*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!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral; I loved it! It had some of my favorite tropes (enemies-to-lovers, grump-sunshine, forced proximity, and so much more), lovable leads, and a charming supporting cast. It tackled some heavy topics like grief and cancer with a great balance of realism and levity. There was so much chemistry in this book, a great slow burn, all partnered with a load of self-discovery. Defintitely recommend adding this one to your TBR and pre-ordering!

Thank you Netgalley, Putnam/Penguin Random House, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! What a debut novel by Ellie Palmer. The story felt fresh and had forced proximity/grump sunshine tropes, but not in a cheesy way. Interesting premise that led to a natural romance. But the romance wasn’t even the star. the characters were dealing with grief of not only their friend, but thru choices made in life. Allison was dealing with how to live after a preventative mastectomy and Adam figuring out life after career challenges.

A perfectly fine book, but it just didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This was my first ARC book and I really enjoyed it. I want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have this experience.

Four Weekends and a Funeral was a very cute rom-com with some very serious topics in it. There was parts that had me laughing out loud. Sometimes it was hard to follow with some of the back and fourth between the characters, but overall I enjoyed reading this book. I think it had a great message; to be your authentic self and not try to change who you are to impress others. I loved the ending and it brought closure to the characters.

This is great! I read a lot of Romance books, and this is a book I haven’t read before.. the characters are real and nothing felt forced or artificial.

I loved the discussion of the mastectomy- it felt so real and vulnerable.

I will definitely be recommending this book!

I really enjoyed this book. There are some serious, weighty topics that the characters are dealing with, but there is a lot of humor in the story as well. This is my first experience with this author, but it won’t be my last.

I loved this book! Ellie Palmer nailed it. Four Weekends and a Funeral is about Alison, who recently had a life altering surgery and then loses her ex boyfriend to a freak accident. Her ex hadn’t told his family and friends about the breakup so Alison goes along with a plan her ex’s sister hatches up to try to help alleviate some of his family’s grief and suffering. She didn’t plan on meeting Adam, her ex’s best friend, and having sparks fly. I love a grump/sunshine trope. Alison is so lovable and trying to navigate who she is and wants to be post mastectomy and I really appreciated how she felt she SHOULD feel. Her finding what she DOES feel and want is very empowering. Adam is dealing with his own internal issues and trying to navigate that while meeting someone he doesn’t think he should want. I also appreciated that Ellie stayed true to what grief and suffering really can look like. I also really enjoyed the snippets of Sam and how he stayed involved in their lives even after dying. The book isn’t ALL love and romance but it gives the best warm and fuzzies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a good romcom but this one was not for me. I could not follow the banter, which maybe younger people use today. The entire plot seemed contrived, and I could not connect with the main characters. The issue of having the BRCA 1 gene is handled very well and is something women should be aware of, so I gave this 3 stars.

I devoured this book in one sitting! It was a clever twist on the forced proximity trope and I am here for it. I rooted for Ali and Adam the whole time. I really liked how it also dealt with some heavier topics. I want to read more about this friend group!

Overall I enjoyed this book. I really rooted for Allison and Adam overall. I did find Allison’s stubbornness in trying to like things she hated a bit annoying, and some of the dialogue flow was a bit confusing to read. I also did wish it had a bit more spice, but I did still feel the chemistry between them!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advanced copy of Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer. I really liked learning about the BRCA mutation that run in people's genetics it was very informative, especially for someone (myself) who didn't know anything on the health topic. I admired how this novel was different then most others by bringing up real world health issues people face on a daily basis. The male main character is my favorite character who is a huge grump but after getting to know him he can be a ray of sunshine when he wants to show his soft side. This was a refreshing cozy 5 star reading and can't wait to tell people to read this book when it comes out August 6th 2024.

I am in awe and appreciate the way this novel explores themes of loss. The death of a close friend or family member is an incredibly difficult and rigorous journey that can take a toll mentally and physically. The way that Alison and Adam experience this grief show that not everyone goes through the process the same way or at the same pace. As someone who just lost a close family member, I needed this book to remind me of those simple facts.
Alison also experiences loss and grief in what could have been with her life. She compares her own struggles with her mothers, and it takes her some growth to realize their hardships are not the same.
Although there were some heavy topics, the lightweight romance involved made this book very cute and fun to read.
I am giving this book 4.5 stars!

This book makes the list of favorite contemporary romances of all time. I was so excited to see a female character with a BRCA mutation. As a woman with the same genetic mutation, I was so impressed with how beautifully Palmer represented the nuances of navigating the cancer space when you’re not a cancer survivor. On top of all that, I loved that the storyline was so unique and that the MMC was somehow both broody AND a cinnamon roll. The dialogue was smart and funny and the love story made me happy. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to Ellie for writing a book that was so deeply meaningful.

Alison and Sam broke up 6 weeks ago, but when she shows up to his funeral, she realizes everyone thinks they are still together. His sister asks her to just go with it so Sam's parents can feel good knowing he had started to settle down. When his parents express their distress over going through Sam's apartment and all of his things, people pleaser Alison offers to help.

Sam's best friend Adam jumps in and says he can do it. Eventually they agree to do it together, on the weekends. Adam and Alison never met, but Alison refers to him as the "North Shore Grump" due to his curt one word text messages and lack of interest in participating in Sam's wild adventurous travel plans.

Alison and Adam have the best build up of tension and banter, I really enjoyed it. The side characters were also fun and engaging and I love that the author took time to develop Mara and Chelsea along with Adam's family.

While this book is bright and bubbly, it also talks about Alison's BRCA1 status and her surgeries and scans for cancer. Her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and tested positive for BRCA1. Since her prophylactic mastectomy, Alison has been struggling with her sense of self. Shouldn't she be living like she dodged a bullet? She essentially dodged cancer and has some guilt about it.

Throughout the novel we follow Alison on a journey of self discovery, scattered with scanxiety and stress around BRCA1, while learning to be true to yourself.

Loved this one and I highly recommend it! I have the BRCA2 gene and could relate to a lot of the things she went through and felt.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.