Thanks to Putnam Books for the E-Widget. This was such a fast and enjoyable read. Lark (FMC) is in Ireland at a new temp job when in reality she ran away. Callum (MMC) is her neighbor in a way and also a undertaker. I love how both fell hard but didnt and saw it but didnt want to accept it in a way. I enjoyed Larks healing journey and the way the complimented each other. I really enjoy when a book feels like if it is real life and this book just made me feel that and it makes it even that much special

3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

That man, Seán, can eat rocks!!! Was also very tickled by the translation inclusion at the end of the book.

A cute read I enjoyed seeing Cal come out of his shell and be more comfortable in his skin. Callum effectively carried this book on his back.

Again, another cliche and dried out romance. I need to stop requesting these because I never like them.

Callum Flannelly will inherit his family's undertaking business. He is shy and would rather work alone than go anywhere! However, for him to fully inherit the business, Callum must marry by this 35th birthday.

Lark Thompson is from Texas and moved to Galway, Ireland to restart her life. She wants to forget about losing her husband and moves into the funeral home.

Lark and Callum are polar opposites and clash!

Lark is certain she can help Callum find his girl! But, as Lark begins spending more time with Callum, she gets to know him as sarcastic, caring, and funny!

This is such a cute and sweet dual narration friends to lovers romance! The characters are well developed and definitely had chemistry!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy. My opinion is my own.

This was such a cute and sweet friends to lovers romance. I loved the ACE rep in this book and how the tension built up between the main characters.

Thank you for the copy! <3

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one! Maybe I will go back to it in the future when I'm more in the mood for quirky heroes.

Even though I DNF'd because this wasn't my cup of tea, I can see the cutesy, quirky stuff in here appealing to a lot of people, and the setting is really fun.

If you like the opposites attract trope and a bit of dark humor, pick this one up!

Morbidly Yours
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Ivy Fairbanks

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Penguin Groupd and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner and a movie. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business and carry on their legacy under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene. Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than stay next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband.

When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more he dreads Lark’s imminent return to the states.

If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Love in Galway series. This is also a debut book for Fairbanks. Callum’s grandfather put a stipulation in his will that in order for him to inherit the family business, a funeral home, he must marry by age 35. Lark is a grieving cartoonist that recently lost her husband. Lark is visiting Ireland to work. When they meet, it is instant clash. However, since they are neighbors, the clash turns into a mutual friendship. Callum only has five months left to marry, in order to inherit the business. Lark is determined to help Callum while she is here to get him matched up and married. However, as their relationship grows, will the tension and attraction lead them into a different direction? Or will the friendship die in Ireland with Lark returning to the States? This follows the tropes of friend to lovers, a slow burn, Ireland setting, opposites attract, and found family.

Spicy 🌶️ 🌶️ content warning. The story is narrated in a dual narration with both POV’s from Callum and Lark, my favorite type of narration. Callum was written as a demisexual and was not your traditional book boyfriend, a little less masculine, and was an introvert. He has a stutter and it was handled beautifully by the author. Lark is a spunky, carefree spirit who is hampered with grief from losing her husband. The story includes a translation key in the back to translate the dirty Irish sayings, which I loved. The characters were well developed and fleshed out, had depth, were witty, chemistry, and intriguing. There is some miscommunication and a third act break up (not my favorite). The author’s writing style was complex, funny, heartfelt, spicy, swoon-perfection, and just beautifully written. Really a brilliant story in a fun, creative way by a debut author was so refreshing to read. Then the HEA at the end warmed my heart and made the miscommunication and third act breakup worth it.

I love ALL romance books, both open and closed door. This one is definitely open door and I an here for it! The characters were slowly developed with the appropriate tension, maybe even more tension and when the kiss finally happened, it was chef’s 💋! I do love the message that this author instilled in her story, self-advocacy, standing and owning your truth. She also masterfully integrated relationships that were nuanced, while remaining interesting. To understand that this is a debut novel was a little mind blowing, it was really that good. It was written to where I could lose myself in the story, it felt authentic and had an aspect of realism, like it was my friend going through the journey. Fairbanks just has a way with words that makes you fall in love with the story. I have already added the next book in the series, “Heart Strings,” to my TBR with an August release date. I highly recommend picking this up today.

TW: Grief, anxiety, loss of a loved one, and funeral home talk of departed individuals.

This was cute and very enjoyable.
I like how unique is the plot.
Love the setting of the story . And adore both characters. This relationship develops so nicely over the time and I enjoyed that immensely. The FMC you can feel her pain and how she is trying to rebuild and the MMC you can see how gets out of his shell , and is so cute . I adored the ending . And I seriously need more from the side characters 😍.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks!

Grumpy x sunshine, friends to lovers, spiiiiiiiice, and a cute accent? Honestly what more could you ask for? I devoured this story in under 48 hours and genuinely didn’t want it to end.

4.5 ⭐️ thank you penguin group for the ARC, this was such a fun read!

This was a cute read. I'm glad I was able to receive an advanced copy or I may have not picked it up. A cute romance with a slow burn and lots of funny banter all amongst a funeral home. Sure!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

This was such a fun quick read. Really enjoyed the story line and characters.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

DNF @ 45%. I had the highest hopes for this book but sadly was left incredibly bored by the storyline.

THIS BOOK WAS DARLING!!!

Morbidly Yours is a heartwarming and unexpectedly charming romance that beautifully balances grief, love, and new beginnings! Callum, a painfully shy mortician, and Lark, an American animator looking for a fresh start in Ireland, form an unlikely friendship that slowly blossoms into something deeper. The strangers-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic is executed wonderfully, and the contrast between Lark’s aversion to death and Callum’s profession adds a unique layer to their relationship that I couldn't get enough of! The novel shines with its well-developed friendships, emotional depth, and themes of rebuilding after loss. While some dialogue felt a bit stilted, the story's warmth and sincerity made it an easy and delightful read. A solid 4-star romance!

Oh sweet mama I loved this! Don't let the cover fool you, this book was hot and funny and deep and everything you want in a book. Callum was so freaking cute and gave such soft boy energy I could cry. I love how they both brightened each others lives so much and fit together perfectly. I also love unique representation (Callum has a stutter). Overall I flew through this book and would totally recommend it to people wanting a more deep (albeit quirky) read. Can't wait for more from this author.

I got this from NetGalley a while back, and finally picked it up. While I loved the characterizations and the setting, the writing needed a bit more work in my opinion, and the romance got a lot steamier than I expected. I had to skip multiple chapters. I really hate crass language describing intimacy. It’s gross and cringey to me—do people use these words in their romantic relationships??
This book has so much promise, and I wish I could have edited out the parts that brought it down for me.

Morbidly Yours is a quirky, darkly humorous collection of musings on death, life, and everything in between. Fairbanks brings an unexpectedly thoughtful perspective to heavy themes with humor and warmth.

This is absolutely a 5 star read. I loved this book so much. There was such a unique set up and it was so fun to see the opposites attract aspect. There was also the most beautiful location and i just didn't want this to end. I really really hope there's a sequel!!!!!

Uhm, this book was fine? I feel like there was a lot of conversation about the characters backgrounds and trauma that they were entering the story with, but I truly feel like I missed out on their whole relationship being built. They were friends and then all of a sudden they loved each other.

Lots of talk about grief and grieving which was interesting along with a sprinkle of work place drama to add some intrigue.

This book took me a while to finish jsut because I was not excited to pick it up. Probably could've been a DNF if I'm being honest.