This book grabbed my attention from the very start. Easy to follow along characters and the writing left you feeling engaged throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral. As Alison decides what life is like as a BRAC1 carrier and her decisions, she wrestles with the person she thinks she should be and the person she truly is. A self-professed "people pleaser", Ali works to find the person she needs to please the most is herself. Hallmark movies, Christmas trains, and a strong core of friends help add humor and depth to the story as Adam & Alison navigate grief, survivors' guilt, and identity. An enjoyable read and offers insight to the decision making process of those with the BRAC1 gene.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this charming, inspiring, and heartwarming book! It's my new favorite! The book premise hooked me as soon as I read the description. The main character Alison attends a funeral of a recent ex-boyfriend. They hadn't dated too long before he broke up with her. It wasn't a difficult breakup and they ended up on friendly terms. When she arrives to the funeral she discovers he didn't tell anyone besides his sister that they had broken up so his family and friends believe they were still a couple when he passed away. The sister asks her to go along with it for the day to give his family more peace of mind that he passed away happy and in love. However, based on this lie things become more complicated quickly when Alison is thrown together with her ex's best friend Adam to help pack up the ex's home.
This book was not only a lovely romance to read but it was so much more complex and deep than I expected in the best way. Adam is fearful of risking change with his life plans in terms of his career and home. And Alison is actually the opposite and she is constantly pushing herself to be someone she's not because she feels she should be living a bolder life after a double-mastectomy because she is a BRCA 1 carrier and she feels she somewhat cheated cancer.
Together they process grief, fear of failure, fear of contentment, and the complexities of life in general while falling in love.
I can't recommend this book enough! It was motivational but in a different way than most books normally are. It does challenge you to go after what you love but also to embrace your true passions and be happy with your life as is because the purpose of going out of your comfort zone and being brave to find happiness means happiness is the goal so if you are already happy in certain areas and ways, you should embrace it and enjoy your life however it makes you happy.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is a witty, warm hug of a book that could thaw even the North Shore Grump’s icy demeanor. Ellie Palmer’s debut sparkles with heart and humor as main character Alison explores her life post-double-mastectomy.

With a charming cast of characters (Alison’s friends Chelsea and Mara had me cackling) and a cozy Minnesota backdrop (Duluth! St. Paul! Pizza Lucé and the height of their bathroom ceilings!), Palmer creates a cozy environment that feels like an inside joke you love being a part of. I finished each chapter wishing that it was just a little longer. That I could giddy giggle at just one more case of Alison and Adam’s arms brushing too close or their eyes locking for too long.

I fell in love with Adam and Alison, but even more so, I fell in love with Alison finding herself. Discovering that her life is worthy, with or without roughing it in the woods. Though consider this my formal request for a bonus epilogue of Adamson (they deserve a celebrity couple name) going Christmas tree chopping in the woods. Adam would hate it. Ali would love it.
There is opportunity for Hallmark jokes galore. Just think about it, Palmer.

And while Four Weekends follows challenging topics, this is not a story of loss any more than it’s a story of love, hope, and picking ourselves back up when we’ve been knocked down. Palmer’s debut reminds readers that even in times of struggle, there are bright spots that are worth finding.

Song Vibe: “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams

Four Weekends and a Funeral was such a fun and heartwarming read to start the new year with!
Allison goes to her ex boyfriend's funeral, only to find out that everyone thinks otherwise! Out of kindness, she decides to help pack her ex's condo with his grumpy best friend, Adam. Calamity ensues, along with undeniable chemistry between the two characters.

If you love Grumpy/Sunshine and forced proximity tropes, this book is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for the E-Arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. Ellie Palmer weaves together a delightful, creative story that flips the fake dating trope on its head. Imagine knowing your ex-boyfriend's best friend hates you. Oh, and he hadn't told anyone you'd broken up when he died, so you have to put on a brave face and pretend you were still together. Then, you have to pack up his apartment with the best friend. Makes for some great mishaps. While this was truly a fun romcom, I have to say I also really loved the deep friendships on display and the main character's exploration of what it means to have the BRCA gene. Palmer explores love, death, BRCA, and friendship so thoughtfully.

Although this story didn't completely work overall from my perspective as a fan of contemporary romance, it may be other's readers jam.

With her debut, FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL, Ellie Palmer quickly became an auto-buy author for me. Her voice is sharp and insightful, and her characters pop off the page almost immediately. Alison is such a fun, relatable protagonist, and her relationship with Adam is equal parts swoony and realistic. I loved their grumpy-sunshine dynamic, which meant plenty of movie-like banter, and the way they fit in with the cast of quirky, hilarious characters had me hoping for a second book set in the same world. I'll be recommending Ellie Palmer to fans of Emily Henry and Mhairi McFarlane, and I'm already excited to see what she has in store next.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC. This book was written for the 90s girlies, the ones who binge Hallmark movies, and the suckers for rom coms. I loved Alison and Adam SO MUCH. They gave me butterflies and made me blush throughout the book. I just know this is going to be all over booktok and everyone should be excited for its release date (August 6th 2024). Sure to be a favorite.

Trigger warning: Cancer & Mastectomy talk.

i rarely read romances and usually when i do i’m let down, but this was such a sweet, cute rom com!! you see the early 90s rom com influences, but it wasn’t too over the top, and the modern day references between Ali and her friends were so funny and relatable. the grumpy-sunshine dynamic between the two main characters was done really well, i found myself relating to both of them! especially Ali trying to force herself to love nature when she hates being outside lolol

the main character is a BRCA-1 carrier and we see her struggle with guilt, and the emotional strain a double mastectomy can have on a woman. ellie palmer’s passion about educating people more on this subject really comes though in the book!

yes it had all the cheesiness that comes with a romance, but it was earnest and written very well which balanced that out!

I was lucky enough to snag an eARC om NetGalley. While I’m not usually one for enemies to lovers, the premise was too good to pass on.

Alison is struggling through her BRCA discovery, having had a mastectomy and reconstruction. She gets trapped into the role of “still girlfriend” at her ex’s funeral, and agrees to pack up the ex’s condo so his grief-stricken mother doesn’t have to.

Enter the ex’s childhood friend, Adam. Stoic and kind of grumpy (who doesn’t love Christmas music?), he has his really warm moments that made me love him. Also, any hero willing to fix a faucet can live rent-free in my brain.

I loved this much more than I expected. It’s smart and witty and warm.

Great debut novel! The story line and the characters were engaging. I finished the book in less than 24 hours - I couldn't put it down. I will be looking for more books from Ellie Palmer! Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

🥹 My favorite romances are the ones that surprise you, teach you, and pull at your heart strings — FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL has all of that and more.

Allison a chronic people pleaser suffering with survivors guilt after BRCA gene prompted mastectomy. If that wasn’t enough, her ex has unexpectedly and tragically passed away — but when she gets to the funeral she realizes she’s one of the only people there who knows about the ex in ex-girlfriend. In an attempt to help, she stumbles into a multi-weekend commitment helping to clean out her ex’s apartment with his best friend — Adam the “North Shore Grump.” This romance has some of my favorite tropes — grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, great banter, and HEART.

Yes, this a fun romance, but it also covers some very real topics. Palmer herself is a BRCA “previvor” and her deep, touching exploration of love, sex, guilt, and self-discovery post-mastectomy is so moving. She imbues Ali with complications but surrounds her with a group of amazing friends, a doting mother, and a love interest who see so clearly how truly wonderful she is, as she is, even if she can’t see it herself.

Best read in a beautiful wood rocking chair, this one will stick with me. Pick it up when it releases later this year, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Putmam Books for this Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and freely given.

My review will be posted on Goodreads and Social Media by January 24, 2024

Review already posted to Goodreads:

A 3.75/5 contemporary romance! If you love forced proximity, (kind of?) fake dating, right guy wrong time love story, this ones for you. Loved that it had the unique POV from a double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier, and I thought overall very creative storytelling. Where it fell off for me a little, was I just didn’t feel a connection with the characters. Overall, I still think it was a very fun read and recommend for anyone who loves a 90s/early 2000s romcom vibe in a book!

I did not know what to expect from this book. The title is what drew me in. I was intrigued from the moment I started the book. This book had some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity and grumpy meets sunshine. It made this a quick and easy read for me.

I'd give this book a 3/5 stars. Original but boring.

The concept is very interesting at the beginning. The story follows the ex-girlfriend to the recently deceased and she is invited to his funeral by his family. The family, not knowing that their son and the main character recently broke up, share how much they loved her and were happy to know she was there for him until the end. Sam, the ex, has a protective sister who asks Ali, the main character, to continue to pretend they were still together for the sake of Sam's parents mental health. Knowing he was with a good girlfriend puts them at ease. Ali goes with this to make them feel better, yet feels guilty about lying. At the funeral Ali meets Adam, Sam's best friend and the story main love interest. This spirals into the two of them agreeing to Sam's parents to clear out Sam's condo and prepare to sell. Over those four weekends, Adam and Ali get to know each other and form a sort of trauma bond/relationship.

I think this story had a strong beginning, funny characters, and an interesting plot I never would have thought of as well as a MFC who is an almost cancer survivor dealing with her own guilt. About half way through though, once the main characters formed their relationship, I began to lose interest. At times the plot was hard to follow, their relationship moved really fast to the point where it was almost unbelievable, and then shattered just as fast. Also, with modern romances being so steamy, I was surprised that there was so much build up surrounding their physical romance for it to just fade to black- I felt like the story lead me on only to edge me with no relief.

At the end, the miscommunication between characters was what took away the most from this story and leads me to give it 3/5 stars. It fell into the pattern a lot of miscommunication based romances do and became predictable.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and review it before the release date.

This book is equal parts funny, sad, emotional, and heartfelt. I really enjoyed following along with a character who was positive for the BRCA 1 gene. I haven't seen this type of representation in books before so it was really interesting to gain this perspective and seeing everything Alison had to go through due to her genetic findings. The relationship between Alison and Adam is very wholesome. All of the characters are very relatable and you find yourself rooting for Alison and Adam from the very beginning. The pacing of the book started out very fast but began to lag a bit towards the end. Overall it was a very cute read that I would highly recommend!

I loved this book! Funny and believable in that 'omg no' sort of way. I loved the mc and the li and were so glad that they worked out in the end.

This book starts out with you following Alison at a funeral. It's a funeral for her ex-boyfriend, problem is, no one, not even Sam (the ex) told his friends and family that he broke up with her. In an attempt to ease the families pain she tries to comfort them and goes along with the lie. Through all of this she ends up being asked to handle Sam's personal belongings alongside his best friend Adam.

Hilarity and forced proximity ensue in the most grumpyxsunshine book I have ever read. Alison has taken to trying to be someone she's clearly not due to the fact that she got a preventative double mastectomy. She feels she's not deserving of her life and tries to become deserving by going to extremes, hiking, marathons, mountain climbing. Problem is she hates all of those things. Adam challenges her to simply be herself, while also being known as "The North Shore Grump" in his own rite. He's been in a stasis in his life for seven years with no end in sight.

These two come together under difficult circumstances and against all odds come out the other side better people.

I loved this book. The characters are adorable, they have depth and personality in scads. It's funny and heart wrenching all at once and the story is captivating. What I really loved most about this book is the healthy way in which both main characters find a way to deal with their grief, loss, and personal growth issues. There were so many ways this story could have circled around and tied it's self up but the way Ellie Palmer chose to do things was phenomenal. I was unaware this was a debut novel before reading it and I am absolutely shocked that it is. You'd think she's been writing books for a long time from this book. I will definitely be looking forward to more books from her.

A sweet book that captures your heart from start to finish, absolutely worth the five star rating, especially if you're a fluffy romance reader. Highly recommend this book.

Note for the Author: I adore that you used healthy coping mechanism for both characters toward the end of the book. The writing was lovely and this was such a wonderful cozy read. Produced one of my favorite couples of the year. Can't wait to read more from you!

Recovering from a double mastectomy as a BRCA 1 carrier, Alison Mullally assumes the role of the grieving girlfriend at her ex-boyfriend's funeral. Tasked with packing up Sam's apartment alongside Sam's sharp-tongued best friend, Adam Berg, Alison faces unexpected hurdles and stumbles upon a delicate yet exhilarating friendship filled with undeniable chemistry while she embarks on a mission to redefine herself, aiming to be "worthy" of the second chance life has granted her.

Ellie Palmer skillfully tackled weighty themes like friendship, grief, guilt, and self-acceptance, infusing the narrative with a light-hearted and relatable touch. If you're looking for a nice feel-good book that would take you on a rollers of emotions, this is the story for you.