I really enjoyed this book! I found myself laughing out loud A LOT and got teary eyed a few times. I loved Adam and Al equally and enjoyed their banter.

While I found this book funny I did not feel myself being pulled in, I often had to force myself to pick this book up just to finish it before the review deadline. While this book did sound like it was right up my alley it fell short of my expectations

"Four Weekends and a Funeral" was a beautiful new take on the traditional "Hallmark" (iykyk) romance story. The deeply vulnerable inclusion of Ellie Palmer's own experience with the BRCA 1 mutation added a new level to the story that made the romance between Adam and Ali hit even harder. I absolutely adored the way in which the story maintained real emotion, while also giving the reader the lighthearted joy that one expects from Hallmark romance. I absolutely loved the atypical representation that this storyline brought and I found it beautiful that Ellie Palmer used her own experience and heart to discuss this incredibly unique perspective of someone living with BRCA 1.

On another note! I absolutely adored the grumpy/sunshine trope between Adam and Ali. Their connection bursted off the page and thought that Ellie Palmer's subliminal inclusion of romance movie quotes/homages truly added a special little sprinkle to their love story. Also, as a fellow Twin Cities resident (Go Gophers!), I loved the little Minnesota moments! Minnesota is not often portrayed in the fiction (let alone, romance) genre, so I was so excited to see some authentic portrayals of MN!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am so glad I was offered an ARC! So excited to see what's next for Ellie Palmer!

3.5 stars. Aww! This was so sweet. And very informative about recovery from double mastectomy and BRCA 1. Alison gets guilted into pretending to still have been in a relationship with her now deceased ex-boyfriend. His best friend, Adam, is a curmudgeon (my favorite) and a perfect match for Alison. A lovely grumpy/sunshine dynamic. They spend their weekends cleaning the deceased's apartment and bonding. Some really smart, funny dialog and best friend characters that are a hoot. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer 💓

Honest Arc Review!

Let me just say, I loved the representation behind this. It was amazing for the author to use her talents to represent breast cancer and carriers of the BRCA1 mutation. I also LOVED the characters and their stories. Adam and Alison were adorable and I the grumpy/sunshine was well portrayed.

That being said I found it very slow moving. I got a bit bored when Adam and Alison weren’t together. Like when she was at work or with her friends, I found myself eager to skip through until they were together again. Also, I feel like mentioning a lot of movies tends to limit your reader. I find myself an avid movie-lover (mainly horror and action) but I had to look up a lot of the romance ones mentioned to understand what the characters were talking about.

It was a good book, but I probably won’t read it again.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
N/A spice
4.5/5 Comprehensible ✍🏽✍🏽✍🏽✍🏽.5

Genre - Romance

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!