4.5⭐️ rounded up
Thank you Netgalley for this arc!
I LOVED this book. I loved the characters, plot, relationship dynamics. This book had some of the most fun characters ever, i loved Alison and Adam, as well as a bunch of other animated side characters that made the book more fun. I love that this book was able to balance discussing darker themes while still being funny and light hearted. Alison was such a relatable main character, i absolutely adored her; i really saw myself in her. I enjoyed how cozy and quiet this romance was, its rare to find romances like this that i still enjoy. This book made its way into my heart and isn’t leaving anytime soon ❤️.

First I will say thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

Overall this book was ok,

The first half was very slow paced with not much happening plot wise, the main character for me was a bit annoying in terms of how she dealt with conflict and the main love interest stopped being interesting very quickly. I kept on reading hoping something remotely romantic or interesting happened and I think it was around 50% when the plot shifted gears. By that point their connection was underwhelming... I almost gave up on this one but I did reluctantly finish to see what happened. Unfortunately, it was overall a meh read for me.

What an AMAZING debut novel from Ellie Palmer. I gobbled this one up - it was original, hilarious, heartbreaking, romantic, and just absolutely lovely. I couldn't put this book down! Adam is the perfect MMC. I can't wait to see more from this author.

This story has it all.

Tragedy, comedy, love, and adventure. Enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and grumpy/sunshine. The author has the perfect execution of all the above throughout this story.

The character development, main and supporting, throughout this book is done so well and each character plays such an integral role to the plot.

I appreciate the way the author, Ellie Palmer, incorporated breast cancer and the BRCA1 gene mutation into the story and also the main characters though process and realistic way in which she makes her life choices.

A romantic comedy based in the Midwest.

Alison watched her mom battle breast cancer to later learn she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene mutation, increasing her chance of getting various cancers. Because of this she has a preventative mastectomy which later leaves her feeling inadequate to have cheated getting breast cancer.

Alison feels she has to live her life in a way very much unlike her to be “deserving” of not getting cancer. She meets Sam, he lives his life on the edge, just what Alison thinks she needs. After a few months Sam realizes Alison isn’t actually a great fit for his adventurous life and breaks up with her. Shortly after Sam dies.

At the funeral all of Sam’s friends and family seem to think Alison and Sam were very much together and Alison can’t bring herself to throw more sad news at the family so she goes along with it.
Offering to clean out Sam’s apartment she is stuck doing it with Sam’s best friend, the labeled “North Shore Grump”, Adam.

Their banter, along with forced proximity, helps a natural friendship bloom and eventually possibly more. But first Alison has to work through her insecurities, figure out the kind of life she wants and believes she is truly deserving of.

I read Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer. It’s a charming enemies to lovers romance that begins after the main female character is at the funeral of an ex-boyfriend. She’s trapped by circumstance when her ex’s family still thinks that she was in a relationship with him. She meets her ex’s best friend who is a grump when she’s around. They are thrown together in forced proximity to help clean and manage her ex’s apartment and his belongings.

Not your typical romance book. Four weekends and a Funeral has a sweet romance at its center, but there are some deeper issues as well. Illness, guilt, death, survival, all of these are a part of this story. I really enjoyed this book, I loved the setting of Minnesota. As a Midwesterner myself, I appreciate books in settings similar to mine. I enjoyed the main character of Allison as we got see her wrestle with some demons of her own and in the end coming to realize she doesn’t need to liver her life a certain way just because of the things she’s been through. Love, friendship and family save the day here. Lovely little read.

From the engaging trivia night that kept us on our toes with intriguing questions to the delightful presence of grumpy characters, every moment was filled with a perfect blend of humor and entertainment. The diversity of activities provided a well-rounded and thoroughly enjoyable experience, leaving us eagerly anticipating more of these entertaining moments. The seamless combination of steaminess and laughter made it an unforgettable and refreshing event. Highly recommended for those seeking a dynamic and fun-filled time!

When the wrong guy at the right time ends (very) badly, can the right guy at the wrong time smooth things over?

This laugh-out-loud story will have you cheering for the main characters! Recommended!

I enjoyed this rom com with a good grumpy sunshine trope! I recommend it to literally anyone who loves a rom com :)

Easily going to be one of my favorite books of 2024!! I identified with the main character, Alison, so damn much. The favorite guilt feeling, the thin mint love, and so much more.

highlights:
- main character with BRCA1 gene
- Jason Kelce love interest (my opinion!!)
- Hints of Nora Ephron
- Trivia!!
- So much depth and character development; you really feel apart of the story

Four Weekends & a Funeral has some of the typical romance tropes, but it’s refreshingly fun and so well-written. Kudos, Ellie - I cannot wait to see what you do next!!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters at times were very frustrating but the chemistry kept you sucked in.

i laughed and cried and enjoyed this so much, a super creative book that is sexy and entertaining. the characters had great chemistry and the dialogue was great and had me engaged.

Spoiler Free Arc Review: 4.25 ⭐️

This book was absolutely 90’s romcom adorable, but some seriously heavy stuff. Alison, our STRONG FMC, is a bubbly girl trying to live her life to the fullest. As a double mastectomy patient, Alison has been through a lot and has a lot of residual survivors guilt. She aims to make the most of life (even if it’s something she isn’t comfortable with), enter adventurous boyfriend Sam. Although they break up, when Sam passes, his sister begs her to pretend to be his girlfriend to appease his parents. She reluctantly agrees like the people pleaser she is. Unfortunately this simple seeming task becomes a lot more than she bargained for. Sam’s best friend Adam, a classic grump to her sunshine, isn’t buying it.

Watching Adam and Alison grow together was my favorite part of this book. Each of them needed the other to smooth out their edges and help them realize what they needed to be their authentic selves. Their banter was incredible!!

Honorable mention to two other stars of the book, Mara and Chelsea. Alison’s friends had me cackling the entire time. I felt like we really got to know them and I hope there are follow up books with them! I have never read Palmer before, but I can assure you it won’t be my last.

As a lover of romantic comedy and the grumpy/sunshine trope, I absolutely adored this and would recommend to anyone looking for a new author to check out!!

First I want to thank NetGalley for this Arc

I really enjoyed reading about Alison and Adam’s relationship. Alison meets Adam… at her ex-boyfriend funeral. They agree to pack up the ex boyfriend’s condo for his parents, so end up spending lots of time together, 4 weekends. And of course they fall for one another. This was the perfect little read, could be a hallmark movie it was so cute.
.

Thank you to @putnambooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of #FourWeekendsandaFuneral. 💓

What an absolute gem of a romance! Ellie Palmer is a Midwest romance author (and we love our Midwest gals!!) and this is her debut. But really, you’d never know it’s a debut because it was so wonderful.

Synopsis: Allison Mullally is a post-double-mastectomy BRCA1 carrier who show up to her ex-boyfriends funeral only to find everyone thinks they were still together when he passed. Not wanting to ruffle feathers, she agrees to be the grieving girlfriend for a hot sec and then never see them again. Until she agrees to pack her ex’s condo with his best friend.

Things I loved:
+ this is a romance but it’s full of grief, female friendships, overcoming fears. It’s more than a fluffy feel-good story.
+ Grumpy Adam opening up to Allison!!!
+ The chemistry between the main characters, and the extra oomph the side characters brought.
+ pop culture references galore! But not like too many. And they were so well done!
+ Extra special was all the Minnesota references 💓

This is a special rom-com that you must add to your TBR!

Alison has the unfortunate duty to pretend that her former lover, now dead, never broke up with her six weeks prior. A cloak - and - dagger funeral. Foolish promises and foolish deals.

Her former lover's mother insisting Alison pick the "special" things her son once owned. Adam, insisting to be the one to do it. I will say, I love the fake dating trope. This has to be my first one where one of the people in the fake dating is very much dead.

A snow drift. Doctor's appointments. Feelings flourishing. Cancer genetic calls. Bonding. A happy sad salad. A forgotten sandwich. Hallmark Christmas movies.

Trivia night. Mara, Chels. Sweet vulnerability. Trying to be deserving after being genetically prone to cancer but bypassing it anyway. Trying to be worthy of life everyday.

The subjects in this book are heavy. Even Adam, fearful of actually working towards his dream, is just as scary. I put off so much in fear that I will not perform well, but then I'll never know if I could've succeeded.

Loved this novel. The psychological stress and worry and genuine fear. Scary relationships and feelings and almost and ifs. But, finally, we readers get "happy ever after". 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

This was a delightful book! If you like rom-coms and closed door romances, a grumpy-sunshine set up with forced proximity, this should be your next read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and then I found out it's her debut novel! Ellie Palmer, you're one to watch.

Alison goes to her ex-boyfriend's funeral and quickly finds out that few people knew they broke up. His sister asks Alison to go along with it, and she does--to the point where she even volunteers to clean out his apartment with his best friend Adam. Alison is not your typical sunshine, ans she's reeling with survivor's guilt for "cheating" cancer by getting a double mastectomy due to having the BRCA gene. Adam is literally a hot carpenter (and yes, there are a few jokes about how Hallmark movie that makes him) but he's multifaceted and complex. The two of them spend several weekends together getting to know one another and struggling with the attraction. It's a fantastic slow burn. Alison's two best friends are fun--I hope Ellie Palmer writes their stories, too--and the book reminded me a lot of Katherine Center's books. There's a bigger story here than just falling in love. It's about finding yourself, dealing with survivor's guilt, and figuring out what your best self looks like. It's a lot of fun. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group PUTNAM for this ARC.

So I know that this book has a publication date several months out, but I hyperfixated a bit after seeing Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer on a list by MPR (https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/02/14/meet-6-local-authors-with-romance-novels-set-in-minnesota) about books set in Minnesota. The article was highlighting books written by local authors, and I'm a sucker for supporting local authors.

I really love reading books by local authors because it's so much easier sometimes to see what they're describing. It was really cool to see bits of our local area making an appearance in a book that people across the country are going to read. The book explores themes of grief, struggling with the fall out of a medical diagnosis, family, identity, and relationships. Alison Mullaly in her 30s finds out that she has the BRCA 1 gene, resulting in her making the decision to have a double mastectomy. We discover that she and her boyfriend were broken up, and while at his funeral, most people have no clue they broke up and are treating her as if she was still in a relationship with him. She's encouraged to keep up the facade by the ex-boyfriend's sister, and it cascades from there.

I really love how the writing in this book made me feel what the character was feeling. I may have had "allergies" a few times through the book. I also really like how the the struggle with knowing you have a potentially deadly gene, and how the main character copes with it and her actions, was written. I've known people with cancer at all stages of life, from childhood, to early adulthood, to solidly in adulthood, to the elderly. When people say "cancer," most of the stereotypes that come to mind are not adults in their 30s. I was glad to see representation of someone in her 30s who doesn't have cancer, but has to make radical life changes to potentially avoid cancer down the road. There's so much I could say about the book, and I really would love a book like this for book club. I'd re-read it for that, 100%. I'm not sure how much sway I have in the book club I'm part of, but I really enjoyed the book. I'll probably end up picking up a copy, as sometimes the electronic version just isn't sufficient. I'm really hoping closer to there is a launch event of some kind, because I would love to hear more from the author. I know I focused on one small aspect of this book, and duh the romance is there, humor, tension between characters, navigating losing someone, and a whole lot of other things, but this is really what stuck with me. I really appreciated the attention the author brought to this specific scenario that people may find themselves in.

Please be advised I received an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic book and I'm so excited for the rest of the world to read it!

As a quick summary, Alison is a post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and is pursuing the big life she got the 'second-chance' to live. When she arrives at her ex-boyfriend's Sam's funeral, she quickly finds herself playing the role of the grieving girlfrined...because no one knows that Sam broke up with her. Partnered with his Grumpy North Shore best friend Adam to pack up Sam's apartment, Alison finds herself forming a friendship with the grump and what she thought she should be doing is quickly put to the test.

Ellie Palmer's writing is smart, funny, and swoony. It's a little bit of a love letter to the midwest and a lot a bit a beautiful story on allowing yourself to be yourself, without always chasing what you think you should be. Palmer's tender representaion of survivor guilt, the many ways to lose and grieve, this was a wonderful read full of witty banter, forearms, and heart.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This book isn't about Valentine's Day and it's not even out until August, but the premise and setting drew me in and I couldn't stop reading. It's about survivor's guilt and wanting to be the best version of yourself. And it's about how being true to your authentic self *is* the best you. Because it's the real you.

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL by Ellie Palmer is a sweet romance about Allison, whose deceased ex-boyfriend's family thinks he was still dating when he passed. She's a people pleaser so she ends up going along with it, and getting stuck cleaning out his place with his best friend, the North Shore Grump. The story is set in Minnesota, where I grew up, so that was fun. Forced proximity and sexy grumps (who don't like a lot of things, but like *you*) are where it's at. Regretfully this was closed door, but it's still cute and the slowly burning developing relationship is well done.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC. Get it August 6, 2024.

#romance #romancereviews #bookrecommendations #forcedproximity #sexygrumps #MinnesotaRomance #bookreviews #closeddoorromance