~* 2 stars *~
Oh how I wanted to love this book. The overall concept is so fun - she runs a casket business, he work for death - but it just didn't land for me. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and felt like they were a little cringey. I did like the little twist at the end but it felt like too little too late.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the author Lauren Evans, and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book so much but I made it about 20% of the way through and just couldn’t do it. The plot had so much promise which is why I gave it 2 stars. It seemed disjointed and I would get thrown off when it would randomly switch views in the middle of a chapter. I think it would have been better if it had been fleshed out a little more to me personally. I might try it again another time because like I said, I liked the plot idea. I just couldn’t get into it unfortunately

The characters were so monotonous and I did not feel any kind of connection between them. Super disappointing since the premise of this book was so promising and unique.

When Nora Clanton returns to the small town of Rabbittown, Alabama after her parents' death to continuing running the family business of selling caskets, love is the last thing on her mind. Enter Garrett Bishop, an attractive man with a less than attractive job.

Casket Case by Lauren Evans is an unexpected five star read for me. Filled with heart and humor, and just a few moments that left me sobbing, the novel is very reminiscent of the movie Meet Joe Black. Evans does a wonderful job of seeing the beauty of death in her writing, and handles the grief aspect of losing a loved one with grace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

DNF: 35%

Like so many reviewers before me, I <b>wanted</b> to like this book. The cover is cute, the title is quirky, and the premise is unique and interesting.

Unfortunately that's all there is to it. It's a pretty package hiding a dry, boring story.

In no particular order:

The pacing is way off. I read over 1/3 of the book and I still don't know what the conflict of the story is. Is it just that Garrett works for Death and needs to tell Nora? That's some low stakes for a story about death. And if the main conflict is something else, it needs to happen WAY SOONER.

If you're going to hang your entire plot on the relationship between your main characters, it better be a bulletproof relationship. That's not Garrett and Nora. It's a weird insta-love between the two most awkward, emotionless people. I have no idea what they see in each other or why they love the other person.

I liked the dual PoV: a chronological Nora with asynchronous Garrett moments. It works and it's interesting. But I quit shortly after the lazy bit of writing when Nora's in the coffee shop. The chapter opens with the PoV of a townsperson observing Nora then *blink* it's back to Nora's PoV.

This could've been a lovely exploration of grief, death, and the people left behind. It could've explored themes of compassion, community, and life's next great adventure. But it didn't do any of that so I had to stop.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Dell, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

🏘️ small town
⚰️ family business - FMC
☠️ death helper - MMC
🥰 cute dates
😨 relationship tension
🌀 twists and surprises

Wow. I wasn’t expecting this to get me in the feels. I was expecting a fun, Halloween-ish vibe, but that’s not what I got. Loved it anyway. This sweet read was full of humor and relationship triumphs. I felt Nora’s emotions in this one related to family, relationships, life and death.

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a quirky read but is prepared to face Death head-on.

In this warm-hearted debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family's casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there's just one problem . . . he works for Death!!

Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death—literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined . . . but death might not be as scary as it seems.

My first time reading from this author and I enjoyed it.

Casket Case was an enjoyable debut novel, and I'm excited to see what Lauren Evans does next.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

• small town romance
• supernatural vibes
• sad epilogue

This book has a unique premise, but the characters felt flat to me. Have I mentioned before that I don't love "instalove"? 😅 I enjoyed the paranormal vibes and how grief was approached. I wish we could've gotten more of Garrett's backstory! This is a debut, so I look forward to what's next for this author.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Random House/Dell for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Have you ever stumbled into a relationship when you least expected it? Have you felt an undeniable connection with someone you’ve known so briefly it seems impossible?

Nora has returned to her tiny hometown of Rabbittown, Alabama - something she thought she’d never do - in the midst of tragedy and upheaval. She’s running the family casket business, living in her childhood home, and socializing almost exclusively with her grandfather. When Garrett Bishop, undeniably good looking, interesting, and maybe a little mysterious, comes to town for work - whatever “logistics” is - Nora is gobsmacked and thrilled that he is as attracted to her as she is to him. Their connection is strong, and perhaps just what they each need. But can love flourish surrounded by Death?

Oh, this book. I eagerly began reading this because the quirky concept, setting, and singular characters tickled my brain in all the right ways. I was not prepared for such an amazing contemplation of grief, family, death, and happiness. A beautiful love story not just between two characters trying to navigate loss and love and purpose, but also a beautiful love story to death and the witnessing of all stages of life.

I read this immediately after helping a close family member through their hospice journey to death, and Lauren Evans’s thoughtful ruminations and fully realized characters comforted me, guided me, and validated so much of what I was feeling and processing. I giggled, I swooned, and I ugly cried. I want everyone to read this book. I want us to have a better relationship with death and dying. I want us all to find love and purpose and peace.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

dnf at 60%

i just didn’t care for the characters anymore. though 30 years old, Nora had the mannerisms of a 5 year old child. Inexperience in dating is one thing, but immaturity is another. Garrett was one dimensional to me. The plot developed wayyyy too slow and i think more detail was given to the small town than was given about the actual plot.

i did enjoy the quirkiness of it all. deep south Alabama small town living is as true as this book writes it.

The premise of this book immediately drew me in! However, I do think more could have been done with Garret’s profession and who else we learns had the same one. Overall, the conflicts became repetitive and I sadly ended up being annoyed by Nora. I still enjoyed my time in Rabbit Town, but wish the plot was more dynamic.

Great premise, poor execution. Couldn't stand the clingy FMC and just overall was disappointed with this one.
ARC via netgalley

Great premise. Disappointing execution.

When I first read the blurb for this story, I knew I had to have it. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

The characters did nothing for me. I never felt their chemistry. I did not care about them as individuals. I did not understand why they even liked each other and why it was so instant.

The pacing was choppy, and I wouldn't say I liked the writing style.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nora Clanton has found herself unexpectedly back in Rabbittown, Alabama after her parents' sudden untimely deaths. She's running the family casket company, drinking too much wine, comfort watching Cheers and other reruns, and occasionally venturing out socially with her 85-year-old grandfather. When a handsome stranger wanders into the casket store one afternoon seeking directions--and more surprisingly, asking her on a date--Nora could not be more surprised. Garrett Bishop seems too good to be true. Nora's only concerns are his caginess concerning his mysterious "logistics" job and his tendency to show up where people are dying.

When Nora finds out who Garrett really works for, she calls off the relationship. Can she not get away from Death?

It turns out, she can't. But she can learn to accept its inevitability and learn to appreciate the fleetingness of life. This is a very unusual romance and while it seems like it could be morbid, it's actually hopeful. #CasketCase #NetGalley

💭 MY THOUGHTS: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one but it was so cute! I really liked the unique premise and the sweet romance.

There are also some heavy topics as Nora is grieving the loss of her parents. And the fact that Nora and Garrett are in the business of death. The epilogue had me crying.

Read for:
🔺Love Triangle
💫 Second Chance Romance
🔮 Paranormal
🛤️ Small Town

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice level: 🌶️/ 5

I think perhaps I am the wrong audience for this book so it was hard for me to give a rating to.

I couldn’t get behind the romance, I found it kind of tedious. I found Nora, herself, pretty tedious and Garret did nothing for me. The most interested I was in romance was when I thought things were going somewhere with Johnny, who felt more interesting and charming, and who made Nora more likable.

I thought the story had a twist where THAT was the romance to root for and it made sense to me then why things felt so forced with Nora and Garret. It was a bit of a letdown how things played out.

So like I said, I think I was the wrong audience for the book bc whatever what between Nora and Garrett didn’t really appeal to my romantic sensibilities. But people like different things and have different tastes in partners and romance and all that so I don’t think it would be fair to judge the story for that.

I really wanted to like this book! I was so excited when I read the blurb for this book, but it just ended up falling flat for me. I feel like the main characters fell in love really quickly. It felt odd when they broke up about half through the book, then she started talking to another guy for like 20% of the book. On top of that, she just decides she doesn't care about any of the stuff she and the main guy broke up over and they get back together anyways.

This book also feels like it had a lot of extra or unnecessary information in it. When they were getting ice cream, I don't feel like I needed to know every ice cream that the ice cream parlor had. I don't know this book may have just needed a little bit more editing. I really love the idea of having a casket sales person fall in love with someone who works for death. This book just felt a little off the mark.

This book was a little bit of a letdown for me, but don't let that stop you from picking it up if it sounds interesting to you!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a sweet story. Learning to live with grief is hard for everyone and caring for others going through loss is beautifully written within this southern small town romcom.

# Casket Case
# 10/8/2024 ~ 10/9/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0

A young woman returns home after not great circumstances. She meets a man that may change that. But what she doesn’t know is there more to him then meets the eye.

A refreshing story. Good characters and a relationship to root for.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. Unfortunately, I found this book was very difficult to get into and had a slow beginning. I did not find the writing or plot compelling.