Friends to lovers books are my favorite so this was perfect for me! I loved that it was set in Ireland and Lark's job in animation was interesting to read about. It was a little slow through the middle of the book but I enjoyed the ending and it did pick back up. I loved the characters and their development so 3.5/4 stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam/Penguin Books for the ARC!

Read if you like:
🇮🇪 Ireland Setting
👱🏼‍♀️ Texan in Ireland
🍀 Irish Phrases
🌤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🏘️ Boy Next Door
💋 Demisexual MMC Rep
😔 Sad Girl FMC

Omg, the Ireland setting, the Irish phrases from a hot Irishman, a sad girl FMC from Texas running for her past, the boy next door, the grumpy x sunshine vibes (but really he is sweet and shy) the slow burn and the oh so good spice… and so much more… I truly loved this one so much and will absolutely be biting my nails waiting for book 2 as I neeeed it!!!!

This book covers more complex topics with open communication regarding sexuality for our Demisexual MMC and what that means for his lived experience and his relationships…

I also enjoyed how our FMC was running from the trauma of her past marriage and the imploding of her whole life back home as a result, and how it wasn’t danced around that she had trauma that needed to be handled… especially where she vowed to never marry or love again after her marriage.

And to make matters more complex, the hottie next door needs to get married asap to keep his family mortuary business he has been running as the stipulation in his grandfather’s will.

I truly loved all the topics covered and the small town vibes and workplace bits we get from both our MC’s work and how work really does impact us in so many ways.

Thank you so so so much to Putnam for my ARC and finished copy in exchange for my honest review! I truly loved this debut so much and can’t wait to read more from Ivy!

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for sending an ARC of Morbidly Yours in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Ok, so this was a slow burn, which admittedly is not my favorite romance trope because I like my spice soon-ish. It took a while, for me, for the plot to really pick up. It was kinda slow up to the halfway point and then things moved quick, both between the mains and my reading. It took me a week to get to this point then I devoured the rest of the book in half the time, especially the last 30%. All that to say, the plot moved slower than I was expecting because it wasn't described as a slow burn. But at least they went at it like rabbits after all that tension. This book was a lot spicier than I expected (I'm not complaining!). I like my romances super spicy and graphic and, it's true, it's those quiet ones that surprise you *heh*.

I like my FMCs confident and strong. Lark was not that for most of the book. She didn't want to rock to the boat - at the expense of not standing up for herself. That was the most frustrating part. I just wanted to yell at her to SPEAK UP. I know it's a plot point but it made parts of the book harder to read. She also refuses to be happy. The book explains why but it still boggles my mind that people would rather be miserable. This is all personal preference though and my own gripes in the real world that bleed into my reading.

Meanwhile, Callum - oh my heart. Precious man. Quiet, sweet, stable, KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS. Again, this may be my own traumas informing my opinion but it's refreshing when the MMC is not a tortured, broken, toxic, panty-chasing soul. Where can I get myself a Callum???

All in all a solid book. Slow in parts. Funny in others. Mix of spicy and sweet.

This was a bit heavier than I was expecting but I still overall like this book! It has so many components that make this a book I would immediately reach for:
-grumpy sunshine
-friends to lovers
-beautiful setting
-male main character with an Irish accent (I may need to check out the audiobook now 👀)
Need I say more?

This book follows Lark, a Texan who moved to Galway for a job but also to escape her past. Her neighbor Callum is a reclusive funeral home director. And somehow, it works!!

I was very intrigued by the asexual rep in here as I haven’t read many books with asexual characters. I am not the authority on the topic but it seemed to be done in a mindful and realistic and respectful way.

My favorite part of the book was simply Lark and Callum’s friendship. Their first meeting did make me cringe a little - very much qUiRkY FMC moment - but I can forgive that for the great journey that followed. We got two people who bring out the best in each other, they get each other, and the BANTER? Fantastic.

Don’t let the cartoon cover fool you though. This book also deals with grief as Lark lost her husband prior to her move to Ireland. This showcases how grief can change our perceptions and how we think and what we hope for the future.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this. It was something pretty different than a typical rom com but still delivered on the rom and the com. 4.25 stars

Story follows Lark as she moves to Ireland for a new job opportunity. Her first day a mistaken package delivery introduces her to her next door neighbor, Callum, a literal undertaker. In order to keep the family business in the family, Callum must marry before his 35th birthday. Hopelessly awkward, demisexual Callum is terrible at dating and the miniscule amount of months he has left to find a wife aren't helping.

I absolutley loved this novel. Lark and Callum are amazing together with great chemistry and both characters had wonderful arcs where they grew as people independent of each other.

This was absolutely adorable! I loved the setting and the characters. This story does such a good job discussing grief but not in a heavy way. Lark & Callum are complete opposites but the chemistry was on point! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This debut from Ivy Fairbanks was devourable. I halted everything in my life to gobble it up. The premise is so unique, the characters even more so, and throw in Gaelic and a hot Irish grump… my kryptonite! I am so excited to read more in this series and from this author.

What I Loved Most:

The characters, OMG. A grieving widow and a mortician. Grumpy and sunshine. Friends to lovers. THE MEET CUTE! She’s finding her voice and he’s finding his joy. Banter and beautiful moments between them. It’s just so swoony!

Acknowledging the sexuality spectrum… but when he’s attracted, OH GAWD, is he ready for all of the spicy goodness.

Nickname. I’m a sucker for a unique nickname, and Callum’s name for Lark is spot on.


Favorite Quotes:

Callum’s reluctant smile was like lightning in a thunderstorm. Brief yet brilliant.
Was he so used to tamping down his joy around other people’s grief that he subconsciously dimmed his positive emotions?

“Mo chuisle . . .” Translation unknown, his voice was sweetly urgent.

Oxygen was inconsequential compared to her bliss.


After a beat, he smiled. Cautiously, like wearing a piece of trendy clothing he wasn’t fully comfortable in.



If you’re a lover of romance, it would be a missed opportunity to ignore this book. I recommend 10000% and hope to see more from the author soon.

Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and offer an honest review.

5 stars

What an odd romance for me to love so much, but a bubbly animator and a quiet mortician really did it for me. I loved how despite her grief and fear of facing mortality, Lark still went into the friendship with her reserved neighbor full force. Their friendship was sweet and grew naturally into more. They were both honest with each other throughout (mostly) and navigated their differences in needs and wants with respect. A surprisingly not morbid story despite every thing making you think otherwise (widow, funeral home, the title, the death of an elderly friend). Death is such a huge part of the human experience and I felt this book handled it beautifully.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! I read the original indie-published version and loved it, so I was really happy to get to read the traditionally published version early. I thought that the extra scenes in this version added to the story, and overall I had a great time rereading this book! I absolutely adore Lark and Callum, and I love their relationship with each other and how it develops throughout the novel. There are some heavy themes in this, and the author handles them with care and writes them well. Overall, I completely recommend this book and can't wait to read whatever Ivy Fairbanks writes next!! :)

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 3 chilis
Pub date: 8/20

Thank you so much, Putnam Books, for my advanced copy!

This is a quirky romance that brings together two people dealing with grief in their own ways. Callum Flannelly is a shy mortician who needs to get married before his 35th birthday to inherit the family funeral business. Lark Thompson, an American cartoonist looking for a fresh start in Galway, Ireland, isn’t thrilled to find herself living next door to a funeral home. But when Lark learns about Callum’s situation, she decides to help him find a wife—only to realize that she might be the one falling for him.

The dynamic between Callum and Lark is just adorable. He’s the quiet, sarcastic type, while she’s extroverted and all about embracing life. Their chemistry sizzles, making their growing connection feel really natural and heartwarming. The book does a great job of touching on grief without getting too heavy. The third-act conflict felt a little unnecessary and one-sided, and while it bothered me at first, it didn’t ruin the overall vibe of the story.

One thing I wasn’t ready for was how descriptive the funeral home parts would be. There’s a lot of detail about the cadavers and what it takes to get them funeral-ready, so if you’re squeamish, just be prepared!

Overall, this was a fun, feel-good read! If you like grumpy-sunshine pairings and stories that mix humor with heart, it's definitely worth checking out.
Read if you like:

*hot Irishmen
*disability rep
*opposites attract
*neighbors
*dual POV
*open door spice

This book was interesting. The storyline was unique I think. It really wasn't anything that I have read anything like it before. I really liked the writing as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing the ARC.

This book was so much more than a transplant and a mortician coming together in a romance. It was an exploration of sexuality, of grief, and of finding yourself and your voice. Lark is still reeling from the death of her husband, feeling completely insecure in every aspect of her life. Callum has always been painfully shy and introverted, preferring to be alone. But when a seemingly insurmountable deadline looms, how can these two even come together.

I love how Lark and Callum were great complements to each other. Lark drew Callum out of his shell and Callum provided the calm stability Lark needed to really start processing her grief for her husband. They had fits and starts as they tried to navigate their own stressful situations together, and it just goes to show much feeling seen and understood is so essential to the success of any relationship. I loved these two so much.

You won't want to miss this one!

M0rbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks 💚
Love in Galway, Book 1
Interconnected Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
🗓️ August 20
356 pages

•friends to lovers
•neighbors to lovers
•should’ve been a marriage of convenience
•fling-but-you-must-still-date-other-people to more
•grumpy x sunshine
•second chance at love
•American girl in Ireland
•he falls first

📌“I wanted to d!e. Conveniently, I now lived next door to a funeral parlor.”

📌“I’ve no idea what to make of you.”
“Make me your friend.”

📌“No one could make me forget about Lark, not in a million years.”

I wanted a marriage of convenience. I was denied. And I took it personally.

So, please know this is on me. Not on the book.

Cal was absolutely marvelous.
Lark had her moments.
Sean can go [insert first awful thing that comes to mind] somewhere.
Saoirse was surprisingly likable. Look at me enjoying the other maybe woman-to-be. Is this maturing?! 🤔 probably not.
Ireland is one of the places I want to visit.

If you loved Happy Medium and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy series, you’ll probably love this one too. Give it a try 😜

Lark is running away from her past by taking a short term job in Ireland. There, she meets her neighbor Callum, who runs a funeral home. Their budding friendship starts by trying to find Callum a wife, but turns into them fighting their attraction to one another. What could go wrong?

This romance has it all - friendship, emotion, grief, spice. While a slow burn can sometimes ruin a storyline (for me), I really enjoyed this one! 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

I took one look at this cover and knew I had to read it, and I'm happy to report it did not disappoint. Lark is an animator from Texas who decides to take a temporary job in Ireland to get away from her previous life as she is still struggling with grief after losing her husband. Callum runs the family morgue and is very introverted. Lark moves in next door and they quickly connect, seeing and understandings each other faults. I love that Morbidly Yours starts with this beautiful friendship.

There are a couple of side stories, an issue at Lark's new job and Callum needs to get married to keep his mortuary, however it's Lark and Callum's relationship that shines through. It's a slow burn (but spicy!) and they both have things they need to work though. I thought Callum's being a demisexual would play a bigger roll, as it seemed in the beginning this would be a discovery of himself, but really once they "gave it a name" it ceased to matter to the plot.

This was actually fantastic. I wasn't quite sure going in because I'm typically not a friends to lovers fan, but the author did it perfectly. There's absolutely the tension and drama you would hope for.

Honestly, the romance itself was my favorite part. The overarching plot was great don't get me wrong, but they were just the cutest freaking couple. I can't even count how many times I laughed or kicked my feet.

The only reason it's not a five star is I didn't like how the third act conflict was handled. If it wasn't for that, and that's definitely a personal thing, it would be perfect.

3.5 -⭐⭐⭐💫

"You make me feel so alive even when I'm surrounded by death."

Morbidly Yours is the first novel in the adult contemporary romance series, Love in Galway, which are interconnected standalone. In this we follow Callum and Lark.

Lark is an American coming to Ireland to escape home after the death of her husband and devastation left. What she did not expect was she would herself neighbour an undertaker, which she learns through an unfortunate delivery of body bags to her doorstep. Meanwhile Callum, said undertaker, is in a bit of a sticky situation with his business and home at risk unless he can find a wife in eight months, thanks to his grandfather's will. The two strike up a friendship that quickly evolves to a dating project to help Callum find someone to love but when chemistry rises will they be able to find him a match or will their connection be impossible to ignore?

Overall I enjoyed this book but there are some ups and downs.

Lark is a character troubled by the past. She is a brilliant animator and shines with her creativity and loyalty but she has a lot of guilt and unresolved situations she has escaped from. It leads to a lot of back and forth that can be frustrating at times but it is understood given what she has experienced.

Callum is a sweetie. He is shy and I felt his demisexuality resonated with me. He needs connection (not attraction) to want to be with someone and watching him come to care for Lark was sweet. He struggles a lot with trying to do what he needs for his family business and I truly felt for him.

There are also some great side characters who help try to push the characters to do the right thing...but they don't necessarily listen...

This book does contain spice. I would say 1.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. This book is a slow burn as the two characters grapple with their feelings and expectations. There are about 2 spicy scenes I can recall (don't quote me on that). The spice isn't super explicit and has a more romantic feeling. I felt it was well written and worked well for the characters as their connection is romance first or sexual attraction. This is where the banter in this book worked so well to help establish that.

"You know, I've never been inside one of these [hearses] before."
"I've never had a passenger so talkative."

The story itself follows two storylines. Lark's story around her animator contract and one employee working under her causing problems drew me in throughout. I also found the plot around her husband's death and the family she left behind to have a good level of drama. Callum's story initially intrigued me but as time went on it felt a little slow and repeated a lot as he bounced back and forth with will he or won't he. The romance is directly tied to his story and these two characters, because of their back stories, really struggle to make a choice, which wasn't my cup of tea. That said, the ending brought together a very satisfying conclusion that ties everything up, addresses Lark's past, and offers a glimpse at a future that looks sweet.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this arc!

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin/Putnam, and Ivy for the arc of Morbidly Yours.

Releases: August 20, 2024.

This was an incredible book! I love the cover of the book, the synopsis, the buildup of the story, all of it was so strong, and for a debut novel I was blown away. Unfortunately, a little more than midway through, I started to get bored as I thought some plots got a bit dragged on. However, I adored Ivy's writing, and pairing up a widow and an undertaker had me incredibly hooked, the grief in this book, the character arcs, all of it truly was heavy but beautifully written. I am excited for book two in the series, and if it's who I'm assuming it is about, then I am so ready to read more of her work!

Lark suffers many losses in Texas - her husband, her best friend, her job...so she takes a contract working for an animation company in Ireland. She meets her neighbor, Callum, who is a mortician. Lark had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't be in a committed relationship because she feels responsible for what happened to her husband. Lark was self aware enough to know that she was giving Callum mixed signals but it did get annoying. Overall, the story was good.