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

As most would do, when Alison's ex-boyfriend tragically dies she attends his funeral to pay her respects. What she didn't expect was that his entire family thought they were still together. As she's about to clear up this misunderstanding, his sister begs her to go along with it to make his parents happy. Being a people pleaser, Alison obliges. What she didn't expect was that this would rope her into clearing out the ex's condo with his best friend.

Four Weekends and a Funeral follows the story of Alison and Adam as they struggle to come to terms with their own grief and developing love for one another. I found this book so relatable and understandable, being a people pleaser myself. The MCs are so lovable that you can't help rooting for the North Shore Grump and SamsGF. Their journey through their grief is so palpable and raw. I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Absolutely adored this book!

Alison and Adam’s relationship is the cutest 💜

The story follows Alison who was diagnosed with the BRCA-1 gene mutation and underwent a preventative double mastectomy who meets Adam @ her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral. They agree to pack up Sam’s condo for his parents together. After four weekends of spending time with each other they can’t help, but fall for each other.

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc.

Stars: 4.5
Ratings PG

Perfect if you like:

Grumpy Sunshine
Somewhat mistaken identities
The best group of girlfriends
Great humor mixed in with serious topics
Hallmark movies and pub quizzes
Emily Henry and Kerry Winfrey

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book, ahh it was just what I needed after a bit of reading slump. Well not a slump exactly, I was just feeling like it was hard for me to fall in love with fictional characters lately. But then along comes Ellie Palmer and I was laughing and smiling and sighing. This is the best kind of fiction - when you are fully immersed in the lives of the characters on the page and you wish you could be part of their quiz group. The storytelling was slyly funny (my favorite) and sweetly touching (also my favorite). This is Ellie Palmer’s debut but I am sure this is going to be on all the Summer Book Lists (it comes out in August). It has that same feel as an Emily Henry novel, the romance is central to the story, but there is depth and true growth for the characters. You will definitely want to put this one on your TBR.

The book opens with Alison at the funeral of her ex-boyfriend. Sam died in a car accident and he never got around to mentioning to everyone that he and Alison had broken up a few months prior. Instead his bereaved family think they are still together. And somehow Alison gets roped into cleaning out Sam’s condo with his best friend, the grumpiest carpenter around, Adam Berg. For the next four weekends they will be going through Sam’s stuff and do small projects so that the condo can be sold in a month. And during that time these two will learn a lot about themselves and manage to fall in love.

There is a bit of a twist here, Alison is not just some thirty something trying to figure out her life and feeling a bit adrift. Her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years before the story starts and Alison and her sister are tested for the BRCA 1 gene, the genetic carrier for the disease. Alison tested positive and had a preventative mastectomy. After feeling like she has cheated death by greatly reducing her chances of getting cancer, she feels like she must “live her best life.” Which is what attracted her to Sam and his embrace of all things outdoorsy and adventurous. But Alison struggles with trying to make herself be something she isn’t because of the guilt she feels. There are plenty of romances where people suffer from survivor's guilt but experiencing it through Alison allows the reader to begin to understand how hard it must be to know that your body can betray you in so many different organs while you struggle to figure out how much to let this knowledge determine how you view the life you live.

Seriously, I couldn’t read this book fast enough but I DIDN”T WANT IT TO END. I wanted more Alison and Adam, more Chelsea and Mara, even more Patrick and Russell. I want all their stories now!

Ellie Palmer's debut novel was an absolute delight.

Palmer manages to draw you into her contemporary romance world with lovable characters, a ridiculous premise, and a love story that had me blushing and giggling (seriously, I am obsessed with Adam Berg and everyone who reads this will be too).

A few things that I absolutely adored: The main characters had normal jobs! Alison loves trains! And she doesn't want a promotion! Contentment is a hard thing to come by in romance novels (or any novel, or life) but Palmer articulates it so well. And Adam (sweet, sweet Adam) is MY north shore grump. I pictured him as Adam Brody the whole time and that was an excellent visual.

Both characters were so normal and unique at the same time, which was refreshing and made the story all the more sweet. I loved how real they felt, and the pop culture references were silly and fun and I understood them all.

Overall, the story was sweet, the conflict was minimal (in the BEST way), and it just made me feel cozy and happy. I would've read another 100 pages of Alison and Adam. Also, Patrick & Chelsea love story WHEN?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Four Weekends and a Funeral starts with the main character, Alison, attending her ex-boyfriend’s funeral. Right away she realizes that her ex, Sam, hadn’t told anyone about the breakup. As a favor to the family, Alison agrees to help pack up Sam’s apartment with his best friend, Adam. At first, the two can’t stand each other but slowly as they spend time together getting Sam’s apartment ready to sell they realize they might be perfect for each other… if only Adam didn’t think that Sam and Alison were still happily dating when Sam died.

There were many things I enjoyed about this book. The concept was well-executed and genuinely funny. The banter between Alison and Adam was excellent and watching their tenuous friendship turn romantic gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. The tension between them and their chemistry was well developed. I loved the exploration of Alison’s journey being a BRCA1 carrier. I appreciated that her friends were well-fleshed-out characters and the way they supported each other even when they disagreed. I found myself highlighting both passages that made me laugh and that were particularly relatable.

My only critique is that the four weekends they spent cleaning out Sam’s apartment ended about halfway through the book and I felt that caused the story to slow down for a bit. Overall I thought this book was heartwarming, thought-provoking, and funny and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Ali has a lot going on in her life already, and pretending to have still been in a relationship with Sam before he passed was not going to help. Sure, she did it to help his family grieve and help his oldest friend, Adam, clear out his home- but how would that solve her worries? Between her mother constantly talking about her health risks, her coworkers encouraging a promotion that she wouldn’t enjoy, and the overall feeling that her life as grand as it is meant to, she longs for clarity. Adam quickly goes from enemy to friend to crush and he provides an outside perspective that she has been searching for. They become each other’s favorite person, and show us how to change for the better.

I wasn't sure going into this one. An ex-girlfriend lying to her dead boyfriend’s family about their break up. How do you get a romance out of that premise?
But we absolutely did. This was so sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. Our female main character, Alison, is also dealing with health issues. All of this leads to a lot of feelings of guilt, fear and grief for many of the characters.
This is a slow burn, forced proximity, forbidden romance that hit all the feels. I love how it all came together in the end.

Steamy, but closed door.

Healthy female friendships "hey, let's not compare our problems", a caring FMC who just wants to help her ex-boyfriend's family grieve by not letting them know they were broken up, and seeing a MMC exhibit emotions other than anger or confusion? She managed to take all of the best rom com tropes and make sure to explicitly address all of the common pitfalls, and she did it WELL. This was such an emotional but enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral.

Allison arrives at her ex-boyfriend, Sam’s funeral to find out his family believes they’re still dating. There she meets Adam, his grumpy friend who seems to hate her. The two are tasked with getting Sam’s condo ready to sell, if they can survive four weekends.

I adored this book. It’s the perfect mix of forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers, and grumpy/sunshine. The banter is great, the side characters are great, everything in this book is just done so well. If you’re a fan of Abby Jimenez you’ll love this.

I. Loved. This. Book.

Sam and Ali in their shared complicated grief go down this bizarre road of family of their deceased friend/ex boyfriend. It is funny, endearing and I learned so much about BRCA 1. Ali’s journey with the BRCA 1 gene was so eye opening as well. All of Ali’s friends were so fun and relatable too. It was truly a joy to read this book! Thanks to NetGalley and Pengin Group for my copy!

I like my romances light and full of tropes. This one was a bit too low for me. Didn’t finish this one.

FOUR WEEKENDS has some high highs and low lows. I think the book explores interesting and resonating ideas about life, but, unfortunately, it does so in the most unconvincing, silly way— I couldn't get past the absurdity of the main character's mindset. Still, there are some hilarious and sweet moments that make it worth the read.

I wanted to read this book because of the synopsis.. I am a daughter of a mother who had triple negative breast cancer, and thought about testing for the BRCA gene but thankfully she tested negative for it and is now cancer free for 7 years. She got a double mastectomy no questions or thoughts about it just went for it like our MFC.

Al & this whole situation with having to deal with her ex boyfriends funeral, his family not knowing & volunteering to clean out his apartment with his friend she doesn't know was a very interesting take on a forced proximity, grumpy sunshine trope. It's swoon worthy and for any romance loving book reader for sure!

I just finished my first Ellie Palmer book, and wow, what a great read! Palmer effortlessly blends rom-com charm with some deeper themes that really hit home. And yes, while the romance was swoon-worthy (we love grumpy MMC), but what got me in my feels was the inner struggle of the FMC. I found Alison's actions and the way she was feeling incredibly relatable. Even if I haven’t gone through anything near similar to having a preventative double mastectomy, I do share some of Alison’s thoughts during this story, feeling as though she HAS to do certain things because of her situation.

Just incredibly wholesome and beautiful. I strongly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC!

When Alison's ex-boyfriend suddenly passes away, no one really knows they had already broken up. She maintains the ruse at the request of the deceased's sister and ends up clearing out the ex's apartment with his best friend Adam. After a few weekends of working together, it becomes pretty clear that there's a spark between them, made complicated by a whole host of factors including both of them running from their true selves, the complexities of losing one of their friends, and living in separate cities.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🚪closed door

This book was unique and delved into some heavy topics while still being pretty funny. The FMC is struggling to find her true self when she is given a fresh outlook on life after she has a preventative double mastectomy. The book handles grief very carefully as well. This is a true grumpy sunshine read and our MMC is quite the adorable, stoic, grumpy carpenter. I love love loved that the FMC's job was a super niche engineering role.

The editing and pacing in this one was superb at times and jumpy at others. I didn't love the grand gesture at the end (I think I have a thing about the grand gesture confession being public, I feel like that ruins them). Some of the metaphors throughout the book felt a little forced and/or were hard to follow.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. This book publishes on August 6, 2024.