I really have to thank the publisher for contacting me and proposing to read Morbidly Yours, because I was missing an adorable release I didn't know about!
Ivy Fairbanks presents a bittersweet story about grief, and how life has the ability to give you more than one chance for being happy.
I adored the interactions between Callum and Lark, as friends and then more, they were funny, entertaining, steamy (in some occasions) and heartwarming. It was slow and so adorable I couldn't help but love them so much together - and the spicy scenes?! So well written and totally unexpected -. Plus, I'm not a fan of breakups, but I totally understand all the ups and down of their relationship, coherent with their emotional backgrounds, anyway it was sweet how Ivy Fairbanks planned their conciliation.
Furthermore, I really appreciated how both of them grew during the entire story, gaining confidence in themselves and finding the tenacity and determination in defending their beliefs. I think it's Callum that surpised me more, and I was so happy to see him having more friends, maybe new hobbies and finding (and fighting for) the love of his life.
Very cute the epilogue with ties with Lark's past.
I'm so curious about which characters will be the next protagonists of this series!

Thank you to @putnambooks for the gifted copy of this book!
____________________________________________
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘳."
____________________________________________


I loved this book.

It had so many of my favorite things.

100% transparency... I had a hard time with the FMC at times, BUT... I've also never dealt with grief and loss the way she did. There were times I just wanted to shake her, but I also know if I experienced what she did, I would 1000% probably be the same way... so I did my best to look at things through that perspective.

🪦 Dual POV
☘️ Ireland/Irish Slang
🛵 Opposites Attract
🪦 Undertaker/Family Legacy
☘️ Animator
🛵 Toxic Co-worker
🪦 Grief and Loss
☘️ Neighbors
.
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #morbidlyyours #ivyfairbanks #book64of2023 #whatsnikkireading #putnampartner #putnambooks #giftedcopy #advancedcopy #oppositesattract #undertaker #animator #neighbors #griefandloss #toxiccoworkers #ireland #familylegacy

I first read Morbidly Yours when it was indie-published, and I was so excited to see it finally get the recognition it deserves! The story is unique, multifaceted, and keeps your attention while the characters are the perfect amount of quirky and believable. It’s such a refreshing take on the “friends-to-lovers” trope, and I appreciated the way sensitive topics were dealt with. I’ve recommended it to many people, and I’ll keep doing so!

Plot: 4.25
Spice: 🌶️.5
Character Development: 4

This was a lovely little love story. Far sadder than I was anticipating, but when you are dealing with a lot of death that happens. I’m glad the FMC started therapy at the end of the book. I just wish that had been sooner. Callum was such an endearing character and I really loved him. Lark’s journey was pretty week done, I just kind feel like her eye opening sorta happened really fast at the end. It was hard to be convinced she was actually in love.

The side characters were some of my favorites in any book. I was so sad with Maeve’s story.

Outside of this being sad it was a lovely story.

Also f*ck Sean!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks is a romance set in Ireland with a grumpy/sunshine, friends to lovers story line and a deeper exploration of grief within a relationship.

Lark has just moved to Ireland from Austin, Texas for an amazing new job as an Art Director at an animation studio. She recently lost her husband a couple of years ago, and needs a fresh start. Despite the cloud of grief over her head, Lark is an all around sunshine person, wearing bright colors, making friends everywhere she goes, a lover of small animals, and expressing her emotions through her art.

While unpacking her boxes and trying to forget all that she lost back in the States, she opens a delivery box incorrectly delivered to her and finds .... a box of body bags?? She learns the package was supposed to go to the home across the street and decides to deliver it herself. Just to you know, make sure she hasn't moved in next to a serial killer. Turns out, that home is actually a funeral home run by the most handsome man alive, their undertaker.

Callum is a local Irishman and proud mortician. Raised by his grandfather who owned the funeral home, he has now inherited the business. He fits the undertaker vibe to a T - quiet, isolated, dresses in monochrome greys and black, spends most of his time with dead people, and focused on the family business, When Lark shows up on his doorstep, his world is filled with color for the first time in years.

Despite running from her grief, Lark wants to make a friend and finds an unlikely pal in Callum. Despite being total opposites, they find solace in each other. Callum opens up to Lark about his current dilemma - his grandfather left him the business under one condition - he had to keep the business a family business and get married by the time he turns 35 next year. Lark jumps on the "Find Callum's Wife" bandwagon and starts helping him open himself up to the possibility of love and romance. The only thing is... he just wants her. And as he begins going on dates with all of these amazing local women, Lark begins to realize she wants him too.

--

I enjoyed reading Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks! I loved the Irish setting, both of these characters, and the element of grief within the relationship. You don't see a ton of widows in romance novels and I thought this one was done very well and honestly. I do feel like this "find you a girlfriend or wife" plot has been done so many times so I wasn't very invested because I knew exactly where it was going to go. Overall, I still enjoyed it!

Thank you to Net Galley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was a fun read as it had all the elements for a good rom-com but also was set in Ireland and included many sayings in Gaeilge (the Irish language not Gaelic as the book points out, glossary provided). It went as far as to provide terms specifically suited for a romance novel -- you'll have to read it to know what I mean. We meet Lark from Texas who's arrived in Galway for a temporary job to escape her life. Her marriage has ended along with the relationship with her best friend and sister-in-law who she happens to work with. It's all too much and she's all about avoiding. She's moving into her lovely new apartment when she receives a delivery of body bags! It's for her neighbor, Callum, who happens to run a mortuary right next door. There's chemistry at first sight. Lark has sworn off all relationships and Callum needs to get married in the next several months. His granda, Tadhg, has written in his will that Callum needs to be married by his next birthday to inherit the business otherwise it will go to his estranged father who only wants to sell it for the highest sum. Their situations provide the tension in the story. There's a nice resolution and many steamy scenes for those who prefer more rom than com. Overall, a very enjoyable read and fun to experience a new city to me, Galway.

I completely adored reading this book! Between the sweet banter, the vibrancy and emotionality that was Lark, the multifacetedness of Cal, and the beautiful setting, I had no choice but to devour this book whole. I laughed out loud, I cried with Lark, and I loved every moment.
Lark was such a fun FMC, and I felt really connected to her and the way she stood up and rallied for those she cared about but struggled to do that for herself, and how she used her boisterous personality oftentimes as a shield. It isn't like we don't see that in other main characters in other books, but something about the way Lark was written made her feel NOT written. All of her actions were so believable. I couldn't help but to root for her.
And don't even get me started on Cal. He is a cutie patootie and I will protect him at all costs. I loved the ace rep, and the stutter only made him more endearing. The complete honesty of his character and the way he just gravitated to Lark from the beginning had me in a chokehold. And when he began feeling genuine attraction for her? All I wanted to do was read his internal monologue. SWOON.
I've already been recommending this book to anyone who will listen since I was about halfway through, but now that I've finished, I'm even more excited to share the experience that was "Morbidly Yours" with everyone.

I found the pace of this story at the beginning to be a bit slow. I had almost gave up on the story, when there was an interesting twist.
Undertaker Callum needs to get married to fulfill the terms of his grandfather's will and keep the business that has been in his family for generations. But his stutter and the teasing he endured as a child has left him cautious and withdrawn. The answer seems to be his new neighbor, Lark.

Two years after the loss of her husband she still blamed herself for his death. Sure she just doesn't have what it takes to make a relationship work, she refuses to get too close to anyone. She can't be what Callum needs, but she takes it upon herself to help him find what he needs.

I loved the characters from the start. They just meshed. And I don't think Callum even realized how quickly he became comfortable with Lark. Simply being accepted as he was led to an increase in his confidence. As I read deeper into the story, I realized that Callum was really the stronger of the two. Lark came to Ireland for a job, but really she was running away from memories. She carries her pain behind a perpetual smile and a cheery demeanor. While it took Lark's gregarious, personality to bring Callum out of his shell, he was the one who became Lark's strength and support, helping her to find healing.

When a jealous co-worker stabs her in the back, Lark takes a good long look at herself to try to find the woman Callum knows her to be.

In the end, I found this an uplifting, inspiring story. I'm glad I didn't give up on it.

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks is a romance novel about an undertaker named Callum who can only inherit his family business if he gets married before his 35th birthday which is only 5 months away. Lark agrees to help Callum with this dilemma but neither of them expects how much they would be attracted to each other. I enjoyed that the characters developed a friendship before a romantic relationship because they are able to get to know each other better. It also allowed for a lot of tension which I loved. The story is set in Ireland which is fun but since Lark is from the US it does mean that their relationship will have some things to work through. I will also say that this book is very spicy and that took up the majority of the second half of the book. That was a bit too much for me but just be aware of it. Overall, it was a fun and fast read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this book was going to take me on!! These two characters could not have been more perfect for each other.

This has to be one of the most random and yet perfect pairings. I never would have thought of a mortician and an animator but the beauty in both of them was such a great opposition. Lark was this little rainbow ball of energy that masked so much pain. Though she was running away, she actually ran into exactly what she needed. Callum was so sweet and so kind. His awkwardness made me want to hold him and hug him through the whole book. They both brought out so much in the other and helped them heal old and deep wounds.

This was such a perfect romcom with so much feeling behind it. All of the side characters were so wonderful and brought such life to the world around Callum and Lark. I loved the writing and am so happy this book is out in the world. I can't wait to see what's next for this author.

Thank you to NetGalley & Putman group for this ARC!

Look out for anything by Ivy Fairbanks because this debut was so good!

This story follows out FMA Lark Thompson who is starting a new job as an animator in Ireland, far from her hometown in Texas after the death of her husband. Swearing off love, she is excited to immerse herself into a new project but is dealing with a macho misogynist at work who undermines her and delays schedule constantly but is protected because his uncle owns the company. She moves into an apartment next door to a funeral home and befriends the caretaker, our MMC Callum Flannelly.

Callum is an introverted man who suffers from a speech impediment that has held him back for most of his life. He’s recently been informed by his grandfathers will that if he wants to keep the family home and business, he needs to marry by his 35th birthday. That’s a short 5 months away and with no prospects in sight, he and Lark work together to set up dates in hopes of finding someone to settle down.

While Lark tries to keep her feelings in check when it comes to Callum, the two feel most comfortable together and sure enough they can’t resist the pull to one another. These two had great chemistry and unmatched banter! The slow burn of their friendship turned lovers was perfectly executed and those scenes are spicyyyy! I loved the quirky side characters and that Lark was able to form real friendships abroad. I also enjoyed the descriptions of beautiful Ireland! I can’t wait to one day visit!


Perfect if you love:
-grumpy/sunshine
-friends-to-lovers
-slow burn
-dual POV
-spicy scenes

Lark moves to Ireland for work and to start fresh after her husband's death (read TWs). She finds herself living next door to a funeral home... hehe whoops. A misdelivered case of body bags brings her to the mortician's doorstep. Callum has to find a wife before his birthday, or he'll lose the family business. Lark is dead set against marrying again (even a marriage of convenience), so she volunteers to help Callum find The One.

First, the dedication spoke to me: "TO MY MOM. There’s a confession I must make: during middle school, I stole every shirtless-cowboy romance novel from your nightstand that you warned me not to read. Miss you every day, and I hope this makes up for it."

I really enjoyed the dark humor sprinkled throughout. "Ireland would be my clean slate, unless they went digging. But I wasn’t going to be handing out shovels." Also "Barbie's Dream Hearse" made me laugh out loud.

Lark describes herself as the human equivalent of loose glitter, and I would agree that was an apt description. I love the trope where a main character is perfectly content with their life until the other MC opens them up to the possibility of more.

I know some say this is grumpy-sunshine, but I would say Callum isn't a grump, he's just reserved (and very deadpan) and doesn't let many people in. Also, Lark isn't all sunshine because of that little storm cloud following her around ("Lonely recognizes lonely."). I would say this is more of an opposites attract story.

The storyline with Maeve was very tender and made me tear up just the tiniest bit.

There were a few things that didn't totally click for me. First, I would have expected Lark to engage in more tourist activities and adventures throughout, but so often the events of the book take place in her rental. I had to look up pictures of Galway to really get a sense of the setting. Second, something about the third act and epilogue was not fully satisfying. The I-want-to-but-we-shouldn't cycle was frustrating.

Read this if you're in the mood for:
- 30s+ romance
- Opposites attract
- Spice
- Dark humor
- Friends-to-lovers
- Dual POV
- He falls first
- Ability representation (stutter)
- Asexuality representation (demisexual)

Overall, a cute romance, but I didn't quite "feel it" like I do for other romances. The main characters were nice, but I would've liked to see Lark's past fleshed out more. It's a heavy topic and it didn't feel heavy reading it. The tropes used were too over the top for me; there were times where I couldn't help but roll my eyes in certain situations. The beginning was slow, but it did pick up in the second half of the book.

I probably won't read the sequel of this one, "Love in Galway #2", because I didn't feel a tug to read more about Lark's bff, which I'm sure that one will be about. Overall, a nice read, but didn't blow me out of the water.

Thank you, Penguin Group and NetGalley, for the ARC for my honest review.

This is a solid 3-star debut romance novel. I appreciated the demisexual representation, and the transition from enemies to friends to lovers was sweet. The last act went on a bit too long for me, and I wouldn't say I like two epilogues in general. This felt in the vein of Yours Truly but made it set in Ireland with undertakers.

That being said, I look forward to seeing what this author does next.

At first I did not think this was a book for me.The title threw me off .I liked that it took place in Ireland where had been before . The character flow was on point .I can’t wait to read more by this author .Thank you for my early copy . A fast read and a must read .

I originally read this over a year ago when it was independently published and really enjoyed. So happy for Ivy and this now traditionally published book! I think this book is a solid 3.75 - I really love the premise and I LOVE Callum. He is so kind and thoughtful. The Gaelige speaking scenes??? To die for. Ultimately I think there’s a little too much going on in the book - between Callum with his Grandfather’s will requiring him to get married to keep his business, Lark helping Callum go on dates, Lark’s grief with her husband, Lark’s job troubles, and Maeve’s story. I wish it flowed better in a way that it didn’t feel like 5 separate plots within one book. By the end of the book you almost completely forget how the book started - with Lark helping Callum go on dates so he could find someone to marry. I also wish we got more from Lark - there’s obviously a large focus on her working through her grief but I feel like we don’t get a satisfying “solution”. As in Lark is harboring all of this guilt and concerns that she is bad for Callum, will hurt him, and that she cannot be in a relationship again. We don’t get a clear sense of how Lark gets over these challenges before she admits to Callum her feelings and then they get together - I wanted a specific scene (I think this is how Maeve’s character could have been better used as a conduit in the story) where we get to see Lark work through these issues. Overall I think this is a solid debut and I’m excited for the following book!

Thank you netgalley and Putnam for the arc in exchange for a honest review!

Morbidly Yours is a sweet and spicy, grumpy-sunshine, friends-to-lovers romance set in Galway. So much fun to read! If you don’t fall in love with Callum and Lark the way I did, I’ll marry you to save your funeral home. (Read the book and you’ll understand the reference)

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'll be honest, I was *very* skeptical about this one. And y'all, heavy content aside it was utterly and absolutely the sweeeeertest. 🥰🫠🥰

When widower Lark moves to Ireland for work, she meets the undertaker next door, Callum, and the two strike the most heartwarming friendship ever. Callum has a slight predicament of needing to be married by a milestone birthday that's just a few short months away and Lark, being his new bestie does what she can to play matchmaker but along the way, they both end up falling. Both believing their not in a spot to love the other the way they need to but watching along as they fight their obstacles together and separate to come back together for their HEA was just sooo good. I loved the scenery, the friends they met along the way, and just the overall healing thst occurred over the course of the book.

I wanted I think a bit more for the epilogue but overall, I really enjoyed this book and falling in love with Callum and Lark's story. 🥰



Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Morbidly Yours has a unique group of characters the intro was instantly gravitating. Former Texan, Lark decides to move to Ireland after a sad/tragic event and runs into the mortician next door....feeling rise, chemistry is undeniable, and the friendship they form turns to more. I was not crazy abt the miscommunication but it made since for these characters. I loved knowing Lark was a TX girlie but honestly found so many things relatable in this book. I need to buy a physical copy asap to annotate this is the PERFECT October/Fall read.

Morbidly yours was a great slow burn but once it got going it was so hard to put down. I kept screaming just kiss already. I enjoyed this book and will definitely pick up more books by the author.