At the funeral for her ex-boyfriend, Alison finds herself pretending to still be his girlfriend so that she can do something nice for his family. As any true people-pleaser would, she finds herself volunteering to clean out his apartment with his best friend, Adam, the "North Shore Grump" who wants nothing to do with her. The central plot is their forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine romance, but we delve into deeper topics as well. Alison is a BRCA1 carrier and had a preventative mastectomy, and we learn about her BRCA journey as well as her journey to try to make her life more meaningful, mostly through outdoor adventure. There is a lot of focus on that though, so if that would be hard for you to read, this may not be the book for you. Overall, I think everything came together beautifully without seeming clunky. We have: romance, the meaning of life, cutthroat bar trivia, Hallmark movie references, school concert shenanigans, and misuse of notary services. I give it a 5-star, since I kept wanting to come back and read more.

This was a wonderful mixture of romance with a meaningful plot.
I loved the MMC in this story. I wasn't sure if I would since it was a single POV book, but it was a nice change from other books I have read.

Let's talk about the slow burn. Every time the author gave me a crumb, I was jumping out of my seat, Giggling at the build up, just for it to be ripped away (MULTIPLE TIMES I MIGHT ADD) Which lead to me standing up and screaming, "No!!!" LOL. I loved the chemistry between them. It felt natural and unforced.

Honorable Mention: "You're kind of my new favorite person." had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Overall, I really loved the underlying themes in the story. Grief from losing a loved one, health trauma and grief, finding yourself. It was an easy and entertaining read.

Thank you for allowing me to read an advanced copy via Netgalley. :)

Alison is at her ex-boyfriend’s funeral when she learns he never told his family they broke up. She decides to play the grieving girlfriend role, because it’s easier than letting his family down, but when she meets his best friend Adam and they have to go through his stuff together, faking gets a little bit harder.

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. A perfect read for fans of Emily Henry and Jessica Joyce.

What to expect:
-Forced proximity
-Grumpy/sunshine
-Trivia nights
-Breast cancer awareness
-MN setting

I think this is a beautiful story about grief and how it can affect people and cause them to go a different direction in life they didn’t expect to go. Grief can be a wake-up call. One that reminds us of the fact that fitting in maybe isn’t always the best thing to do. Sometimes we must embrace who we are to move forward. This is a lovely love story of two people who are lost. They both want to be the best people they can be and support those connected with the ex-boyfriend, and best friend. Yet sometime taking care of others’ needs can cause our own needs to be buried. Adam and Allison are fun characters who grow exponentially throughout this lovely love story.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Alison ends up at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral and no one knows they broke up. Caught off guard, she agrees to pretend they're still together. Sam's grumpy best friend, Adam, steps in to clean Sam's condo after his mom can't handle it. What starts as a simple cleanup turns into hilarious chaos and surprising sparks between Alison and Adam.
Totally devoured this book! Full of angst, grief, and guilt.
Alison’s friends were perfect but I absolutely loved Mara!

Rating: 4.8⭐️
Pub Date: 8/6

Thank you Penguin Group & NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

You’ll love Ellie Palmer’s debut rom-com novel if you love:
-grumpy/sunshine
-Abby Jimenez vibes
-forced proximity
-learning about BRCA 1
-amazing female friendships
-fake dating -ish?
-trivia events
-being a homebody
-journeys of self discovery

This was such a fun read, & it was so hard to put down. I was blown away by Ellie’s writing: her turn of phrase, amazing character arcs, & ability to describe a situation in a way that everyone can relate to. I really appreciated the insight into the BRCA 1 gene & into the grief, survivor’s guilt, & other feelings (or lack thereof) that result after a double-mastectomy & reconstruction. I, like Alison, live in Lowertown, so it was super fun to picture & try to guess her whereabouts! While some of the romantic bits were a bit cliche & corny, I loved it; it made me feel all fluffy & warm. I was distraught when a particular scene was fade-to-black, because the build up was *chef’s kiss.* Overall, Ellie knocked it out of the park with her first novel, & I can’t wait for her next one.

📝💕🪚

am not usually a rom-com reader, however this book was a pleasant, delightful surprise with serious undertones. So thank you Netgalley and G. P. Putnam & Sons. This review is my personal opinion.
Alison is dealing with a double mastectomy and learning that Sam, her ex-boyfriend has tragically died. Her ‘ex’ whom everyone assumes she was still dating at the time of his death.
Adam is Sam’s best friend. At least he was and they were no longer speaking.
When these two meet at Sam’s funeral, the misunderstandings continue.
With likable characters, snappy and sweet dialogue, this debut book was pure enjoyment.

A fantastic debut from Ellie Palmer! The way she wove the BRCA pre vivor storyline in with the romance was so beautiful and unique. I highly recommend!

Alison’s been having a tough time lately, her Moms cancer diagnosis, her own BRCA+ results make her choose to have a double mastectomy and her ex boyfriend is killed in a car accident. When she attends the funeral, his parents act like she is still Sam’s girlfriend. A horribly uncomfortable request from his parents have her helping his best friend Adam clean out the condo to get ready to sell.
Alison’s internal voice is in turmoil as she second guesses her blossoming feelings and her self worth.
Will she believe in herself and stop second guessing who she should be?
Great friends, interesting family dynamics, serious topics and some laugh out loud moments.
Fun read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

I was given the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel by Penguin, Netgalley and the author. I gave this novel 3.5 stars!

I really did enjoy this novel however felt that it was more of a Rom Com than a cozy feel good novel as I initially thought it would be. This novel centers around Allison who attends her ex-boyfriend’s funeral and is immediately thrown into a spiral of lies as she finds out that he had not told anyone that he had dumped her, making them all believe she had been his current girlfriend. Being the good person that she is, she agrees to help her ex-boyfriend’s best friend Adam pack up his apartment. The agreement is that it will only take four weekends.

Adam is a grump, and does not want Allison near him. Allison works hard to put her people pleasing skills to work and is determined to make him like her so that they can work together. Will there be chemistry? Will they enjoy each other’s company after all?

I know there was reference to this being a cozy read however I did not get those vibes. I did notice that there was a lot more referencing to the BRA-1 and mastectomy that Allison had than anything else really. I know those health issues impact people’s lives greatly however I felt like it was a large part of this novel that did not need to be mentioned as heavily. I did enjoy the humor and did laugh out loud several times. I just wished it had more of a cozy vibe.

It was such a unique title that I couldn’t resist reading it!

The book follows Alison who happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Sam who ends up dying and now she is told by her sister to just keep pretending that they never broke up. This was such a wild thing, lol. I can’t say I have ever read a book where the fake-dating trope involves a dead person.

I liked Alison because she was trying to do the right thing by letting everyone know the truth, but she also didn’t want to hurt his parents any more than the grief they were already facing. She also is still dealing with the aftermath of a post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier because that changes your body and she talks about her feelings when it comes to that, especially with dating.

I wouldn’t say that I liked the romance a lot. There were cute, sweet moments between them but I also didn’t feel the chemistry that much either. It was fine.

Overall, this was good. It has tougher topics, but there are sweet moments in between as well.

⭐️3.25
Alison is just trying to do the right thing-attend her ex boyfriend’s funeral. Everyone thinks they were still together, so she goes along with the ruse to make everyone happy.

Tensions rise when she and her ex’s best friend Adam pack up his apartment. It was a little frustrating watching Alison trying to be the person she’s not-but many of us can relate at least at some point in our lives. The chemistry between the two was a bit lacking.

If you like the grumpy guy/happy girl chemistry, you’ll love this rom-com.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5951721381

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: August 6, 2024

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: Fade to black
Language Level: Harsh language but infrequently used
Representation: Gay side characters
Content Warning: Discussions about breast cancer and women who choose to have a double mastectomy when they're a genetic carrier.

*FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL* needs to have "Funeral" in the front of the title because it comes before the four weekends—and the four weekends are life-changing.

Allison is an interesting character because she's gone through such a hard thing, finding out that she is a genetic carrier for breast cancer, but she still feels so inadequate. I keep thinking about how often we dismiss our pain and idealize the situation someone else goes through. She has a couple of solid friends, and she's got misunderstandings with her family.

Adam is the grumpy carpenter, and Allison calls him on it. But he's a lot more as the best friend of Sam, who died. He's also stuck in the past instead of moving forward. I thought he had no one in his life to support him until we meet his sister and her family. This relationship rounded him out in the best of ways.

I enjoyed seeing how these two complemented each other and how they both shifted in their attitudes. If you've noticed, romance books have taken a turn more into being grounded in reality. That's how this one feels. There is so much genuine angst and problems, it feels like you're talking to your friends about their lives. There are several fade to black scenes and a lot of angst about breasts and the changes in Allison's body.

Romance readers of Emily Henry will like this book.

Happy reading!

I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. reading FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL and have no regrets.

I loved the set up and premise of this book. The meet cute takes place at a funeral, where Alison discovers that her ex, who broke up with her a while before his death, never told his parents. She agrees to help clean out the ex’s apartment because she doesn’t want to upset her ex-boyfriend’s grief ridden mother. But then his best friend Adam, aka the North Shore Grump, agrees to help too.

It’s a slow burn from there on out and Palmer masterfully handles the gradual build-up of swoon and feelings. She also presents a fresh perspective on living your life to the fullest and answers the question of whether going on wild adventures is the only way to find what really matters.

Content warning: Alison is post-mastectomy, after finding out she has the BRCA1 gene and she is grappling with when to remove her ovaries. Palmer treats this with incredible understanding and sensitivity, and I learn so much about how hard a process is and how many tough decisions one has to make after such a life-changing the discovery. It is well written and very descriptive and open, which may not be for everyone.

This book is being marketed as a rom com and I wouldn’t categorize it as one. There is a lot of grief. One character has died, and another is dealing with a devastating diagnosis. It’s a serious book, with some comedic moments to lighten the mood. There are tons of funny quips, and we need them to lighten the heaviness of Alison’s emotions surrounding the BRCA1 gene and other characters dealing with the death of someone they loved. That said, there is a heartwarming Christmas theme throughout.

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars. Ellie Palmer has written realistic, compelling characters with wit and wisdom and given them a chance at finding lasting happiness.

Thank you to Ellie Palmer, Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a 3.5 for me.

I think this was a really cute idea and had a lot of cute moments, but I don't think it quite lived up to expectations.
First this is advertised as a rom com and really while there were cute moments in the book there were many funny moments that had me smiling or giggling.
It was also described as a cozy affirmation for homebodies and introverts, and I didn't get that feeling either as the whole time the FMC was trying to change that aspect about herself with a few people trying to tell her that no its okay to not be the outgoing adventurous outdoorsy person, but she kept fighting them on that saying no she needs to change and be more and do more since she was able to circumvent the big C. To me that doesn't really meet the expectation of cozy affirmation and in fact while I liked Alison her constantly talking about doing things she doesn't like but should like because of her situation got annoying and a little aggravating. Now I don't know if this is a common occurrence and feeling about those who are cancer previvor's and if is I don't mean to diminish their experience but to me after a while I was just wanting to scream at her do what makes you happy and stop living by what you think other people think you should be doing.


Now I will say that this book did offer what I think is a true insight to the struggles of those who discover they have the BRCA1 Gene and what they go through before and even after their diagnosis which I did appreciate. Which makes sense as the author carries the gene.

I will say Adam and Alison make sense as a couple on paper as they are very similar and are even fighting the same battles of who they should be and they definitely have some cute moments at the end but overall, it just felt lukewarm.

I did enjoy the first half of the book where everything was being set up and characters were being introduced but as the book progressed it just seemed to slow down and be repetitive. Outside of the first half of the book the last 2 chapters were what I enjoyed best as there is where I really felt the cuteness of them as a couple.

This book is about Alison who is attending her ex-boyfriend's funeral to show her respects when she finds out that Sam never told his family they had broken up and his sister would like her to keep it a secret to give their parent's peace that he died with someone in his life. At the funeral while comforting Sam's mother the subject of his apartment and cleaning it out and fixing it up for selling comes up. Sam's mother can't bear the idea of going through her son's stuff and to comfort her Alison volunteers to do it herself. However, Adam Sam's best friend also gets roped into helping her and a plan is set to clean it out over the next few weekends. But as they get to work cleaning out the apartment it becomes evident that Adam rather be anywhere else with his monosyllabic and grumpy answers. But Alison and her people pleaser ways won't let that stop her and sets out to make friends with the grump if for no other better reason to avoid the long hours of awkwardness. But as she sets out to make friends and their friendship starts to grow so does the chemistry and tension between them making her wonder if there is the potential between her and her ex-BF best friend.

Lots of laughing, a little crying, a ton of killer banter, and the right amount of palpable chemistry!

Ellie Palmer knocked it out of the park for her debut novel! 👏🏻

If you love your romcoms with a side of trauma and self discovery (al la Abby Jimenez) you will love Four Weekends and a Funeral!

I might have stayed up till 1:30 in the morning devouring this book and I am not mad about it - it was well worth the sleepless night!

Pros
- top tier banter and palpable chemistry
- laugh out loud funny, Allison is hilarious
- all-star supporting cast (I need a Chelsea and Patrick book asap)
- characters that feel real
- non-romantic plot and self-discovery was A++ and almost stole the show in the second half of the book.
- BRCA representation and meaningful exploration of the topic
- grumpy, rugged, family oriented MC


Cons
- 3rd act breakup (although its a needed one)
- Timeline felt a little rushed, I would have liked if they held off on the bonking a little longer and spent more of the book getting to know each other. It went from lust to dropping the L-bomb way too fast

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a bit of a challenging review to write because there were some aspects of this book that I really liked and others that I struggled with. I really liked the premise of the book overall, but unfortunately did choose not to finish it. While I absolutely appreciate the incorporation of Alison's experience with having a double-mastectomy BRCA1 and subsequent cancer screenings after, it added a layer of heaviness to the story that I was not expecting. I knew this was a component when I picked this up, but I didn't anticipate how much it would play a part in the story. As someone dealing with their own health issues, I was hoping that this experience of hers might add a layer of comfort and representation to the novel, but ultimately, I found that I just didn't have the capacity for it. Although this was an aspect of the book that I struggled with and what led me to not finish the book, I absolutely believe that this story line would be a strength for some readers. I imagine that Alison's experience with being a BRCA1 carrier would likely provide a level of complexity that some readers would enjoy and maybe even feel seen reading.

This is definitely a book that I could see myself coming back to but, for now--this isn't the right time for this one.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Four Weekends and a Funeral
Ellie Palmer
Pub: 8/6
4.5 ☆

A must read debut!!

I love books set in MN and even more so when written by MN authors. Ellie Palmer absolutely delivered with her debut! This was so packed full of Minnesota it had me smiling so hard.

I unintentionally devoured it in a day and loved every minute. Alison and Adam’s story was such a beautiful mix of sweet, sad, serious, and swoony moments.Ellie did such a wonderful job tackling heavier subject matter while keeping the overall story lighthearted and chalk full of feels.

The last chapter was the literal definition of AWWWW! I did not see that coming and loved it so much.

What I loved;
✨ Enemies To Lovers
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ LOL Banter
✨ MN Setting
✨ Trivia Crew

P.S. Thank you Ellie for giving us an Alison with one L! We are so rare. 😊

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When her most recent ex dies, Alison goes to his funeral to pay her respects. What she doesn't expect is for everyone to think they were still together at the time of his death. After the funeral, his mother asks her and his best friend, Adam to clean out his apartment.

I LOVED this book so much. Here's what I loved ;

The humor: It was top notch in this book. Alison and Adam, along with all of the side characters cracked me up. I loved the trivia nights!

Alison and Adam: These two are a perfect match. Their chemistry is off the charts. He's grumpy and she's a secret introvert. Together, they just work.

Alison's journey: Man, does she have an emotional journey. From her coming to terms with her BRCA 1 gene to her relationship with her mom...she goes through so much. But she's incredibly strong.

This is a top read of the year for me, hands down!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Four Weekends and a Funeral has a lot going for it: banter, humor, vulnerable characters who are trying to balance expectations and their true selves, superb secondary characters, and real-life issues.
Alison is endearing. It's impossible to not empathise with her. She's a people-pleaser who needs to make people feel comfortable under any circumstances, and is trying to find her footing after her diagnosis and double mastectomy. I loved getting an insight into her struggles (I hope this doesn't sound morbid or creepy), and seeing how things that are usually taken for granted held so much meaning and importance to her.
Adam was a gem. He's also dealing with the grief of losing his friend, while falling for Alison, and all of it through his struggles of going for what he wants.
Adam and Alison's growing relationship from near strangers to friendship, to more, was a beautiful story.
One of the things that I appreciate in a good book is the humor (I have so many funny moments highlighted!). The author's dry wit and tongue in cheek humor shines beautifully through this book. And great banter, too!
Four Weekends and a Funeral was a touching story. It is so much more than what my review details, and is one to be added to everyone's TBR.
Stunning debut by Ellie Palmer!