A charming read that delves into the intricacies of all things life, love and death.

Nora Clanton’s return to her small Alabama hometown is supposed to be all business, running her family’s casket shop. But instead she finds herself unexpectedly falling for Garrett, who works for Death itself. This chance meeting sparks an undying connection, but Nora keeps digging her love life into a bigger grave. Will she take a chance on this? Or leave it six feet under?

Lauren Evans has urned her place in the rom-com space!

✨ARC Review✨ Man, what a great concept! I went in expecting to LOVE this book and it was okay. Like, it was fine. The pacing was a little slow, the insta love was a lot fast, and the whole thing took me way longer to read than usual.

I’ll tell you one BIG thing that bugged me: Johnny. The banter and chemistry with Johnny was off the charts compared to what Nora had with Garrett. And then the author trumped up that reasoning for why Johnny would be a bad choice. Whatever. Johnny makes me wanna. If he gets his own book, I’mma read it.

Ok, back to the actual storyline. We have Nora who owns a casket company and Garrett who works for Death. Loving this idea. Garrett pops in to Nora’s storefront to ask for directions because Rabbittown, Alabama is not GPS-friendly. They’re both knocked for a loop as if an actual Cupid shot his little arrow into their hearts.

They start dating with Nora having no idea what he does for a living. Pun intended. Anyway, Nora is still grieving the loss of her parents and is in no way of sound mind to deal with anyone who works for Death.

Like I said, it’s a great concept, a little bland between the two MCs, but I will say I think the author pulled it together in a satisfactory way by the end.

I was given an ARC via #netgalley and @randomhouse. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #romancebooks #contemporaryromance #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #arc #casketcase #laurenevans

After reading others reviews I have to ask where on earth did you get the idea this book was scary or paranormal? Yes, death is a major character in the lives of the main characters. Nora was working in business in the city when she gets the call about her parents being killed in an auto accident, she then returns to her small home town in Alabama to run the family casket store, or to sell it and the house she grew up in. It's been less than a year since the deaths of her parents, she is still grieving them, her loss of her previous life and fiance, she is majorly depressed of such a huge change and loss in her life. She doesn't know what she wants ultimately, her family and friends from home try to help, but not dictate to her what she needs to do. Then in walks a handsome man for directions to an address he can't find, she helps him and he comes back to ask her for a date, thus begins the romance.
It's a slow quiet story that builds with dialog intense periods. The romance isn't fireworks and sparks it builds slowly from instant attraction. His job starts her to think about what does logistics actually mean. Nora has to work through what Garretts job really means and how close she works with death everyday as does he. She has a small look at someone else while she is broken up with Garrett, but he just makes her see things differently and how much she misses Garrett and time has now moved along to help her depression and grief.
This is a quiet slow romance that does have grieving, depression and death all in the mix, but ultimately prevails. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a thoughtful, lovely read for an honest opinion.

I was excited to read this arc for a paranormal macabre romance. But sadly, it did not deliver. It was too insta-lovey, emotionally shallow, and under developed.

I could not find anything likable with the FMC. And their numerous conflicts left me feeling like both characters were immature.

First, I want to applaud Lauren Evans on writing a book with a very unique premise and taking on the task of writing about a difficult topic in a very direct and thoughtful way. That said, this book wasn’t necessarily for me.

I felt genuine empathy for Nora. She was only within a year of her world being turned upside and still understandably grieving. It was quite obvious in the way her moods were describing and her often up and down emotions, particularly with Garrett.

All that to say, the romance didn’t work for me at all. It was far too insta-love for my tastes and without any real connection to explain it other than the ‘industry’ Nora and Garrett both worked in. They lacked genuine chemistry to me. Then there was an out-of-nowhere love triangle development that also didn’t work for me.

I have my own anxieties around death and loss that probably impacted my ability to connect to this book and something I probably should have considered. I admired the way it was approached but was often distancing myself from the story in those moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute debut novel good for fans of cozy small town romances 💐💘🌹Death seems to follow Nora who recently moved back to her small hometown to take over her parents casket selling business after they died in a freak car accident. Nora thinks things may start looking up for her after she meets Garrett Bishop, a logistics specialist who’s new in town. The only catch, Garrett works for death, literally 💀🪦⚰️

I had a fun time reading about Rabbittown, Nora’s small southern hometown, but I struggled to connect to the main love story. Personally, Nora and Garrett’s relationship lacked the depth I wanted it to have and I was often left wondering why they were so smitten with each other. Overall, Casket Case is a fun read with an interesting concept that could definitely be explored further in follow up books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Evans, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and Dell Romance for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! ☺️😘

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

I loved the smalltown setting and the premise was unique but I struggled with the pacing and to connect with the female lead. Those who prefer a more dialogue driven book may enjoy this one better than I did but all the way through the ending I found this story to be abrupt and prescriptive. I received this ARC from NetGalley and Dell in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for Casket Case, and they didn't quite reach it. I wondered sometimes if the leads even liked each other - but maybe that was part of the point? The pacing was a little off in this one for me, and it was difficult to immerse myself in the story. I was really hopeful considering the premise, and was hoping for a little bit of a morbid or hints otherworldliness love story. I still found the story creative and appreciated the view of death and dying (and calling us to actually think about it).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of Casket Case!

"Casket Case" is an interesting book with an interesting take on how we view death and dying. There will always be a need for funeral directors and their services. Caskets are a necessity for burial. Losing those we love is not pleasant. Would we try to prevent the loss of a loved one? Can we place blame on someone for not preventing death? Should Death's assistants aid those who are passing or prevent their passing?
I was expecting more of an otherworldly vibe from this book, but I did enjoy this overall. I liked the fact that the characters were human and flawed. No mind control or other tricks. to sway anyone. Just like in real life, we make plans and then our lives happen. Death isn't an easy subject to place in a romance novel. I was surprised with the ending and I enjoyed the book overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

She inherited her family's casket business. He is a logistics coordinator for "Death." Could I make it any more obvious? This premise had the potential to be a five-stars for me, but I very quickly realized it was not going to cater to my specifically morbid and spooky tastes. Normally I am not opposed to a well-executed insta-love trope...except I'm not actually sure these people really liked each other at all. Something about the plot and pace just wasn't...plotting or pacing for me enough to fully enjoy this one. It was a little bit awkward. That being said, it really is a great idea but I just don't think this was the right fit for me.

I really tried to like this book but struggled a lot with the pacing and the characters. It felt so slow and I just couldn’t connect to the characters at all. Not a DNF because I did like the concept it was creative but unfortunately this just wasn’t for me.

I did not enjoy this book at all. The characters are unlikable, it is such a slow read but the romance started entirely too early in the relationship. This was a DNF for me at 30% as I just couldn't make myself read any more. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I loved the concept of Casket Case, but I definitely have some mixed feelings on this paranormal romance. Nora has returned to her hometown to take over her family’s business after her parents tragically pass, and she quickly finds herself in a routine—a routine that gets interrupted by attractive stranger Garrett Bishop. But he has secrets he can’t tell Nora: he’s a logistic coordinator for death. With the premise, I was thinking sometime like The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston or Meg Cabot’s Mediator series, but I just feel like the writing didn’t end up matching the premise. Nora is striking and has such a depth of grief that my heart went out to her. That grief was beautifully written and developed. But I did have a hard time with Garrett and Nora. For one, their relationship moves so so fast, and I think Garrett tended to sound condescending, but it also could’ve felt that way because Nora herself is so insecure and makes herself just so small. It broke my heart at times for her because she was not in any way ready for a relationship. She needed time to handle that grief and find her footing. And I just didn’t really understand her and Garrett together. It’s very dialogue heavy, and there’s also a kind of love triangle introduced really late in the book that I unfortunately felt more chemistry on the other side of the triangle than her and Garrett. It’s a slow paced read with a very fast moving romance. But also, in all fairness, I went into this book with an expectation set by books similar in nature to this, and that’s not a fair standard to hold it to—this is its own story and the description is really clear in the heaviness this book explores. This book dives unforgivingly and unapologetically into how grief can reshape a person, how it can change you, and in that, it’s beautiful. I do with there had been more exploration Ito the paranormal aspects.

DNF: Unfortunately, like many other readers, I struggled with this book on a variety of levels. Not a huge fan of the writing style, pacing, characters, or romance, which means it was a disappointing read for me. I found it easy to set aside, and don't have much desire to finish, so it's a DNF for me. I do like some of the concepts explored, but this wasn't the right execution for them.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Dell for this ARC! I found this book to be a bit challenging to read. It's very character driven, and to me there really wasn't a plot. There are some details that I felt were unnecessary to the story. And yet, with these challenges, I was still coming back for more!


Our whole focus was on Nora handles grief and this book handled grief very well. Grief doesn't have a timeline, when something tragic happens your life is turned upside down...and there is no set "time" when you get back on track...or even a definition of what "on track" really looks like now. I think that's what made this challenging (but accurate) to read...when is the right time to "move on"? When is the right time to run (or close) a family business? What does the future look like after tragedy? All of these are hard questions, and there is no right answer. This book does Nora justice on her journey after tragedy and through grief.

I want to start by saying that I have tried to pick this book up a handful of times and kept putting to back down. I had to dnf this book because I struggled to connect to the story. With that being said, I can see a lot of people really enjoying this!

I was eager when I requested this book due to a fascinating premise perfect for a fall read. The summary reminded me of The Dead Romantics and Morbidly Yours. I believe that this story had a lot of potential, but it fell short for me in many different places.
To start, I do believe that the chemistry between the two main characters were written well. It was vivid and tangible. Additionally, I loved the concept of the story. The writing and plotting just made it fall short.
In the first 25%, the two comments on race made me uncomfortable. They did not land well due to no supporting context. (FMC not realizing she wasn’t related to her aunt and Garrett never being scared in Mississippi since he is white.) I don’t believe that they were necessary to the story.
Nora was an insufferable character for me to read about. I understand that she is in a grief journey and should be given some grace. And I think in many moments grace is given. That being said, she came across as very immature. She would quickly escalate any minor conflict and not try to understand the other party.
Garrett was a lovely character. I enjoyed him. That being said, in the middle of the book, it felt like he was gaslighting Nora when she was concerned about him in the storm. It was clearly an upsetting situation for her and by him not explaining why he would be ok was really disrespectful to her mental health at the moment. Additionally, his character profile did not make sense to me. The different character traits that made up this character did not seem realistic. He is clearly an empath and smitten with Nora. His job requires him to keep secrets. However, once it got to the point where the secrets of his job were met with Nora’s panic attack about the weather, the Garrett in my head would have had a conflict and realized he needed to choose. Especially with his history of work getting in the way. I would have thought he would have learned from his past, especially with how much he loved Nora.
The mystery of Death did keep me reading rather than DNFing. That being said, since it was a major plot point, I think more on page explanation should have be given. It felt underdeveloped until the very end. I think side plot of Nora’s second love interest could have been devoted to developing Death more as it is a unique concept. I wanted more of it.
Alcohol felt like a main character in the story. It seemed like every other chapter the FMC was having 3-4 glasses of wine. Again, I understand that this might be a part of her grief journey. However, it is problematic.
That being said, the excessive alcohol consumption paired with the racial comments, immature 30-year-old FMC, MMC who did not make sense on page, and the lack of sensitivity to mental health made this a unpleasant book for me to read. I believe that this plot had a lot of potential and maybe a different draft would have been better. I will read the next book by this author but also quick to DNF if similar concerning themes are present.

Casket Case was a very quick, light romantic read with sympathetic characters. I enjoyed the notion of a "grim reaper" who was not so grim, but rather there to smooth one's passage. The haste with which Nora and Garrett leapt into a relationship was very movie rom-com and not believable (to me at least) but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio and
for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! I was also lucky enough to receive an ALC from the Penguin Random House Audio Influencer Program. @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own.

This was an adorable debut novel that I think will. be very popular this fall for spooky season! I loved the romance between Garrett and Nora. While this book does have some paranormal themes, it is not necessarily scary, and it has more romance. Rabbitown, AL is a very charming town and I loved the residents that served as supporting characters in this novel. The audiobook is narrated by Bailey Carr and Sean Patrick Hopkins who do a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. I am kind of surprised that this is a debut novel because Lauren Evans knows how to write an enjoyable story. This book has lots of heart, humor, and charm. I hope Lauren Evans writes many more swoon-w0rthy novels like this. This is a wonderful novel to read on a crisp autumn day, and I can see it being very popular this spooky season!

This book will be released on September 10th. Pick up this fun and spooky romance this fall!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#CasketCase was a fun read with a unique plot. Small town romance vibes with some quirky jobs held by the main characters.
Looking for a different read this Halloween, look no further!

Read if you like:
- Small town romance
- 3rd person POV

Don’t read if you
- Don’t like long chapters

Publish Date: September 10th