I unfortunately had to DNF this. I am reviewing here, but won’t be posting elsewhere as I typically don’t review DNFed books

I just couldn’t get into it. Yeah, she works at a mortuary, but it’s labeled a rom-com and I felt it was more morbid than necessary. The characters had the worst case of insta-love, but still somehow felt stiff and unnatural. It just gave me the ick all the way around and I couldn’t continue past ~42%

I would definitely recommend this book. Nora ends up where she never wanted to be.. back in the small town she was from. Selling Caskets! Love and death completely intertwined. Add a little Paranormal when she finds out Garrett the man she is falling for works for Death.

Nora takes over the casket sales business that her parents owned in her tiny hometown. Her life in the big city over, she believes that this is her new life. She is not happy, but she is also not unhappy. She is just okay.
But then she meets a man. Charming, attractive, perfect except for his job. Turns out he works for DEATH.
What ensues is a complication of what death is, how it affects the people who live and how love can make you do things you did not know you were capable of.
It is a lighthearted look on a serious subject. Enjoyed it very much.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

Nora Clanton owns and operates the family's casket business. She inherited it when her parents died unexpectedly. All seems normal in her life until a handsome stranger Garrett arrives in town. The couple begin dating and all is a fairy tale until his "logistics" job becomes a problem. Nora must decide if she'll stay in her small town or move away with or without her new love.
I do like that we know that Garrett works for Death. And the twist at the end made the book even better.
Some of the flashbacks didn't make sense, and there were many of them, which seemed a bit unnecessary since the author already shared the backstory in the current day plot. I also wanted a clearer transition that we were returning to the present time - like a "Present Day" label along with the the chapter title.
Some of the content could use an edit. For example, we read that the couple spends time with each other's families over a four-month dating adventure. But then Nora mentions that she's never met Garrett's family, and he only met her grandfather once, which doesn't make sense.
And the angst and arguments between the couple seemed childish rather than emotionally mature. I quickly grew bored and skimmed the whiny back and forth.
The ending made me cry. And I liked the reminder that death is part of life. However, we can truly live and appreciate our loved ones while we can!

Always on the hunt for a cozy spooky szn read, CASKET CASE sold me on the fun synopsis about “a young woman who returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect neighbor.”

It was morbidly interesting to learn so many facts about the casket business, with themes of grief at the center of the story.

I paired the book with audio and enjoyed them both!

*many thanks to PRH audio, Dell Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Reading this was a struggle at times, and the plot was ripe with secondhand cringe. I was tempted to quit at chapter 11, but stayed committed until the end hoping it would get better.... it didn't.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

With an adorable title for the fall season, this story sounded promising to bring all the fall vibes. Overall, a cute story that had the vibes I wanted. However, you have to pay really close attention to the chapter titles (which is not always my preference). I recommend if you want a seasonal read to check off on your list.

I love romance books so much and in the realm of romance it doesn’t take much to impress me usually.. this book fell extremely flat. I did not like the FMC at all and it felt like there was zero connection between them then entire time. The romance was weird and some of the comedic bits felt forced. Overall not something I would recommend but hopefully it finds its people

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The premise was interesting and promising but the execution just fell short for me. The romance was giving me whiplash from instant love to moving on so quick.

Honestly loved this little romance! I love the banter and the story so much! I don’t like doing reviews that give stuff away but if you want a good chuckle and being sucked in! This is for you!

Casket Case follows Nora, a woman struggling to find her new place in life after the death of her parents, a move back to her hometown, and breakup with her long term boyfriend and Garrett a logistic coordinator for Death.

I’ll be honest… I didn’t get it. Nora was insanely judgmental about Garrett’s job. Practically accusing him of murder the entire time. They had zero chemistry. She had way more chemistry with Johnny before he did something stupid just for the plot to allow her to go back to Garrett.

There were a ton of little inconsistencies that drove me crazy too. In just one example, they’re out to dinner and the waiter asks if she wants wine and she says no. Then a paragraph later, she’s gulping wine.

The premise was great and I was excited but the execution fell flat for me.

The title grabbed me, and the plot so different. Nora is grappling with grief after the death of her parents and now runs the family casket business. She develops a romance with Garrett, the mysterious man who works for Death. It was a cute romance. If you like sweet Rom-Com's, this book is for you. . Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review..

I don't know what had drawn me in to request Casket Case on Netgalley. It sounded good and I was hoping maybe it'd be a little spooky . . . nope.

In general, the premise was there. Vaguely.

I feel like this was more just a poorly executed romance and even then it hardly felt like a romance.

We follow our female main character as she runs her casket shop in the middle of nowhere. How she stays open is beyond me, how many people are dying in the middle of nowhere? Then she meets a stranger who comes into town and starts a little meet-cute. Except the both of them seem so needy with each other. I would expect that type of behavior from teenagers, not grown adults!

Then find out what and who Graham really is. I thought there'd be more of this and not just a vague undertone that's almost overlooked. It was there for the "third act breakup," I guess.

The title grabbed me, and the plot so unique! Nora is grappling with grief after the death of her parents and now runs the family casket business. She develops a romance with Garrett, the mysterious man that visits their small town. Unbeknownst to her, he works for Death. Although the romance was a bit insta-love for me (the chemistry between the main characters was lackluster and I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle presented in the last third of the book), overall it was still an enjoyable read. I appreciated the balance of love and heartache and the unusual and unique perspective on when people pass away. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review. 3.75 stars

I did not finish the Casket Case. I found it slightly boring and didn't care enough about the characters to keep reading.

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

This was just fine. I thought it would be a little more exciting giving the spooky vibes, but it still felt so cliche.

I really wanted to like this because it seemed so fun. But, I just couldn't get myself be interested enough to read this. DNFed it pretty quick at 10% which is not usually how I read books but something about this just didn't hold my attention. Maybe I'll pick it up again later, but after three tries, something tells me this book isn't for me.

I wish I could’ve gotten more into this, it took me a very long time to try. I hate DNF’ing arcs, especially now that it’s out for the world. I came back and gave it another shot, but it wasn’t for me.
Very interesting concept, just wanted more.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early

This book started with so much potential but somehow just puttered out by the end. I was expecting a romance with some Under the Whispering Door vibes, but it mostly just was about Nora being mad about Garrett's job. This could have been a really good reflection of death and how fleeting life is. Instead I had to listen to Nora talk about instagram over and over again. It honestly was just so confusing by the end.

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine | Dell for the ARC.