I loved this unique death-centric love story! Despite the death, it was a really fun and enjoyable book. There were certainly moments of seriousness but I really liked this one of a kind spin on a love story. It warmed my spooky heart and I finished it in 2 days! Read this if you’re kind of dark and into non-traditional romantic fiction with minimal spice!

Wonderful Debut rom-com! I just loved the synopsis of this story and knew I would love it! I work in the logistics world and thought logistics coordinator for death would be interesting to read.

Nora has to come back home to take care of the family's casket business and falls in love with Garrett, whom unknown to her works for "death*.
When some hot random stranger asks you on a date and they are kind, and thoughtful why not? Your single in your thirties and have no other prospects. She thinks he's a logistics coordinator but weird stuff starts happening around town as residents suddenly pass away. Unfortunately Garrett is spotted at every scene where a death occurs. How do does he explain this coincidence and then to find out who he is with the person she feels she knows is mindboggling.

I enjoyed this fun rom-com and highly recommend.

I was really excited for this book. The concept was really cool and at first I was sucked into this book. Then once the relationship between Nora and Garrett started everything slowed down and the book really lagged. I enjoyed the ending and I wish Nora’s grandpas past had been brought into the book earlier.

I didn't quite vibe with this one, but I love the idea, so I'm giving it a tentative 3.5 (rounded to 4) stars based on a flip through. I'd give the author another shot in the future though; I think they have cool ideas! Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine | Dell, and Lauren Evans for the arc! I might revisit at a later date.

Casket Case by Lauren Evans this was a new author for me, which I am always on the search for. To me this was one of the strangest book I have read in quite a while. I found the pace to be very slow, especially in the beginning. Then once the characters began to see each other it progressed pretty quickly. Then toss in a major landmine that will almost destroy the relationship. I would still suggest this book to others, because I know not everyone enjoys the same type of books.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Publishing, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The whole concept of this romance was so different, so Garrett meets Nora, they meet by chance because Nora is being pushed to start dating but she’s not with it and she also knows that not going to happen in her small town, then Garrett walks, he’s lost and she offers directions and the rest is history.

They fall in love which is so darn fast, but Garrett has a secret and this has ruined his past relationship, and he doesn’t want that to ruin the new one with Nora. Nora runs a family casket business and she finds out from Garrett that he works with Death, he helps people go where they need to go after they die. This was CRAZY, but what was more crazy was the slow burn after the fact, Nora constantly asking over and over about his job, me being annoyed with this exchange as a reader. Nora has gone through a lot in the past with men but she was so infuriating at times.

It was hard at times to fall in love with their story since the romance was really fast, I really liked Garrett more than Nora, but I adored the people in the town, her friends, and grandpa was adorable, I love the characters that contribute to making stories worth reading.

Like the premise, but I’m just not feeling it. The chemistry between the leads is lacking, and while I like the idea of peppering the MMC’s backstory in through flashbacks, they diverted from the already tepid story in the present,

In the wake of tragedy, Nora discovers a new purpose managing her family's casket business and an unexpected romance blossoms with a stranger who seems too good to be true. As a “logistics coordinator” for Death, his compassionate nature seems at odds with his job. Can Nora reconcile his dual identities and embrace the possibility of love, or will she have to lay her heart to rest?

I was really intrigued with the premise of this book and wanted to love it, but it fell a little flat. While Nora's self doubt is relatable, it becomes frustrating when she won't take action. The chemistry between the MCs was good, but sometimes they got a bit too condescending to each other. I did still enjoy the storyline and it definitely made me think about death and grief in a new light. Overall a decent read, but didn't live up to my expectations.

This is really hard for me because I didn’t love this book. I very much wanted to. Garrett is fantastic and I instantly loved him.

The writing and character descriptions confused me. I know this is an advanced copy and I do think a good editor could really help.

Overall, I enjoyed the set up and concept but the delivery didn’t work for me.

When Nora moved away from the small town of Rabbittown, AL she never expected to move back home to take over the family’s casket business. Getting a college degree, a good job, and a respectable boyfriend seemed to be the right path, until her parent’s died in an accident and her life turned upside down. First, she moves home and is in a deep depression over the death of her parents, and then she just settles in to the minimum of living and running a business. Pus, in Rabbittown, she really doesn’t have a social life, mostly with her grandfather and the older inhabitants of Rabbittown, until a handsome man stops by looking for directions, and a date. He seems to be too good to be true.

Garrett may seem to be too good to be true, but with his secrets about his job and his appearance at the local deaths in the community, and his frequent disappearances, he seems more like a serial killer, but how did he know to be near a car crash before it happened?

I was intrigued by the idea of someone showing up just as a person is dying, so they won’t be alone, but in the end, it was just strange. I did like Garrett and wanted him to have a HEA. I also adored his family. Nora mostly annoyed me, although I felt sorry for her and her struggles with depression.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with this eARC of Casket Case. These are my honest opinions.

This was one of the most intriguing plots I've come across lately so I knew immediately I wanted to read this. This is a debut emotional romance between a our FMC who inherits a casket business from her family in a small town and an MMC who works for Death! SAY LESS!!!. Unfortunately the execution was a little lacking for a few reasons...the pacing was too slow and the romance was too fast. While the characters falling for each other is to be expected - I wanted more plot before they were shouting their "I love yous" from the rooftops.

And as if that wasn't enough - a love triangle??? A LOVE TRIANGLE???? Whyyyyy?????? (It should be said that I hate love triangles). I wanted to scream at the FMC on several occasions. Her mood swings gave me whiplash and while I understand she was navigating a lot of trauma throughout the book I just found it hard to relate to her indecisiveness and motivations. That's me though, someone else may find her choices to be more realistic so no hate on it, just my personal take away.

I really enjoyed all the other aspects of this book - the grief and loss aspect was so real and raw. Anyone who has lost someone knows those feelings and the author did a good job of showcasing the rollercoaster of emotions without romanticizing it or dismissing the severity of it.

Overall, I enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the book and its unique approach to grief, death and living life in the aftermath. I feel like the more this author writes the more and more I will love her books. This was a great start. Overall giving this 3.5 stars rounded up

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had the pleasure of using Casket Case by Lauren Evans as a bat to crack open my summer reading slump. Nora, the owner of a casket store previously operated by her recently deceased parents, gives Garrett directions to a meeting in her small town. One date becomes two and things get more sexy and serious which leads to questions, including why exactly Garrett is spotted at the scenes of death in the area? His job as a logistics coordinator for Death stops Nora in her tracks and raises doubts and suspicions even though she loves Garrett in a way she didn’t think was possible. The author gives loss a clerical aspect that provides comfort and understanding when loss often feels like a bottomless pit of confusion and pain. Casket Case gives a course on how to keep on living and moving forward when the past and the future are pulling you in opposite directions. The characters are warm and familiar without being cliche— I felt Fried Green Tomato vibes from the inhabitants of Rabbitown. This is a great entryway into Spooky Season for anyone who has experienced a loss as well as fans of Practical Magic, Gilmore Girls, and every Disney Channel Halloween movie from the 2000s. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for the advance e-ARC of this title!

This book was a good idea that was not executed well. It's billed as a rom-com but there isn't really any comedy except for a few pages closer to the end. The romance felt rushed between Nora and Garrett and because it was told from a third person POV, it was hard to connect with any of the characters. The twist at the end was obvious but a good idea, it just felt a little too late. Once Nora finds out Garrett works for death, there was a lot of dialogue where she asks questions and states she isn't sure if she can accept his profession....except it would go on for pages multiple times and in circles. I often felt for Garrett in those scenes, wondering what was even being discussed anymore. It's a quick read but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the arc.

Loved the concept but unfortunately the execution just didn’t work for me. It was a bit too clunky and the connections felt forced

I enjoyed this book so much that I finished it in one day! It's a story about grief, romance, and figuring out that you don't always have it figured out - and that's okay.

I think I don't share some of the criticism from others reviews because I chalked a lot of it up to being the grief. As someone who has unfortunately dealt with a significant amount of grief, it isn't implausible to me that Nora would make some of the decisions she does. (Don't want to give spoilers.)

Grandpa was definitely my favorite side character. The twist with him was a good addition to the story.

I personally could have done with less references to alcohol, but Nora is who she is. And, as I said before - grief, maybe.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Casket Case by Lauren Evans
Rating: 2.5 stars
Steam: Closed door
Pub date: 9/10

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dell for my advanced copy!

The story centers on Nora, who's back in her tiny hometown of Rabbittown, Alabama, running her family's casket business after an unexpected tragedy. Just as she’s settling into this new (and kind of morbid) routine, a handsome stranger named Garrett enters her life. He seems perfect—until Nora discovers he’s not just any guy but someone who works for Death itself.

The premise is definitely unique, and it’s what drew me to the book in the first place. There are a few moments where Nora’s dry sense of humor made me laugh, but overall, this one didn’t hit the mark for me.

The characters were hard to like. Nora’s dealing with grief and loneliness, but it’s only touched on briefly, so I didn’t feel like I got to know her that well. The side characters are also pretty forgettable because they didn’t add much to the story.

The romance felt rushed, as if Nora and Garrett were head over heels way too quickly. We never get more than surface-level emotions from Garrett, making him feel one-dimensional and making their relationship feel unbelievable. Once they’re together, the story gets stuck in this repetitive loop of Garrett wondering if he should tell her he works for death and then Nora wondering if she can handle the fact that he works for death. Their eventual breakup feels obvious, and I was hoping that she’d end up with someone else.

All in all, Casket Case is an interesting idea that could’ve been more. If you’re into offbeat small-town romances, you might enjoy it, but it wasn’t quite for me.

Casket Case had a good premise, but I wouldn't say it was a rom-com book. It was centered around Nora's grief over her parents and the life she could have lived if they hadn't died. It was hard to root for the romance in this book and I was happy when they split because Nora was very combative with him, still grieving the loss of her parents.

I didn't care for this book. I was initially intrigued and then the rest of it fell flat. I love romcoms with spooky vibes but I didn't really get attached to the characters like I wanted to.

📚ARC Review 📚

Casket Case⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nora never pictured herself back in Rabbittown, Alabama running her parent’s business, selling caskets, but here she is. After a tragic car accident that took her parents, she had no choice but to leave her life in the city and move back. While trying to move on, she considers dating again. The problem, there aren’t many single prospects in this small town. That is until a handsome stranger comes into her shop asking for directions… and a date. Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal man, to good to be true, so Nora can’t help but wonder what he is hiding.

This was a binge worthy, heartwarming read. It is a closed-door/fade to black romance, told in the third person with a dual timeline. The small town vibe, family business and the southern feel, reminded me of where I grew up. In that sense I felt connected to Nora. While her character does deal with grief and death (literally everywhere) she is strong and independent. Garret’s character is great and always there for her, even when times get hard, he makes it known she can always come to him for anything. Their banter was funny and you could feel their chemistry. The epilogue had me in tears because it was so bittersweet. What a great debut novel, I can’t wait to see what else this author writes!

This book will publish on September 10, 2024. Be sure to add to your TBR list!! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

This book had a unique premise. However I had a hard time connecting to the main characters and found the side characters unnecessary. It was a bit too insta love for me.