This is my new favorite!! Both Lark and Callum are funny, sarcastic, and caring. One way or another Death stops both of them from truly living their lives. Until they meet. A definite must read!

I almost went for 4 stars for a few things that bothered me, but ultimately, they didn't bother me enough to take away from the feelings and intense love I had for this book!
The pacing was nice, the setting was well-described but not overly droned on about, the characters' backstories were fleshed out well, and I easily fell into this story.
I think I ended up loving this book so much because I surprisingly felt so connected with the MMC, which is unusual. I saw so much of myself in Cal and appreciated the natural, honest way Lark treated him and loved him. It was so refreshing to read a romance that was both sensitive and sexy and feel so seen as a reader. Lark did get on my nerves a bit with how wishy-washy she was, leading Cal on, but I can't connect with her backstory, so I don't have too much room to judge there. I was more irked by her fear of confrontation at work and how intense it was. Girl!! HR and the CEO are accessible to you!!! Otherwise, she was likable.
I think the story tied up nicely and sets things up well for readers to expect a second book with 'Lo. I'm excited to read it! I'll be recommending this book to friends and library visitors alike, and I'll be purchasing a copy for my shelf at home!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

Yes yes yes!!! I loved this book! Romance and mortician! This book is sweet, emotional, adorable, a very feel good rom com. I will never stop talking about this book.

As I've grown older, I find I have less patience with things like the push/pull dynamic, drama being caused that could be resolved simply by talking to the other person, or my least favorite...which is one party doing/not doing something because they think it would be best for the other person. Oh, I love him so much, but it wouldn't be right to (insert a whole host of things here). I find it highly frustrating that even when the other person tells you what they want, you clearly don't listen and think you know them better - I think I shall dub that the "romantic martyr". This book has summa all dat! But the story is unique enough and the characters quite charming, so that trumps the stuff that I find annoying. It's a really good contemporary romance with just a little something different to make it stand out.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review this! Easily 4.5 out of 5 stars for me.
I picked this up because the cover was intriguing and I won't lie...I wasn't positive it was for me. Never happier to be wrong.
Lark moves to Ireland for an animation job (LOVED all the commentary around her career) after the death of her husband and meets Callum, her mortician next door neighbor. Again, major kudos for giving some real contextual stakes to both characters careers. Callum is just a wonderful blend of socially awkward, cutely handsome, genuinely wonderful male lead. He has a fake marriage trope breathing down his neck, but I really enjoyed that this trope just loomed in the background, but wasn't what spurred the relationship between the leads.
The pacing on this was really well done, the chemistry sizzles, both POVs are so voicey and well established: you really got to understand why each person responded to love in the way they did. The steamy scenes were just the best balance of spice.
I loved every second of this; thoroughly enjoy being surprised by a story!

It's odd to think there's a cute rom com surrounding death workers, but that exactly what Ivy Fairbanks has done with Morbidly Yours. Yes, there's plenty of death and mortician puns, but it's obvious that the characters are respectful of the dead, something I really appreciated.

The romance is warm and fun, and there's a great balance to this dual perspective, open door romance.

Long live the rom com. And I thought they had died a bit?! No, they just live on paper now.

I ended up feeling about this book the way I feel about Schitts Creek. Hear me out. It’s that it takes place in a world I want to be in, where people are all trying to be and do their best (well, with few exceptions), there’s Dolly Parton sized heart, and the relationships are free of toxicity, only beleaguered with human tendency and flaw.
As someone who doesn’t read romance I was nervous I’d feel second hand embarrassment throughout but found myself pleasantly surprised because the care Ivy Fairbanks put into this story rang authentic. Sure there’s one or two lines that feel a little on the nose for those that squirm at cheese, but all in all I adored this book. I could feel the momentum build as the story progressed, providing proper pacing for a low-conflict romantic comedy.

This is open door romance, but I will say it was simultaneously wholesome and dirty. The progression of the relationship is richly displayed in the sex life of these characters, and while a reader could enjoy this story without the sex scenes (because the plot seamlessly and heartily weaves together, hitting all its marks) I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to read it through as it stands. It’s an essential mile-marker in their relationship that made me emotional for the characters. The sex is written thoughtfully.
The sex is written from both perspective from both perspectives throughout book. ALSO The demisexual Callum is never just a characterization, but factored into his choices only making his attraction to Lark all the more riveting and true.

This book managed to avoid the pitfalls of many romances I’ve noticed, but I don’t want to market this book by way of trope tagging. Just read it for the preface alone, it hooked me with that alone.

The finale beats felt like a film, (speaking of this could be gorgeously adapted in the right hands!) and it played out before me with vivid imagery. I adored these characters, all of them. The more characters showed up, the more the world appeared before me, only accentuating the leads rather than taking away from them. Ivy Fairbanks has not only gained me as a reader, but she’s garnered my respect as a writer.

I don’t normally love first-person POV but these characters, while flawed and human, were pleasant to enter the mind of. I read this book as I balanced heavy, often dark, research reading for my own novel, and it did the trick. It lifted my spirits at the end of a long day.

(Also reading this book while fangirling over Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan really drove it home for me.)

This is my honest review, and all thoughts are my own.

Also, I think the way the author managed heavy triggers like death was refreshing, even helpful in my own fears. There was a beautiful light to the story that told me care was taken. Callum’s role as a mortician was never treated lightly. Yes, there were jokes made regarding his job, but the job was never a joke to him. I appreciated that!

I also liked that even with it being first person POV there was plenty of external action happening, which is why I believe it has great potential for a film adaptation. It wasn’t just two characters thinking, but characters reacting.

A very cute and heartwarming story of a character moving to a new country to start fresh and finding love again after loss. There were some hilarious funeral/death puns and I loved Lark and Callum. Their chemistry was amazing.

Thank you to GP Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

Thank you Putnam Books for reaching out and allowing me to read this title!

Callum and Lark are a sweet example of what opposites attract looks like without the animosity that often comes with this trope.

The author also handled the representation of demisexuality well, and I appreciate the work she put into using Gaeilge as well as her research into the work of a mortician.

This was a lovely, tender romance. 10/10 recommend!

Tw: healing from grief is a major theme in this book that is handled well. There are deaths in the book, but none of them happen on page.

Thank you Putnam Books for the advanced copy of Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks.

This book had NO REASON to be SO GOOD, and yet I knew from the first chapter that it was going to be a 5 star read. I’m happy to say it held up the entire way through and is now one of my favorite romances EVER!

The dynamic between the two main characters was incredible, as was the humor, writing, and plot. I loved the romance and the pacing was slow-burn yet they cared for each other so much it made my heart literally melt.


I will definitely reread this when I need a great romance!

This was so sweet! And funny. The banter and the slow burn! I love me some slow burn 😍

I was laughing and smiling and angry at some spots. Callum is so awkward you can't help but fall for him and Lark is hurting so much you can't help but root for her.

Callum has to save his family business and Lark is running from her past. This friends to lovers was full of angst and emotion! Definitely recommend for a slightly spicy, funny yet emotional romance.

oh man what a beautiful story. i’ve been wanting to read it for a while and i’m so glad i finally did!! it was such a well-written book about love after loss, and watching lark work through her grief was amazing. i loved going through her journey with her & seeing her growth

and callum!! he was so special and sweet. i can’t pretend to know what it’s like to be demi, but it felt like his representation of the community was well done and well-thought-out. you could tell ivy put a lot of love and care into his story and made sure it was done right

It’s been a minute since I wrote a review. My classes have kept me from reading as much as I used to. But I did receive the eARC of Morbidly Yours, a book I had been wanting to read.

The title alone caught my attention. A love story between a widow animator and an embalmer funeral home owner? Count me in!

While I haven’t experienced the loss of a partner, Lark’s journey resonated with me. Her decision to move away, a form of self-preservation, is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. On the other hand, Callum’s patience and understanding, despite his own deadline, taught me a valuable lesson in empathy and personal growth.
I didn’t expect to love this book so much. As an anatomy student, I loved the accuracy of details when mentioning body parts and the smell of working with specimens. I loved that it was a story about healing, connecting, and facing real-life day-to-day problems. Even when the book talks about death and complex familial relationships, it is not a depressing story. I highly recommend this book if you want to read a different type of love story.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicyness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Fairbanks' debut is an enjoyable romcom with complex and well-developed characters. As a previously self-published re-release, Morbidly Yours is coming with a robust TikTok fanbase for understandable reasons. Vivacious Lark has just upended her life to move to Ireland after the loss of her husband and is by no means looking for love. Callum is a socially anxious undertaker who has to get married to in order to maintain ownership of the family business. Both are coping with complex feelings of grief as well as learning to open themselves up to new people. Recommended for librarians looking to flesh out asexual representation (Callum is depicted as demisexual) as well anyone who enjoys their romance novels with a side of angst and character development.

This book was adorable. It had a little bit of a pacing issue in the first part and was slow. I think that the representation of demisexuals was done extremely well in this novel. The banter among the characters was very sweet and relatable. I can't wait for everyone to read this in August when I will post a full review. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a copy of this book.

I love a good friends to lovers. This was a fun read and i definitely enjoyed it! Great debut book! Can’t wait to see what’s next

This a fun and quick read. Also I'm sucker for book that take place in Ireland, and an Irish mmc.
I love Callum, I was slightly annoyed by Lark. But I definitely really enjoyed them together.
Excited to see what is in store for the next book.
4.75 stars

Now Morbidly Yours was indeed to perfect rom com for me. A Rom com that is set around a funeral home and cemetery in which our hero is a funeral director complete with an Irish accent. I was hooked from the first page. And the heroine herself isn’t a pushover she funny and stands her ground. It’s literally a case of he’s got to get married, and she never wants to get married again.

This book had everything I look for in a romance. It made me feel so seen. The author addresses heavy topics in a profound way, and I really appreciate the artful prose. Callum and Lark clash at the beginning, and it’s lovely to witness their relationship flourish as neighbors. I’m really glad I read this book, and I look forward to reading more by this author!

Lark moves to Galway, Ireland, after the loss of her husband to give herself a fresh start. She meets her neighbor, Callum, and realizes that he is a mortician. Callum has a strained relationship with his family, and according to his grandfather's will, needs to marry by 35 in order to inherit the funeral home and continue his life's work. Lark agrees to fake date Callum, but starts to get the feels! Can Lark overcome her grief to love again? Can Callum figure out a way to save his vocation? This was a sweet one!