I loved how this story was equal parts funny and thoughtful. Between the witty banter, the rising tension and the vulnerable moments, I was nonstop rooting for Adam and Alison. The BRCA gene representation and the deep exploration of this topic was handled with care as it mirrored the author’s own journey and feelings.

I absolutely loved this book! Ellie's writing is captivating and full of wit and heart; there were so many lines I highlighted just because I loved how they were written.

I fell head over heels for Alison and Adam - their journey together was so believable. And I really enjoyed Mara and Chelsea and the trivia.

I have a lot of health anxiety, and normally have a hard time reading books where a health issue is a focus - however, I appreciated not being blind-sided by anything, and that aspect of things didn't negatively impact the reading experience (quite the opposite!). I feel like, sometimes, authors will use a health issue as a tragic event that almost feels manipulative, but that was definitely not the case with Four Weekends and a Funeral. It was so relevant to the. plot here, and to Alison as a character, that it didn't feel like it could have been any other way. I appreciated the author's care and vulnerability here.

An easy 5 stars, and I cannot wait to read whatever Ellie writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam (via the best Happy to Meet Cute podcast!) for the ARC.

Handled some deeper topics while keeping it lighthearted. Slow start, but the romance picked up after a bit and was worth investing in.

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

Summary: Alison Mullally, thirty years old and a post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier, arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral only to find out that no one knows they ended months ago. She reluctantly agrees to play the role of his girlfriend to help the family pack up Sam's apartment. The only problem is that she has to pack with Sam's grumpy best friend, Adam Berg. The only saving grace: It should only take four weekends...

Thoughts: What a debut!! This book pulled at all my heartstrings... It had me laughing but also close to tears. The banter between Adam and Alison was fantastic and made me laugh out loud a few times. I loved the forced proximity of having to clean out Sam's apartment together, even though their reasons to help were very different. Their relationship progressed at such a natural pace that it felt real, especially since Alison was not still hung up on feelings for Sam. Adam was so swoon-worthy with the small things he did for Alison. The grand gesture at the end... well it was worth it!!

There were times when it was hard for me to hear all of Alison's guilt over "cheating" cancer through her preventive surgeries. It took her a long while to figure out how thankful she should be for the opportunity she was given. I've watched several family members with breast cancer who had to endure different treatments, that I'm sure would have been grateful to have the opportunity to prevent it. I'm so grateful that Alison finally realized (through the help of therapy) that she could be grateful without feeling guilty for the path she was able to take.

Forced proximity brings fated mates Alison and Adam together after the death of Adam's best friend and Alison's ex-boyfriend Sam. Tasked with cleaning out Sam's condo, these two spend the weekends together, which could be the start of something big between them.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is a story of loss, love, and self-discovery. It covers these important topics while revolving around a FMC who has recently had a double mastectomy and reconstruction following a BRCA diagnosis. I was so surprised to see that again so soon in a book after reading Just Playing House! I'm so glad authors are broaching tough subjects like these in Romance!

This was a cute book overall, I'm thankful I had the opportunity to read it on @netgalley

Points for a clever and absolutely fitting title. Alison Mullally attends her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral. (Oddly it is never revealed how he dies.) Once there she is greeted as his current girlfriend as seemingly his friends and parents didn’t know they had broken up. Being a people pleaser she offers to help his grieving parents by cleaning out his condo. Sam’s friend Adam Berg offers to help as well saying it should take a few weekends. She’s never met Adam as he lives a couple hours away and was the friend that always canceled or didn’t come to town for Sam’s party’s and activities.

Kind of like Abby Jimenez the author has more going on than just romance. There is a whole side story on Alison being a BRCA1 carrier and she has recently completed a double mastectomy while only being 30. She grieves the loss of her breast and yet feels guilty that she gets a pass from actually having cancer like her mother. The whole thing brings a more serious tone to the story. To lighten it up, she has two wonderful best friends who get some of the best lines in the book. Adam has some issues of his own that he needs to deal with. But one thing is for sure they are attracted to each other.

This is a bit on the heavy side but still has humor and character growth. It fades to black or is off the page when things heat up between the pair. I enjoyed the story more than I expected just based on the blurb. It is well worth the time I spent reading the book.

Short synopsis: Attending the funeral of her recently ex boyfriend Sam, Alison doesn’t correct anyone when they think they were still dating before his death. Meeting his best friend Adam for the first time, the two agree to work together to clean Sam’s house to sell.

My thoughts: This book was an easy five stars from me! So much heart, tender moments, swoony scenes, movement through grief and growth, and hilarious banter.

I’m currently obsessing over Adam and Alison! I loved their banter as they fixed up the house together and grew in their friendship. I also adored the friend group and their trivia nights, they were so loving and supportive and called Alison out when she needed it.

There is so much growth in this book, from Alison deciding medically what her journey looks like, to the steps she’s going to take to find her own happiness.

Read if you love:
- Breast cancer survivor stories
- Trivia nights
- Christmas music
- Great friend groups
- Grumpy sunshine

This was such a fun debut! I found Alison very relatable - endless people pleasing, nerdiness, love of Christmas, difficulty to enjoy hiking and the outdoors, I could go on. Adam was a really sweet and supportive love interest. One of my favorite parts about their relationship was how much they supported each other’s goals and interests!

The two best friends were also great. I loved their discussions and inside jokes - they felt very real, and I would love to go to trivia with them! I also appreciated the representation of BRCA1 carriers, and the exploration of how the diagnosis impacted Alison physically, socially, and emotionally.

Of course, the Minnesota setting was also a great time. I haven’t read too many books set here, so it was really fun to read about places I’m familiar with and some local culture.

Overall, this was a great debut romance and I can’t wait to see what Ellie Palmer comes up with next!

Run, don’t walk to preorder this amazing book by debut author Ellie Palmer!!

Alison finds herself dating her ex boyfriend again. The only issue? He’s dead. When Alison finds out that her ex boyfriend never told his family they’d broken up before he unexpectedly passed away, she finds herself agreeing to play the part of his girlfriend and helping his best friend clean out his apartment. On top of her growing attraction to Adam, which she’s sure he doesn’t reciprocate, Alison is coming to terms with her life post-BRCA diagnosis and post-preventative mastectomy surgery.

Palmer brings this romcom to life while blending humor with heavy topics and a complicated love story. And it’s chock full of While You Were Sleeping vibes (complete with her very own spin on a Joe Jr character!) You will not want to miss this beautiful story that I’m positive will be one of my top reads of the year!

A big thank you to Net Galley, Putnam books and Ellie Palmer for providing an ARC of this beautiful story in exchange for my honest review!

Four Weddings and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

4.25/5⭐️
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2/3🦋

•Blurb•
Swipe for published blurb.

•My Thoughts•
I had such a great time with this one! A book that made me FEEEEEL so much that I kind of didn’t know what to do with all of my emotions. I laughed and giggled at the banter, 90s nostalgia and Alison’s friends. I teared up as our MCs dealt with their grief and navigated some really hard personal topics. Alison, our FMC, discovered she has BRCA1 gene after her mom had cancer and she opted to have a double mastectomy. This was a heavy part of the book and it explored her feelings of survivor guilt and how she thought of and dealt with everything - it was both fascinating and heartbreaking to have this window. Our MMC, Adam, was perfectly grumpy, swoony and sweet. He was dealing with his own personal issues and the combo allowed for this feel of a “real life” romance. Normal people dealing with hard things that life throws at them and learning to be content. Defintiely commend!!

Thank you @bookedwiththeemilys @putnambooks @elliepalmerwrites for the #gifted copy.

The BEST kind of surprise, this grabbed my attention from the first few pages and never let go. I'm truly impressed by how deftly this debut author navigated a storyline that contains such heavy elements, while also infusing it with so much humor, sexual tension, and SWOONS. The forbidden aspect dialed the tension up another notch - these two had palpable chemistry. It's technically closed door, but you can feel the heat. And even though we didn't get the hero's perspective, it was easy to see that he was GONE for his girl. I loved the little breadcrumbs that showed the deeper connection, all while enjoying that instant friction. Peeling back the layers of this stubborn grump was so much fun, and he really is the perfect match for our strong and resilient heroine. She's gone through a lot in her life and is still grappling with some of the changes, so watching the hero be quietly supportive and loving was immensely satisfying. The story touches on too many heavy topics to be a good fit for every reader, but it handles those topics very well. I loved it!

Please note that breast cancer is central to the story, so be kind to yourself if that's a trigger for you. The story follows Alison, a woman who briefly dated a wild, adventurous man shortly before he passed away. Alison recently underwent preventative cancer treatment, and that's made her feel like she needs to do more with her life - even if being adventurous is the last thing this homebody wants to do. While attending her ex's funeral, Alison discovers that he never told his family that they broke up. They all believe she's his grieving girlfriend, and Alison doesn't have the heart to correct them. In fact, she soon finds herself volunteering to help clean out her ex's place, and that's how Alison ends up spending four weekends with her ex's best friend. Adam is even grumpier and more set in his ways in person (they'd only met via group chat in the past), but there's something about him that is oddly appealing. As the two box up their mutual friend's belongings, they discover a connection that neither anticipated.

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. Both characters are grieving a loss in different ways, which influences their every interaction. Adam believes that he’s falling for his best friend’s girl, and that causes some angst and friction. I also loved the representation of a heroine who has undergone a double mastectomy and is still grappling with her BRCA mutation diagnosis. It’s not something I’ve ever seen represented in a romance book before, and it adds a richness to the story. Adam is such a big, grumbly man, but he is nothing but kind and supportive when it counts. You could feel his love throughout. I also loved that the story is genuinely funny at times. Maybe not a true rom com, but the lightness provides such a great contrast to the heavier elements. It’s pretty stellar for a debut, and I’m excited to see what’s next from the author.

Think of that one episode of New Girl where Jess goes to an ex boyfriend's funeral only to discover that he never told anyone he'd dumped his ex before Jess so she pretends to be his coworker, except the FMC is the first ex that the family thinks was still with him. It's that, plus a hot guy and a great discussion on grief.

I appreciated the little dip (not quite a deep dive, but a swim none the less) into grieving, but it felt a bit predictable. Everything was laid out a bit too well that I could see the full character arc by chapter 3, then I felt frustrated when the characters arcs were unfolding at a normal pace because I got to the conclusion long before they did. If it was a bit less obvious, I would've appreciated the journey more.

Overall, a solid read. It was good.

A huge thank you to Ellie Palmer, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC <3

This book is my new obsession. I loved the unique premise and mentions of familiar Minnesota landmarks! Alison was a very likable main character who is on a self-acceptance journey that will resonate with many readers. Not to mention the chemistry between the main characters was perfect. Thank you PRH Audio and Putnam for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

An endearing debut! Will be excited to see what comes next!

This book starts off at the funeral of Alison's ex-boyfriend - Sam, yet his family does not seem to know they had broken up. Sam's family cannot bear the thought of going through Sam's personal effects and readying his house for sale. Enter Alison and Adam (Sam's best friend), who are tasked with getting the house ready for sale. It's a bit of a grumpy sunshine situation. Adam is not the friendliest at first, but their friendship grows into more as they sort through Sam's belongings over the course of 4 weekends.

I appreciated that this book was set in the Twin cities. I have never read anything set there before and I was interested to learn more about the area.

Additionally, this book gives great representation to BRCA-1 genetic carriers, of which Alison is one. It is so interesting to delve into the mind of a character who feels they have "cheated cancer" by proactively seeking a mastectomy. I read that the author is also a BRCA carrier, and this no doubt influenced her writing.

This book was so delightful and fun! I loved Adam’s grumpiness, and I feel like this is an original/new storyline that hasn’t been written before. I really enjoyed reading it and will be recommending it to everyone!

A sparkling, poignant debut! I was hooked from that killer first line--this was such a lovely story: cozy, funny, chock full of chemistry, and deep. With so many romances I usually find the B plot doesn't hold my interest like the main romance, but not the case here! I thought how Alison and her mom's relationship transformed over the book, and Alison's relationship to her BRCA diagnosis, were just as strong and Alison and Adam's love story. Adam was grumpy deliciousness, and when he lets his guard down, even better! Highly recommend to light, sweet, cozy romance lovers who love the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and want a layered, meaningful family and self-actualization plot. So good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

I liked this authors writing style and hope to read more from her in the future! I just, for whatever reason, wasn’t invested in this story. I liked the two characters together and thought they really balanced eachother out. It just seemed like they just really needed to figure out their communication a bit more and trusting eachother enough to talk about the really tough subjects. They were getting there but then the third act breakup came in and just blew it up. Alison is just dealing with a lot of guilt around her health that I’m sure people can relate to, so it wasn’t a light read. Just keep that in mind as you start the book!

Would recommend.

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 bride for the sake of the family and pack up Sam's apartment with her prickly best friend, Adam Berg.
After all, it will only take you four weekends...


It's been a while since I liked a romance book so much that it earned five stars and this book did it. The interactions between Adam and Alison were so natural, healthy, and beautiful. I had such a great time reading this book, I highly recommend it for all types of readers.

Alison's story is BRCA 1 post-double-mastectomy, she believes she has to take a trip to Chile to “be happy” but in truth she doesn't like climbing mountains. Even at thirty, Alison is getting to know herself. Her story made me cry a lot and gave me a lot of happiness at the same time. Adam is a scared grumpy, he has to go through a difficult time with himself, with the death of his best friend and the feelings he feels for Alison. The only thing I didn't like about him is that they don't say how Sam died and every time they mention him, which is quite a lot, they don't say what happened to him.

Four weekends and a Funeral is a quick read with simple English, natural characters and a beautiful love story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the premise of this book! Alison and Adam had great chemistry and had me rooting for them from their first interaction. A great rom-com that will make you laugh out loud!

Thank you so much to Putnam for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be out August 6th.

Readers. I love this book so much! I knew very early on while reading that I was going to love this book. This book has tension, the banter, trivia, serious themes and all the swoon!

"I don't think you're boring."
"Well, that's just a blatant lie."
"I don't."

I really love how Ellie paced the relationship between Alison and Adam. Things did not start off on the right foot but over the course of a few weekends of cleaning out their friend Sam's apartment the walls of Adam's exterior started to crumble. He threw out some flirty zingers that threw Alison and me for a loop. There was just so much sexual tension between the two BUT Alison dated Sam and the awkwardness that brought on. They just worked so well together and they helped each other find themselves by the end. They just had me smiling from ear to ear.

I thought it was unique for Ellie to incorporate something that should be discussed more. Alison is a BRCA 1 carrier and as a precaution she recently had a double mastectomy. She also is debating on removing her ovaries to ensure that she doesn't get ovarian cancer. I have not been in this position but it felt like all the things that Alison was going through was realistic. There are real women out there who are going through this and making these tough decisions. And even the intimacy of it all. Being touched for the first time in this new body and how scary it can be. Alison had this really great line to Adam, "I want you to touch me the way you want to touch me. It feels sexy to be wanted by you, even if I can't feel every part of it." Having a partner who can understand that and accept that, I can imagine is indescribable.

I did my best to articulate how much I loved this book! I truly did not want it to end. I love the friendships within the book and how they have this bond of trivia. And here I am just thinking about the ending with the kind of grand gesture - iykyk.

It was hard to believe that this was a debut. I am super excited to see what else Ellie has ahead!

PS - The gasped I gusped when there was reference to Formula One and one of my favorite Christmas movies Babes In Toyland!