A terrific debut that skillfully juggles many different elements. Main character Alison gets more than she bargained for when she attends her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral; he has failed to notify his family and friends about their breakup, and she doesn't have the heart to correct their assumption that she is his grieving girlfriend, thus agreeing to help pack up Sam's apartment alongside his best friend Adam. The premise sounds incredibly contrived and busy upon first glance, yet Palmer somehow makes it work with the unique situation bringing so many interesting complications to their weekly interactions and growing connection. As Alison finds Adam strangely appealing despite his standoffish exterior and starts peeling back his layers, the sexual tension between the two increases with an assist from their oodles of chemistry. Although the story contains heavy topics through Sam's death and its ripple effect through the characters as well as Alison's BRCA mutation diagnosis and preventative double mastectomy that made her want to live life to the fullest and embrace a more adventurous lifestyle in spite of her natural homebody leanings, these enhance the unfolding events rather taking over to create a somber atmosphere. Sam ends up factoring into the final act in an incredible manner that is pulled off perfectly, with many seeds planted leading up to the reveal. I also appreciated all of the humor incorporated throughout, which made me laugh out loud often, and several of the secondary and tertiary characters are a lot of fun. Palmer has written an absolute gem and I hope that many other readers are fortunate enough to discover it.

My. HEART. Here are five things I loved about this five star read:

1) This is basically an ode to rom coms. So many references and inside jokes!

2) You know I appreciate my romance with a side of real life, and this delivers. Alison’s struggle with her BRCA 1 diagnosis and her survivors’ guilt was informative, heart-wrenching, and aspirational all at once,

3) The banter was delightful. The two MCs have unbelievable chemistry and I loved watching their relationship develop. It felt very realistic.

4) Every character was well done, but I particularly loved how much thought was put into the side characters. They added a great depth to the story and weren’t just there to be window dressing like a lot of others tend to be. I especially loved the trivia side plot!

5) I thought premise sounded kind of bonkers, but it’s a testament to Palmer’s storytelling that it never veers into the ridiculous. It was, quite simply, perfect.

Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for this ARC. Four Weekends and a Funeral is out today!

I am absolutely obsessed with this book. From one of the best first lines of a book I’ve ever read, to the incredible amount of depth this book possesses, I remain completely and utterly charmed. I laughed out loud at so many parts of this book while simultaneously feeling so much for Alison and her struggle with survivors guilt coupled with trying to figure out what she wants for herself versus what she thinks others want.

This book is so clever. Fake dating your dead ex boyfriend and falling in love with their best friend??? The drama of it all! But Alison is such a likable and sympathetic character you can’t help but fall in love with her along with Adam.

While I do absolutely adore the romance in this book, my favorite part is the way Alison interrogates her BRCA mutation and her elective mastectomy and the complex way it has affected the way she lives her life and relationships.

Oh yeah, did I mention this book has chapter titles???

If you love romance books you have to check this one out.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy PUB date to this work of art!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish!

The sunshine-grumpy main characters, the process of grief, the enemies?-to-lovers, (were they really enemies?), the BRCA1 discussion and openness - I just had nothing but great vibes throughout the entire book. I have so much "womanly" cancer in my life and have heard stories all my life about what I could potentially have at some point - this book gave me hope. It allowed me to feel like if I wanted to, I could take control of the situation for myself. I feel like this book will also help open up people's eyes to the internal struggle so many women face when they go through these health scares.

Ellie Palmer really impressed me with this one and I can't wait to read more from her in the future!

Ali's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, and Ali finds out she has the BRCA gene. She decides to get a mastectomy and then feels like she needs to live like she's gotten a second chance at life, but she loses herself along the way. Ali meets Adam at her ex-boyfriend's funeral (where no one seems to know they had broken up). The shift from strangers to friends to lovers is well done, and the tension is *chef's kiss*.

I loved this bookso much! I related a lot to Ali being a homebody people pleaser.

I don't usually talk about sentence level writing of romcoms but Ellie Palmer does such a brilliant job. Her writing is so witty and funny. The Minnesota locations and millenial nostalgia are on point.

I absolutely adored Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer. The plot was so unique and fun. I couldn’t stop laughing out loud! Ellie tackles some challenging topics of Brca and loss while still keeping the story light.

This is Ellie’s debut novel and I have been recommending this book to everyone! I can’t wait to pick up anything she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is hands down one of my favorites of the year so far. It was funny, sexy, sweet and heartwarming. I couldn’t put it down.

After the death of her ex-boyfriend Sam, Alison realizes that no one knew that he dumped her. When Sam’s sister asks her to pretend that they were still together, she obviously goes along with it and helps pack up his apartment. Enter Adam, Sam’s prickly best friend who doesn’t want anything to do with Alison.. until he did.

Oh this book tore at my heartstrings. The grief aspect of this book was handled with such care. I loved Alison and Adam’s romance. They were both made for each other. Adam was a doll. I absolutely adored him! There wasn’t any spice in this one which honestly, I didn’t even miss because it was amazing without it. There’s mentions of cancer in this book so be aware of that going in.

Thank you so much to Putnam Books and Netgalley for the e-arc! This masterpiece is out today and you don’t wanna miss it!

4.5 ☆
I loved this book so much! It was really fun, sweet, cute, sexy and cozy! Just the read I needed.
I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity and grumpyxsunshine romance so I couldn't help but love this book!

In this rom-com, Allison finds herself in one of the most awkward situations: pretending to be in a relationship with a dead guy! Sam, her adventurous ex-boyfriend, dumped her six weeks ago.

Now, she's attending Sam's funeral only to discover that Sam's family believes they were still dating at the time of his death. Sam's sister requests her to continue the charade, as the family insisted on Sam settling down when he was alive. Allison reluctantly agrees, thinking she can fake-date a dead guy for the sake of his grieving family.

However, her commitment takes an unexpected turn when she is forced to team up with Adam, Sam's grumpy, and frustrating best friend, to pack up Sam's belongings in his apartment for four weekends.
Despite initial reservations, Allison finds herself drawn to Adam. However, Allison must confront her own insecurities and decide if she's brave enough to risk her heart.

I loved everything about this book! The two protagonists are so cute and funny together. I loved their relationship and Adam is so hot... I'm a little obsessed!
I also really appreciated the fact that despite being a rom-com, deep themes were covered, such as mourning and the loss of a best friend and also the representation of the BRCA1 gene mutation (a predisposition for breast cancer that is inherited). None of this felt forced or out of place.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is out everywhere today! Don't miss it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with this ARC!

Well well well, hello new book I will NOT shut up about ✨
Thank you so much NetGalley & publisher for this early digital copy. This book comes out tomorrow (08/06) and I’m so happy I got to read this gem before it was officially published.

I absolutely loved this book and everything about it. I was so excited about the premise, and I was hooked right from the start. The writing was amazing, I felt so connected to all characters, not just the main ones, but all of them. I was giggling & crying and feeling all the feels. The chapters’ titles were also a huge yes, I was looking forward to each one of them just by reading the title.

I also really liked how the author approached such important topics as the BRCA gene & preventative mastectomy and the way they were discussed. Huge representation for women out there dealing with the same issue, and it was beautifully beautifully written.

“You’re a woman who loves lazy days on the couch with her friends. That’s who you are, and you’re the best.”

Sometimes, we all need a reminder not to lose sense of ourselves in the conquest of self-discovery. Lucky for Alison, she has several people helping her on the way. And when a grump unexpectedly joins her group of supportive friends and family, he would obviously become her new favourite person! We all love the grump, after all!

Thank you @bookedwiththeemilys for my advance copy. This was everything I expected and so much more; good friends, grumpy sassy banter, and all the trivia! Definitely looking forward to more from @elliepalmerwrites 💖

This book was a pretty fun read, with plenty of laughs, romance, and friendship.

The beginning of this book had an awkward start, and I wasn't entirely sure if I liked Alison OR Adam at first. It took a couple of chapters for me to really get into the story and start to root for Alison as a person. The people-pleasing side of me related to her thought process behind her decisions, so I definitely understood her actions to some extent. The story did get a lot more interesting once Alison and Adam interacted more toward the middle/end of the book. I liked the ending for the most part, although it did feel a little rushed.

I loved the way Adam opened up and was honest about his emotions. It really changed the way I viewed him as the main love interest. I loved the way things connected in the end, although it did feel like a lot was crammed into the ending and it kind of took away from the impact Adam's words would have had otherwise.

Before reading this book, I had not heard much about BRCA1. This book did a great job explaining it and showing the emotional and physical impact it can cause those that inherit it.

If you're looking for a book with a grumpy/sunshine trope, a Christmas-loving FMC, and a HEA, then I would definitely recommend this book!

3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

<blockquote>“You just have to make the choices that feel true to the life you want and hope like hell it will all work out.” </blockquote>

This was really sweet! A nice slow burn of kind of enemies to lovers? I’m not sure how to describe it but after the death of her recent ex-boyfriend, Alison is guilted into lying to the family that they were still together when he died and she’s subsequently roped into helping with boxing up her ex boyfriend’s apartment with his surly monosyllabic best friend, Adam. Over the course of four weekends, they get to know each other better and by forced proximity and grief in common, fall in love.

I liked the setup and premise for this and it didn’t seem all TOO outlandish for her to lie to the parents and to be nice and just have it snowball beyond your control. I also liked the backstory of Alison’s BRCA diagnosis and mastectomy and how that led her to meeting her ex Sam, who was a travel influencer. She was so set on being a ‘better person’ aka an outdoorsy adrenaline junkie because she felt like she cheated death with her mastectomy. Her constantly trying to hike and insist on going to Patagonia despite hating it and just insisting she will learn to like it and it will make her better got to be really annoying. Even after multiple people telling her to reconsider and asking her questions about why she was doing this. She was extremely stubborn about it and it took a very long time for her to have her epiphany. It was a really frustrating aspect of the storyline despite understanding it.
<blockquote>
“You don’t need to prove you deserve your life to me or anyone. You deserve it, because everyone does. When they die or get sick or have to get a mastectomy, it’s not because they deserve it. It’s not fair, and it’s random. There’s nothing we can do other than live how we want to live.” </blockquote>

I also found it kind of weird all the thoughts and chapter titles about like personifying her nipples and wondering what her nipples were doing right now. I mean I get she had them removed and has no sensation and maybe if I had my breasts removed I would feel similarly but having had a hysterectomy I can tell you I’ve never wondered about the whereabouts of my uterus now. It was just a strange aspect to the book although again I understand it.

Overall I had a good time and I liked the Twin Cities setting, the trivia tournament side story, Adam’s carpentry, and the book was pretty funny with good prose. I definitely would want to see the love stories of Ali’s friends play out in future books.

Thank you NetGalley, Ellie Palmer,
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for access to the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this debut, but I loved the freshness of the blurb. Complex love stories can be some of the most impactful, and that was definitely the case here.

Alison attends her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral only to discover that no one knows they broke up a few weeks prior. In an attempt to ease his mother's sadness, she volunteers to clean out Sam's apartment with the help of his grumpy best friend, Adam. The two of them meet over several weekends to box up Sam's belongings and fix up his apartment. The more time they spend together, the more conflicted their growing feelings for each other become.

This was a really solid rom-com debut. I loved the While You Were Sleeping vibes it gave off. Whenever the author mentioned Adam's jacket, hair, and carpentry job, I pictured Jack Callaghan. There were many emotional moments centered around Alison's BRCA 1 carrier status – how it affected her daily life and the strain it put on her relationship with her mother and friends. The loss of Sam was hard for both Alison and Adam to sort through. They were trying to grieve individually, and they also had assumptions about how close the other was to Sam without knowing the complete picture. My only issue was that I wanted to see their story drawn out more towards the end. Their ongoing arguments about each other's personal and professional lives were very valid but tied up too quickly for me. I'm excited to read more from Palmer in the future. I loved the banter in this and all the grumpy/sunshine moments, both in-person over their weekends together and during the weeks over text.

Thank you to author Ellie Palmer, publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the eARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral in exchange for my review.

This tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance is about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie … falling for the right guy at the dead wrong time.

Here's the blurb:

When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam's apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it'll only take four weekends...

But Adam doesn't want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship ... if "friendship" means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?

This book was a joy to read. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, made me cringe with awkwardness, gave me butterflies, and melted my heart. All of the characters come across as truly genuine and delightfully messy humans, which is so refreshing to read in a romance. I especially enjoyed the Alison's sidekicks, Mara and Chelsea, and I would be all about future books exploring their characters.

Beyond the romance, this is also a complex story about guilt, grief, and how to move forward to find happiness. Palmer handles some very tough topics with tenderness and authenticity. Content warnings include cancer, death, grief, and survivor's guilt.

Added bonus: The fantastic 90s references sprinkled throughout the book made my heart so happy.

I loved this debut and can't wait to see what Palmer comes up with next.

Many thanks to @bookedwiththeemilys @putnambooks @netgalley and @elliepalmerwrites for the opportunity to read and review this book in advance of its publication on August 6th.

Loved the slow pace of Adam and Allison relationship, how they started as strangers and she poked the grump until he opened up to her. As each weekend went by they got to know each other, their relationship progressed further and I was loving it. The added humor was a bonus, found myself laughing out loud and enjoying it.

I finished this and immediately texted an elevator pitch to my romance-reading best friends: Laughed. Cried. Loved.

Alison is a 30-year-old woman with the BRCA1 gene who got a preventative double mastectomy. As she’s coming to grips with what that means for her life, her adventure-seeking, travel influencer ex-boyfriend dies. When she attends the funeral everyone thinks they were still dating (even though he broke it off weeks before). Alison meets her ex’s best friend, a grumpy-on-the-surface homebody carpenter, and magic happens.

I loved the female friendships and the family dynamics that were explored. I appreciated that Hallmark movies are referenced, but every romantic-comedy trope that was used was mentioned a bit ironically. It's meta about tropes instead of cheesy. It was so steamy and swoon-worthy without being spicy; I find this to be a rare quality when a book is this funny and heartfelt and has such a mixture of comedy and emotion. The trivia nights and puns and banter between all of the characters was just my type. Most of all it was an ode to being enough as you are while still being open to more. Every time I thought I might have a critique, something in the plot would shift just enough to right it.

Five Stars. The most grin-worthy, laugh-out-loud, butterfly-inducing romance I’ve read in a while. So good I’m not sure if it will solve my romance genre burnout or ruin me for other titles. A trophy copy will be added to my BOTM club box soon. Rereading will ensue and I'll fall in love with Alison, Adam, and all their family and friends again.

4.5 ⭐️ - "You don't need to prove you deserve your life to me or anyone. You deserve it, because everyone does.
When they die or get sick or have to get a mastectomy, it's not because they deserve it. It's not fair, and it's random.
There's nothing we can do other than live how we want to live."

At its core, this is a story about guilt, grief, love, joy, and acceptance of that loss, love, and being enough. (Ok I took some of this from Abby Jimenez’s blurb).

Characters that are so easy to root for. Laugh out loud funny. But will also make you sob. I put off reading this for a while for personal reasons but given the release day is tomorrow, I said screw it & I am SOOOOO GLAD I did.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this e-book.

“How am I supposed to know if any time is a good time for anything? Does anyone? You just have to make the choices that feel true to the life you want and hope like hell it will all work out.”

Despite being absolutely full to bursting with heavy topics, the story here was achingly sweet and somehow funny with a unique twist on fake relationships.

I generally dislike when fiction books have lots of specific real-world references about a place or pop-culture. However, this author managed to immerse the reader in the midwest milieu in a way that felt almost like a recollection despite never having set foot in Minnesota even once in my life.

While this wasn’t technically a holiday book, the meat of it takes part during the winter holidays and I felt so cozy reading it that I think it will join my November/December holiday re-reads collection.

Spice: 0.5/5 - fade to black

CW: <spoiler> young adult death, grief, cancer, reconstructive surgery </spoiler>

Alison meets Adam at her ex boyfriend funeral, but no one seems to know they have broken up. How will she deal with things once she starts to call for Adam. Deals with some emotional topics around cancer and preventative surgery.