Ali goes to the funeral for her ex- boyfriend (they dated very briefly) and found that his family still thinks that they were together at the time of the death. Ali navigates helping his family after his death, while also navigating what it means to live your best life. Ali was diagnosed as a BRCA 1 carrier and post elective mastectomy is figuring out what that means for her – she decides to be more adventurous. She meets Sam who is an outdoor influencer and dates him for six months and then breaks up. Sam dies in a car accident and when she goes to the funeral she finds that his family still thinks that they were together at the time of the death. Ali navigates helping his family after his death, while also navigating what it means to live your best (authentic) life.

I thought this book was cute but also touched on some pretty tough topics. Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

This is a standard romcom, not quite "meet cute" (is a funeral ever a good place for that?) but in all other respects it follows the genre's format. Readers should definitely be aware that Our Heroine, Alison is a post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and there's a. lot. about what that means (both in terms of her reconstructive surgery and the question of removing her ovaries) and the idea Al has that post-surgery she should want to live her best life. In best romcom tradition, that question/quest has led to the set-up for the reason why Alison is at the funeral, but for those of us reading, it can lead to some self-reflection in terms of "what <i>is</i> living your best life/being the best version of yourself?" and how much that response could be influenced by others.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Ellie Palmer for an ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral. What an irresistibly cute book! I loved the humor, banter, the tenderness of subjects, and all the rom-com references. I had a smile on my face for most of the book and it was so easy and fun to read. I felt like I could relate to Alison for parts of the people pleasing aspects and the awkward silence filling - so I felt a strong connection with her. I wouldn’t say this is a tear-jerker, but it’s definitely a feel good rom-com.

Alison Mullally, a thirty year old post-double mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier, is attending her (ex) boyfriend’s funeral. Except no one knows that she is his ex. Sam seemed to forget to mention that detail before his death, so she’s still his current girlfriend. Alison plays along with the story and says she can help clear out his apartment. Sam’s best friend, Adam, also volunteers to help clean out his apartment. Adam isn’t too excited Alison is helping and barely responds to Alison when she’s talking to him. Alison can’t stand that he doesn’t like her and will go to any length to get on his good side. They have four weekends together to finish getting Sam’s apartment in order, but it ends up turning into an odd friendship. This story goes deeply into grief, guilt, finding your way in the world, and how to put yourself first. Deeply moving and a perfect rom-com you didn’t know you needed.

When your not-so-serious ex-boyfriend dies, it’s sad. But when your not-so-serious ex-boyfriend dies and his entire family still thinks you two were together, it gets weird. Add in being tasked with cleaning out his condo with his grumpy best friend and it becomes completely absurd. That’s what happens to Alison Mullally. At least she only has to spend four weekends putting up with the North Shore Grump, Adam Berg… right?

This book was so cute! I loved the premise, loved the grumpy/sunshine (somewhat sunshine??), the side characters, the fake dating dilemma… all of it. The burn was slow and long and good and I ate up every second of it.

Definitely a top read of 2024. Thank you to Putnam, Ellie Palmer, and NetGalley for the eARC!

I loved this book so much. Adam and Allison were the perfect opposites. I loved reading them forced together and slowly developing feelings. Add in the complication Allison is supposed to be the girlfriend of a dead guy, and there is tons of drama bound to take place. The tension was so strong and was so good when they finally got together. While I am usually not a fan of medical things in books, I thought it was handled in a raw and good way.

Thank you so much to Putnam for the ARC!

OKAY BUT THIS WAS SO CUTE! I'm so picky about romance books, especially contemporary romance, but I was SO surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! I'm OBSESSED with the fact that this was a debut and also blown away to learn about the similarities between the main character in the book and the author, Ellie Palmer. Both are carriers of the BRCA1 mutation, which is a gene that can increase the risk of developing certain cancers, including breast cancer. This was something I have never heard of before and felt the book did such a great job educating the reader about it.

As a Wisconsinite, I also loved that the book takes place in Minnesota (close enough) and references the Packers and a few other Wisconsin things. The Midwest vibes were strong and I was here for it the whole time.

I think the whole concept of this book is genius. Alison is attending the funeral for her recent ex-boyfriend, Adam, who died shortly after ending their relationship. The only problem is that he failed to tell everyone of their break-up and Alison is forced to play the part of grieving girlfriend at the funeral, what's it going to hurt? But before she knows it, the lie has gone further than she ever intended and telling the truth now could be potentially harmful and hurtful to many.

Oh and did I mention that she is forced to spend A LOT of time with her dead ex-boyfriend's best friend who she may also be falling for? What could go wrong?

Overall, this was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed! The only reason it's 4 stars is because the last little bit seemed to drag on after things were mostly resolving and seemed like forced conflict to me. Definitely still recommend!

This will be available on August 6th!

First thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Allison dated Sam for a while and broke up and were trying to be friends. However he passed away before he told his friends and family that they broke up. Allison finds herself playing along as his girlfriend.

What I liked: what a great debut! Ellie Palmer wrote such a cute and deep romance. I love Allison who was not only grieving Sam but also her body. She had a preventative mastectomy because she has the brca1 gene to prevent cancer. This surgery certainly changed her perspective and she is trying to figure out how she should change her life and live now. She has a close group of friends that support and love her. During the time that she agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend, she is asked to help clean out and prepare his condo for sale. She is matched with Sam’s best friend Adam that she hasn’t met but had assumptions about. They spend several weekends doing this work while learning about each other. I love them together, they were so good together. The chemistry was there and very authentic and genuine. This is a great book and I can’t wait to read more from Ellie!

A cozy, Minnesota-based romcom that I absolutely ate up. I loved the whole premise of the story and how the relationship budded between the characters. The MCs journey with accepting the dealing with a potentially for breast cancer was really eyeopening and her journey to accepting who she is and what she wants is really inspiring. Overall really loved the characters and the prose of this story.

Good, not great. That’s how this book was for me. The premise sounded right up my alley and I heard that it was closed door/fade to black, which is my preferred spice level in romance.

What I liked:
* I loved the representation of Alison’s character and her health struggles. I hope to see that in more novels in the future.
* I also loved the theme or storyline of wrestling with guilt and watching those emotions play out. I think it’s something that more people will relate to them they even realize.
* I liked the setting and the story happening over the holiday(s).

What didn’t work for me:
* Unfortunately, I just didn’t love the character of Adam. I’ve learned as I’ve started getting more into the romance genre this year, that I really have to, in a a sense, fall in love with the male love interest character and this one just wasn’t my favorite. Maybe I don’t like the grumpy x sunshine trope? Still to be determined!
* I guess to the same note, the couple together or their chemistry was just fine for me. Like I didn’t bubble over gushing with adoration, but I also didn’t absolutely hate them together. Again I’ll just say, good not great.

I would still definitely read from this author again!

This was such a cute, realistic, easy read!
This romcom has grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, best friends girl, and so much more!
While the pacing is easy to follow, the banter and sarcasm between the main characters are what make this such an entertaining book!

Alison is stuck between a rock and a hard place, knowing that the funeral she is attending is for her recent ex, but his parents don't know they'd broken up. To save his mom more heartache, his sister asks her to not talk about their break up, but when feelings begin to blossom with his best friend, the tension rises! Stuck together to clear out and fix up the deceased ex's apartment, the tension and turmoil is off the charts! This book reminds me SO much of New Girl - this is Jess and Nick, it's so fun to read!
The side characters, Allison's friends Mara and Chelsea, are also hilarious! They bring another fun layer of banter and humor to the book. They also remind me so much of the relationship I have with my three best friends form high school. I loved relating to this in the story!

Clever, witty, and totally unique! Can’t believe this was a new author! Cannot wait to see what she writes in the future!
Thank you for the arc!

I really enjoyed this one! It tied in important topics while remaining lighthearted and funny.

Alison, who is still coming to terms with her identity post- mastectomy, seeks adventure and change in her life. She finds that in Sam, that is until he dumps her and then dies. With his friends and family still thinking she’s his girlfriend she volunteers to help clean out his apartment. Only she won’t be cleaning it out alone. Adam is Sam’s best friend and he doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend four weekends together clearing out Sam and Alison slowly get to know each other. After dealing with awkward situations and snow bank mishaps, maybe their friendship is a little something more.

Four stars because I felt like the loss of Sam should have been felt a little more deeply by both Adam and Alison. Still thoroughly enjoyed it- just thought that was brushed over.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer is a heartwarming debut romance that will have you laughing out loud. The story follows a woman who finds herself in a predicament after telling a small white lie. This cozy novel is a comforting read for introverts and homebodies, exploring themes of loss, love, and self-acceptance. Join the protagonist on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth as she navigates the complexities of relationships and the importance of being true to oneself.

What a debut! I loved the romance and the medical aspects included in this book. This reminded me a lot of an Abby Jimenez book and I really enjoyed it! This book dealt a lot with themes of finding yourself and obstacles that can get in the way of being true to yourself as an adult. Alison is such a relatable character and her BRCA1 diagnosis and the effect on her was an interesting and insightful perspective. Adam is a sweet and steady MMC, but going through his own issues as it relates to achieving his goals. Their romance was authentic and I loved how she came clean to him about not really being Sam's girlfriend and opened up about her diagnosis. This was a unique romance to read and I would definitely recommend!

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL is a grumpy/sunshine romance set in the twin cities and probably one of the funniest books i've read in a while. when alison arrives at her ex-boyfriend's funeral, she's expecting to pay her respects and leave, only to find out his friends and family have no idea she was dumped. her little white lie spirals out of control and she ends up being recruited to pack up sam's apartment with his best friend, adam, also referred to as the north shore grump due to his prickly personality.

let me just say, i LOVED this book. i knew i was going to enjoy it because it was so up my alley based on everything i'd heard about it, but i was not expecting the extent of how much i would love it. i had such a good time reading it because alison was such a funny main character whose POV i loved following, and i loved the way she and adam interacted and how their feelings for each other flourished. i also felt like the themes of grief, self-love and exploration were handled really well, and i loved al's growth throughout the book.

read if you like:
- lots of midwest culture
- forced proximity
- trivia-playing besties

thanks to netgalley and putnam for the advanced copy! FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL comes out august 6.

This book was well written and had one of the more interesting premises for a rom-com, so I enjoyed that aspect. I also had so much respect for the author & her decision to give Ali a hereditary proclivity towards getting cancer. She is the first female character I’ve ever read with a mastectomy & it is the representation I hope to see more of in books. However, I couldn’t care less about Ali’s friends or her co-workers, and those scenes felt like eons. I only enjoyed the scenes between Ali and Adam until the 75% mark. Once they got together, it went downhill for me.

The spark fizzled, and then the most pointless 3rd act breakup happened. Not all romance books need a 3rd act breakup, and yet almost every single romance book inserts one.

All around, I enjoyed the first half a lot but the second half was just alright. I liked that Alison finally having the cancer resolution conversation with her mom & the final love proclamation scene was decent. Mostly, I liked that (SPOILER) Sam was secretly planning to hook up Adam & Alison all along. I still don’t like that they broke up, but all around it was a quaint read. It helps that this book had a damn near perfect opening sentence.

The character development was well done, and I found myself rooting for the main characters to find happiness and closure. The emotions felt real and raw, making the story feel authentic and relatable.

The themes of self-love, exploration, and grief were beautifully woven into the narrative, adding depth to the overall reading experience. The journey of moving on from a past relationship, dealing with guilt, and learning to love oneself was portrayed in a way that felt honest and heartfelt.

I appreciated the unique premise of the story and the way it delved into complex emotions and relationships after a death of loved one. The gradual transformation of the characters throughout the book was satisfying to witness, and the ending left me feeling hopeful and content.

Four Weekends and a Funeral was a touching and engaging read that I would recommend to those looking for a heartfelt romance with depth and emotional resonance. I look forward to exploring more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! It has a strong beginning, and a really unique premise that hooked me right away. It does slow down a bit after the midpoint, but the overall read was strong. It has a great mix of fun romance, banter, and some heavy hitting topics that add depth to the book and make it well rounded.

ARC provided by Netgalley

This book is like reading a Hallmark movie that knows it's a Hallmark movie, but there is no camp. Allison loves Christmas and Hallmark movies; she constantly references both. You'd think she'd be more self-aware that she's basically living in one (honestly, a self-aware character in a Hallmark movie would make a great horror film). I liked this book because it was like a fun rom-com, something you could read on a beach and giggle with. However, it was hard to tell what the tone of the book was. There was so much plot for a romance novel. Also, this is a closed-door romance, no spice if that's your thing.

Allison's ex-boyfriend, travel influencer Sam, dies in a car accident at the end of October. When she attends the funeral, she discovers no one knows they broke up even though it's been 6 weeks. In order to help the grieving family, she agrees to help pack up his condo with the help of his grump friend Adam. As they clean the condo, Allison and Adam get closer, you can see where the story is heading from here.

A big part of the story is Allison's super conscious of her breasts because of her reconstruction surgery. I thought this was thoughtfully done, and it was nice to see a person take charge of their future like that. She makes a very hard choice and has to deal with the after effects. I loved this storyline and how she coped with the loss of part of her body. However, I thought this, coupled with the loss of an ex and forced proximity with a hot new dude, was kind of a lot.

There were pacing and plot issues for me, but if you're looking for a quick beach read, this is a cute story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
The premise of the story was neat- having to pretend to be the girlfriend of a dead man then fall in love with his best friend. However, several themes were over-played throughout the story. It kind of felt like the story was on repeat. I did find the author tackled guilt and grief well.