"Because I was asleep - in this walking, talking, waking coma. And now I'm awake. You woke me up."

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this #gifted arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Alison arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral, only to discover that none of his family or friends know about the "ex" part. Some miscommunication and a sense of obligation leads to Alison agreeing to spend four weekends helping Sam's best friend Adam pack and fix up Sam's condo. Can a relationship blossom between these two when it's such a complicated start?

Mood Reader Guide: for when you crave romance, HGTV, friendships, pub trivia, breast cancer realities, and Minnesota moments.

Thoughts: This contemporary romance is a really beautiful mix of humor, heart, and some heavy topics. Main character Alison has undergone a full mastectomy because she tested for the BRCA-1 gene (indicating she is likely to get breast cancer), and much of the book is focused on her emotions, including a complicated relationship with her mother. Not having any personal connection to that health challenge, I thought it was very interesting to learn about.

It took a while before I started to get the flow of the author's writing; it was very funny at times, but felt both long-winded and snappy. Once I got farther in though, the characters really started to shine, and I became more invested in trying to figure out where the story was going to go.

Definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys emotional, raw, real-life romances.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer.

Despite this book having the underlying them of death, hence a funeral, I found this book to be a fairly light, easily read. And there’s nothing better than a forced proximity romance. Alison dates Sam briefly, Adam is Sam’s long time best friend, Adam and Alison have a vague awareness of one another but never met. Until the funeral and then of course when they both agree (or maybe get roped into) cleaning out Sam’s apartment. Many underlying pieces to how Alison and Adam get to this point and maybe they always were meant to be exactly where they are, whether or not Sam had died. Overall, a very enjoyable book that kept me reading to see how things went between these two characters.

This was so hyped and unfortunately just didn't hit for me. I prefer characters to be funny and not just situations, slap stick or otherwise, to be what is supposed to be funny. The proposed MMC is so closed off and one dimensional for so long. They are supposed to fall in the span of a month but they can barely even speak to each other the first weekend just for an example.

And here's the thing it is totally understandable why he's closed off!! His best friend just died!! And it is treated like such a joke. I thought at first it was going to be handled with respect, the descriptions of the FMC's deceased ex's parents were painfully accurate in their grief. But then after instead of what I expected, the main characters finding breadcrumbs of his life packing up his apartment and bonding over the shared experience of knowing him, it was side quests and jokes about his death that just fell so flat to me in my opinion.

Also, I agree with other reviewers that there was nothing wrong with the FMC trying new things like learning how to hike or signing up for a race, etc. I felt like a major moral of this story was finding your niche/stereotype and accepting yourself within it, instead of just allowing people to have nuance (including this sad deceased ex who can't even speak for himself). Way too much repetitive internal rumination about this topic as well.

I'm happy to have given it a try and thank you to Penguin GP Putnam for the eARC.

Four Weekends and a Funeral was a perfect read, I had never read anything with a plot like this one! This book starts out with Allison paying her respects at her ex-boyfriends funeral, what she does not know is that in the eyes of his family she is still his one-true love. While she wants to confess that they ended their relationship before he passed away, Sam's sister has another idea. I really loved the witty-banter within this book and all of the side characters!

Four Weekends and A Funeral is a cute and cozy romance balanced with some deeper themes throughout the novel! The premise immediately grabbed my attention, and I was eager to read and see how things unfolded.

Overall I really enjoyed both of the main characters, and the endearing side characters were an added bonus! I also think the author took great care in discussing grief, physical & mental health, and complex relationships (romantic, familial, & friendship).
However, I didn’t completely fall for the romance - it felt like it went from 0 to 100, and I would’ve liked a bit more of a build up to really feel their connection.

Special thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
0.5🌶️

I adore books where the heroine learns that it's 100% ok to just be herself, and this book totally fits that bill. Sure, it's technically a romance, but Alison's journey to self acceptance was so nice to read. Adam the grumpy, hot, bearded carpenter was also there. He was exactly what you would expect, in the best way.

Featuring:
*Fake dating (a dead guy)
*Model trains
*Excellent trivia team names
*Minnesota

Thanks to netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

SOOOO OMG. I stayed up until 2 in the morning finishing this book (I started that night at 36% and 10PM). This was so incredibly good. I loved everything. I loved Alison and Adam so much. And like so much steam and tension for a book with no on page smut scenes?? Literal chef's kiss, will not be taking any criticisms of this book.

This was such a cute romance! I really enjoyed the BRCA mutation and breast cancer rep. I loved reading Alison grow, grieve, and fall in love. Adam was such a relatable character for me - as I would probably classify as a grump. Watching them both realize that they have major internal problems that needed therapy was a breath of fresh air. They both worked on addressing their individual problems in the most healthy way and I really applaud the author for doing this. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and think it’s definitely a rom-com that should get more recognition.

Thank you to Putnam’s, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Alison Mullally is attending her ex-boyfriend's funeral when she finds out that he never told anyone that he dumped her. So she finds herself playing the part of Sam's girlfriend for the day. Then she finds herself agreeing to help Sam's grumpy best friend, Adam, pack up Sam's apartment so his parents can sell it. No matter how hard Alison tries to break the tension between her and Adam, Adam doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. He answers her with one word, and he's just plain old grumpy. After spending four weekends together, they finally form a friendship that's fueled by lots of chemistry. Yet Alison is still holding back and not being true to herself. Can Alison finally find happiness?

This book was a blast to read. Alison and Adam were complete opposites. Alison was a people pleaser. She was determined to make everyone happy, and that's how she got stuck playing Sam's girlfriend at his funeral and helping pack up his apartment. Adam is grumpy as can be, and Alison is determined to break down his walls. Once she does, they have the best banter. They also have some of the greatest chemistry ever. I love that deep down Adam is this great big softie despite his grumpy facade. This was such a great romance!

This was such a special book and I loved it so much. I loved the characters and romance in this one, but most of all I loved that these characters had depth. This was such a fun rom-com that had me laughing out loud, but the vulnerability of these characters also had me crying. I hope we get more books from these characters because Alisons friends Mara and Chelsea were so fun.

Thanks so much for the review copy. I wish I had chose this for my BOTM book. I loved I look forward to reading more books by Palmer. I adore Alison and Adam.

Absolutely loved this story! The author does an amazing job adding in part of her personal life story and creating a piece where so many people will be able to connect with at least one of the characters and the emotions they go through out the book. For this to be her first book to publish, she definitely set the bar high for her next release. The writing is easy to follow and is not rushed at all. Plus, I love how you don’t have to guess how the main character is feeling about certain situations. You can feel her happiness, anger, sadness, confusion, tiredness as you read.

I am seriously in awe with this book.

A romcom about a postmastectomy woman who arrives at her ex’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her and agrees to play the grieving girlfriend only to fall for his grumpy best friend. The concept of this book, incredible. The way every domino fell into place, beautiful, and the invisible string was stringing. I loved, I cried, I worried, I laughed with Alison and Adam.

Alison truly has to be one of my favorite fmc characters I have read. The way I related to her thought process, ugh, heartbreak. How she didn't think she was enough, that she avoided death so she should live her live louder and to the fullest, and because she wasn't, it wasn't fair to live. Comparing herself to her ex-boyfriend who passed away, Sam, because he lived his life in the short years he had, it truly puts you to think. We're here today, but tomorrow we don't know, so do what makes you happy.

Adam was such a teddy bear, goodness. Him being afraid to take risks, because there's never a solid point where you know exactly what's going to happen in the future. Being afraid to take that jump, hit me very hard especially with where I am at with life right now. I loved seeing how quick Adam was to want to be with Alison, it was beautiful. To want to build her whatever her heart desires.

Alison's friend group is also one I wanted to touch lightly on. A girl group that understands you and doesn't want you to change to who you think you need to be, will always be my favorite. I am so glad we got to see such healthy balance with Alison's friend group, and the growth between all the characters.

Alison and Adam separately were beautiful characters, together, they were magical. Their love is comfort, it's peace, it's knowing each other like the back of your hand, and it's understanding.

"I wasn't here."
"You're here now."

*Be sure to check TW's as it does deal with death, cancer, BRCA1 representation, survivor's guilt, and mental health!

Thank you, times, a million, NetGalley, Putnam, and Ellie for the arc of Four Weekends and a Funeral! <3

A heartfelt debut that delivers real laughs alongside deep emotional moments. Watching Alison come to terms what she wants out of life, including delectable grump Adam, was a journey I won't forget soon.

If you love books with:
☕️ Grumpy + sunshine
☕️Forced Proximity
☕️ Fake Dating with a twist
☕️ Banter

You will love this funny, sweet rom-com with some heavy topics weaved in. There is shared grief and learning that you are enough. I was sucked into the story from first chapter. This had a fake dating plot twist that forces the MC's together. They have to work together for four weekends and by the end of it it’s not enough time.
Adam is a grump with a soft heart and Alison is a people pleaser who is on a journey of self discovery. Watching them fall in love was heartwarming. This is a must read I had such a fun good time reading it.

Palmer has absolutely stunned in her debut novel and has produced a must-read!

The characters are expertly round and developed, featuring very niche quirks that you find in your most interesting friends. The dialogue will feel familiar to fans of sharp-tongued, fast-paced Gilmore Girls banter, with poignant and relevant pop culture references and puns that will make you snort a bit. Four Weekends and a Funeral is a true page turner, and has the audience laughing alongside, and rooting for, the Minnesota cast of Midwesterners.

Audiences will learn (or relate to) the nuance of living with the BRCA1 gene mutation from Alison’s first-person perspective while being utterly absorbed in the unexpected love story. This novel shines as a representation of this condition in literature, and champions the heroine’s nonlinear journey to contentment.

A total triumph

The narrator references her boobs and nipples so much. I understand that the surgery is a major plot point for HER life, but it doesn't feel central to the plot of the actual story being told. If the author wanted to tell that story, she should have.

A 5⭐️ DEBUT!!!

WOW 🤩 I absolutely LOVED everything about this book! Palmer takes on grief in its many forms, and somehow manages to give us a light, romantic and fun book! I adored both Ali and Adam, and appreciated both of their journeys to self discovery. And Adam *swoon* he is an absolute dream guy 😍

Trust me, you do not want to miss this unexpected romance!!

I have been eagerly anticipating this debut and I enjoyed it so much! It's a really fun premise with some heavier topics and the balance was done so well. The writing is fresh and light and really delivers on the banter and humor and tension that I was hoping for. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Alison and Adam and I can even forgive this for being a closed door romance because the slow burn anticipation was so good.

If you like your romances a little more on the complex side or if you're a fan of forced proximity or grumpy/sunshine, this is definitely not one to miss!

i wa intrigued by this title and was captivated immediately. some parts were slow others had me tearing up i enjoyed this book and would recommend to those who are looking for something not so cheesy and romantic because a lot of the times we do find love in the most unconvential places