When Alison attends her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral, she doesn’t expect to be greeted as as his current girlfriend. At his sister’s pleas, she agrees to play along, only to roped into packing up Sam’s apartment with his best friend Adam. They’ve never met before, and he clearly doesn’t want her to help out. Over the next four weekends, though, she slowly breaks through his prickly exterior.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, especially the characters. Alison is a pocket of sunshine compared to Adam’s grumpy personality, although she has her own issues worrying her. Her two best friends are also very supportive of her and provide a lot of humor to the story.

The romance itself was very sweet! Alison and Adam have great chemistry although they have to navigate the loss of Sam hanging between them. I liked reading about them slowly growing closer.

I did have some issues with the pacing, with some parts of the story really dragging. Overall though Four Weekends and a Funeral was a solid, heartfelt debut that navigated grief after a sudden loss and the complex feelings after having a mastectomy.

What a delightful and angsty book this was. I loved the entire premise.

The leads were both amazing and their chemistry is palpable throughout the entire book. And the interweaving of Sam throughout the story was done tastefully.

The side characters were fun. I particularly liked Allie's friends and the entire trivia night escapades.

I also really enjoyed Allie's health journey and how it colored her outlook and her life experiences.

The ending was *chefs kiss* magical. I loved the little twist at the end.

Overall, a beautiful and amazing slow burn, grumpyxsunshine romance.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ellie Palmer, and the publisher for the ARC!!

A stellar romance that handles the nuances of changing relationships and different kinds of grief with gentle, honest hands, all mixed it into a tingle-inducing and fun (are they enemies?)-to-lovers story you won't be able to put down.

Every character has a purpose, and I already miss them. 

I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

For fans of:
THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez 
EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes

I had a harder time getting into Four Weekends and a Funeral, but once I was invested I was hooked. It feels smart, funny and heart warming like only the classic rom coms do. Sometimes, I find romcom books to read a little cheesy, but I really enjoyed the banter between Alison and Adam. The book also touched on intense subject matter like grief, guilt and illness without weighing heavy. I would definitely recommend this to my friends for a fun, smart read. Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the advanced ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer.

I thought the breast cancer genetics storyline was well-covered. The white lie storyline was frustrating because it clearly didn’t serve anyone, even the people it was meant to comfort. Once that broke down I enjoyed seeing the romance unfold. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you #Netgalley and #Putnams for the ARC

Absolutely, utterly superb. Genuinely uplifting, downright hilarious, and hopelessly romantic, this book should be on everyone’s 2024 reading list.

Not only could I not put this smart, superbly written book down, but I picked it up again and again and again (and, ahem, again).

Yes, I must apologize to the author and publisher for my late ARC review because, sorry not sorry, I was too busy rereading it. And re-re-reading it. Is four times too many? Who’s to say?

In Four Weekends and a Funeral, Alison is trying to grab life by the horns and live like every day can bring adventure. This doesn’t come naturally to her, but after testing positive for the genetic mutation that predisposed her to breast cancer, she has a preventative double mastectomy, and comes away feeling like she has to do something “worthy” with her life. She feels like she’s “cheated” cancer, so she’s determined to Take action! Be bold! She meets Sam, a travel influencer, who inspires her to do just that. But when Sam senses she doesn’t really like all the Outward Bound-ing, he ends their brief romance. And while they remain friends, he doesn’t tell his family they broke up. And then he dies. At his funeral, his distraught mother clings to the idea that Alison was Sam’s rock, and, thinking they were more to each other than they actually were, asks her to help pack up Sam’s apartment. The catch? Sam’s mom asks Sam’s best friend, grumpy and gruff Adam, to help as well. What will happen when these two grieving people come together over four weekends of forced proximity?

The first time I read Four Weekends, I read it in one sitting, with so many feelings knocking around in my heart: love for the forced proximity plot; more love for the gruff mmc Adam and hopeful/conflicted/lovable mfc Alison; Alison’s supporting cast of sharp and witty friends Chelsea and Mara; the slow burn of a plot.

So then I read it again because I didn’t want to leave this world that Ellie Palmer so beautifully created.

But then I read it again because — as you do when you fall in love quickly — you want to go back to the start of it all and find out why… like your brain hasn’t caught up just yet and you need an explanation for yourself as to why you fell so hard.

And I fell so hard because of all of the above, and so much more. For me, the best stories create deep connections. They flow like a conversation with a dear friend. They’re piercing and knowing, like a look from someone you love. There is conflict and self-reflection, and ultimate self-realizations.

And that’s what makes this a best story.

If you love Jane Austen for her wit and romance; if you live for Nora Ephron’s biting observational comedy; if your favorite modern authors are Emily Henry and Kate Clayborn; and if you want to get in before everyone else on a future bestselling author, Ellie Palmer’s Four Weekends and a Funeral is the book for you.

===ARC provided by the publisher for an honest pre-publication review.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

'Four Weekends and a Funeral' is the perfect 90's-esque rom-com, forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers story. Alison finds herself in a unique and uncomfortable situation: the family of her recently deceased ex boyfriend (Sam) is under the impression they were in a serious relationship at the time of his death. When in reality, Sam had broken up with Alison weeks prior after a short dating stint.

Feeling heavy with guilt and a desire to help Sam's grieving family, Alison agrees to help pack up and prepare Sam's condo for selling. Except, there's one catch (aside from having to act like she was Sam's serious girlfriend). Alison is to complete this overwhelming task with Sam's grumpy best friend, Adam. Adam is a man of little words and simple means.

Over the span of four weekends, Alison and Adam get to know each other through quirky and fun dialogue, funny problem solving, and personal revelations. Readers experience their slow burn romance and will want to cheer them on until the final page.

It is also necessary to say that a large part of Alison's healing and self discovery includes her mother's past breast cancer diagnosis, her BRCA1 genetic diagnosis, and a possibility of ovarian cancer in the future. I could see this as being triggering to some, especially if they were not expecting it.

This book was so original. There was a grumpy/sunshine trope mixed in with an almost fake dating type of story. After a recent breakup, the main female character finds herself cleaning out her ex-boyfriend’s apartment after he died. The kicker is: others didn’t know they broke up. While in the process, in swoops the best friend of the deceased and being the type of girl who wants people to like her…it was a recipe for a budding relationship.

This story had me laughing. It goes to show how far one little white lie can go. It is an entertaining romanticism comedy with lots of tropes represented. The story and characters both have depth to them making the story very enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley! Four Weekends and a Funeral was just what I needed. The sweetest story and Ali and Adam gave my heart flutters. I would highly rec this book to people looking for a cute Rom-Com.

This was great.. the characters were so relatable with the book having a nostalgic feel to it. I live a good forced proximity trope. I'll be looking out for more laugh out loud rom come from Ellie

loved this romance of friends of someone that died and end up finding love over 4 weekends. loved the friends and the slow romance between them. i want to see the friends find love in their trivia group.

Gosh, I really liked this book.

It is really difficult to find a novel with any sort of romantic elements that doesn't make me want to wash my eyeballs with bleach. This one was so refreshing!

Things I really liked:
- Inclusion of the inner turmoil caused by cancer diagnosis. As a child of a cancer patient, this spoke to some of my anxieties.
- A smart main character with a real job.
- A setting in the Midwest that didn't involve the term "homestead."
- Characters behaved like adults without devolving into vapid, rutting beasts.
- Trivia Night. I dominate at trivia night, so it was very relatable.

There were a few predictable elements, but overall this is a book that I will read more than once.

This book is one of my favorite recent romances—I was captivated from the very first line, and knew I was in the hands of a confident storyteller who would give me something a little more than I was expecting. The depth of themes and character woven through this fun, banter-filled romance makes it a standout. Can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know!

I really enjoyed this book. Not only did it give me all the feels , humor, interesting characters, many quotables it made me think. My favorite kind of book. If you are looking for a light romance, woman’s fiction or possible perspective change on what a second chance is or can mean, this does it.

I look forward to reading more from this author

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an E-arc. Although this was provided my thoughts and opinions are my own.

I‘ve seen a lot that this gave 90s corm-com feel to it, and I just don’t get that. I very much got early 2000s vibes from it, especially with a major playing factoring being the BRCA gene for Alison. Adam annoyed me for the first majority of the novel, as did Alison. I understand what she was trying to do for his parents but I think it went too far tbh.
It was slow, but had some really cute moments. A miss for me- but a cute rom com either way!

I thought this book was hysterical! The chemistry between the main characters was so good. I love that the writer included a woman with the brca gene who has had a mastectomy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read this if you like:
•forced proximity
•laugh out loud rom coms
•grumpy/sunshine
•books set in Minnesota
•deep conversations

I will always read books set in Minnesota and by other Minnesota authors. This book was fantastic. I loved the Minnesota setting and the Minnesota landmarks and local bits added. The tension and the banter between Alison & Adam was top notch. This book also hit on some heavy topics that made this book seem like it was real. The harder subjects were handled with care. I can’t believe this is a debut!

Thank you Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was hard for me to put this one down! Ali and Adam were relatable and lovable and following their friendship and lovestory gave me all the feels... sometimes even causing me to tear up! The premise of this book was great and everything from the pacing of the story to the wonderful backup characters (I wish I knew Sam and was friends with Mara and Chelsea!) was spot on.
I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone next summer (if you're reading this now... add to your "TBR" list!) and thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam for the e-ARC. Already looking forward to Ellie Palmer's next book!

This was a sweet read! Ali is in a spot we have or will be in at some point in our lives. She is questioning how she got to where she is now, who she is and most importantly - what she wants out of life. She is funny, quick witted and smidge snarky - which I love, but she is also vulnerable and relatable. It took a while for the story to unfold but once it did I enjoyed the story.