Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This book was very slow in some parts; I also thought the main characters were slightly annoying.
I just think that I had higher hopes for this book; overall, not for me.

What I loved about this book:
- The chemistry & banter were near perfection. Adam & Ali were absolutely made for each other.
- Adam in general. Swoon. This is my type of guy: quiet, a little gruff, dry sense of humor, but caring and sensitive underneath it all.
- This is such a small thing, but I love when MC’s have realistic career choices. (It’s tiring, reading about so many hockey players and bakers.)
- The handling of tough topics, such as Allison’s BRCA 1 journey, grief, and guilt are all handled well
- Love all of the side characters, especially Allison’s friends
- 90’s rom-com, While You Were Sleeping vibes
- The ending was one of my recent faves 😍 Adam & Ali were always meant to be.

What didn’t quite work:
- Only one complaint, and that’s my frustration at Allison for taking so long to realize she’s forcing herself to be someone she’s not

⭐️ - 4.5 (rounded to 5)
🌶️ - 2.5

Forced Proximity, Enemies (to Friends) to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine

Thanks to NetGalley for supplying this advanced reader copy. I look forward to buying the book when it comes out.

Very cute and funny story. It deals with somewhat heavy themes, but with lightness, it talks
about premature death, mourning, cancer, but despite the challenging themes, the love story stands out and makes you melt.
Adam and Ali meet in a decidedly unusual way, at a funeral. But it's not just any funeral, it's the funeral of Sam,
Ali's ex-boyfriend and Adam's best friend.
Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for giving me the chance to preview this book.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is a classic grumpy-sunshine romance with one of my favorite tropes: forced proximity. Alison attends the funeral of her ex-boyfriend turned friend only to learn that he never told his family and friends that they broke up. Playing the part of the grieving girlfriend, Alison offers to help Adam, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend, clean out the apartment and get it ready to sell. Alison and Adam are pushed together through their decluttering, packing, painting, and more, and their chemistry cannot be denied.

These two are a classic opposites attract pair, even beyond their grumpiness and sunshine. Alison talks nonstop and wants her life to be a Hallmark movie - she loves all things Christmas. Adam can barely string two words together, and finds Alison’s listening to Christmas music in November to be offensive. But, of course, they realize that they’re right for each other in all the necessary ways.

One of the things that I felt was very well done in this book was Alison’s grappling with her BRCA1 diagnosis and subsequent preventative double mastectomy. I learned in the author’s bio that she herself has the BRCA1 mutation, which is perhaps why Alison’s emotions over her own diagnosis came across as so real. This entire situation, especially the guilt that Alison feels at having “cheated” cancer, was perfectly conveyed - and so utterly heartbreaking and yet relatable even for someone who hasn’t been through this.

Overall, I really liked Four Weekends and a Funeral, but I never really got lost in it. I kept being pulled out of the world for some reason - repetitive word choice, irritation with Alison’s inability to recognize that you can’t force yourself to like something just because you think you should, or having to look up a reference I didn’t connect. However, I did find it to be a very enjoyable read. I would absolutely recommend Four Weekends and a Funeral to fans of grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, or 90s era rom-coms.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

This book was simply amazing.

Alison is dealing with having a second chance at living life after a mastectomy since she tested positive for the BRCA gene. She recently broke up with her boyfriend, who ends up passing not long after. His family is unaware of the breakup, so she plays the role of the grieving girlfriend to help them get through this difficult time. She agrees to help clean out his apartment with his grumpy best friend. The bond that these two characters is simply amazing. The witty banter and undeniable chemistry makes this book such an easy and great read.

I loved how this book touched on so many real life health issues in realistic ways. The way Alison faces all of her issues with grace and positivity was so refreshing.

This was my first Ellie Palmer book and definitely wont be my last! I definitely recommend picking this up once it releases!


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this book!

this was okay but nothing extraordinary. look, as someone who is a romanstasy reader first, contemporary romance reader second, i can sometimes struggle with the plots in contemporary romance books. romanstasy books generally have lots of plot and romance to balance each other out so that it doesnt reach a lull in the story like contemporary romance novels can. unfortunately, i feel like there was not enough romantic tension and excitement that i find necessary in a romance book. sure, the plot focused on our main characters’ growth and we did get to see that, but it all fell a little flat for me. i think the concept of this book is interesting and it was relatively good, but it did not wow me. for those who are perhaps fans more of contemporary romance and less drawn to the fantasy realm, this book would likely tick more boxes for you. i do think my personal preferences make it harder for me to enjoy contemporary romances for what they are. also, of note, there is no smut or anything which is fine but again, i did not feel like there was enough tension and relationship chemistry to justify that choice. i think some smut can help bring the romance to a climax (pun intended) and help pick it up if it is lacking in other areas of romance.

thank you to netgalley and putnam for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review! while this wasn’t totally my cup of tea, i do think this book would appeal to lots of readers.

review posted on goodreads!

4.5/5 stars

"Thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker 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 girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . .

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was an amazing debut novel. It is a romance book but it wayyy more than that. It is filled with grief, heartbreak, finding yourself, overcoming fears and standing up for who you truly are.

The enemies to lovers, forced proximity, friendship to lovers and mutual grief over a friend and ex-boyfriend.

I fell in love with Adam's character and the way he opened up to Ali and the line that gets me is 'I'm seeing a therapist.' As someone who is a huge advocate for mental health, I loved the representation in this book and how they both had to grow as people before they could continue their relationship.

The banter, the MN references, character growth, chemistry, family dynamics, trivia nights and the side characters made this book one I will remember for a long time. I can not wait to read what Ellie Palmer reads next. I'd highly recommend this book and have the tissues ready for the emotions and be ready to laugh with the banter!!

This book was too many themes and side plots in one story and ultimately it just dragged for me. The themes of grief/cancer and then the side plots of friends trivia group, it just never came together for me. There wasn’t any feeling of angst or longing between the two protagonists-more like just have a conversation and figure it out. I did enjoy the meaningful discussion about making a life worth living for yourself and not what you think it should look like for everyone else but even that point was so dragged out it almost got lost in the subplots.

I was sold on this book from the moment the deal was announced! The premise is so fresh and hook-y, and I am a total sucker for anything with 90s rom-com/WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING vibes. From its incredible first line to its sweet epilogue, I enjoyed the ride with Alison, whose nervous babbling and people pleasing felt so relatable, and Adam, the North Shore Grump (who is actually an adorable softie). Prominent themes of grief, self-discovery, and self-acceptance add lovely depth to this very funny, very charming romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

Finding love in an unlikely situation gets me every time. I flew through this rom com and loved each character and their quirks. I found myself smiling at the witty banter and rooting for the couple. Trigger warning- breast cancer, hereditary breast cancer. Breast cancer isn’t the story but it’s discussed frequently.)

The story was cute, but it moved much too slow for my taste. A slow build up for a romance is good, but this seemed too long. And the third act break-up could have been handled with a conversation between the two main characters.

This was a FANTASTIC debut by Ellie Palmer and I am positively giddy with excitement over it! I want to shout about it from the rooftops!!

Alison shows up to her ex-boyfriend’s funeral only to learn that he never told his family they’d broken up. In an attempt to make things a little easier for his family, she feigns the role of heartbroken girlfriend and later agrees to pack up his apartment alongside his best friend Adam. Obviously they fall in love.

What makes ‘Four Weekends and a Funeral’ an absolute knockout, though, is that Alison had previously undergone a preventative double mastectomy after learning she was a BRCA1 carrier, which greatly heightened her chances to develop breast and ovarian cancer. Her reconstructive surgery still leaves her sometimes feeling unfeminine, but she also feels incredibly guilty over “cheating” death. I’d never read any romance book that talked about this before, and I really appreciate that the author drew on her own experience as a BRCA1 carrier when writing Alison’s story.

Additionally, ‘Four Weekends and a Funeral’ was classic 2000s romcom to its core!!! I feel like a lot of romance books are so cutesy it leans into cheesy territory, but I was squealing over this and burying my face in my pillow the whole book. I could totally picture this as a major motion picture.

I’ve talked this book up to anyone who will let me prattle on about it, and one of my friends has already put in a request with her library to make sure they preorder copies. I truly can’t stop thinking about how adorable this was. Ugh I just loved it.

Overall, this was a wonderful debut and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more books from Ellie Palmer!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my review.

Cute enemies to lovers trope. There’s a will they or won’t they vibe throughout. Likable characters. Did it blow me away? No. But I still enjoyed it throughout.

Bee: This story was so adorable. It was a whole new level of fake dating and I was here for it. There was so much personal growth between both the FMC and MMC that I was so happy with them individually and together. There was so much focus on Ali’s diagnosis that you really feel for her and how her mind worked in every situation she was in. I was also sooo happy that both Ali & Adam had the hard conversations. The were able to communicate with each other. So great to see awareness of the BRCA1 gene and also heavy grief navigation.

Nik: This was such an interesting book. Fake dating your dead ex? Falling in love with your ex’s best friend while cleaning out his apartment? Learning to love yourself and accept happiness? Check, check and check. I loved all the side characters and their personalities. Loved how much attention was paid to and how strong the family bonds were for both MC’s. The growth and resolution for Ali & Adam felt so natural and well done. Adam was so patient and loving in his own way. He was my absolute favorite. I loved how much awareness and how the author gave the reality of having the BRCA1 gene and the aftermath of that. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to Putnam Books and NetGalley for giving me the chance to preview this book. The protagonist is Alison, we meet her for the first time in a somewhat particular situation, she is at the funeral of her ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately the situation gets out of hand, and when she realizes that none of his family knows that she has been left by Sam weeks ago, she doesn't feel like contradicting them. She is therefore introduced to everyone as 'Sam's girlfriend'. It is precisely at her funeral that she decides to help Sam's best friend, Adam, empty her ex's apartment. What initially appears to be a grumpy and hateful man turns out to be a kind and caring soul, and there is everything but hatred on his part. The story touches on very important themes, and this was a very pro point in the story, what I didn't like, and what made me lower my rating a bit was how Ali was literally obsessed with wanting to do things that she doesn't really love. Adam on the other hand, is stuck and can't move forward in his life, he can't make serious commitments and important decisions. Then I found his fixation on Patagonia very boring, as if he wanted to decide for her. Just stop man!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

PERFECTION! I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Laughed my way through the entire book, literally from the first line (and what a great opening line). Six weeks into the new year and I know this will be in my top 5 for 2024. Alison and Adam are phenomenal characters who show such growth throughout the story. I definitely had a "While You Were Sleeping" Bill Pullman vibe from Adam. Probably more to do with the furniture making, but still. I loved that he had a wonderful relationship with his sister and her family - I wish we had seen more of them - and the strong friendship of Alison, Mara and Chelsea was so real. The conflict/breakup scene also felt real, and the trivia night ending was *chef's kiss* perfect. I read so much that I rarely re-read, but I definitely need to own this one. Worth 10 stars.

Alison’s life has revolved around cancer and being a BRCA 1 carrier for a long time. After getting a preventative mastectomy procedure she is determined more than ever to live life to the fullest. Although it seems even an adventure influencer ex-boyfriend Sam can’t even help Alison, especially when he unexpectedly dies while on a trip. At the funeral Alison is asked to pretend to still be Sam’s girlfriend for his parent’s sake even though they were broken up before his accident. To make things worse Alison volunteers to help clean out Sam’s apartment and get it ready to sell with his grumpy best friend Adam. They have four weekends to get it done. Alison doesn’t know how to break the ice with Adam who barely talks to her at first. Each weekend Alison and Adam slowly learn more about each other and reveal their personal struggles. When their attraction finally comes to a head difficult decisions must be made. Will things last longer than just four weekends?

This book has so much depth, and is more than just a romance. The characters are dealing with grief and deciding how they want to live their lives while falling in love. I also loved the Minnesota setting! There is something each reader can take away from this book!

An excellent debut from a talented author! I thoroughly enjoyed Alison and Adam’s story, as well as the well-rounded cast of secondary characters. Every person had their own individual personality and backstory, and it felt like they all seamlessly flowed together over the course of the events in the novel.

After meeting at the funeral of her ex-boyfriend, Sam, Alison and Sam’s best friend, Adam, volunteer to clean up Sam’s apartment and get it ready to sell. What starts out as a gesture of goodwill to assuage the guilt that each of them is carrying soon turns into a romantic relationship that neither of them planned for.

I especially appreciated that, for the most part, Adam and Alison dealt with conflict in a way that felt mature and realistic, unlike some novels that rely on drama and immaturity to create issues among their characters. They each carry their own baggage surrounding their relationship with Sam, and watching their individual journeys towards personal growth and acceptance of his death made their eventual romantic relationship that much sweeter. It’s rare to read a romance novel where it feels like the characters actually earned their relationship by putting in the work, but that’s exactly what Palmer manages to portray with Adam and Alison!

I think anyone who’s lost a person close to them will resonate with the larger themes here: navigating family relationships after loss, finding love at the wrong time, and the big question of “why am I here, and what’s my purpose?” Palmer does an excellent job of addressing these questions with care, and creates memorable characters in the process. I look forward to reading future books from Ellie Palmer!

This one is for fans of:
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
- Quippy Dialogue

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters have a miscommunication, but I understood the character's reason for it and didn't get annoyed like I tend to do when it's drawn out. This is my first book by the author and I will be looking to read more by her!

My first book from Ellie Palmer. Alison and Adam are connected by the death of Sam- Adam’s best friend and Alison’s ex. A misunderstanding leads to the two of them cleaning out Sam’s condo after his sudden and unexpected death.

I really liked the chemistry between these two. They were clearly a good match. Throughout the novel, I felt like this was a 4 star read. But as I got closer to finishing, I got tired of Alison and her complete inability to be herself. I love a good find yourself story but this just went on too long. It needed some serious editing to the storyline to streamline her journey a bit. She just got to be a little too whiny for me.

Overall, and enjoyable read and a solid 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.