The pacing of this was perfect. The speech aspect was something I've never read about before, so it was appreciated. There was humor throughout and some beautifully written parts. I'm excited to read more from this FL girl. Thanks netgalley

This was the perfect romcom for me to read this fall. I loved it! Callum was a really fun character, and him and Lark had great chemistry together. Loved the demisexual rep, as well - not many characters are Demi, and I really appreciated that rep in this book.

I liked how Lark grew and ended up standing up for herself to that jerk coworker. He was SO GROSS!

I was honestly quite bored. The mortuary and Irish cultural were interesting but the tortured souls stuff got dull.

Tropes:
•Friends to Lovers
•Sunny vs grumpy
•Fish Out Of Water
•Opposites Attract

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Explicit Open Door: At least two intimate scenes, explicit language with a variety of sexual acts.

I love a unique plot! The romance was adorable. the spice was excellent and I will be recommending this book every fall. We love a man that falls first & a friends to lovers trope. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

My favorite author, Abby Jimenez, read and loved this book so I figured I had to give it a try. Typically I’m not a friends to lovers type of gal but this was highly enjoyable. Super Cozy and fun. 💚

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Morbidly Yours is a heartfelt debut with a few debut-novel quirks, but it's still an enjoyable and sweet read.

Lark moves to Ireland for a fresh start after the loss of her husband, only to meet her shy, stoic neighbor Callum, an undertaker with his own family pressures. Callum, who might have a touch of 'tism, is such a sweet cinnamon roll! I loved the positive demisexual representation. While the chemistry between Lark and Callum is undeniable, it sometimes felt like it came out of nowhere.

Lark’s quirky, whimsical personality treads a fine line between endearing and veering into "manic pixie dream girl" territory. That said, I appreciated the emotional depth, the way the characters balanced each other, and the thoughtful handling of themes like grief, loss, healing, and forgiveness. However, the lack of realistic communication in the third act left me frustrated, especially when resolving the main conflict.

After losing her husband, her best friend, and her job, Lark takes a job in Ireland to give herself a new start and a break from her life. When she learns her neighbor, Callum, needs to get married within the next few months or lose his family's funeral home, she decides to find him a perfect match, since she knows she can't get married again.

It was a read. I particularly liked the romance between Lark and Callum. I was occasionally frustrated by the choices Lark made, but I thought it all made sense in the context of her grief.

I was given access to this arc to read thanks to NetGalley. A fun romance. Great read. Would read more by this author.

This was such a cute friends-to-lovers debut! When a recently widowed animator from Texas moves to Ireland for a fresh start, she befriends the undertaker next door, and sparks fly. Callum and Lark were both such sweet characters and I loved their chemistry. It was layered with all the humor, and filled with emotion too. The only thing keeping it from a five star for me was the third act breakup.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧
-slow burn
-grumpy x sunshine
-opposites attract
-Irish dirty talking
-cinnamon roll hero
-he falls first
-dual POV

*many thanks to Putnam Books and Netgalley for the gifted. copy for review

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. It took me awhile to actually start reading this book and get into the story because I simply just haven't been feeling my Kindle as much as my paper and audiobooks lately, but once I got going I couldn't put it down! Out of my e-book slump for sure. Who knew the undertaker next door could be so cozy?! The story's got a great premise, but it goes so much deeper into grief and the happiness that could come from finding love again (but do we give ourselves the chance to start over and really pursue the joy in the midst of such loss and sadness?) This is a heart-ful and an emotionally complex read that is still full of levity and spice and adorable cute moments at the right pace. The characters of Lark and Callum are uniquely interesting on their own, and the dual POV style of storytelling lets you learn more about the things and people they really care about, including each other. I usually do not love the deadline-to-marry trope (hyped in the book's description) hanging around characters in the background, because it leads to rushed plots that don't let friendships really form, but I think this story handled that subplot as a way to advance friends-to-lovers more than a fake dating/fake married storyline.

This was so good, especially for a debut novel. I just love how they fell into friendship and truly got to know who they are. I mean yes she was keeping a secret from Callum almost the whole time but it doesn't matter. Callum is such a good man and he fell so deeply for Lark. He knew that he would never want someone as much as he wants her. I love that the whole town was rooting for them. I liked how it showed Lark's navigation of her grief and everything she felt because of it. I want a bonus epilogue of them in a few years and whether they get married and have a kid or not.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I really liked reading this book, but I felt like at times the storyline was dragging. Loved how two MCs started to become more relaxed with each other. The writing was good (yes I know I said it dragged), but that doesn’t take away from how much I liked the writing.

I am really struggling to review this one...

I really liked the concept, and parts of the book were executed perfectly!

But the main character was so rude and nosy, and what was supposed to be 'quirky' and 'naive' just seemed frustrating.

Overall give the writing a go, because the plot is A+

I love an Irish romance and I love the cozy macabre of the MMC being an undertaker. The vibes are immaculate!! Extra points for the super cute cover too! Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance copy!

Ivy shows up to her new and temporary lodging a little unnerved to find an active cemetery next door. While most of the neighbors are quiet, the mortuary is run by Callum, whose only hope is to marry by his 35th birthday in order to maintain his inheritance. Otherwise, his family's legacy is sure to be sold off to the highest bidder.
First of all... I'm an absolute sucker for this cover! Callum is such an absolute sweetheart even though his job made me queasy at the best of times (haha). I'm impressed that Ivy found a way to make a modern marriage of convenience trope not necessarily bow to conventions. I adored the setting and how unique this came across. It's hard for me to get on board with an anti-love heroine, but Lark's reasonings (once they were finally verbalized) and past made them understandable. I didn't care for the redundancy with the steamy scenes or some of the more detailed embalming moments, but otherwise Ivy's style is fully engaging and I'd definitely try another novel from her!
Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I found Morbidly Yours to be cute and cozy, though I found the characters to be a bit one-dimensional. Regardless, I would recommend reading this during spooky season for the ultimate reading experience.

This book sounded super cute and perfect for a Fall read. When Putnam Social reached out saying I might like this book I jumped right on it. I fell in love with the sunshine Lark and the completely shy Callum. Most books I read have a grumpy MMC but this book was super cute. I mean who wouldn’t want to move to Ireland and end up living next to a hot single man. As a person who loves to read enemies to lovers it was fun to read a book with a friends to lovers trope. This book wasn’t extremely spicy but it did have me wishing it had more. I would love to see a book written about her sister coming to Ireland for school!

3.5*

This was a cosy read, with a fun ride from friends to lovers. Fairbanks balances the sweetness of romance with the seriousness of self-advocacy. She brings respectful and powerful representation of diversity into the story, that feels real when compared to real life experiences.

This was a well-done debut novel and I look forward to seeing the author grow.

I understand the hype on the enemies to lovers trope, but hear me out: friends to lovers is superior and this book proves it. I loved Callum and Lark, not only as a couple, but also as their respective characters. Callum is the owner of a funeral home and Lark is an animator. I don't think I ever read about characters with these careers and I enjoyed learning about both of them and how they complimented each other personalities. This book also talks a lot about grief. I love to read about introverted people because I am one and I related so much to Callum, and the way Lark accepts him even though she is a textbook extrovert is so adorable. I loved this love story and can't wait for it to receive the hype it deserves.

This book was so cheesy and cute! It’s a fun read during spooky season. I will say the characters did fall a little flat in some aspects personality wise.