The main character and I share the same love of a certain Billy Crystal movie and this book was such a charming nod to 90s rom com feelings. It has my favorite tropes of grump-sunshine, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers. The characters were sharp, witty, and loveable. The story line was unique and thoughtful. This was more than a romance, it was also a story of people dealing with grief, health, and complicated relationships. I truly enjoyed this read. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for letting me read.

I really enjoyed this book! As a Minnesota transplant, I enjoyed the locations and real Minnesota activities and locations sprinkled through the book. (Though I always want a MN set romance to include the Saint Paul Winter Carnival!)

Starting a story at a funeral seems like a risky endeavor, but the situation is where the story really begins. Al and Sam’s relationship ended well before Sam’s tragic accident. Being re-introduced to Sam’s family at his funeral as his girlfriend is a twist Al certainly didn’t expect. Getting roped (guilted) into clearing out Sam’s condo… a logical follow up. And of course Sam’s oldest friend is also roped into the task.

Grief is weird. Throwing two attractive, single people together for a daunting task as they are grieving is a romance waiting to happen. The author weaves in Al’s struggles with her femininity post mastectomy, her uncertainties about her medical world as a “cancer gene” carrier adds a layer to the decisions Al makes and her struggles as a “survivor.” Adam had also slid away from Sam prior to his death, but still wants to help his family. He has is own type of survivors guilt to deal with,

This isn’t a fireworks immediately type of story’s more of a slow burn. But once it ignites, this is such a great romance.

This was a quick, easy read. The draw between the main characters was a slow build, which I enjoyed and it was nice that it wasn't "spicy." It was nice that there were strong friendships involved. I didn't love the way Ben's parents based his value on "settling down” and I think that’s the feeling the reader is expected to take away. All in all, it was a fun read and I look forward to more Ellie Palmer novels.

This book is tender, drily funny, with a real sense of place. It’s layered and rich with well-developed secondary characters. Very much a romance for grownups (both MCs start dealing with their ish in therapy, and there’s no “true loved fixed me!)—I would characterize it more as women’s fiction than a pure romance novel. The FMC has her big realization about 15% past the point that it became tedious, but the book wraps up so well I forgot about that by the end. It was a perfect just before Christmas read!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this E-arc for my honest review.
Absolutely loved this book! I could relate to this book on so many levels…cancer, celiac disease, seatbelt pillows in everyone’s vehicles, people pleaser, etc.
I laughed out loud throughout and the characters were relatable. Adam and Alison were funny and sweet.
While this book is a rom-com it touches on important issues as well giving it depth and learning to accept and love yourself as you are. Highly recommend.

Four Weekends and a Funeral has all the elements of a cozy rom-com movie that you watch cuddled up in your favorite blanket. It’s got the Grumpy Sunshine/Forced Proximity tropes mixed with genuinely likable characters.

Alison and Adam meet at Sam’s funeral. They share Sam - Alison’s ex-boyfriend and Adam’s best friend - and agree to clean out Sam’s condo after Alison is mistaken for Sam’s current romantic partner. What no one expects is for Alison and Adam to fall for each other.

This is a sweet love story with plenty of substance and emotional growth. Ellie Palmer’s debut is delightful.

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam/Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a free ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral. This book will be released 8/6/2024.

This book is the debut novel for Ellie Palmer. It will certainly be devoured by romantic comedy fans.

Trigger warnings include death of a friend, breast cancer and surgery, and ovarian cancer and surgery.

The main character, Allison, turns up at her recent exes funeral only to find out that he never told anyone they broke up. His sister begs her to play along, which she awkwardly agrees to. Playing along leads to being responsible for cleaning out and organizing his apartment with his grumpy, delicious best friend. They go from enemies to friends to lovers… all mixed with a “we shouldn’t be doing this” vibe.

This book is an easy read and delightful. All characters, even the annoying ones, are likable and relatable. A reminder to always be yourself and not try to be what others think you should be…

I was in the mood for a good romance book this week and I sure got it with Four Weekends and a Funeral. I finished this book in two sittings over 24 hours. I really enjoyed the characters and how they came together as well as all their individual nuances. This book reminded me a lot of books by Abby Jimenez. The story line wasn’t predictable to me like so many romances can be. I look forward to more books from Ellie Palmer.

Okay so, I will say this book was a very cute read. It honestly felt like I was watching a rom com movie made in the early 2000s or something and lets be honest, I rewatch those movies all the time. I think the target audience, or people who should read this book, are people who want that classic rom com movie feel. I could tell from early on that the author must have had some sort of connection to the BRCA because chapter six was my favorite part of the book. Very unique take on how the character felt and really liked that. The only issue I had was towards the end of the book, it was that typically classic ‘cheesy’ rom com movie feel and it was just a little too cheesy for me. But overall, amazing debut novel and would recommend to someone looking for that rom com feel!

special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced look at the book in exchange for an honest review.

In this debut romance, we meet Alison and Adam. While they meet at the worst circumstance possible, they end up leaning on each other while dealing with the loss of their friend Sam (Alison’s ex boyfriend turned into close friend). Not only that, Alison is BRCA1 positive and weighing her options for the prevention of ovarian cancer.

This story was so cute and some times absolutely heartbreaking. We see Alison deal with losing a part of herself and trying to heal within making more health decisions. It dives into the gene and the complications that arise with it and also complex grief. Her friendships were so strong and the way everyone was always there for her was so heart warming.

I do feel like the pacing was a little off. I understand they fell for each other in 4 weeks but to me it seemed a little rushed.
Overall I think “Four Weekends and a Funeral” is an entertaining read with great representation. Banter and humor mixed well, this is the best of both worlds for readers who enjoy romance, humor, and real life issues. I’ll be reading more by Ellie Palmer for sure!

This was such a cute romantic comedy book. It was the perfect feel-good novel I needed. It featured the protagonist, Alison, and her journey through dealing with her ex's death (Sam) as well as her own for being a carrier of the BRCA1 gene. It features her ex's best friend, Adam, and their combined journey and Adam's own personal journey and coming to terms with losing a best friend. The book starts out with Sam's funeral and pretty quickly you see that no one knows that Alison and Sam broke up several weeks ago. For the benefit of the family, she pretends to be Sam's girlfriend even at the time of his funeral, and it turns into chaos from there.

The debut novel gave me a LOT to think about. Some themes include - self-identity, grief, guilt, and betrayal. I'm glad that I got to learn more and read through the perspective of a character that had undergone a double mastectomy.

Now to the romance - it served all the feel good vibes without the spice. For me the pacing was not was I was expecting. It started out as a slow burn and then really sped up halfway. However, at this halfway point is where I connected with Adam as a character and really started routing for Alison and him. Still, it left me wanting more - a slower climb to the climax, more character exploration, and more scenes between Alison and Adam.

This was an enjoyable and feel-good read (it really kept me glued to my Kindle while on the treadmill). I'm so routing for Ellie Palmer and can't wait to see this come out on 8/6/24!

First off, loved this read. The banter, storyline, talks about mental health included in the romance, along with all of the millennial references, A+. Only thing I was kind of off-put by was that he ghosted her for 3 weeks, and the FMC was completely fine with this? I don't know, maybe she's in a better place than I am, but I'd feel put off by this. And it went straight to the I-love-yous straight after. If you like a good rom-com with an otherwise wonderful couple, read this book asap!

Unique and fresh take on some well-loved tropes in the romance genre. It could be incredibly funny one moment and the next would have a take on grief and mourning that felt like an absolute gut punch. All these characters felt real in their experiences. But above all it had a lovely romance that made me giddy.

It's going to be a great year for romance! 🌸 Let me start by gushing over FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL, a stunning debut novel by Ellie Palmer (@elliepalmerwrites). Ellis is such a talented and funny writer and she had me hooked from the first line of FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL!
🌸
Here’s the blurb:

A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .

The right guy at the dead wrong time.

When 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 . . . 

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship” means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?
🌸
Pub. Date: August 6, 2024, and you can preorder now at the link in @elliepalmerwrites ’s bio! And if you can’t wait until August for Ellie’s writing, she has a delightful newsletter, link also on her profile.
🌸
#FourWeekendsandaFuneral #NetGalley #bookstagram #amreading

*4.5 STARS*

I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK! I finished "Four Weekends and a Funeral" last week and have read a couple books since then, but my mind keeps going back to Adam and Ali!

Ali is a people pleaser, which is why she agrees to pack up her dead (ex)boyfriend's apartment with his best friend she's never met. Adam is feeling guilty and trying to grieve, which is why he agrees to pack up his dead best friend's apartment with his girlfriend he's never met. These two characters are complete opposites and are going to be spending the next four weekends together.
Chaos (in the form of coffee, carpentry, and friendship) ensues! This book had me smiling AND blushing.

I can't wait to read more from Ellie Palmer in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the early access to review!

I felt like this was a solid romance! I went into it with standard romance expectations and it delivered! I even teared up a couple of times, which surprised me. My only criticism is that there was way too much mastectomy talk. I was happy to read a book talking about mastectomies & breast cancer and the challenges the characters had to overcome in dealing with that, but there was SO much random insertion of breasts/nipples that was completely unnecessary. It really pulled me out of the story at times. I also think it kind of diluted the moments when the mastectomy conversations were really important. Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend for a fun, easy read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this digital ARC!

Ever since surviving the threat of cancer following a preventative double-mastectomy, Alison Mullally has been trying to live her life to the fullest by seeking adventure (even though she very much doesn’t like it), which is why Sam was so perfect for her. That is, until he dumped her after noticing she was pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

But it turns out, Sam never told his family about the break up, and after his sudden death, Alison is mistaken as Sam’s current girlfriend at his funeral. Trying to lift the burden from his mother, she agrees to pack up Sam’s apartment—which would have been fine if Sam’s grumpy best friend Adam wasn’t insistent that he also pack it up.

Alison and Adam spend the next four weekends (and some) together, getting to know one another (at first, not happily) and very slowly coming to terms with their own guilt and grief as they fall for each other.

I have been waiting to read this book ever since I read the deal announcement. The description was right up my alley. And it didn’t disappoint. Adam was the perfect, supportive and adoring love interest. Alison’s struggles with survivor’s guilt and her relationship with her mom felt authentic. And the romance between the two was swoony. The secondary characters were full of heart and were fully fleshed out, supportive, and FUN. And I LOVED the little “twist” at the end, bringing everything full circle and giving readers the grand gesture they hope for.

I definitely recommend this book, available Aug 6, 2024.

ARC Review:

I thoroughly enjoyed Ellie Palmer's debut novel. Rom-coms are some of my favorite books and this sunshine + grump story was exactly what I was needing. I loved the Midwestern feel and all the little Easter eggs sprinkled in. Definitely had warm and cozy holiday vibes, even though I wouldn't consider it a holiday book.

Alison and Adam are both dealing with the grief of losing their friend, Sam (Alison's ex-boyfriend turned friend) and agree to help his family by getting his condo ready to sell. Alison is also BRCA1 positive and is working through the trauma of a preventative mastectomy and weighing her options for the prevention of ovarian cancer while keeping her fertility options open. I loved their banter, even if it could be a little dry at times, but that was just Adam's personality which made it believable.

As much as I loved the love story in this book, I think the female friendships portrayed made it even better. Alison, Mara and Chelsea support each other through everything, including school choir concerts, surgeries, and wintery Minnesota hikes. They lift each other up and always want the best for each other.

Looking forward to more Ellie Palmer in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my review!

#FourWeekendsandaFuneral #NetGalley

“You’re kind of my favorite new person, if that’s not too weird a thing to say.”

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!

I’m gonna be honest I didn’t really like the first half of the book. The writing was good but the story was kind of slow. I wish that it had focused more on them working together to clean up Sam’s apartment but it was a very small aspect of it, when I feel like it is meant to seem like it’s gonna be a bigger thing.

The second half of the story was definitely better. It was more interesting and the couple was so cute. It made me cry. I love the progress between both characters both together and by themselves. Cute book!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC! What a great story. This books hits all of the emotions and gives an almost rom com movie feel. I loved the development of the two main characters and seeing how they worked through their own feelings to become better versions of themselves. Definitely a must read!