✅ Lark, American, widow, animator; Callum, Irish, mortician
✅Dual POV
✅ grumpy - sunshine
✅ set in Ireland
🌶️: yes.

I really enjoyed this!!

Y'all I am *OBSESSED* with this book. I don't think you understand.

This is the cutest, angstiest, most heartfelt book in existence. I love it so much. I need more of Lark and Callum immediately. I am actively moving to Ireland to get my own Callum. This book has me in a chokehold.

First of all, the premise is literally the best??? She's this super sunshiney animator that moves to Ireland to escape some personal issues and ends up living next door to a morgue???? He's this super shy and reserved mortician/owner of the morgue that needs to find a wife in order to keep the morgue but he refuses to do so unless he's in love????? And they become best friends while she tries to help him find a wife???? And he speaks Irish Gaelic?????

Lark and Callum are seriously the best. For one I love how their grumpy x sunshine dynamic worked. Callum wasn't an asshole to anyone; he was just shy which came off as grumpy. And Lark was the perfect sunshine character because she was optimistic without being naive. It has been so damn long since I've read a good grumpy x sunshine.

The romance itself is indescribable. I'm gonna try anyway. As I previously mentioned they started off as friends, although it's hard to say they were ever friends considering the ridiculous amount of chemistry they had. Seriously it was like stepping back into a high school science class and being told we were playing with chemicals for the next forty-five minutes. Incredible. I will be screaming about them for the next five to six business years.

They also had phenomenal character arcs. I loved how they grew individually while also supporting the other through their own journey. They had the space to grown on their own but were also never alone. It was absolutely beautiful.

I'm ending the review here because I'm afraid I'll accidentally spoil something. Either that or the review will be longer than the book itself.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy.

I loved the concept of this one - Lark as an optimistic American, chasing a new start following the death of her husband, and Callum a quiet Irishman running his family's funeral parlor and dealing with his own grief.

Unfortunately, in execution it left me wanting a lot more. The pacing was a little all over the place - both in varying chapter length and in how the romance unfolded. Neither Lark or Callum felt authentic in their dialogue. I was also hoping for more depth to the various grief storylines, but everything felt a bit superficial.

I think there are some readers who will really enjoy this one! I'm just not one of those readers, unfortunately. 2 stars. Thanks to NetGalley an Putnam for the ARC.

Thank You to NetGalley for an eARC!

I absolutely loved Morbidly Yours. The characters were believable and relatable. It was extremely heartfelt and I related more than I care to admit. My only issue is that it felt rather long. It could have wrapped up quicker, but I understand why it didn't. My actual review is at a 4.5. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance novels!

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC. The description caught my attention and the title/cover sold me! Heads up, before starting or reading a sample, make sure to read the TW!

This is a completely unique storyline and is perfect if you’re into cozy reads. Morbidly Yours is a slow burn, friends to lovers story between Callum, a hot, socially awkward, mortician and Lark, a cute Texan who moved to Ireland for work…and other reasons.

To me, in all honesty, Lark was very annoying lol but I could see how others, especially those who are still grieving, could find themselves relating to her.

Spicy contemporary rom com dual point of view. Fun to read with just the right amount of spice. I really enjoyed these characters and was rooting for them. Very cozy low angst quirky book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was SO cute. I loved the relationship dynamic between Callum and Lark. I laughed, I cried, I was entertained. I've recommended this to family and friends and have pre ordered a physical copy. Great job to the author on making a fun, out of the box romcom that captured my heart!

📖 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐯𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

Wow, I was not prepared for how much I came to love this book! It was a very refreshing storyline.

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥: 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯.“

The MMC, Callum, is a mortician and the owner of his family’s funeral home. He has social anxiety and relates more with the dead than the living. Unfortunately, he has to get married before his 35th birthday in order to inherit the funeral home and save it from being sold off by his father.

Lark moves to Ireland for as an animation art director for a short film. She is trying to heal the wounds left by her husband’s death and tries to stay as far away from love and death as possible. Unfortunately, she moves in next to a funeral home.

I adored the banter and unlikely friendship that blooms between Lark and Callum. They couldn’t be more different but somehow they were exactly right for each other. This spice in this book was great! I’d rate it a 2.

If you love a great slow burn, opposites attract, love story, 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 will be the perfect read for you! Releasing on August 20th!

“𝘛𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦. 𝘈 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.“

Tropes:
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🫶🏼 Friends to Lovers
♥️ Opposites Attract
💕 Social Anxiety Rep
🇮🇪 Small Irish Town
🔥 Slow Burn (2🌶️)
💋 Dual POV

I loved this slow burn so much. I usually don’t tend to gravitate towards those, but this was such a cute one. I loved everything about this book and thought the author did a fantastic job.

This one was a little more depressing then I expected, which I should have expected with the premise. A widow decides to move to Ireland for a fresh start and meets a mortician who needs to get married to save his family owned funeral home. But, the majority of the story is hopeful and, of course, has a happy ending. Both main characters were likeable and the author seemed to do a good job of portraying grief and anxiety. Will be recommending this one to romance reader who like an interesting premise and a good story. (Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the ARC)

This was such a fun read! I picked this due to the name but stayed for a truly great story!! A love a true friends to lovers story and this gave me ALL the angst and longing between them!!
I couldn’t wait for them to get together and every step made it that much more rewarding in the end. Loved it so much and definitely will be a book I recommend all my friends to read!!

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks was an absolutely adorable romance that I highly recommend to anyone! So much so that when I saw the ARC was available for request I couldn’t help myself and requested it!

Morbidly Yours centers on Lark, an American women who moves to Ireland for a marketing position, next door to the funeral parlor run by Callum, a quiet distant fellow. Lark finds herself wanting to get closer to Callum, to understand why he is the way he is. Clearly, Callum has more to him that meets the eye. But so does Lark, and the two find themselves drawing closer as their secrets come out.

Featuring an excellent cast of side characters as well as disability representation, this romance is highly recommended for all readers. It may follow the standard romance tropes, yet the uniqueness that Fairbanks brings to her characters gives it the life it needs to set it apart from the other romances out there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam and Sons for the advanced reader copy!

I have been recommending this book to everyone! An amazing story with characters you will fall in love with. I laughed so hard at one point while reading, I had to get out of bed so I would not wake up my husband. It has all the feels though, because there were definitely times my eyes filled with tears. Truly, storytelling at it's best. I will read this book again and again and never get tired of it. I can't wait for whatever the author writes next. Read this book, you will not regret it.

I unfortunately had a really hard time connecting with this book. I’m not sure if it was me, but I really struggled with the pacing and the characters. I found the female main character to be a little too
unlikable and she never truly grew on me. The side characters were the best part of the book for me, and I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more about them in future.
The book felt a little slow, and I’m not sure if it was the writing or my lack of connection with the 2 main characters, but I found myself just powering through the last 20%.
I enjoyed the writing style and the inclusion of Irish language and culture throughout the course of the book, and think that with other characters, I would have really enjoyed her writing and storytelling.

Widowed Lark Thompson has left Austin for Galway, Ireland and a promising animation job. Unbeknownst to her, she rented a place next to undertaker Callum, a man in a serious predicament: he must marry to inherit his grandfather’s business and home, a place he dearly loves. Lark is bright to Callum’s dark, and she befriends the introverted undertaker and helps him loosen up and hopes to potentially help him find true love. What happens next is both unexpected and expected as the two manage being neighbors, friends, and eventually lovers.

Wow, this one was different! I loved how the main characters were not what you would expect - in so many ways. We get to explore grieving, asexuality, harassment, stuttering, while still achieving a super hot level of spice. I like how layered this book is, it feels deeper and more complex than some rom-coms. I feel like there were a few problems with pacing early on, but this was resolved by mid-book as the story evolved and changed. I could have done with a fewer number of undertaker jokes - there were A LOT. All in all, I liked the book, Galway was a fun setting, and I like how another book is set up in the end pages. I will definitely read more Ivy Fairbanks. This book was fun and different than the ones I usually read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was such a refreshingly cute little romance! I read it right after 2 big fantasy books and it was just the palate cleanser I needed!

The spice was goooodd and still very tasteful! Loved the Irish elements and the storyline (while predictable in parts) was sweet! I also love the Demisexual rep!

This book is such a perfect balance of rom com and pulling on your heartstrings. Callum and Lark are both such lovable characters even though they both have flaws and things they’re working through.

Morbidly Yours
by Ivy Fairbanks
Pub Date Aug 20 2024

Tropes involved include: he falls first, friends with benefits, and grumpy x sunshine {LOVE me a good Grumpy x Sunshine}.

The dynamic between Lark and Callum was an absolute delight to dive into. Lark's struggles with self-acceptance resonated deeply, making her character incredibly relatable. Surprisingly, Callum, an undertaker, emerged as a character I unexpectedly grew to adore. His profession adds a unique twist to the narrative, and witnessing his gradual transformation alongside the vibrant and unconventional Lark was thoroughly engaging.

While themes of mortality can often tread into unfamiliar territory, Ivy skillfully incorporates them, making Callum's role as an undertaker feel organic and true to his character. Despite some foreseeable plot points, Ivy's mastery of storytelling kept me hooked from start to finish. Her prose is enchanting, effortlessly drawing readers into the world she has crafted.

Overall, I found myself reluctant to set this book aside, eagerly anticipating Ivy's future literary endeavors.

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Loved this book! I love a beta hero and callum was so well developed. I love reading a book where I get a peek into a world I know nothing about - like mortuary science! Great spice but it never felt like it was just jammed in - definitely added to the character development. I would love to read a sequel with Larks cousin!

I got the chance to read this arc when it was self-published and again now that it's gotten picked up by a publisher and I am excited to see what this author has in store.