide a woman and family through a child’s entrance into the world. Death doulas a advocate for and guide humans through their exit from the world.

This story follows Clover, a death doula who finally starts living her life after 36 years- and decides to learn the lessons of her clients and live with fewer regrets and loneliness and more risks and companionship

This is definitely a well-written book, and you can tell right from the beginning. My main gripe is that I found Clover to be very unlikeable initially. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I didn’t find her flaws to be endearing.

Though, over the course of the book, you get glimpses into Clover’s past that explain why she is the way she is, which makes her more relatable. I start to warm up to her as we progress through the story and learn to appreciate her character, instead of finding her annoying.

I think the premise of the book is unique, which contributed to the overall enjoyment. What stops me from giving a higher rating is that I started to lose interest because Clover’s interactions with people are pretty mundane, and the plot points were lackluster. From Clover’s perspective, there isn’t really anything special about any of the other characters, which made it difficult to connect with them as well.

As a debut, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. I’d certainly be open to reading future releases by this author.

I just love Clover!

I had no idea until this book that death doulas were real. I was so intrigued I started looking things up. Always the sign of a good story.

Clover’s job gives her a close seat to death as she accompanies people in their final days. Sometimes that is just sitting with them, sometimes that is helping them make amends, write letters, or just remember good times.

In being good at her job, Clover has forgotten how to live her own life. She does try new things, but she has a hard time letting people in. She does best keeping things at surface level. That is until she meets people who force her to take a look at her own life and reevaluate.

This was such a great story and I was sad to tell Clover goodbye. With all of the loss in my own life the past couple of years, this book spoke to me in a unique way and I am so glad it was written.

Jennifer Pickens does a fantastic job narrating this book. Her voice, so calm and and soothing, is perfect for the topics in this story.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC. All views are my honest opinion.

The Collected Regrets of Clover
Mikki Brammer
Narrator: Jennifer Pickens

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is one I will not forget. This was hands down the most beautifully written book I've read in a long time. This is not only a story about death, but a story about LIFE!

Clover, a death doula, spends most of her time either with the dying or by herself. "It wasn't that I was opposed to the idea of friendship; it's just that if you don't get close to anyone, you can't lose them. And I'd already lost enough people." Raised from the age of 6 by her grandfather, who passed away when she was out of the country years ago, Clover still lives in his apartment. Her only friend is Leo, an elderly neighbor who she has known most of her life.

As a death doula, Clover kept journals to document those she has been with while they've died, and kept three notebooks: one for advice, one for confessions, and one for regrets. Perhaps my favorite of the three, Clover would pick one regret and find a way to honor it by working their regret into her life somehow. By doing this, Clover starts to find regrets of her own. In turn, this leads her to slowly open herself up to new friendships and the possibility of romance.

While some of the relationships Clover holds with the dying are quick or more surface-level, the relationship she builds with Claudia is absolutely beautiful. In her relationship, she uncovers so much about herself while helping Claudia during her final weeks on earth. I absolutely loved their bond and the depths Clover went to to for Claudia during her final days.

In some ways, this book helped me understand my own grief over the loss of my father. I found myself highlighting so many parts that I found helpful in my own journey. This is the first book since the death of my father that has brought out this much emotion.

The narrator, Jennifer Pickens, was absolutely perfect for this role. I found her voice to be what I would imagine Clover’s voice to be and I don’t think there could have been a better choice to narrate this book!

If I could give this book 10 starts, it wouldn't be enough. I have no doubt that this will be one of the top books of 2023!

Thank you to Mikki Brammer, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with this audio copy of The Collected Regrets of Clover.

Posted on Goodreads on April 24, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram (full review) on May 9, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram (mini review) in early May 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 9, 2023
**-will post on designated date

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the story line was unique while still be relatable. I fell in love with almost all of the characters. I can relate to some of the introvert tendencies, and difficulties Clover has. I also appreciated the steps Clover had to take in order to "regain" her life following her Grandfather's death.

Overall, I loved the book, and believe people that read and enjoyed "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" would enjoy this book, at least as much, if not more.

In college, I took a class called “Psychology of Death: Preparation for Living”, and though I happened across it by chance, it was the most worthwhile class I took, unrelated to my degree. It created a space to talk about a subject that is taboo , emotionally overbearing, and make most squeamish to talk about in any sort of death, even though it happens to us all. It is, as Clover reiterates in this novel, the one sure thing about life. It happens to us all. That class brought up a lot of good conversations and questions about death, and completely reframed the way I think about both death, and life.

This book, The Collected Regrets of Clover, is that class, wrapped up into 320 pages, and bound in a hardcover. Of course, there’s a plot, an emotionally struggling main character, beloved side characters, and the perfect amount of soul searching and peace finding, but it’s also a change for readers to face the questions and thoughts they have about death—a natural thing—and confront those feelings without scaring others away.

On top of it all, the story is lovely, and the audiobook narration was very well done. With short chapters and pleasant voices, that captured the gravity of the character’s emotions, it was a quick, enjoyable listen. I recommend it highly, and I plan on emailing my old professor about it, as soon as the book is published.

Clover is a death doula, a person who helps the dying find peace in the transition.

She had early experiences with death -her kindergarten teacher dying in their classroom, her parents dying while on a trip when she was six and then her grandfather dying when she was in her early twenties and traveling.

These experiences and her work are the center of her world with her forgetting to take the advice of the dying.

But then she begins to care for a woman named Claudia. And her regrets, support and hopes push Clover beyond her comfort zone.

So, this sounded mildly interesting at first glimpse, but I wasn’t super excited to read it or anything. However, it didn’t take me long to get into it. It did lull slightly in the beginning as the author worked to establish an understanding of Clover’s life to the reader.

Clover’s parents were remote and not emotionally available to her. When she was six, her parents died in China while she was staying with a neighbor. She went to live with her introverted grandfather. He loved her in his way and taught her to examine and watch the world. Now 36 years old, she is alone in the world with an elderly neighbor as her only friend. (Only friend ever!) However, she is a compassionate woman that helps the dying and their families through the process as a Death Doula. I was interested in Clover and how she interacted with the world while keeping her distance from most lasting relationships. (All while truly craving the connections with others.)

I liked the way the author demonstrated the story of our connections and expectations as the story unfolded. She didn't always spell it out but SHOWED you. You don’t always like Clover, but I think that was intentional. Humans are complex, and we all have different motivations and desires. Sometimes it is hard to see a way to reach for what we actually want. Mikki Brammer did a wonderful job of balancing life and the taboo emotional vulnerability around death. It makes one want to celebrate life all the more! I appreciated the insight into aging, goals, priorities, and human need. I believe a variety of gems can be taken from the book. What you get will depend on where you are on your journey.

I also enjoyed the sprinkles of information about death traditions/ beliefs in different cultures and wouldn’t have minded a few more.

I didn’t love the Sebastian romance agenda. However, it was a catalyst for the growth of the main character and set up an openness for the other connections to happen. I think I would have liked it less had it gone in another direction.

I did enjoy Claudia the photographic journalist. She really was a star, and I would love to read HER story in more depth. I wouldn’t mind reading more about Sylvie and her evolution, either. Both of these women were well-spoken and self-aware in a way that many don’t trust themselves to be.

The Narrator, Jennifer Pickens, did a decent job reading, but at times, it seemed there were pauses long enough for me to begin to reach for my device to ensure it was still playing.

Many thanks to author Miki Brammer, Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Audiobook copy of this novel!

For fans of The Rosie Project and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, you will be endeared to the character of Clover Brooks. A victim of childhood trauma, being neglected and ignored, Clover grows up under the supervision of her grandfather. Up until the time of the death of her parents, her grandfather was a mere acquaintance to Clover. However unlikely, they built a life together in a New York City apartment with binding rituals, including Sunday breakfasts, trips to a bookstore, and birdwatching. While she is away in Cambodia, Clover's grandfather dies alone and a devastated Clover is determined to rectify her mistake of not being in the presence of her grandfather when he died. She becomes a "death doula," helping others pass on to the next world with someone by their side. Keeping journals of "regrets, advice, and confessions," Clover writes down her learnings from those who are on their death beds. An quirky character, who replaces interaction with the living with that of the dying, thinks that she is protecting herself from being hurt. The cast of characters, including the elderly man who was a friend of her grandfather, a new neighbor who is looking for friendship, a feisty dying woman and her doting grandson, and a new connection from Maine keep the reader engaged in the events of the story and the insightful advice gained from those who are at the end of their lives. The debut novel from Mikki Brammer leaves the reader endeared to Clover Brooks and her unusual story of self-discovery.

I've had this on my TBR for a little while. As soon as I read the synopsis, I was hooked and couldn't wait to read it. I was so excited when NetGalley so graciously provided an ARC audiobook. I loved this sentimental and engaging read so much! I worked as a hospice caregiver for many years, so I felt connected to Clover and this book on more than just a surface level. Mikki did such a good job writing about such a "taboo" and uncomfortable subject. This was a audiobook copy and I did think the narrator was perfect and captured Clover so well. Nicely done!

Are you really living your life or just existing?

Clover, a death doula helps others face death everyday. She has notebooks with the regrets of those that she has ushered out of this world, but what about her life? This book is an emotional, sentimental and eye-opening wake-up call that so many of us need wrapped up in a beautiful story of life, love, and death. It will have you questioning your life and what you're doing to live it to the fullest, because we only get one and at the end of the day -"The secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life.

This was a wonderful story that captures the importance of truly living your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the advanced audio version of this book! Two-thumbs up!!

So many things we might regret in our lives and yet as death approaches we reminisce and often wonder what could have been.

Clover Brooks, was a young kindergarten student when she witnessed the untimely death of her teacher. Being an only child and an orphan due to the death of her parents, she learns early on about the fragility of connections to others, Clover avoids connections. At thirty-six, after the loss of her beloved grandfather, she becomes a death doula.

She meets Sebastian at a death cafe, and he hires her to be with his lovely grandmother, Claudia. As we learn of the life Claudia lived, we find her regrets and a bond rises up between Clover and Claudia. Claudia teaches Clover that a person needs to embrace life, and not seclude oneself in books, or her grandfather' apartment. Allowing oneself to look forward to what comes and cherishing the words of the soon to be departed., allows one to see that we are here and the now for us is happening all around.

This sweet story touched my heart and encouraged me to always look forward with the realization that this one life has meaning both from our past and definitely from our future. The charm of our lives is that we are here and shouldn't we make the most of that amazing opportunity?

Many thanks to Mikki Brammer, Macmillon Audio, (narrated by Jennifer Pickens, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to this gentle story)

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read to Mikki Brammer's debut, The Collected Regrets of Clover on audio.
From the beginning, I was intrigued with Clover and her chosen profession as a death doula. Having experienced loss from a young age, Clover found her most meaningful connections and friendships through those nearing end-of-life.
When Clover is hired to help care for Sebastian's grandmother, Claudia, Clover is led on a journey to help Claudia find closure of a long-lost love. Along the journey, she also finds a path for a new beginning for herself.
While the underlying theme of this novel is death, there was so much light and love and life.
I loved it.

"Grief is just love, looking for a place to settle."

I started this on a whim and really enjoyed it. I loved that the main character is a death doula. The vibes are similar to Clare Pooley--detailed, heart-warming characters.