This story was a cute concept and quick read. It wasn’t the most awesome book I have ever read, but I enjoyed it. I wil definitely follow this author in the future.

After seeing this book on lists beside ones I had really enjoyed I was excited when I was pre-approved for an e-ARC. It seemed like it would be cozy, whimsical, and charming. Unfortunately, it didn't really hit those notes for me.
I read a lot of books that deal with death, but I'm careful to choose ones that have a supernatural side to them (maybe ghosts, demons, or gods walking around in the flesh) so that it's removed enough from reality to not trigger any of my anxiety. When I saw that the MMC in this book worked for Death I expected that supernatural twist. However, I didn't find anything supernatural about the descriptions or settings. On the contrary, I think it was too connected to reality, and so I kept having to stop reading because it was heightening my anxiety.
I also didn't find a lot of "com" in the "rom-com", but that might be me.
The book wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't for me. Had there been more light moments and a heavier tone of whimsy/the supernatural, I think I could have liked it.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

I wanted to like this book because I liked the outlook on death and how it's a natural part of life. However, the pacing was really off. Some bits were way too slow and then other (like their nearly instantaneous love) felt so rushed I had whiplash. Where was the chemistry or banter? I prefer both but I would've settled for one of those. It just didn't feel believable. The characters were also hard to root for because they seemed so childish. This was a DNF for me.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this one. The synopsis sounded so unique and good. But I couldn't get into the story. The pacing felt off and the relationship was too insta-love. It felt immature how the characters acted.

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t connect with the writing style. It felt very monotonous and things were told and not shown through the writing. The relationship between Garrett and Nora moved so quickly that I didn’t even realize there was any chemistry. I ultimately couldn’t finish the book, but I like the idea of the plot! The writing style just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I really enjoyed the outlook on death in this storyline, that no one is ever alone when death comes.
The main characters overall felt as though there was not any chemistry he was handsome, she was at a vulnerable time in her healing/grieving process and they both work the death industry
Overall while i enjoyed the base storyline I wanted more from our main characters, i wanted to see more of their romance/connection that i feel we just didn’t get. I would have also loved to see Garrett’s pov more in those instances of completing his tasks.

I love romance books that have a touch of magical realism. The plot of this one sounded so clever and intriguing. Unfortunately, the plot was slow paced and I could not get into it. There wasn't much chemistry built; it just happened.

What a fun palet cleanser from my normal genre. A really great debut and I look forward to reading more from Lauren Evans. The characters were fantastic and kept me totally invested in the story. A tender perspective of love, life and death. This tugged at my emotions and gave me all the feels.
Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Evans and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It somehow manages to be a romcom, a story about grieving, and a story about making changes in your life when you feel stuck all at the same time. The characters are likeable and having grown up in a small, southern town, I could easily relate to the people in Nora's life. The premise is unique and I would love to read more of the author's work.


Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sigh. I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. On the surface, it should have been right up my alley. Marketed as a rom-com featuring the owner of a casket store in rural Alabama and a “logistics coordinator” working for Death (yes…Death), Casket Case was a real disappointment. The “rom” felt rushed and the “com” was entirely missing. If you’re going to move to “insta-love,” there should be some sort of justification, but you get almost zero insight to Garrett (our MMC) and why he would instantly fall for Nora (our FMC) other than she was there. We proceed to dating in the opening pages to love and yet I never really got a feel for either character. In part that’s because the “com” was entirely missing. There is nothing here that is funny in any way/shape/form.

I’m all for unusual backgrounds and pairings – indeed…I’m a huge fan. I’d rather have normal people doing normal things than secret billionaires any day. And I didn’t have a problem with Garrett’s job, even if it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense – I was always a big fan of the TV show “Dead Like Me,” from which this book in some ways seems like a spiritual successor. But here we get very little on that and instead get a whole giant subplot regarding Nora’s business and another possible “suitor” and none of that clicked for me.

That said, the philosophy of Death and Garrett’s job was fascinating to me. Something I quite loved – there was a real heart here that I felt could have been better explorered. If we could have simply focused on that aspect of the novel’s world, of course.

In some ways, I feel like this book didn’t know what exactly it wanted to be. Did it want to be a romance, a workplace comedy…I don’t know. I would have been more interested in a small town romance or a workplace comedy than what this was…a sort of attempt at both. Maybe some will like this quite a bit, but I found myself not caring much about the end when it came. Your mileage my vary, but this isn’t one I can heartily recommend. 2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the opportunity to read an eARC of this

This is such a cute, easy to read, rom com! It’s everything I want in a book! Small town romance, friends to lovers, fall vibes!

I went into this thinking that the plot was very unique. However the writing was not the greatest (or maybe just not for me?). I felt like there were way too many plot holes for a mystery.

3.5 stars

A year after her parents died in a car accident, Nora is back in Rabbitown, living in her childhood home and working in her family's casket shop. A chance meeting with Garrett and Nora finds herself in a whirlwind romance. But what she doesn't realise is the logistics coordinator for Death, assisting people to the other side. Will Nora be able to overcome Garrett's career given she is surrounded by death and loss?

Casket Case has such a fresh and offbeat premise about grief, love and loss. Lauren Evans makes a solid debut and I look forward to seeing the development of her writing.
However I feel at times this book was was marred by the pace and too much tell and not enough showing. For instance, while I loved that the romance was not dragged out, it was pretty much insta-love. I'd also loved to have had more exploration of Garrett as a character and how the death of his brother drives him in his career. Nora was a bit more fleshed out with her grief yet she's stuck in a rut and while this was understandable, the book didn't drive this along enough with her resisting any growth to deal with her future.

Additionally, the conflict regarding Garett's job became repetititive. Also when Nora finally made a decision about her future, it still seemed like she was going with the path of the least resistance, ignoring the advice from all the adults around her who knew this was not what she wanted. I'd have loved to have seen her spread her wings more.

Having said that, I really enjoyed this book and the ending made me tear up and I loved the twist. Nora and Garrett were well suited to each other and I loved the dry and offbeat humour, which reminded me of 90s indie films by Hal Hartley. I look forward to reading this author's next work.

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was lovely. It occurred to me today when reading The Third Act Stressor that maybe this wasn't the right book to read after a breakup, and maybe it's a bit morbid when I've spent all week worrying about my grandma's health. But the HEA felt like peace, and I needed that.

So, Nora's parents died last year, so she moved back to her small town in Alabama to take care of their casket store. She doesn't enjoy being surrounded by death or being back in Rabbittown, but her grandpa is there and she couldn't bear to sell the place. One day, a handsome stranger asks for directions, and then he comes back to ask her out. What she doesn't know is that Garrett is a grim reaper (Death is a business) who joined his company to help people not be alone when they die. Nora is still mourning her parents, so what will happen when she finds out what her new boyfriend actually does for work?

This book was the first time that the marketing team from a publisher has reached out to pre-approve me for an ARC, so thank you to Corina. This was a great fit for me. I'm pretty sure that I got this ARC because I had just read a romcom with ghosts and yep, I have no regrets! I love seeing a guarded MC learn to trust again. I loved seeing Garrett love and accept Nora so fully, no matter what her insecurities were doing. Nora was extremely relatable with her bad cooking, General Hospital, and the way she dives into love. Garrett was loving and always on Team Nora, and this is why I like romance. He's just a good dude who loves his family. I would read another romance from this author.

This is actually the first book I've read in a while that was not a fantasy! I've just realized that. Unlike the other books I've recently reviewed, this has zero ghosts or scary things. It might surprise some that the casket store romance was not scary at all, but this really was just a Hurt/Comfort, Small Town romance that literally has a funeral industry conference in the last 30%!

WAIT OMG this book even ends with the recipes for some of the food that Nora talks about, amazing!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine, and Lauren Evans's team for the e-ARC.

Brilliant premise - lackluster execution.

The idea of a casket shop owner falling for a man who works in logistics for Death is such a good story hook. Unfortunately the characters and their behavior were so predictable, so paint-by-numbers, that even I, who can't guess just about any twist in a book, could see everything from miles away.

Nora is still grieving the loss of her parents and leads the dull life of a retiree even though she's barely thirty, focusing on keeping the family funeral store going. Her boring life is sparked by the appearance of Garrett, who shows up in her sleepy little town, and before you can saw Insta Love, yup, they're professing their feelings for each other.

This happens so early on that you know there is trouble ahead, and the moment it appears, you can see exactly what is going to take place. Even the last-minute event that closes the book was something I saw happening from the beginning.

The main issue is Nora. She is a passive character who only comes to life when the male lead shows up. If Garrett hadn't shown up, Nora would have kept watching General Hospital and Cheers reruns for the rest of her days, having her scheduled meals with her grandfather, and not ever moving on, yet another fixture in her sleepy town.

I wanted to enjoy this book but found the characters just didn't jell right together. Parts needed more in depth fleshing out. Ended up being a slow read that was lacking.

Casket Case is a beautiful mixture of a rom-com + personal growth + grief story that all combines together to make a very special story! At a very basic level, this book is a rom-com between Nora, a casket store owner, and Garrett, a man who mysteriously shows up in Rabbittown, AL and has some strange interactions with people who die soon after.... I really enjoy the romance, the suspense surrounding Garrett, AND the small southern town vibes! As an Alabama girl myself, I love the little small town vibes + all of the basic AL things that mix together to make the setting feel like it could be right in my backyard (which I guess it kind of is😂)!

On top of this rom-com, there are elements of personal growth, themes of accepting that death is inevitable, and dealing with grief. These extra elements make this a more literary styled rom-com which turns out really beautiful!🥹 There seemed to be a lot of back and forth in the end with Nora and Garrett but other than that I would say that the book moved pretty fast and you never really knew what was going to come next. I ADORED the final plot twist that involves Nora's grandpa and I had GOOSEBUMPS because it was such an interesting surprise! 👀

Thank you so much to Dell for an early copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!💖

I loved the concept of this book and thought it was unique which is what initially sparked my interest. I also enjoyed the dark humor and banter between Nora and Johnny and i felt like they had more chemistry than Nora and Garrett.

The storyline felt a bit choppy and Nora was, at times, unbearable to read. I am always here for mental health representation in books, but I think her grief/anxiety was kept surface level in description when in reality it appeared to consume her.

Overall I just wanted more from this book - it had all the potential and for me fell short with the pacing, overall writing and MMC/FMC development.

This book had all the makings for a cute and whimsical romance…but then then main characters did not have chemistry that I understood. He was handsome. That’s about it.

The plot point where she breaks up with him didn’t make sense. He very clearly wasn’t killing people. But she was convinced he was even after he carefully explained his job.

The pacing was also off. It took a long time to even reach the conflict.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! While I enjoyed the exploration concept of working for death as we saw with the MMC. The main characters overall felt disconnected to me in addition to having no chemistry. At times I even thought the romance could be better with another character. Overall while i enjoyed aspects of the book, the romance and characters (which are a major part of this book) dragged down my experience to a 2.5 star.