I just don’t think I was in the right mind set for reading this book right now. After just losing my mom to cancer a few weeks ago, this one was hitting too close to home. However, I think if the timing were different, I would have really loved this book. I appreciated the grumpy/sunshine aspect along with the internal struggles with the FMC.

Wow this was great! Not your typical “oops look at the situation life dragged us into tehehe” romance novel - lots of raw emotions and topics of conversation that made this book feel real to me. I was invested from the start! 4.5/5

Making a calendar alert for any future Ellie Palmer novels! ;)

Allison was an interesting character and reading about her struggles with BRCA1 but this was the only part of the book I found interesting. The rest of the book was mildly entertaining but I didn't enjoy the romance too much
3.5 Stars

Thank you to GPPutnam Son’s and NetGalley for the ARC!

Plot: Allison’s recently ex-boyfriend dies, and she goes to attend his funeral. Her ex’s boyfriend asks her to pretend like they didn’t broke up, to prevent further heartbreak for his family. His family asks her to help his best friend clean out his apartment, and there is a spark between the best friend and Allison.

Review: I liked this overall! The leads had great banter, and the story felt fresh, with a unique spin on common tropes. I did like the first half of the book better than the second - I started getting bored around the 65% mark. I also wished that it had felt more like the characters were grieving - it didn’t feel like anyone cared much that the ex boyfriend had died! I thought the author did a fantastic job at tackling the BRCA1 diagnosis and related issues. I really felt for Allison.

Overall, this was solid, but I don’t know that this will be one that sticks out in my mind long term. I am definitely excited to read more from this author!

4🌟

5 star debut romance from Ellie Palmer! Four Weekends and a Funeral was an adorable romance with depth and romcom movie vibes. Allison shows up to her ex-boyfriend's funeral only to learn that his family still believes that they were together when he passed (he had dumped her 6 weeks prior). In an attempt to lessen the burden on his family, she agrees to help pack up his apartment alongside her ex's best friend, Adam. Sparks ensue.

In addition to the romance, the author draws on her own experience as a carrier of BRCA1, which greatly increases the risk for breast and ovarian cancers, through the main character. Allison's story touches on undergoing a preventative mastectomy and thus feeling "unfeminine" and feeling like she "cheated" death. Allison also deals with a complicated relationship with her mother, who had breast cancer and is very concerned for Allison (almost overbearing).

This book will be a very memorable read for 2024 for me and I can't recommend enough.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group PUTNAM, and Ellie Palmer for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Four Weekends and a Funeral hits shelves tomorrow, August 6, 2024!

Overview: When Allison attends the funeral of her ex-boyfriend Sam, she is perturbed to realize that everyone thinks they were still dating, despite Sam dumping her weeks ago. When Sam’s sister begs her to pretend that she was still in a relationship with Sam at the time of his death for the sake of his grieving family, Allison reluctantly agrees, and finds herself even volunteering to help clear out Sam’s apartment, together with his surly best friend, Adam…

Thoughts: I was absolutely blown away by how good this book was! There were so many serious aspects of this book (particularly the unexpected death of a close friend and the trauma experienced by a women who has had to undergo a risk-reducing double mastectomy) but they were perfectly balanced out by the witty dialogue and Allison’s sunny personality. There was SO MUCH GUILT all throughout the book and yet it was never oppressive enough for me to put the book down. Also, this is a rare book with a flawless ending that actually brought tears to my eyes!!

Take home message: This is a skillfully written closed-door rom com about two people struggling in their own lives who meet and end up connecting while unexpectedly grieving over their friend. Tropes include: grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, and ex-boyfriend’s best friend. As a warning, this book features an unflinching portrayal of a woman who is a carrier of the BRCA mutation and must deal with the physical and psychological consequences of a preventative double mastectomy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely LOVED this one. What a masterful and bright debut celebrating sweet, small town holiday romance, and the importance of learning how to embrace yourself to find peace and contentment. There is so much creativity in the development of the plot, I'm really impressed because I have read a lot of romances, and this contemporary fated mates storyline is so fresh and unique.

I adore Alison and Adam, and Alison's friends Chelsea and Mara. All of the minor characters are also so well drawn that I felt like I knew every single one, Russell, the Lewises, Adam's family -- even HR Josh. An enthusiastic 5/5 for all of the author's characterizations and all of the dialogue. The sparkling humor perfectly balances out the heavier aspects of the story regarding loss and grief. I was laughing out loud and then clutching kleenex throughout the entire book.

I love the satisfaction of a slow burn and that delicious undercurrent of sexual tension, and this novel delivers in spades. Adam and Alison enjoy several sensual encounters, but intercourse is off-page so I feel comfortable recommending this one to all of my closed door romance followers.

The only thing that's strange to me is that this book is being released at the beginning of August. This is a holiday romance, and I think one of its most charming aspects is Alison's devotion to Hallmark movies and sappy HEAs. I think this book would have been best marketed during the fall, and I will be promoting this one to my followers for the holiday season.

Bravo to the author, and I cannot wait to read more from you.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer was such a fun romantic debut!
I was hooked from page one. I fell in love with her writing style, the characters and the story!
The characters are relatable and endearing. The writing is captivating and fun.
An adorable, swoony, just wonderfully entertaining read.

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL BY ELLIE PALMER

So many wonderful friends debut this year, and this is the first ARC I actually got approved for 💀 Ellie is a talented, kind, hilarious person and it's no surprise that FWAAF is a little slice of Minnesotan heaven (just like she is). I am soon to have three copies of this book and it is The Right Choice. I'm truly looking forward to spending her debut week cheering her on from the crowds at all of her events!

We open with an awkward ex's funeral, wherein our Alison is informed shortly after arriving that in the eyes of his family, friends, and other funeral attendees, she's still his girlfriend 😬 what starts as a small favor to a grieving family member turns into an increasingly wacky journey through impound lots, train museums, and possessive beer drinking. But when Adam points out that Alison's relentless pursuit of "self-improvement" might be hurting her, they have to sort out what the future looks like, together or apart.

Alison and Adam both jump off the page in different ways but Alison truly captured my heart from page one. She's witty and honest and her feelings about trauma and the clinging notion that it needs to lead to personal growth was extremely relatable to me. This book is a love letter to indoor girls 🥰🏡 🛌

This book comes out this Tuesday, August 6th, and I literally cannot recommend it more highly because I LOVED it!!!

There are too many reasons I love this book to list without annoying y'all, but here are the highlights of the highlights:
😂 It's genuinely funny. Ellie is hilarious in person and it's so rare to see it happen on page too, but she does it
🌕 Intrusive thoughts about Harrison Ford
🍔 Spirited debates about *everything* (including best Juicy Lucy's in Minneapolis which, sorry @ellie, is the Tailgate Popper Burger)
✍️ Local trivia beef (mine are with Harrison Ford's Earring and Trivia Newton John)
🍆 A fuckboy with a heart of...maybe not gold but perhaps bronze?

#amreadingromance #bookstagram #review #romancebooks #romancelandia #romancereader #romancereads #books #bookrecommendation #arc #netgalley #2024debut #putnam

Alison’s ex boyfriend unexpectedly passed away and when she shows up to the funeral it quickly becomes clear that no one knows they broke up. His parents and close friends are all calling her his girlfriend and his sister asks Alison to pretend they were still together. That’s how Alison finds herself volunteering to clean out her dead ex’s apartment with his best friend Adam. The best friend that wants nothing to do with her.

This was a romcom while also touching on heavy topics about grief, self-acceptance, breast cancer, and survivors guilt. Alison has the BRCA 1 gene and got a mastectomy. Since then she has struggled with feeling “deserving” of living a life of contentment instead of adventure. This story is about Alison’s journey to love and accept herself.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for this earc.

So I know this book is sold as a rom com but honestly there are a lot heavy topics for laughing out loud.

I was really enjoying the beginning of the story with the chaos and the mess at the funeral and meeting Adam. But the middle was kind of boring. And the ending was incredibly heavy. Don’t get me wrong, cancer is a heavy topic. And if this book was written as “finding herself again” with some romance instead of romance with a heavy topic, i would have enjoyed it a lot more.

It was nice that it was a closed door romance. Haven’t seen those in a while.

I was really excited to receive an arc for FOUR WEEKENDS ANS A FUNERAL as I’ve been anticipating this book for a while. I really enjoyed myself reading it. I really liked Al’s Voice throughout the story and the way that she reflected a lot on how her health decisions had affected the rest of her life, and the way the grief and “ who am I now?” threads were handled really well. It reminded me a lot of some of my favorite 90s romcoms in terms of the plot. However, I feel like this book leaned a little bit more towards women’s fiction, which is fine because I love women’s fiction, but I had seen it advertised as a romantic comedy and I think it was missing some of the comedy aspects for me.

4.5!
Four Weekends and a Funeral was such a lovely and thoughtful story.
It had me reflecting often on my own life choices, my future choices, and how important it is to be true to oneself. The characters were all deeply dimensional and written so well that I felt like I really knew them and badly wanted them to be my friends.

This clean romance with humor, honest dialogue, and authentic characters is an easy one for me to recommend. I loved it!

Ellie Palmer’s debut novel, Four Weekends and a Funeral, presents an intriguing premise: a woman pretending to be her ex-boyfriend’s grieving girlfriend, and is tasked with helping his family pack up her ex's condo alongside his long-time friend. The concept is promising, and the book certainly has its moments of humor and charm. It's a great read for fans of forced-proximity, grumpy-sunshine,

However, while the writing is sharp and the characters show promise, the overall plot felt somewhat flat. The story unfolds predictably, lacking the emotional depth and unexpected twists that would elevate it from a good read to a truly memorable one. While the author skillfully navigates the complexities of grief and relationships, the pacing of the novel often felt sluggish, hindering the development of a compelling narrative arc.

I appreciate Palmer for tackling the grief, anxiety, and consequences of a BRCA1 mutation and diagnosis; however, the incorporation of the BRCA1 gene storyline felt somewhat shoehorned in. While it's commendable to address such a serious topic, it didn't seamlessly integrate with the overall lighthearted tone of the novel. This imbalance disrupted the flow and detracted from the book's comedic, spicier elements -- including fun banter and . While the writing was good, I feel as though it took away from the lighthearted romance of the novel. Allison and Adam are already confronting the grief of Sam's passing; adding this additional element felt unnecessary and heavy. While the core relationships and comedic elements were strong, the BRCA1 subplot felt underdeveloped and could have been explored more deeply or omitted entirely.

Ultimately, Four Weekends and a Funeral is a solid debut with potential, but it falls short of delivering a truly satisfying reading experience. I would give Four Weekends and a Funeral 2.5/5 stars.

Allison’s ex-boyfriend Sam had just passed away and his parents didn’t know they had broke up. So consequently they asked Allison and Sam’s best friend Adam to clean out his apartment so they could sell it. Adam was a grumpy individual and no matter how much Allison tried to get to know him better it was useless she thought. Allison had a mastectomy earlier because she had the BRCA1 genetic mutation and her mother had breast cancer. She was hesitant about meeting new guys because of this. I did love how they worked together and helped each other through the death of a mutual friend.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a cute, easy read. I thought it would be more of a romance book, but it was more of a woman’s fiction to me. I enjoyed the friendships and had me chuckling. Overall 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Allison attends the funeral of her *ex* boyfriend Sam. However when Sam's sister desperately asks Allison to continue to be Sam's girlfriend for the sake of her parents.. things get complicated! When Allison and Sam's best friend, Adam volunteer to get Sam's condo ready to sell, the feelings almost become unbearable.

Thoughts:
-I didn't love the MMC
-It seemed to be all over the place, with so many characters who weren't needed?
-Not the much chemistry between the main characters

You'll love this if you love:
-Miscommunication trope
-Grumpy x Sunshine trope

I want to thank the author, Ellie Palmer for shedding light on the complexities of BRCA, and how cancer can affect a family.

Thank you NetGalley & Ellie Palmer for an E-Arc of this book! Publishes 8/6.

What a fun premise to begin with! With slight resemblance to "While You Were Sleeping," this book was really entertaining.

Alison was a brave, interesting, & compassionate character. I loved her outlook in her life and it was interesting to see her go through all the medical procedures like a champ!

The arrangement of meeting every weekend with Adam was fun. But as much as I wanted to like the romance, imagine afraid it felt flat for me. I don't think there was necessarily anything wrong with it but for me, there was no spark between the MCs. Adam came across too boring & the 3rd act breakup was unnecessary with any real conflict.

<i>Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

This is a book that will stick with me for a long time. The characters were some of the most relatable out of any book I've yet to read. The chemistry and romance played out in a very realistic way. The story starts out with an awkward twist of events for Alison and that grabbed my attention. The plot is original and unique. I love how the author included some very difficult, but real topics. I always say that I don't read much romance, but when I do I want it to have substance. This one definitely fits the bill.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise on this one sounded interesting, a little right guy wrong time, some found family, fake dating, and new girl vibes. All things I positively love.

A number of reviews indicate the first half of the book is great and the second half starts to fall apart. I in the other hand found this very difficult to get into, and wasn't sure where it was ultimately going until probably halfway through. While Allison and Adam had some meltworthy moments, the chemistry throughout the story felt a little forced, their friend groups were hard to navigate in the way they all interacted with each other and you don't really get to see the growth from each of the MCs with how rushed the third act resolution felt.

All in all this book was fine, didn't love it, didn't hate it, it just was. Either way though, I would definitely want to read another story by this author!



Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!