Casket Case has a cute concept, but wasn't for me. Nora owns a casket store but runs into Death. It had so much promise but just fell a little short. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my review copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for a good seasonal read, so I read this book during the Halloween/fall time of year, which I think improved my opinion of this book. With that being said, I left wanting more. I don't understand the third person point of view on a romance book. It left the writing more disjointed and surface level, and the reader doesn't get a chance to connect to the characters. I think it took away from story in the long run. While I don't mind the insta-love troupe that much, it felt almost too fast for this book, especially when the characters couldn't quit repeating that it was too fast to love somebody. The love triangle in the back half also confused me. Overall, I felt that this book lacked a bit of editing and wish that we got a more first person point of view. 2.5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Nora runs her family casket business in small-town Alabama, Garrett works for Death (literally). It's a match made in... heaven? Hell?

The concept of this book was adorable and so intriguing - I really wanted this one to work for me, but it didn't quite make it. I ended up DNFing this around 60%. 5 star concept, but the writing just fell a little flat for me. There was a lot of dialogue, but it didn't necessarily feel like it was advancing the plot or like it was illuminating the characters further. The pacing was just too slow. I also didn't buy the chemistry between Nora and Garrett, which is one of the things I most enjoy in a romance novel.

Not for me, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not for you - I would try another book from this author.

After reading the unique plot of this book, I was so excited! The concept was all there. Handsome man works for death, meets the lonely and sad owner of a casket store who is surrounded by death. Enter, love story. I loved the authors creativity behind the plot, but unfortunately the execution wasn’t my favorite. Instant falling in love, a random love triangle, and the protagonist wasn’t easy to like. I wish there was more from Garrett’s POV revolving around his job, but overall although I didn’t love the book, it was still cute! With this being a debut novel, I am still interested in what Evans will come out with next :)

I was really excited for this release as a fall cozy read, but the execution fell flat for me. The overall plot of the story felt very basic and there could have been so much more depth to the characters, their relationship, and overall growth. I thought there was so much more to dive into, especially with Garrett’s job. So many unanswered questions!

Thank you to Lauren Evans, Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review!

Casket Case had so much potential, and I was genuinely excited about it. A romcom about a woman running her family’s casket business in her small town and a man who works for Death?? I expected quirky lovable characters, funny situations, and a charming small town. Sadly, it didn’t deliver on any of that.

Ever been on a boring date where there’s just no chemistry and every joke lands flat? That’s what reading this book felt like. It’s also exactly how Nora and Garrets dates went. Their dialogue felt stiff and awkward, and I couldn’t get invested in their connection.

Take this (barely) paraphrased conversation for example:
“What did you do today?”
“I waited around for someone to buy something. No one ever did.”
“What’s good here?”
“I heard the lasagna is good.”
“I was thinking about the lasagna.”
“I’m probably not the best person to ask because I don’t like tomato sauce.”
“So, you don’t like lasagna?”
“It’s better than spaghetti.”

I mean… 😬 How am I supposed to believe these two have any chemistry after this? Where’s the humor? The playful banter? The tension? Anything?

Sadly, the book didn’t improve much after that. I found myself bored and eventually skimming through parts, just hoping for something to grab my attention. By the end, I was left disappointed and unsure how to feel about the whole experience. Anyways, I appreciate Ballantine for the ARC.

An unexpected tragedy causes Nora to return home and run the family’s casket business. This isn’t what she thought she would be doing. In Rabbittown, there aren’t a lot of dating prospects for a 30 year old woman. One day a stranger, Garrett Bishop stops by asking for directions. They date. When Nora finds out that Garrett isn’t a logistics coordinator but works for death. What will Nora do?

The novel is a heartfelt novel about a woman who is surrounded with death. It’s about moving forward after the loss of loved ones and the healing power of love. This s a romance novel that is the author’s first novel. I liked the duality of her running the casket businesss and her boyfriend working for death.

Ugh. It's so disappointing when the premise of a book is promising and then doesn't deliver. The concept of a casket seller falling in love with someone who works for Death was the perfect teaser for me. I'm in! Unfortunately, the romance between Nora and Garrett is forced and undeveloped. They meet and then they are madly in love. I need more. I also didn't like the unnecessary complication of Johnny as a love triangle. The dialogue and plot development was lacking. I DID like the frank talk about death and how we deal with it, but it didn't save the whole book

Casket Case was so sweet and charming. I love a good romance with a little bit of morbid-ness mixed in. Absolutely loved it and would highly recommend to others.

2.5/5 Stars

This book had such promise with a very unique premise - someone that works for Death falls in love with the owner of a Casket Company - but it fell so flat.

There were parts that I enjoyed, but overall this just didn't do it for me. The romance didn't really make sense. I just never bought it because it was supposedly almost love at first sight, but there's no reason why.

I wanted to love this, but unfortunately it just didn't work. There's definitely potential here and I'm interested in seeing what this author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Lauren Evans for the early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of Casket Case, in exchange for an honest review.

"Casket Case" by Lauren Evans, follows Nora as she inherits her family's casket store and encounters the mysterious Garrett. While I had high hopes for this book, the overall vibes didn't quite live up to expectations. The romance felt rushed, and the pacing was a bit off, leading to a somewhat disappointing experience.
Inconsistencies in chapter length added an additional challenge, with some chapters being too short or unusually long. Moreover, small inconsistencies in the storyline, such as the mention of missing weekdays and conflicting actions, took away from the immersion in the story.

Despite these flaws, I still found myself completing the book, albeit with a sense of mild disappointment. It's worth giving it a read, but be prepared for some inconsistencies along the way."
3.5 Stars!

When Nora’s parents died, she took over their casket business. Her small hometown doesn’t have many prospects on the love front until a stranger wanders into her shop. Garrett might be the perfect man. But when he somehow ends up being at the scene of a series of deaths she wonders what he does for work. She finds out he’s a logistics coordinator for Death and Nora doesn’t know if she can move past that.

This storyline is a bit bonkers but was also perfect for spooky season. This was the type of quick read that I couldn’t put down, in part due to the wild ride it took me on. I’ve definitely never read anything like this and I am intrigued to see what else Lauren Evans writes.

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Representation: Not much of note, a couple Black supporting characters that make brief appearances throughout.

Rating: 3.5/5 A story about a woman who runs her family’s casket business and falls for a man who works for Death. Sounds wonderfully morbid, but there’s surprisingly very little actual death, and more conversations about dying, what happens to people around the deceased, and mortality. Overall, this was a decent read and I did enjoy the banter among all of the characters, and parts of the romance. I was often reminded of the show Dead Like Me, which I really enjoyed, this just focused more on the character’s life outside of working for Death. However, there was more that fell short for me. I kind of wanted to see more of Garrett and what he did with his clients, we weren’t really shown anything until a good while into the book. We barely got to see that part of him, despite it being a huge part of his life, and a big part that formed his personality since he started this when he was fairly young. About the romance, it felt…lacking for me. Nora and Garrett fall for each other VERY quickly, they’ve barely met and already going on dates and declaring their love. It is acknowledged by the characters that it feels quick, so that’s something, but it still puts me off a little. I feel like the depth and knowing that they achieved was just not possible in that short span of time, it’s the kind you develop over months, even years. I also didn’t like the whole romance aspect with Johnny, the “rebound” during Nora and Garrett’s off period. It felt almost forced and put there simply to add drama. Yes, Johnny was being manipulative, but I feel like Nora is smarter than that and wouldn’t have fallen for Johnny that quickly. Again, the speed of love is the issue for me. One last thing that kind of bothered me, but I read the eARC so I don’t know if this was changed before it went to print and don’t have access to a copy to check. There were three points in the book where there was a strange point of view shift to characters NOT Nora or Garrett. The first was at around 33%, and the chapter started with Elaine observing Nora then shifted into Nora without a clear indication that it had shifted. It happened again around 85% with Nora’s grandpa, then closed out the book with the grandpa. I do think ending the book like that was interesting. I think that it really should’ve stuck to only two POVs, or at the very least, if the author really wanted those added in, make it clear who and add a break or something to clearly indicate when the POV has shifted back to the MC. This is probably not a book I would recommend, unless you’re looking for a simple easy romance that has the classic angst, with some Death thrown in there.

I really wanted to enjoy this book so I gave it two tries but after listening to about 45% of the book and still not being invested I decided not to finish the story. The premise of the story got my attention but I wasn't thrilled about the instalove in the story. I wasn't sold on the romance between the two characters, it felt like they were dating for the sake of dating and not because of actual feelings for each other.

This book was a cute, fun romance! There was a touch of supernatural but nothing super out there. I really enjoyed the characters and the way they handled grief was very well thought out.

Casket Case had so much promise to it. The premise of the book was so good. However, the plot lines seemed a little sporadic. The FMC and MMCs love interest did not feel genuine to me, it felt very forced with no chemistry.

I started off liking the characters but I kind of got bored with them by the end. The whole relationship felt so rushed. I like a little bit of a slow burn

3.5/5 ⭐️

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book.

Nora inherits her parent’s casket store and Garrett works for Death. There was so much that I constantly guessed and this book surprised me multiple times. Throughout the book, Garrett won over my heart and I wanted him and Nora together.

This was pitched as a rom-com about a young woman who returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with someone who works for Death. It sounded like the perfect read for spooky season. It sounded right up my alley. Man, do I wish that had been true.

The FMC was so freaking insufferable that she made me want to throw my Kindle across the room every time I started to read the actual book. There was a point shortly after Nora started dating Garrett, and she throws a fit about his coworker being a female. What are we, 17 year olds? It was so GROSS>

The premise was everything. The execution was garbage. The writing was super choppy. The characters were so cookie-cutter and basic. This is a major skip. I really hope her future books are better.

Thank you for the opportunity to read/review this book ahead of publication. This was/is a super cute concept but it wasn't for me. I will recommend to friends who I think it might be better suited for.