The story's premise is unique and cute. The grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract tropes are prominent throughout. It was also interesting to see two paths of dealing with grief and loss intertwine throughout the story. Lark was still dealing with the loss of her husband, and Callum, an undertaker, deals with loss daily. The cast of secondary characters also really stood out on their own throughout the story, and it was great to see the character-building that was happening outside the main couple.

This may be the first book I read with an explicitly stated demisexual main character. Callum was just yummy goodness wrapped up in an undertaker’s body. He was thoughtful and kind to Lark, and to me, that is what makes a good book boyfriend. And when he falls in love with Lark, there is no stopping him from really showing it through his actions and words. The way that these characters helped each other break down their self-constructed barriers was also a major plus in this book. It was a slow burn to the point where I was concerned the couple wasn’t going to act on their feelings and release the sexual tension that was building.

Thank you to NetGalley, P.G. Putnam’s Sons, and Ivy Fairbanks for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The premise of this book caught my attention from the start. It talks about processing and handling grief throughout. We see how people handle loss differently. Pain can sometimes recognize pain and you may find a friend in the most unlikely of places.

Lark is dealing with survivor's guilt in a way and blaming herself for the death of her husband. Her best friend Rachel lashed out and hurt her when she needed her the most so she packed up her life for a new start in Ireland.

The introverted man next door struggles to put himself out in the world and he must if he intends to keep his family business. His grandfather wanted him to carry the torch, but he also wanted him to find someone to share life with. Now he must marry before his 35th birthday.

Lark befriends Callum and helps spruce up his dating profile. She has sworn off marriage herself, but is willing to help him get out of his comfort zone. They become each other's support system during life's struggles.

It is a cute story with room for more. I expect this will be a series that follows some other characters that we have met along the way. The ending felt a little rushed, so it would be great to have a bit more information in a future book. I loved that this author did not shy away from the topic of grief. It is an important topic that authors often shy away from.

I am not 100% certain why I requested this but it was not a great fit for me. Quite a bit spicier than I normally read and the main female character, Lark was a bit much.. Bad communication tropes are not my jam and that is 100% what this one is. Slightly entertaining but otherwise just ok.

🪦 Friends to lovers
🪦 Fish out of water (Texas to Ireland)
🪦 Opposites attract
🪦 Neighbors
🪦 MMC is demisexual
🪦 MMC has a stutter
🪦 He falls first
🪦 FMC is a widow

This was such a cute debut! Lark is a widow who left Texas and went to Ireland for work. She unknowingly moves in next to a funeral home. She meets a cute, peaky blinders look a like mortician. He's shy, doesn't get out much and has a stutter. They quickly become good friends. Callum is on a mission to find a wife to save the funeral home and needs a marriage of convenience!

There is so much drama that goes down in this one I wouldn't call it a romcom maybe a rom-drama?! Lark has drama at work, Callum has drama at the funeral home with his family and we have drama. With a mutual friend.

Lark and Callums banter is so good and kept me interested throughout the book. Then the spice hits and it's HOT!

Thank you for this arc

3.75⭐️

Lark has taken a temporary job in Ireland to escape Austin Texas and the memories of her late husband. When she receives her neighbors package of body bags accidentally, she is introduced to Callum, the shy demisexual mortician next door.

I enjoyed this story, it did take a bit for me to get into it but once I did get into it I grew to love these characters. Lark's grief was something I could relate to in a way. I have felt grief and guilt and have found it difficult to move on, I really felt for her in this book. Even though she was deep into her grief she was also the sunshine in this book and I liked that contrast in her character. She brought so much life to Callum and the others she encountered. I adored Callum and how he allowed Lark to pull him out of his shell a bit. He fell so hard and so fast for her and it was so sweet.

There was the added aspect of Callum desperately trying to save his family’s funeral home business. Once his grandfather died, his will had a stipulation that Callum had to be married by the time he was 35 in order to inherit the funeral home. If not it would go to his father who wants to sell it. That leads Callum to go on a series of bad dates that added a lot of fun to this book too. I loved reading about the horrible dates, I loved how Cal dating led Lark to get jealous. How those dates made her realize that she had real feelings for Callum.

There was also some work drama for Lark, she had a coworker that was truly awful. And again I saw myself in Lark, I am also a people pleaser and do not like conflict, so I really understood her just wanting to keep the piece. But I also wanted to scream at her to stand up for herself.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.

Guys, I might be in my "quiet simp of a man" era... because I ate this book up.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks  

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Love in Galway character series. Book 1. 

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary romance 

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Grumpy/sunshine, neighbors, dating lessons, vacation vibes.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Lark is a beautiful and colorful animator, spending time in Ireland on a major film project. It's no surprise that the girl who makes friends everywhere catches the eye of her neighbor - Callum, a mortician who has a hard time in crowded rooms. The unlikely pair strike a friendship, but when Lark finds out Callum is under a time crunch to get married, she decides to help.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: I've read three books this month where the MMC is quiet, bumbling, can't get out of his own way.... where he shows her his feelings through actions and not words... and man, I am loving this turn of events. Maybe I am a quiet man girly!

I don't know if that's entirely true, but I do know that I really enjoyed this book. The characters were so layered and interesting - I love when I get to read characters that are unique, especially after reading so many romance novels. 

Cal will have your heart, and you'll be rooting for him, mark my words. I mean, who wouldn't?  He's adorably ruffled, teaches her Irish sayings... tricks her into thinking he's dirty talking her while he really is just saying he loves her... I swooned - quite literally with a hand on my forehead.

I know this is a trad published release for this book, but I'm glad I finally got to read it. I can't wait to dig into more in this series.

 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3/5 🌶🌶🌶

Thank you Ivy Fairbanks, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for my copy of Morbidly Yours. 🤍 I received this book for review, all opinions are my own and given freely.

I was invited to read this book by Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons on NetGalley. Ultimately, I did not finish this book. It just didn’t work for me.

Unfortunately this one did not work for me! I thought I would love the quirkiness of the plotline and the Ireland based setting. However, the relationship and dynamic between the two main characters felt so awkward and not romantic at all? Like I would have rather them be friends than lovers with how the progression of their relationship turned out and when I cannot root for the main characters to get together... the whole story sadly falls apart for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an early copy.

absolutely loved! cover is perfect. story is perfect. as someone who loves a slowburn -- this GAVE. their interactions had me giggly hard. uggh i love them! i need all my friends to read this immediately!

Morbidly Yours was a delightful read! Callum and Lark had such a fun grumpy x sunshine dynamic, and they really brought out the best in each other's character. The setting of Galway was so lovely unique, paired with their professions, it provided an atmosphere unlike any I've read in the genre before. Being a Texan, I often felt like Lark was bit a of a caricature of a Texan -- listening to the audiobook felt like this doubly so (no one who is born and bred in Austin has an accent like that!) and it took me out of the story a few times, but it's a testament to how much I loved the overall romance that this was still a banger for me!

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. With a mortician who lives next door to a grieving widow it’s bound to be dark right?! Wrong.

I’d rather get myself fitted for a wooden onesie than give a eulogy.”

It had humor, anxiety rep, asexual rep, grief, and work nemesis behavior, and an elder lesbian who rode a Vespa. It was so multifaceted and kept me so engaged. At the heart of it was also love, as unconventional as it may have been.

“Lark, I’m more myself with you than anywhere else.”

While grief does have a huge part in Lark’s unwillingness to make her feelings for Callum real, she also can’t help but be his friend first. Callum struggles with connecting but he must marry before his next birthday or lose his family business. He doesn’t seem to have that problem with Lark though. His stutter is almost not present with her, feeling at ease to be himself.

There were so many moments I loved in this book and I highly recommend it.

“A terrible thing, that. But all we can control is how we choose to move through life. With honesty. With bravery. With love. I know you can do it.”

Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

OMGGGGGGGGG. Y’all. This was the book I’ve been NEEDING. It was a breath of fresh air. This was one of my most anticipated ARCs and it did NOT disappoint.

Lark and Callum are the perfect puzzle pieces for each other. The yin to each other’s yang. Where Lark is vibrant and full of life, Callum is strong and silent and his job is literally in the business of death. They are both struggling with their own hardships and pasts, but my gosh do they come together beautifully as a couple in this story.

This book was so well written and the pacing was just perfection. I also loved the Gaeilge that was sprinkled throughout - it really helped immerse me into the story (and made me want to go to Ireland even more).

I think I found a new book boyfriend in Callum. The man is so dreamy without even trying but I still want to protect him at all costs. I felt myself falling head over heels for him the more we got into the story. He was simply so perfect. I can’t say enough good things about him and Lark or about this book. Please do yourself a favor and read it!!

The first line of the author's acknowledgements refers to this as an "odd little book," and I have to agree. Lark goes to Ireland for a job, still grieving and hurt after her husband's death. She discovers her nextdoor neighbor, Callum, is a mortician, and he's grieving the loss of his grandfather and trying to keep the family business intact. Lark swears she doesn't want any kind of relationship. Callum has been single for a long time and says he's usually disinterested in physical intimacy. Based on those two things, the story felt awkward that they were pining away for each other and then turned into friends with benefits.
This wasn't the book for me but might be of interest to those who enjoy more unique or quirky romances.

I love books that take place in Ireland but this one just didn’t work for me. The conversations between Lark and Callum seemed stilted and awkward most of the time. Plus the use of the Irish language was great but because the definitions were at the front, I had to leave the story to find out what was being said and it just didn’t work. It kind of ruined the enjoyment.

THIS BOOK! Y'all this one had me kicking my little feet but also yelling at the friends to become lovers already!! This was such a fun read. The book explores grief and guilt, as well as love and live after loss. It brought me to tears a couple of times!

Morbidly Yours has such a fun premise! It 's fun while bringing real emotion to the table. A great debut!

Overall an ok read. The story theme was nice but Lark was over the top satire of an American in Galway. And Galway was written about in a weird Americanized way. Tough to explain. The story arc worked well though the ending was unsatisfying as was the ultimate resolution to Carl’s funeral home ownership problem. The spicy scenes didn’t work for me, just weirdly written after sharing that Cal may be ace or uninterested in sexual romps.

This was such a fun and cozy read. Truly a friends to lovers book and almost a slow burn. It had me screaming “JUST KISS ALREADY” at the half way….the tension was too high HAHAHHA

I adored this book so much. As someone with a stutter that comes out at the worst times - this was such a breath of fresh air.

The romance in this book came slowly but so sweetly. I thought it was even more realistic this way. I’ve read a lot of romance books where the characters fall too fast.

One of the sweetest books I’ve read so far this year.

I loved this story! The author did a fantastic job weaving in how the main characters dealt with grief in their everyday lives while also showcasing their personalities and romance with enough humor and cute moments mixed in. I really enjoyed that these were people living with grief, a stutter, etc. and not people whose entire personalities became those traits. The love story was great, and watching Lark be herself on the pages while bringing out Collum’s personality was so fun to read!