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.

This book unfortunately fell flat for me. The characters were very boring. The random love triangle was thrown in. It was and interesting concept about working for Death but this just wasn’t for me

I was graciously #gifted by Dell: Casket Case by Lauren Evans, a quirky romance set in Rabbittown, Alabama. After losing her parents, Nora Clanton gives up her life and career in the city to return home to run the family casket business. Enter Garrett Bishop, a mysterious and attractive newcomer who asks her out. His arrival in town corresponds with the death of family friend. Unfortunately other visits seem to line up with more deaths. Turns out, he’s perfect—except he works for Death itself. While I thought they might bond over death since it’s technically Nora’s business as well, it ultimately blows up their relationship.

My favorite part of this book- by far- was the perspective on end of life and the concept of death. Clearly, I’m on a roll with funeral home romances! Unfortunately you have to wait a bit longer to read this one as it’s not out until September 10.

✨Casket Case by Lauren Evans✨

Genre: Romance
Pages: 416
Pub Date: Sept 10th

📚Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she’s found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.

There aren’t exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton’s ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions—as well as a date.

Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She’s not totally sure what “logistics” entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel, and urgent calls in the middle of the night.

When a few of Rabbittown’s residents suddenly pass away—a heart attack here, a car crash there—and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly . . . suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?

📝This was such a unique concept for a romance book! I would say the trope is instalove, Garrett and Nora fall for each other fairly quickly. Although it isn’t my favorite, it didn’t bother me in this story.

What I really enjoyed about the story is that although it was fun and filled with flirty banter, the characters had to actually sort through their differences (mainly Garrett’s job) and find a compromise.

✨Thanks to @dellromance @netgalley for my egalley✨

Book Review

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: September 10, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I was hoping for more comedic moments and chemistry. Unfortunately one of my least favorite tropes is instalove. As for the comedy part, this book was dry in that part.

For fans of:
Third person
FMC over 30
MMC works for Death
Dual timeline
Small town
Insta-love

I wish Goodreads had half stars, because it's a 3.5 for me. The extra half was the truly original storyline for a rom com. I would legit watch this on Hallmark. Other than that it's your run of the mill rom com.

Nora is having a existential crisis from losing her parents, trash panda boyfriend & inheriting the family business. In walks Garrett & he is sucked into the vortex of her hot mess grief. Which honestly we all struggle with, even someone doesn't actually die. We go through the same pains in figurative deaths too.

The story unfolds to watch Nora battle the incongruity that has developed in her life due to her actions or lack there of to be more precise. She has a tentative grasp of hanging on to the shambles she has constructed to look like a life. Taking over the family business, wallowing in grief & an unwillingness to be honest about her discontent of it all.

Then Garrett walks in with his mysterious job, secrets & healthy relationship habits to add his matchstick to her shoddy construction existence. LoL The emotional rollercoaster takes off like a rocket. We watch Nora fall in like, love & hate as she battles herself. Garrett got the lady in waiting role, because that man was just in his emotional dingy waiting out the storm.

Even when his competition shows up ready to win. I do like that this didn't turn into a bash fest of the men. However, I did want her grandpa to have a stronger role/presence/depth. Especially, after his secret comes out.

I did feel like the story felt underdeveloped, but also it was trying to do the most with some big topics in a rom com appropriate way. Again, it's a Hallmark movie in print for sure (my favorite kind) & I thought it was a light fun read. I also enjoyed the surprises & recipes at the end. For a book whose premise is the business of death, I only cried once!

This has all of my favorite themes: funeral industry, death, romance, but it unfortunately wasn’t what I thought it would be! I found the dialogue to be lacking chemistry and had no interest in the characters.

This was an interesting book concept - girl works for casket company meets boy who works for Death itself (apparently it’s not the Grim Reaper we all know and love but it’s actually an organization with an org chart bigger than a table). I really enjoyed the beginning of this, but by the end the storyline felt fairly repetitive. Still would be worth checking out if you are comfortable with the themes. Also, all closed-door romance scenes so if the open-door thing is too much, you don’t need to worry about that here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for the advanced reader copy!

First, thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read Casket Case. 2.5 stars (rounded up)

I will say this book is cute! I had high hopes for it with the plot line but it just fell short. Everything felt rushed. The story line was sometimes choppy and just spewed onto the page. All in all, a cute read if you love a fast paced rom com.

Fall is around the corner which means there’s no better time for a paranormal romance! I was excited about the concept of this story but unfortunately it fell flat. The MMC works for death, which is a unique concept that wasn’t examined in much depth. The story itself moved more slowly than I would have liked but the ending somehow felt rushed. The chemistry between the characters was lacking and their romance moved too quickly to feel believable. On a positive note, I do think that this book handled the complexity of grief and making peace with the concept of death well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Morbidly adorable! I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting! The plot was very original, and the characters were super cute. As someone from a small town in the South, the dialogue felt so homey too. And then the epilogue wrecked me (in a good way). Would absolutely recommend!

I'm going to be honest, this book took me way too long to finish (personal problems aside). I loved the premise, I loved most of the characters, with the exception of one. Garrett.
The main love interest. He was so boring! And he works for death! How can you be the most bland man on earth and have probably one of the most interesting jobs?
Nora, our main character has lost her parents and inherited their casket store. I really liked Nora. Her grief felt real and I found myself relating to her a lot. But I just couldn't see her with Garrett.
Now Johnny, the guy who works for the rival big company? I actually really liked him. Their jabs back and forth were adorable, and they had way more chemistry than Nora and Garrett.
Overall this was a cute, interesting read. Not too spooky, not too much of an autumn read. I'd definitely be interested in reading more about this Death business. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read!