For a debut novel this was so so good! I absolutely adored the main characters as well as the side characters and loved the depth and emotion in the story. Callum is literally the cutest, sweetest, most precious angel in the world and must be protected at all costs! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series and highly recommend this book!

Another case of this book just not being for me. I had a hard time getting into it and caring about the characters. I wanted more from this in terms of pacing and character development. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved this one! I thought the slow burn of the romance was great. The demisexual rep was fantastic (can we get DemiDate in real life please?). The grief plot was so emotional but also well done. All in all I highly recommend!

dnf @ is 20%

i tried, i really did. i just could get into this. there was no real chemistry between the characters and nothing happened in the first 20% of the book that would’ve even made me want them to be together. the writing is superfluous and just hard to follow.

I really loved the unique main characters in this book. Their jobs, but also their personalities were fresh and different in the romance genre.

This book had a great start, but after a while the decisions the main characters made started yo grate on me. Yes, I like flawed characters, but at points they crossed over into unlikable territory, particularly Lark.

But the sweet moments in this book as well as the thoughtful storylines surrounding grief, not being socially comfortable, and not being easily attracted to potential romantic partners were so well done. This was a good read overall!

Lark is starting over. After her husband's tragic passing, she is starting a new job in a new country. When she opens a neighbor's package accidentally, she realizes she unknowingly moved next door to a funeral home. This was not the fresh start she was looking for, but the owner/undertaker surprises her by quickly becoming a friend. Callum is painfully shy and Lark helps bring him out of his shell. Hopefully just in time as he needs to find a wife in the next 9 months or risk losing his beloved funeral home.

Lark is a breath of fresh air. Her spontaneity and humor was the best part of the book. I felt overall it moved a little too slow, but it was worth it to get to the end. This book is (obviously) very focused on death so read with caution if that could be triggering for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Morbidly Yours.

So funny! Such a breath of fresh air. I loved the uniqueness of this premise. It got me out of a reading slump. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Title: Morbidly Yours
Author: Ivy Fairbanks
Genre: romance, contemporary
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5

✨ARC Review ✨

Thanks to Ivy Fairbanks, Putnam Group Putnim, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Morbidly Yours in exchange for an honest review. This book was released on August 20th and I can’t wait to see what other people think!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lark Thompson lost everything in Texas: her husband, her best friend, and her job. Looking for a fresh start, she heads to Galway, Ireland to start a new job and escape her past. Callum Flannelly is a single mortician who lives next door. The funeral home has been in his family for generations, and he can only keep it if he’s married by 35 (which is only a few months away). Lark and Callum quickly become friends, and Lark makes it her mission to find a wife for Callum so that he can keep his beloved job. As they grow closer, it becomes clear that Lark is the one Callum wants, but will Lark be able to move on from her past and commit to Callum?

I really enjoyed this book! I went to Ireland last year, and Galway was one of our stops, so it was fun to read about some of the familiar places. Cal was a different kind of MMC, and I loved his awkward quietness and the way Lark was able to bring out his fun side. Lark was slightly annoying to me at times with her “promise” to her late husband, Reese. Ivy Fairbanks really knows how to write a side character because I was obsessed with Maeve and her relationship to both Lark and Callum. If you’re looking for a cute destination romance with quirky characters, this is the one for you!

A striking balance between sadness and grieving and some serious hotness! Lark's grieving was a painful journey to read and a challenge to stick with, but was a good growth story. I LOVED Callum and enjoyed reading a different perspective on attraction and sexual connection. It was a unique take and incredibly hot.

Callum's mortuary profession was an interesting highlight and "Morbidly Yours" focuses a lot on death, but it is very compassionate and not graphic or sensationalized.

I'll be looking forward to more stories from Ivy Fairbanks!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Lark has packed up her boots and moved from Texas to Galway. She is in desperate need of a change after losing her husband and being incredibly uncomfortable at work. She blames herself for things she never has gotten closure over within her marriage and also with her friends at work. this new start could be just what she needs to boost her confidence. After accidentally getting a suspicious package to her new home she visits her neighbor to return it to them. She thought maybe it was a bed & breakfast, but it turns out to be a funeral home!
Callum has an ultimatum hanging over his head from his late grandfather. He has a set amount of time to find a wife before losing the family funeral home business he runs and has worked his whole life. His stutter and tendency to avoid people have always been obstacles in his life and especially his dating life. He takes a long time to really fall for someone and it turns out he might be falling hard for Lark but she is not looking for any of the same thing.
I really enjoyed this trip to Galway and the glossary of Gaelic terms used was a really fun touch!

Every so often, I read a book that just doesn’t click for me the way I want it to. It has all the makings of a book I’ll love, but can’t quite sink in. This was one of those books for me, and I’m not totally sure why. I might have been tired that week. My best guess is that there was something that didn’t ring true to me about how quickly the two main characters became such good friends so fast, without angst or friction surrounding two people that are so incredibly different. I love angst. Or some of the back and forth- I lost track or who wanted what out of the relationship and why and at what time.

However, each individual aspect of the book was really good! I liked both of the main characters on their own, but also the intimate moments when they were together! I loved how both had their own struggles, both personally and professionally. I’ve never read a book where one of the main characters is demisexual, and I thought it was really well done in this book. The plot moved and the book handled some heavy emotions gracefully. It was well written, and I do plan on reading the author's next book. I’d recommend picking it up and giving it a try!

Thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to review!

Morbidly Yours follows Callum, an undertaker for his family’s funeral business and Lark, a cartoon animator who moves to Ireland to get a fresh start. The two become neighbors, and we soon discover Callum must marry by his 35th birthday in order to inherit the business. As it turns out, Lark would rather be literally anywhere else, than near funeral homes. Despite this, they become friends and she makes it her mission to help him get married by signing him up for the dating apps and getting him back out on the scene. (I’m sure we all see where this is going). Their friendship grows, as does their mutual attraction. Can these two polar opposites come together for the happy ending they both deserve?

This was a delightful tale of grumpy vs. sunshine with an attempt at marriage of convenience. That’s not my favorite romance trope, but the story really didn’t convince me that the author pulled this one off. Don’t get me wrong - the book is adorable. The trope doesn’t really fit though. The book would have been better off if grumpy vs. sunshine and friends to lovers had been the main focuses. Still, this is superbly cute. I do love that our MMC has a stutter and it’s treated with the utmost respect in the book.

I would recommend this to a majority of romance readers. This is a general enough book that the majority of readers should enjoy, especially with spooky season approaching.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Morbidly Yours is a delightful, unique romance with great chemistry and an intriguing premise. Callum and Lark's story is set against the charming backdrop of Galway, Ireland, and the contrast between his serious, introverted nature and her vivacious, impulsive personality makes for an entertaining reading experience. The progression of their relationship feels natural and heartfelt, with plenty of humor and warmth. The premise of a mortician needing to marry to secure his inheritance is refreshingly different, and Lark's role with an animation and graphic design business was super cool. While this novel is a little spicier than I typically read, the emotional depth and captivating characters make it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

A grumpy/sunshine dual POV romance that‘ll transport you to Galway! Although the meet-cute seems like something straight out of a typical laugh-out-loud rom-com this book did contain a lot of angst and heavy topics.

After losing her husband Lark packs up and moves from Texas to Galway where she falls hard for Callum, the quiet but sexy and sweet mortician next-door. I really loved how both our MCs are career-driven and work in professions we don’t typically see in romances. (FYI If youre squeamish about embalming, there are a couple of scenes that briefly touch upon the process but nothing too detailed) Also Callum has a stutter and is demisexual, which I found refreshing since almost every other book I’ve read featuring someone on the ace/aro spectrum has been female. When Lark loses her husband, she loses her BFF too, and it was so lovely watching Lark and Callum become close friends before the attraction builds between them. Callum needs to marry someone by his birthday in order to keep the funeral home and Lark does her best to be his wingman even as she falls in love with him. Some of the bad dates and other shenanigans in this book were funny, but it was sad too. Lark has a lot of baggage with the way her husband died and the falling out between her and her former BFF. For half the book she keeps Callum in the dark, pretending it was just a divorce. Eventually the pair admit that they want to have sex with each other and start a friends with benefits arrangement (he talks Irish to her and it is VERY hot), but with Lark‘s late husband (and her work visa in jeopardy because there is workplace drama in this book and an asshole coworker) and Callum‘s threat of losing his livelihood hanging over their heads, it takes almost the entire book for these two to FINALLY get together.

I‘d give this book a solid four stars. It was an enjoyable read and made me feel like I was in Galway. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

Overview: Lark has just moved from Texas to Ireland after accepting a new job. After accidentally receiving a delivery for body bags, she discovers that her new neighbor is a socially awkward demisexual mortician with a stutter named Callum Flannery. After becoming fast friends, Lark finds out that Callum must find someone to marry to keep the funeral home in his family (due to an antiquated inheritance clause) and makes it her mission to help him find “The One”. But as their friendship deepens, Callum can’t help but wonder if the perfect candidate is the girl living next door…

Thoughts: I ADORED this book - Lark and Callum are officially one of my favorite book couples. Although they are an unconventional pair, they were SO sweet and complemented each other in the best ways. The writing and dialogue were pitch-perfect and there was actually an interesting plot - I couldn’t believe this was a debut novel?! And considering how innocent and naive Lark and Callum were as a couple, I was surprised by the amount of spice in this book! Ivy Fairbanks is definitely an author to keep on your radar!!

Take home message: I highly recommend picking up “Morbidly Yours,” a ridiculously cute rom com (that features a friendly girl from Texas and a demisexual Irish mortician) that is bursting with charm. Tropes include: neighbors-to-friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, and friends with benefits. Note that this book is a dual POV open-door romance and includes many discussions about grief as the main character is a widow.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Spice

Tropes:
Neighbors to Lovers
Friends to Lovers
Opposites Attracts
Ron Com
Demisexual Rep

Lark & Callum 🫠🫠 i loved these two with my whole chest. this book was so quirky & original. i loved every second.

This was so good! I was hooked by the cover and the story kept me! I am SHOCKED this is debut novel. I loved the way Callum's stutter was treated with so much respect and he was just a shy sweet cinnamon roll. And the way that Lark loves Dolly parton and is from Texas was awesome! The way the whole subject of grief was handled was also SO good. It's such a delicate topic and it was covered so beautifully. I love all the tropes especially he falls first, opposites attract, and friends with benefits. But it wasn't focused on just the tropes which I appreciated. IT WAS VERY SPICY! It is not for people who don't like spice. Overall I cant wait to read more books by Ivy Fairbanks!

This book was an unexpected pleasure! I loved the grumpy sunshine of it all. Callum and Lark were the cutest couple that you'd never expect to root for! Super cute romance. Very different plot overall.

I absolutely positively loved this book. For some reason, these characters spoke to me. I stayed up way too late and then got up way too early the next morning to finish this. I was fully invested in this relationship through its ups and downs. I could not get enough of each character separately and also together. Love, love, love!!!

I promise myself I will stop staying up late reading, and then I find myself up till midnight to finish this book. But it's not my fault, it was just really good! I fell in love with Lark & Callum and their funny & sweet exchanges. I wanted to punch Sean, hangout at the Hare's Breath pub, I was fully immersed. And talk about some steamy scenes! Hubba hubba! An amazing debut & I look forward to reading more from this author.