Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with the chance to read an early copy of Morbidly Yours. I really enjoyed this story of two complicated characters working through their past and issues to build a friendship that quickly blossomed into love. The Galway setting was really charming, as were the secondary characters and I hope to visit this locale again! I would definitely recommend this one to readers of contemporary romance - it was a 4 star read for me!

"Morbidly Yours" by Ivy Fairbanks is a captivating exploration of love, grief, and the complexities of human connection. The story revolves around a protagonist grappling with loss while navigating her passion for the macabre. Fairbanks masterfully blends dark humor with poignant moments, creating a narrative that is both quirky and deeply emotional. Callum and Lark are totally loveable and flawed characters that I was delighted to know more about!

This was a decent friend to lovers romance with a slow burn that didn't drive me too crazy. I enjoyed the emotional side to the story and the sensitivity around some of the MMCs struggles. I think they were well written and will open the door to discussion around certain things people deal with. That being said, this is a spicy romance. Don't be fooled by the cute cartoon cover or thrown off by the occupations of the characters. It's worth a read.

Animator Lark has decided to move on from Texas and her husband’s death by taking a job in Ireland. When a package is incorrectly delivered Lark ends up meeting her neighbor Callum, who happens to be the town undertaker. Callum helps Lark learn about Ireland as she adjusts to her new job and country. There’s an attraction between the two, but Lark has no interest in marrying again and Callum has a set amount of time to find a wife and marry before the family undertaking business is taken away from him. Callum goes on many dates but always ends up spending time with Lark. When a full time animator position comes open will Lark decide to stay in Ireland with Callum or will she head back to Texas? Will Callum be able to find a way to keep the undertaking business in the family?

This romance was unexpected in the best way! Callum was not the typical creepy undertaker, just awkward. And Lark is a fierce woman who knows her worth. Both characters are vulnerable and work their their issues together. Of course the Irish setting was the cherry on top! Such a fun romance!

Well this was just adorable. Spicy, (for me at least) but adorable.
Vibrant meets melancholy.
Lark, a widow from America moves to Galway for a job creating animated movie. Finds a package of body bags in her rented house. Confused she takes them across the street to her neighbor in the “Bed and Breakfast”. Nope it’s a mortuary. Cue Callum, introvert who has rarely been accepted for who he is.
⚰️snarky banter
⚰️hilarious language/culture barrier
⚰️🌶️🌶️🌶️
⚰️all stages of grief
⚰️hopefully first in a series 🤞🏻
⚰️somebody gets punched in a pub
This might be the first rom/com I've read where I didn't get mad at the two main characters for not telling each other they loved one another earlier. I could completely understand how their sudden, deep friendship made them want the other to be happy.
Anxiously awaiting the next in the series!! I'm guessing it will be about the lawyer and cousin!

I loved Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks so much. I appreciated having a main character who provided a personal view of living as a person who stutters. This book was heartfelt, and it discussed some heavy topics. It also gave me some spooky season vibes, which I'm always here for! I highly recommend this book!

Read this book if you like:
-Galway, Ireland setting
-He falls first
-Friends with benefits
-Friends to lovers
-Irish dirty talk
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Shy cinnamon roll
-Grief rep
-A person who stutters rep
-Demisexuality rep

Awkward and introverted undertaker Callum just wants to be left alone with his family business. Unfortunately, in order to inherit the business, he must marry before he turns 35. Extroverted and bubbly Lark has taken a new job in Ireland to escape her tragic past and learn to live again. The two collide and become unlikely friends and Lark agrees to help Callum find a wife. As things progress, their attraction for one another grows but can they ignore it?

This book was so cute and fun! I enjoyed it from start to finish. Lark is such a charismatic character and Callum reminds me of myself so much. Their polar opposite personalities make for a dynamite attraction and chemistry. This slow burn romance had me rooting so hard for them to give in to their feelings for one another!! Set in the stunning backdrop of Ireland and including dirty irish talk, this is a fun, fall, romantic read for sure.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Ivy Fairbanks and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions in my review are honest, voluntary and my own.

Enjoyable story. Cover would entice a younger reader, but mid story it changes into a lusty sex fest for all the remaining chapters. Not a prude but it changed the whole story for me.
Story shows opposites do attract. Lark struggles with guilt over her ex-husbands death and starting a new career .with a begrudging teammate. A mistaken pkg delivery meets her up with new neighbor, and the fierworks begin.

I really liked they initial story. I got into it very quickly. The middle part did slow it down some. The main focus of this story is the romance and a big factor of it is miscommunication. That part was frustrating. The FMC did have a small side story about her work experience that we did see that had some justice in the end- justice that took her tooth and nail to win unfortunately. I like the pet mouse a lot, along with the mouse's debut at the funeral- top notch. Overall not a bad romance, just a little long considering the plot. some spice- not great, but more than closed door.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay okay okay. I need everyone to read this book so I have people to talk about it with because WOW

This book was so moving and beautiful. I know it’s a romance, but honestly, the self growth and the trauma and the grief made this story so incredible.

I loved seeing Callum go from nearly silent, scared, socially awkward, and not willing to put himself out there into an amazing man who would move mountains for the people he cared about. I loved his relationship with Deirdre, how he wanted to protect her and her job and would do whatever it took to not only keep the business in the family, but to keep those who worked with him in their jobs as well.

Lark was so sweet and bubbly and even though she was going through such a major loss, she didn’t let that stop her from living her life. Did it stop her from admitting certain things and keep her from being truly happy for a while? Of course. But she got there. Her growth as not only a widow but in her career and in her own person was so great to read.

I felt like it could have been a little shorter, but that’s my only qualm with the book, really! I loved the side characters, the plot, the friends to lovers, everything!!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Ivy for the ARC of this book 🫶🏻

Okay I’ll admit I have never read a romance book involving an Irish mortician falling in love with a Southern sweet Texas gal, but the combo was so ridiculously good! Morbidly Yours is a page turner debut novel by Ivy Fairbanks. Her story is one melded with unique characters, beautiful Irish territory background, and some marriage for convenience drama. It also feels like Dexter and P.S I love You wrapped in there.

Both main characters, Lark and Callum are COMPLETE opposites. Lark is a bubbly, charming creative animator who relocates to Ireland after the death of her husband. Her shy neighbor, Callam is a quiet mortician, who prides in alone time both in and outside the office. What could bring these two characters together besides the close proximity of their houses? The looming threat that Callam can lose his family mortuary business if he doesn’t get hitched before his 35th birthday. Oooph that sucks!
Lark sees the bat signal for Callam’s distress and decides to swoop in and utilize her fixing abilities that not all of us on this green Earth possess. (You know who you are out there and I am jealous of your fix- it mentality when I just want to wallow in distress.) I digress…
One of my favorite tropes in this story is friends to lovers and Fairbanks did a seamless job weaving this trope in her story. There is a real slow burn in each page as the two realize how hard it is to deny their feelings for each other.
Morbidly Yours is a story about letting go of your past and forgiving yourself in order to move forward and find happiness. I cannot wait for the next book in Fairbanks series.Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the chance to read and review this book.

I LOVED this witty and heartwarming romance. Do not let the title fool you, there is nothing dark or morbid about this book! Lark moves to Ireland after the death of her husband looking for a fresh start; she moves next door to Callum, the owner of a funeral home. Cue jokes about hearses and death. But there is so much more to both of these characters, their depth was one of my favorite parts of the book and Fairbanks' writing. While either/both of these characters could have easily become caricatures they are both so real and their lives are so relatable. There were moments of tenderness, love, grief, frustration...you name it. Lark and Callum have a true friends to lovers romance and it was a pleasure to read. I loved their love story and I think you will too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This is a fun and beautiful story, full of tropes including he falls first, friends with benefits, and grumpy x sunshine. Callum and Lark were so cute and healthy for each other; they fit perfectly. Callum is an undertaker, running his family business after losing his grandfather and he must marry by the time he’s 35 or lose the business.

A slow burn romance set in Ireland and leveraging a glossary of common 🌶️ sayings.

I was only medium on it. I will give it points for unlikely love story between an undertaker and an artist, but the pacing felt off to me and I felt myself wanting to skim sections.

Thanks for the advanced reader copy Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to four.

I think part of my interest in reading this book was because in high school we took those career aptitude tests and one said I should be a funeral director, but I chose not to pursue that haha.

I liked Lark and Callum, and I liked how Callum was on the ace spectrum, and seeing how that was dealt with by both of them. I thought Lark’s job issues sounded realistic and I enjoyed how they concluded, but there were times I just wanted to shout “make HR listen to you!” Also, I think Lark’s mom is horrible.

Looking forward to the next book in the series!

Cute story. Love that it's based in Ireland. It did move a bit slow for me, but I liked the characters enough to stick with it and glad I did.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I was very excited to read this book because I wanted to read more books with characters who are demisexual, and the description of the hero being in that spectrum appealed to me. I did like quite a few things about this book, but I didn't like the way that this subject is handled. For a book about a character who is demisexual, this book is presented in a way that is heavily sex-focused. It is my personal opinion that if two people are getting to know each other and navigating this identity and how characters interact when they are on the asexual spectrum, it seems to be defeating the purpose to focus so much on sexual attraction and physical body traits and sexualizing those characters.

Some readers may appreciate the juxtaposition in the hero (Callum) and the heroine (Lark) and how they interact. I got to a point where I was just frustrated, especially when the heroine seems to want to pursue a relationship on her terms that is based more on her needs than on the interplay between her needs and the hero’s needs. I feel that their friendship is a very good foundation of this book, and I would have liked that to be a much stronger part of the book without constantly having the heroine’s sex-focused dialogue. The hero’s feelings do involve some attraction, but they seem to focus more on how he is drawn to her as a person and how he feels emotionally for her. For the heroine, it’s almost always tied to her sexual attraction.

I feel like the presentation of demisexuality in this book is somewhat problematic. Yes, there is a spectrum, but Callum’s demisexuality is portrayed in a way that contradicts itself. (He seems to require strong emotion/connection to be sexually attracted, but then he says he can have sex without being in love. So which is it?)

I got to the point that I just didn’t want to read this book anymore. Maybe I will go back to it at some point because I do like the setting and I do care about both characters. I don’t know I would ever view the heroine as a favorite based on her viewpoints on sex (in the context of this book) and how she behaves and even states she is pretty selfish and doesn’t seem to want to grow out of that selfishness despite lessons she has had in her life.

I found the setting charming. Ireland has such a wonderful personality that comes through in this book. I loved that Lark’s profession was in animation (I love animation and I actually took some animation classes. I have a lot of respect for animators). I liked that Callum’s profession as a mortician and a funeral director is such a big part of the book. That was dealt with very well. It’s such an important job and people just think about it as being morbid and gross. If I was going to review this book at this point, I would give it 2.5 stars. Maybe it might get better as it goes along. Perhaps I will try to finish this book one day.

Really cute and fun romance. The best part for me was the atmosphere! A great read for the spooky season if you're looking for a bit of a darker, spookier edge.

A little spooky style spice, hello a Halloween TBR! While it wasn't necessarily as spooky vibes as I had hoped, it was still a fun easy read. I am a sucker for an Irish man with a sad past. The spice was SPICY and I know there are some moms who will eat this up! It was definitely a fun romance with a unique setting.