I loved these two idiots.
The banter is fabulous, the spicy bits are good and the plot was a lot of fun!
These two idiots take waaay too long to figure out they are meant for eachother, but otherwise this was a fluffy delight!

Much love to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for hooking me up with this!
I highly recommend you scoop it up.

This was such a great debut! I loved Callum’s character, and how his sexuality and stutter were portrayed. It did take me a bit to get into the story, but it was really sweet as it developed. Overall, I enjoyed it and I’m excited to read more by Ivy Fairbanks in the future.

Thank you Penguin Random House for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks so much to Putnam for sending me an ARC of the traditionally published version of this story! I enjoyed it so much Callum was such a little sweetie & Lark was the perfect person to help him out of his shell. I loved seeing their story unfold and how they opened up to each other! Can’t wait to read more from Ivy Fairbanks!

Come for the Irish endearments and dirty talk, stay for the heartwarming friends to lovers, opposites attract love story.

Morbidly Yours follows Callum Flannelly, a shy and demisexual Irish mortician, who faces a unique family obligation: he must marry before his 35th birthday in just a few months' time to inherit his beloved family business. Meanwhile, Lark Thompson, a Texan animator with a bubbly personality but hidden grief, moves in next door.

Despite their mismatched personalities, Lark offers to help Callum find The One. As they embark on a dating project, Callum finds himself falling for his lively neighbor instead of the women he's taking out on dates. Lark knows she's developing feelings for Callum too, but she has vowed to never pursue another romantic relationship. Will they be able to navigate their complicated feelings about love to find happiness together?

I don't read a ton of romance novels, but this sweet and steamy book is exactly what I do like about the genre. The novel explores themes of grief, second chances, and the unexpected ways love can find you, all while still hitting the highs and lows one associates with the genre.

I appreciated the author's thoughtful approach to sensitive topics, including death, demisexuality, and Callum's stutter. Although I was frustrated with her at times, Lark's reluctance to open her heart felt genuine given her past trauma. I was also happy to see that Lark was portrayed as artistic and free-spirited without devolving into the manic pixie dream girl stereotype.

The engaging plot and well-developed characters made it hard to put the book down. I often found myself reading much more than the "just one more chapter" that I had promised myself.

If you're a fan of Abby Jimenez or looking for a romantic comedy with depth, Morbidly Yours is a fantastic pick for you. I really have no major critiques of this one. Five stars!

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 21, 2024 and to Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on August 23, 2024.

I loved Morbidly Yours! What a great debut from Ivy Fairbanks.

A young widow moves from Texas to Ireland for a fresh start; and finds it, along with a relationship with her mortician neighbour. Callum is a wonderful character and Lark is his perfect counterpart; I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop. The slow burn pays off wonderfully.

A little offbeat, to have a romance novel with death such an integral part of the plot, but that makes it interesting and fresh. I can see myself reading this again.

Lark has moved to Ireland for a job. It’s the perfect escape after she’s experienced tragedy back home. She moves in next door to Callum who runs a mortuary business that has been in his family. He loves his job and wants to keep the business but there’s a huge stipulation that he doesn’t have much time to figure out before it’s taken from him. As Callum and Lark develop a beautiful friendship, she tries to help him keep his business. He’d love nothing more than to keep to himself but outgoing and bubbly Lark has other plans!

I have not read an entire book in one sitting in a long time but this was one of them! The friendship, the tension, the slow burn, everything was SO GOOD. I love seeing books with representation of different people and this was beautifully done. One of my favorite reads of the year so far!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Ivy Fairbanks, and Penguin Group Putnam for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on August 20th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date.

I *ADORED* Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks. Lark has moved to Galway to work on an animated movie project, but she's also running away from the grief of losing her husband. A 28 year old widow, she's looking for a fresh start--and she unexpectedly finds it when she befriends Callum, her next door neighbor and the local undertaker. He has to get married by the time he turns 35 or else he loses the funeral home, so she decides to help her painfully shy neighbor turned friend find true love, never suspecting (or allowing herself to think that) she might just be the one he's been looking for.

It isn't often that I see demisexuality so clearly portrayed on page, and I loved it so much. I felt so very seen in Callum's character. He needs that emotional connection, that closeness, in order to experience desire, and I loved how Lark respected and accepted that. There was no judgment from either of them about the others' preferences or needs--just care and understanding.

The whole book is just a wonderful balance of sweet and spicy, funny and poignant. The audiobook is actually fantastic--Gary Furlong's Irish accent was *chefs kiss* Angela Dawe's narration was also really good, even though I get a little put out when people just assume people from Texas have a Southern accent. (That's actually rarely the case.) Other than that little annoyance, I really loved all the references to Texas, like the mention of HEB, my favorite grocery store!

I loved how it explored grief and loss and guilt and moving on. I thought it was, overall, very very well done, and I couldn't put it down.

This was such a cute read! A great balance of steam to story with really well-rounded characters. I fell in love with them as they fell in love with each other. Also, the Texan in me is in love with the fun blending of Texan and Irish slang!

📱Morbidly Yours📱⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Length- 328 pages. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Genre- Contemporary Romance. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣My thoughts- Who is ready for cozy fall books? This one isn’t set in fall, but man- it put me in the mood for sweet reads, candles, the smell of baking cookies and rainy mornings! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Morbidly Yours features a hot mortician, Callum, who must marry before his 25th birthday or lose the family business. When Lark, an American animator and widow, moves next door she agrees to help break the introverted man out of his shell. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Read this if you enjoy: ⁣
⁣- Friends to lovers. ⁣
⁣- Slow burn. ⁣
⁣- Books set in Ireland. ⁣
⁣- Open door romance with tons of spice. ⁣
⁣- Sweet, lovable characters. ⁣
⁣- Cozy books that also tackle heavy topics. Grief and death are tackled here. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣This book was so much fun! I can’t believe it’s Ivy Fairbanks first book and planning on reading her next one! Fantastic! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for my honest review. Morbidly Yours is out now!

4.5/5✨

Morbidly Yours

📖 via E Arc

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the reader the ability to have a copy for review.

Slow Burn
Grumpy MMC
Sunshine FMC
He falls first
30+ rep
Stutter rep

This book was such a good time!! Love after loss, morbid humor what’s there not to like?!! I loved the authors writing style!! I will be reading more by this author in the future!!

So I cried while reading this book. Like, a lot. Like I already had a migraine and the amount of crying made it worse.
I am such a sucker for socially awkward broody boys, and Callum fit that to a T. He was demisexual, which I NEVER see enough rep for, had a stutter, and crippling social anxiety. Lark was sunshine incarnate, with a tendency to run from and/or ignore the big issues in her life, including grief and guilt from the death of her husband. This book handled all of that so well.
I loved the balance of Lark and Callum’s friendship developing alongside their passion for very different careers. Callum was what every undertaker should be; patient, kind, and respectful of all types of grieving. I’m just a lil bit obsessed with him.
Lark and Callum were so wonderful together, complementing each other via different strengths and ultimately respectful of one another’s needs. Their unlikely friendship was the foundation necessary for authentic growth together and ultimate understanding, passion, and mutual joy.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: death, grief, embalming process, mentions of macabre aspects of embalming, mention of animal consumption of dead body, mentions of childhood bullying, parental abandonment and subsequent toxic relationship, workplace harassment, sexism, brief allusions to homophobia

Morbidly Yours-Love in Galway Book #1

by Ivy Fairbanks-debut author

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication 8-20-24, Read 8-19-24

Format: e-book, 351 pgs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam| G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC💚! I voluntarily give an honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fic

Tropes:
✔️ marriage of convenience
✔️ friends to lovers
✔️ friends with benefits
✔️dating coach
✔️LGBTQ+ rep
✔️grumpy/sunshine
✔️open door sex

⚠️TW: H has a stutter, grief-death of a spouse and friend, bullying/misogyny in the workplace, caring for sick/elderly/deceased, terminal illness

Summary: Callum Flannelly 34 is a mortician looking to inherit the family business-Willow Haven Funeral Home. His grandfather put in a clause in his will that he must be married by age 35, or his estranged father Padraig will be able to sell it. Lark Thompson 30 moves from Texas to Ireland next door to Callum looking to start fresh after the death of her husband Reese. She is an animator with a new job KinetiColor Studios, and has to deal with a creepy, narcissistic workplace rival.

The plot was Callum and Lark getting to know each other while Callum joined dating apps to find a wife. They spend a lot of time together and eventually sleep together with no strings attached. Callum was shy, demisexual, and awkward with women. except Lark. She's still grieving her husband and blamed herself for his death. There were some cute side characters such as Maeve and Cielo. Even Rachel, Lark's sister-in-law who blamed Lark for Reese's death, reconciles with Lark. It had some tragedy but overall, this was a great romance between two unlikely people. I hope this becomes a series; I would definitely read it!

A few months ago Callum lost his grandfather, leaving him grieving and with a new problem. There’s a stipulation in the will that if he doesn’t marry by his next birthday he won’t inherit the funeral home and business he’d been groomed to take over. Time is running out, and the father who abandoned him to be raised by his grandparents is just waiting to sell the place out from under him if Callum fails.

Now I already have Feelings about stipulations that require a relationship to inherit. Factoring in that Callum is Demi?
Whatever the intentions were, it feels cruel.

Lark agrees with me this isn’t great, so I feel justified.
She’s Callum’s new neighbor, an American who has traveled all the way to live in Ireland for a year.
She’s there to help a new animation studio produce their first feature, but more importantly to get a fresh start after the loss of her husband. It’s been over a year, but largely misplaced guilt and the loss of friends and her old job has made moving on harder.

While not having any interest in a romantic relationship herself, the friendship Lark is building with Callum has her invested in helping *him* find one (and subsequently not lose everything he’s worked so hard for)

Problem is - the only one Callum is developing feelings for - and finding attraction to - is her. But not wanting to risk the new friendship he won’t tell her.
And she’s continuing to let him assume her marriage ended in divorce, and not telling him the truth about the loss that’s holding her back.
So messy!

If I wasn’t assured of an HEA I would have been very worried, and a touch frustrated about the lack of communication BUT I enjoyed how they danced around each other - sometimes literally.
It’s a slow burn, but things are steaming once they get going.
And the way things wrapped up was super satisfying.

The side characters were great, very easy to get attached to - and, in the case of one in particular, dislike immensely. But, again, such a good ending!

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

This was a really cute debut and now I'm wishing the author had a backlist I could dive into! If you're a fan of marriage of convenience romances and characters who have unconventional jobs then this would be the perfect book for you!

Actual rating 4.25/5 stars

An amazing debut from Ivy Fairbanks! I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, but Morbidly Yours is the perfect cozy fall read. I especially loved Lark and Callum’s relationship. The character development and romance felt real and was written/treated with care.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Putnam Books/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for a chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

I loved this book. Loved it. I’m definitely going to get the audiobook when it comes out.
Cal and Lark were so much fun. It was precious to see Cal come out of his shell and to see Lark come to terms with her grief.
All the side characters were stellar. Maeve and Deirdre were my favorites. Love stubborn old Irish ladies.
I cannot wait to listen to this on audio.

I enjoyed this one so, so much.

After losing her husband, Lark Thompson decides to move across the world to Ireland for a fresh start. She's not looking for love, just concentrating on her new job and living in a new country.

Her next-door neighbor is Callum Flannelly. He's a mortician and the exact opposite of Lark. He's painfully shy, and she is super friendly. She definitely puts herself out there with him (friendship, they build the sweetest relationship.

Callum has a huge problem, though. He's about to lose the funeral home he's run since his grandfather died. His grandfather made a clause that Callum needs to be married by 35 or it's going to go to his father, who's ready to sell the business.

Lark is ready to help Callum find the one. But as their friendship grows, so does the attraction. But Lark is keeping a secret from him and isn't planning on staying. And she's got some major drama from a new coworker.

It's romantic, steamy, and has some majorly great characters. I can't wait to read her next book.

I'll come back and write a more thorough review I swear but life is wild and I have two seconds to get my thoughts down.
- Dirty talking MMC (in Irish)
- Widower who is given proper time and space for her growth and healing
- Grumpy/sunshine
-Friends with benefits
- So many important moments around grief
- Spice!
- Chemistry that makes you swooon

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an early copy. This was such a perfect fall read, best enjoyed under a warm blanket with tea and cozy socks, Damien Rice playing in the background (like omg Callum is described as being hot in a Damien Rice way and I think that is DELICIOUS.

I absolve loved this slow burn, demi sexual, opposites attract romance. The tension was absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to revisit reading this in the fall:)

Ivy created such an amazing story I was immediately swept up in this world, and these characters. Everyone please go check this book out!

I’m not sure I could fall harder for a mortician than I did for Callum Flannelly.

What I liked:

Lark: Her sunshiny attitude was so infectious, but I also loved when we got a little deeper with her and her grief. Her friendship with Maeve was so beautiful.

Callum: My sweet, sweet Callum. I adored his brusque earnestness, and watching him step out of his comfort zone throughout the book.

The chemistry: Callum & Lark had fantastic chemistry and the way their relationship grew from strangers to friends to lovers was so organic.

What didn’t work for me:

Nothing at all