I was initially drawn to Casket Case because it seemed like a unique concept for a romance and I was intrigued by the idea of someone working for Death. It seemed really fun!

There was a lot going on in this book. I love an insta-love trope so Nora and Garrett’s romance was enjoyable for me. However, the pacing was soooo slow, and I feel like this book could have been much shorter and had the same impact. There were so many scenes of them arguing over basically nothing?? The question “what do you want to talk about?” was asked so often, along with an ensuing argument about what?? Nothing! I don’t know, I could have just done without all of that.
I did enjoy the paranormal aspect and the idea of Death having logistics coordinators who work simply to ensure no one dies alone and everyone receives some comfort in their final moments. I also appreciated how grief was written and handled. There was no sugarcoating and it was really realistic how Nora dealt with the aspect of death in her life.
I guess I just didn’t really like Nora herself? The weird love triangle she forced herself into towards the end wasn’t great and made me feel icky about her love with Garrett afterwards and overall I found her somewhat annoying, like why are you acting like that girl? Stop it.

I really liked certain pieces of this but others just didn’t work for me. I’d really love to read more of the author’s work in the future!

Thank you to the author and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for this gifted ARC via NetGalley.
Publication date 9/10/24

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Casket Case
Author:  Lauren Evans
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: September 10, 2024

I predict Casket Case will get mixed reviews, which is not the author’s fault. The cover, title, and colors all hint at a rom-com novel centered around a young woman who inherits the family business of selling caskets. That is NOT how I see this book; I think the “decision makers” missed the mark on marketing this novel. Casket Case is a story about love, albeit a strange kind of love. The female lead is Nora, who has inherited the family-run business of selling caskets in a small Alabama town after the death of her parents. Nora meets Garrett, a wildly gorgeous and mysterious stranger who arrives on “business” in town. They fall in love quickly, and for those who are wondering…yes, you can fall in love quickly (I’m living proof), but their biggest hurdle is Garrett is a messenger for death. He comes to people in their last hour of need and helps them crossover. I may be in the minority here, but I thought it was interesting and a different look at love. The writing is fine except for a bit of repetition; Nora has a lot of quirks, which could also be attributed to her occupation and growing up in a sheltered environment. Nora’s relationship with her grandfather is sweet, and her willingness to keep an open mind is a plus. When the lead characters are both in the business of death, pitching the story as a rom-com is problematic, but love is to be found in this novel. #romance #love #death #fantasy #paranormal #smallTown #grief #CasketCase @laurenevanswrites @netgalley @randomhouse @ballantines
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.
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Can a grieving woman drifting through life and a man who literally works for Death make a relationship work? In this witty yet sensitive debut rom-com, author Laura Evans introduces readers to small-town business-woman Nora Clanton. Having inherited her parents' casket=selling business after their death a year ago, Nora's merely existing from one day to the next - until Garrett Bishop walks in asking for directions. Garrett seems like the perfect guy: nice, thoughtful, ridiculously handsome. The only problem is, Garrett's job is the logistics of death. Can Nora reconcile such a seemingly cruel line of work with the man she thinks she's fallen in love with?

Nora and Garrett are easy-to-love characters, and their supporting cast are fleshed out enough to make them interesting. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys their rom-coms with a hefty dose of emotion. Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert or recently-released Rules for Ghosting.

I really did try. The pacing of <i>Casket Case</i> felt off, with an unconvincing insta-love story. Nora’s loneliness and the male lead being the only one around didn’t provide a solid foundation for their relationship. The plot became repetitive, dragging on for 400+ pages. A novella format might have been more effective.

The characters lacked depth, and the side characters were numerous yet forgettable. The writing was choppy, with short, detail-lacking sentences and stiff dialogue, making both main characters unlikable from the start, in my opinion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me this is a hard book to rate. Your main characters are Nora, a woman that inherited her family's casket comapany after her parents died, and Garrett, a director of Logistics. I found Nora's character frustrating at times but also a relatable character as grief can alter a person drastically and we all handle it in different ways. I really wanted more of Garrett's character. His job's background is peculair and I wanted to understand much more of it besides "Death goes corporate".

I was drawn to the story of how a casket-seller could fall in love with a logisitics coordinator for Death. I think I was thinking I'd find more of a spooky romcom, and instead was given an immediately "I love you" and then a very much not needed third-act break-up. I could have lived without Johnny's character being introduced about wanting to buy Nora's funeral home. You want to like him but know he's not worthy and she is just settling.

This book still gets a 3-star from me for the character of her grandpa. I think he was such an important character, I just wish we would have gotten a tad more interaction with him, Nora, and Garrett.

Also I'm going to pretend the epilogue didn't exist...

3/5 stars.

Quick Summary: Nora has moved back to her small town to run her family's casket business and recently moved to the area and Garrett works for death. What happens when two people who work in similar professions meet?

I thought the concept of this book was going to be cool. I just felt like this book fell flat. I feel like Nora is a flat character. I feel like she didn't do a lot of character development throughout the book. I feel like her side characters changed more than she did. Her parents passed away which is why she moved back, but she doesn't talk a lot about it in this story. I also felt like Garrett was a bit flat too. I enjoyed him because of how supportive he was with Nora. Both characters never really got into who they were which made the romance a bit awkward. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I feel like the storyline was all over the place and the pacing was weird. I also feel like some of the spicy scenes were just thrown in there. I felt like that threw the plot off.

Overall, if you are a fan of small town romance, romance with some spice and a cozy fall read this is your book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lauren Evans, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not for me.

The pacing of this book really took me out of the story, and I just feel like for a romance book, the romance was super undeveloped. The characters had absolutely no personality, and I really couldn’t wait to just be done with this one.

♡ Small Town
♡ Cozy Romance
♡ Spooky Rom-Com Vibes

While the setting was cozy and kinda had the vibes of Bon Temps from Sookie Stackhouse series, I just couldn’t like either of the characters. The main relationship felt one dimensional and childish. It lacked depth with their characters and I just couldn’t get into it.

Plot wise though, I did enjoy the idea. It had a charming small town vibe with a light magic atmosphere. However, I don’t know if it was because it was too fast-paced for my taste or if I just didn’t connect with any of the characters but I found the main characters so difficult to like. Unfortunately, it just kinda fell flat for me.

I almost skipped this one because of low ratings but I felt it deserved a chance and I'm so glad I did. I read it in less than 24 hours and found it to be pretty dang good.

It's weird and a little dark and sad but it's also sweet and hopeful. I haven't read a romance quite like this before.

Nora returned to her home town after her parents died and now runs the family business, selling caskets. She's still grieving when she encounters a handsome stranger and they fall for each other. The only problem is he works for Death and she fells she's had enough of it in her life.

There was a side angle that was odd and unnecessary and the writing isn't terribly strong, but the story and characters more than make up for it. It made for a quick, easy read.

Highly recommend for rom-com readers looking for something different.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lauren Evans for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Casket Case coming out September 10, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I received it directly from NetGalley. I was intrigued by the plot. Nora has a unique job. It reminded me of My Girl, except Nora’s an adult. Everyone goes through grief, so I thought that aspect of the book was done really well. I wasn’t quite expecting a supernatural element to it. I think it was a little too instalove for my liking, but I really enjoyed the book overall. It had some spooky vibes that feel right for fall.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys otherworldly romcoms.

Interesting premise, but execution just wasn't there. Pacing was a bit off, but I loved the idea of the story.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

The premise of this book was great but fell flat for me. The pacing of this novel was wild and I had issues with the instalove romance of the main characters.

This one was unique and wildly creative, however the pacing of this was kind of slow. It had a lot of potential but it almost needed to slow down the romance. P

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one, just work for me, unfortunately. I thought the premise was really interesting. However, the pacing was truly wild. It was somehow both an insta-love (with both sleeping together and declarations of love by about 1/3 in) and so long apart that I basically forgot the male lead’s name. When the love triangle started happening, I was kind of hoping she’d go with the other guy because she seemed to actually have some chemistry with him and he had a personality. Both our main characters were pretty bland and the dialogue felt fairly unnatural. I did really like the relationship she had with her grandpa.

This book was a decent read, but I will say that the pacing felt off for me. I’m glad I continued on because I liked the characters (for the most part) but did have a hard time finding myself rooting for Nora at times. Overall, the book was good, but not my favorite of the year.

Nora’s journey of self-discovery in Casket Case is both heartwarming and relatable. Her struggles with anxiety and self-doubt are portrayed with authenticity, making her a character readers can easily connect with. The supporting cast and the charming small-town setting provide a delightful backdrop for her growth. While the relationship with Garrett is a pleasant addition, Nora’s internal journey and personal development truly steal the show. The unique concept of Death as a corporation adds an intriguing layer to the story, but it’s Nora’s relatable experiences that make this book a standout.

1.5 🌟

nora thought that she got away from the small town she grew up in, finally living in a big city with a real job. her life is fantastic until her parents die unexpectedly in a car accident. after the funeral, nora ends up taking over the family casket business. her days start to blur together, spending every day surrounded by death only to come home to a bottle of wine and tv reruns. nora thinks her life is stagnant until one day, a handsome man comes in asking for directions. the only problem? the man works for death.

the premise of this book was so promising, but the execution was honestly terrible. this is what i imagine would be the product of two monotone voiced people being forced into a relationship together. i truly didn’t know that it was possible for there to be instalove between two people who literally have zero chemistry whatsoever.

i literally do not have anything else but complaints left to share and i don’t want to put anyone else through the torture of this book. 🥲

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Lauren Evans and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻

Ultimately, Casket Case is a story about grief. The story focuses on Nora Clanton, a woman for whom Death is a part of her everyday life - from helping others deal with loss while running her family’s casket store, to her daily reminders of the parents that she lost in a car accident the year before. She is stuck, in every way that you can be - her whole life was put on hold when she moved back to her tiny hometown in Alabama following her parents death, and she has allowed all of her connections to the world to slowly ebb out of her life. Like many that have experienced personal loss, Nora simply cannot figure out how to exist in a world without her parents in it.

And then, Garrett Bishop walks into her store, and it’s like someone has pressed PLAY on her life once again. What Nora does not know is that Garrett is also well acquainted with Death - in fact, he works for it.

In reading other reviews, I can understand why some would not connect with Nora very easily. She is depressed, apathetic, prickly, and impulsive. Her attraction to Garrett may feel rushed. I think this speaks to the experience each reader will bring to the story. Anyone that has dealt with severe depression, I think, will relate to the depth of joy and gratitude that comes with the first thing to make you laugh or cry or feel normal again. The expression of that is well written into Nora and Garrett’s journey - the intense and fast rush of emotion, and even (as Nora starts to pull out of her grief) the rejection of the feelings down the line, as they both struggle with the fear that the relationship is simply too good to be true. When Nora learns what Garrett does for a living, she distances herself from him - and in so doing, is trying to distance herself from the presence of Death in her life.

When they do come back together (because it is a romance story, after all), it is because Nora has hit the final stage of grief - acceptance. She realizes that Death is not the enemy, and is just a part of living. She embraces her role in other people’s grieving process as well, choosing to stay and run her family’s business so that she can be there for others in a way that she needed support during her own loss. In choosing to be with Garrett, Nora is also choosing to stop being afraid, to stop focusing on what her life is missing, and to take an active role in her own life again. Ultimately, this is what prepares her for a final goodbye at the end of the story.

The novel was well written, authentic, and quite fearless in its portrayal of the realities of grief and loss. I found it very relatable, and loved the overarching message that happiness is both imperfect and also a daily choice. I will be definitely watching for more to come from this author in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House publishing, and the author for an advanced copy of this novel. It was a pleasure to read and review.

2.5 rounded down to 2

Nora is stuck. After a car accident claimed the lives of both her parents and she finds herself back in her hometown, living in their house and keeping the doors open on their business. But she had no friends her age, and no boyfriend. But when Garrett walks in looking for directions only to return to ask her out, Nora is ready to live again. Only she doesn't know that the man she's falling for work for Death.

Read if you like:
-Small Towns
-Family

Casket Case just wasn't for me. It slow, which I'm not sure was the result of the pacing, or the absence of a clear plot until more than a third of the way into the book. Nora went from blissfully in love with Garrett to suspecting him in one page. And the subplot somehow became the main plot in the third act. And the ending wasn't enjoyable. I think it was supposed to be empowering, but it didn't quite achieve its goals.

While running her family casket company, Nora meets the mysterious Garrett who might just breathe some life into her.

This was an interesting one. There were some highlights for me for sure. I liked Garrett and found his job and the concept behind the book to be super cool and unique. I also felt the book dealt with the idea of grief in a really interesting way. The town was also a draw for me. I love small towns and this one had its own little quirks which was fun. But, I did want more out of Nora and felt the pacing was off a big at the beginning.

All in all, this was a unique and interesting romance.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!