What a beautiful debut! There were lots of laughs, GREAT chemistry between the main characters, lovable side characters, and meaningful self discovery and being yourself themes. I definitely found myself tearing up a few times!

Adam was such an endearing grump! He was tough around the edges but so thoughtful and sweet once he and Alison started developing a connection. I also really loved the storyline about handling the feelings that come with having the BRCA 1 gene. I was not surprised to find out the author has this gene as well because it felt like it was written by someone who knew firsthand how this felt. I did not know a ton about it, so it was interesting learning more and seeing how it may affect someone’s life.

There was a great balance of handling life’s heartbreaks and challenges, grief, survivor’s guilt, the importance of family and friends, and learning to love both yourself and others. Amazing debut from Ellie, and I look forward to reading what she writes next!!

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
This was a super cute debut novel that was an overall feel good romcom that tackled some very emotional and difficult topics. I really appreciate the BRCA1 viewpoint and I learned a lot about this subject. This book might be a really difficult read for those that have more of a personal experience with it so please read trigger warnings! Somethings I really loved were the trivia and pop culture references. The names of the chapter titles made me laugh and were so creative! I’m always a fan of mental health rep and I adored the message that you can’t be happy if you constantly try to be someone else that you are not! I really loved both of the MCs. Alison and Adam both were interesting, but I just wanted a little more chemistry between them. Some parts were a little too slow burn, and you know I always roll my eyes at the 3rd act break up! (But it wasn’t an awful one) It’s a BOTM add on pick this month and I think you will really enjoy it if you picked it in your box!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💕Enemies to lovers
❎Fake dating
🖤Ex’s best friend
👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻Forced proximity
☀️Grumpy Sunshine
🗣️Witty banter
👯‍♀️Friendship
💝BRCA1 Rep
😢Emotional

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: cancer, grief, death.

🚂𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🚂
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: "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.”

🙏Thank you NetGalley, Putnam Books, and Ellie Palmer for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL – Ellie Palmer
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 978-0593714300
August 6, 2024
Romantic Comedy

Minneapolis- St. Paul, Minnesota – Present Day

When Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend’s funeral, she is immediately labeled the “current girlfriend” despite her protestations. Her ex’s sister takes Alison aside and asks that she go along with the belief that she was still dating Sam at the time of his death. For his parents’ sake. Then Alison is wrangled into helping Sam’s best friend, Adam Berg, into cleaning out Sam’s condo to ready it to be sold. She could say no, but she agrees. Adam is particularly churlish with Alison, which means she isn’t looking forward to the four weekends she will be spending with him. The thaw is soon on the way as they get to know one another—and an attraction develops between them. However, both Alison and Adam have built walls around their hearts and fight the attraction.

Alison has the BRCA 1 carrier gene and chose to get a double mastectomy a year ago. This keeps men mostly away from her after they learn the news, and even Sam had been leery about sleeping with her. In FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL, Adam soon learns what Alison went through and he takes it well. But the fact that she was his best friend’s girlfriend keeps him from wanting to get involved with her, though that soon changes. Let’s just say Alison feels unlovable but Adam’s empathy about her reconstructed breasts makes her feel happy again. Spending time together, it was inevitable that they would realize they were falling in love, but Sam is still between them. Meanwhile, they continue with the façade about Alison being Sam’s girlfriend with his parents. They are grieving and our couple doesn’t want to compound the grief.

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL is both emotional and funny as Alison grapples with her diagnosis and a new romance. Adam lives in Duluth, and she questions why he hasn’t returned to Minneapolis since his family lives there. He doesn’t really have a good answer other than he kept putting it off. Is Alison hoping he does move back so they can have a future together? They bicker about things that make no sense and yet they are soon back with each other. Alison is a sympathetic character and Adam seems so right for her. Can they admit their love for each other? How will Adam feel making love to Alison for the first time and seeing her naked?

An interesting tale right from the moment you meet Alison and Adam, don’t miss FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL. You will laugh and you will cry.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Four Weekends and a Funeral has such an odd premise but the chemistry and character development make it worth it.

We follow Alison as she goes to her recent ex’s funeral only to discover he never told his family they broke up. She gets roped into clearing out his apartment with his best friend, Adam.

So I never thought I’d read a book where someone was fake dating a dead guy. Despite this and some other questionable tropes I really like this book. Alison felt very relatable, especially in her journey with health scares and mental health.

I also love a group that plays trivia, since that’s something me and my friends enjoy too!

4.5 stars

This book has a unique premise. At times it was hard to get behind it fully, but as I got to know the two main characters, it became more doable.

I think figuring out who you actually are, instead of who you think you should be, is something most people struggle with. Coming to terms with that, and figuring it all out is a lifelong process.

I think for Allison & Adam, this was a cute exploration of those feelings of inadequacy, in the face of losing a friend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the first half of this one, it’s a really unique plot, one I haven’t ever read so I was really thinking I’d love it after starting it. However, it really fell flat for me in the second half. I honestly could just be in a book slump though. Also this book was almost like a contemporary romance/self help mashup and I didn’t know how to feel about it. I didn’t feel like I really got to know the MMC, and everything between the main characters felt a bit shallow. I did really like the friendships and the self discovery for the FMC.

This book was amazing. Funny and thoughtful and relevant. It made me laugh out loud multiple times and I teared up too (both at the story and the acknowledgments). Loved Adam and Alison, both together and separately. We’ve got a Billy Crystal a la WHMS AND a Mark Darcy reference! No notes!

I absolutely loved this book! The character growth for both Alison and Adam was perfect. Alison being a BRCA 1 carrier really hit home for me! I am fortunately negative for the gene and haven’t had to go through all the things Alison did but it is still scary nonetheless! I think Ellie did a fantastic job describing Alison’s feelings about her mother only wanting to talk or care about her having the gene! I went through a similar situation with people only acted like my mother was her diagnosis. I loved the way she wrote about grief and how it kind of gets you out of nowhere!

Congratulations to Ellie Palmer on this amazing debut and on being a BOTM add-on! So well deserved!!
This well-done tender romance is a bit of a rom-com with some serious undertones. A fake dating trope, however, Allison is fake dating her ex who has died! Allison and Sam broke up, but were rebuilding their friendship. When he passed suddenly, and she attends his funeral, Allison discovers he hasn’t told anyone about their break-up! Not wanting to break his mother’s heart all over again, Allison goes along with the assumption that she’s still Sam’s girlfriend. It’s only one day, right? Not exactly. When she gets roped into helping Sam’s best friend clean out his condo, her relationship with Adam, the North Shore Grump gets complicated very quickly.
Fun, romantic, fake dating, “enemies” to lovers, slow burn, grumpy/sunshine are all part of the fun romance side. Grief, survivor’s guilt, mental health and being a BRCA1 carrier are part of the very raw and more serious issues. Woven into the story and explored openly, but not in too heavy of a way that it took away from the light romantic feel of the book. Add in quirky friends that are everything make for the net that catches Allison when she needs one.
The banter is great in this one – love the wit! Adam - the subtle things he does that will melt your heart. And the ending…well swoon.

Alison Mullally is unaware that she’s still dating her ex-boyfriend, Sam Lewis, until she’s attending his funeral. Alison and Sam broke up months before his untimely death, but he never told his parents, and his sister asks Alison to go along with it since they were so happy he might be ready to “settle down”. Alison agrees, only wanting to help. Things get more complicated from there, as Sam’s parents as Sam’s best friend Adam and Alison to help pack up his condo and prepare it for sale. With Alison and Adam both moving through different types of grief, there’s a lot of room for miscommunication and mixed feelings.

While I was initially not sold on a romance stemming from a funeral, I was wrong! I loved this book. It was well-written and the characters were developed beautifully. Their emotions are ones you would expect and I loved how realistic and true the story felt. Not only is Alison grieving the loss of a friend, she’s also grieving the loss of part of her body and womanhood after it’s determined that she’s a BRCA gene carrier. Adam has to deal with his own complicated feelings after losing the one friend he felt truly pushed him out of his comfort zone and cared about him. There’s a lot going on in this book, but it’s all handled so well. I can’t believe this is a debut novel and I am excited to read whatever is next.

4.5 stars rounded up. Fade to black romance.

This book surprised me in the best way possible! I was intrigued when I heard this was a “fake dating story” but she is fake dating her ex who passed away, but I was also a little skeptical. It worked so well! This idea of breaking up with a guy, wanting to stay friends, abut then he passes and when you go to his funeral you realize he didn’t tell anyone you broke up was hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times. This book was also heavier than I had expected.

This book also perfectly highlights what it’s like to be a people pleaser to the degree that you agree to back up your ex’s condo and pretend you were dating when he passed because you don’t want to upset his parents.

The beginning of this book was really the highlight. I loved Alison and Adam’s tension and chemistry. The second half was still great, but it just didn’t have the same magic that the first half did. I also wasn’t super fond of the third act conflict, but I understood it and it didn’t ruin the book for me.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is such a fun debut! The premise is so unique, and Palmer's voice is fresh and witty. Adam and Allison were such a sweet couple, and I loved how their relationship evolved and they worked to overcome the obstacles in their personal lives and relationship. Also the ending was ADORABLE!!

As much as this is a rom-com (and there are some seriously funny moments and side characters), I’d almost categorize it as women’s fiction. Alison goes on such a journey, dealing with her grief and guilt and unworthiness. Her romance with Adam can’t really take off until she’s dealt with that. However, Adam has a fair share of his own to work on, too. All said, this book was surprisingly enjoyable.

Thanks to @bookedwiththeemilys @elliepalmerwrites @putnambooks for the #gifted copy of this book.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer follows Alison Mullally as she packs up her ex-boyfriend's apartment with his best friend, Adam. At Alison's ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral, Sam's family thinks Alison and Sam were still dating when he passed, so they ask her to help pack up his apartment. What happens as Alison and Adam have to work together to pack up the apartment over four weekends? Go get this book and find out!

Four Weekends and a Funeral is a must-read for romance readers. With strong, interesting characters and the unbeatable Minnesotan setting, this book captured me from the beginning. While I can't fully relate to being a BRCA mutation carrier, I understand some of that grief from my chronic illnesses and genetic conditions and endless surgeries because of them. I love that this book dove into some very difficult subjects with multiple types of grief, yet it wasn't so heavy that it took away from the romance. Adam and Allison are a new favorite book couple of mine. The small, thoughtful, everyday way that love showed up in this book was so sweet and realistic, which I loved. I can't wait to read more of Ellie Palmer's writing in the future!!

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL
Ellie Palmer

Thank you @bookedwiththeemilys, GP Putnam, and Ellie Palmer for the #gifted review copy.

I absolutely loved this book!! I was smiling, teared up, and laughed while reading, (which says a lot for a book that handles both death and cancer.) Ellie Palmer handled the tough topic of BRCA1 and the worry that comes with being a child of a breast cancer survivor (or victim) with a gentle hand. Alison’s thoughts and emotions were beautifully written. The grief that Adam felt for the loss of a friend that was once so important in his life but had drifted apart was so real.

Along with that, the romcom element is perfection. It had the feels of the very best classic romcom movies. Alison’s situation was hysterical and Adam was the perfect dead pan partner.

I would read ten more books with these two!! Don’t miss this one! (And it is a BOTM add on this month so go grab it!)

Four Weekends and a Funeral is a tender, funny story of enemies-to-lovers, and forced proximity. Allison is mourning the unexpected loss of her ex-boyfriend, except his family&friends do not know that they had recently broken up. So she is now tasked to clean out his apartment with her ex's best childhood friend Adam. What follows is a wonderful story of learning to be authentic with those around you and with yourself as you make peace with hard curve balls of genetics, lost dreams, and turning thirty. The banter and chemistry between Adam and Allison built in a slow and very believable way. The supporting characters add wonderful depth to the story; especially Allison's two close friends.

I always enjoy a romance that touches on more serious topics, and Four Weekends and a Funeral does just that. It's a funny and insightful story, which focuses on issues of grief, health, identity, and self-confidence in addition to romance. It's a great debut in the genre for this author.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, Ellie Palmer & G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral in exchange for an honest review. Reading the premise immediately intrigued me and I was excited to embark on this journey with Ellie's characters. Four Weekend and a Funeral starts off at the funeral of Sam Lewis, Alison Mullally's ex boyfriend. Unfortunately for Alison, no one in Sam's inner circle was aware that he had dumped her 6 weeks prior to his death, and, as a favor to Sam's sister, she leans into the role. She ends up volunteering to clear out Sam's residence with his best friend, Adam, a seemingly grumpy carpenter who seems to want nothing to do with her but over the four weekends sparks fly,

This book was such a refreshing read. I related so much to both main characters, their struggles, their doubts and their grit. I don't want to spoil anything, but I just loved the way Ellie Palmer handled so many aspects of this book. I found myself nodding in agreement with some of the hard conversations, tearing up with the sorrows and giddy with the romance. Such a great book for anyone that is looking for inspiration, to learn to believe in themselves and fight for their passions. I am definitely a fan of Ellie Palmer now, and will be looking forward to any future books she will write.

I didn’t expect this book to have some heavy topics. Allison talks about what she went through and I have a similar story with a family member so I appreciated the writing and openess of those feelings making them seem valid.

I loved every second of this. Ellie Palmer has such a fresh fun voice that is guaranteed to suck readers in and leave them coming back for more. The story, the romance, the characters…everything is so well written. I cannot wait to see what comes next!