Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Lauren Evans for this e-arc!
All thoughts and opinions are my own 🥰

⭐️⭐️

It is an interesting premise, but unfortunately it lost my attention early on and couldn’t really get it back.


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⚠️ !! Please be sure to check any TWs before diving in !! ⚠️

My thoughts while reading:
🚨ALERT SPOILERS AHEAD🚨

Dang Janine is sassy I like her

“Well, I know we just met, but I can only come up with so many reasons to run into you, so I’ll be direct. How would you feel about having ice cream with me sometime?” Shut uppppp 🥰🥰🥰

Yepppp and now Franks dead of course

I think the characters are are kinda weird and clunky but I like them

Puzzles are great!

Spice is like fade to black level kinda/ alluding to things

Chapter 9 and they’re saying I love you

I’m not sure if I like it?? I think it’s interesting but I’m finding myself skimming a lot

I really enjoyed the concept laid out for this book but ultimately the chemistry and plot fell flat for me. The darker, macabre ideas were a really fun launching point but it took too long for the plot to take off for me to stay hooked. Wishing the author all the best in this journey and I'd be curious to see where her next book goes.

I wish I love this book. The idea was there and it could have been so a fantastic read. However the writing felt like the story just wasn't going anywhere and the fmc was dull and lackluster. I didn't feel that there was any conflict to move the story along.

Casket Case is the story of Nora, a woman that inherits her family's casket store after her parents pass away. One day, mysterious Garrett walks in looking for directions and changes Nora's path.

I wanted to like this SO BADLY. I loved Dead Romantics and I was hoping for the same sort of vibe, since the description was comparable. Unfortunately, this didn't have the same vibes. In fact, I'd go as far as to call it a bit depressing. The romance felt really rushed and the pacing was weird. I'm not mad I finished it, just a little disappointed in it overall.

The inconsistency in chapter length also made reading this kind of annoying. Some chapters are a single page, some are six, then some are like twenty five pages out of nowhere. I'm not expecting every chapter to be the same length but this was like riding a rollercoaster. There were also some odd little inconsistencies that took me out of the story. At one point she is having dinner with her grandfather on Tuesday, she talks to her friend the "next day" and states that Friday is the following day. Is there no Wednesday in this town? Then later, she says no to wine at a restaurant, then on the next page she is taking a sip of wine with dinner. These might not seem like major issues, but they can take a reader out of the story really quickly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars because it was still better than The Pairing.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and I think I was expecting something more like Ashley Poston or Sarah Adler. But this didn't quite give me the laughs or the romance I was hoping for. Eleanora "Nora" Clanton seemed like a nice girl, stuck in place after her parents died, living in their house, running their casket store, having Tuesday night dinners with her grandfather in between Cheers episodes and too much red wine. And Garrett had a lot of potential, as a logistics manager for Death. But their relationship was too instant, without enough character development or chemistry. Why did he like Nora? Was she funny, was she hot without trying (I didn't get that vibe, but IDK)? was her job just a good match for his? I couldn't tell. I would have liked more of his POV. A potential rival love interest worked as a funeral director, hot but maybe evil? The pacing felt pretty slow, and so did Nora's realization that Garrett had a big secret. She never seemed to care what his job really was until she thought he murdered her old teacher at her nursing home just after Nora visited her. I did like when we saw her grandfather's POV, and found out he and his friend had retired from the same company as Garrett, to bring about a somewhat satisfying conclusion. And when we saw Garrett with the teacher, seeing what he actually did. I would have loved more of that earlier in the book.

I was so excited to read this book because of the unique story line. While there were parts of the book I thought dragged on a smidge, overall I thought this was a wholesome read. I would have loved to see her build on the whole Death and casket store idea, and how those two could have combined to really make a difference. I loved Garrett, Nora not so much, but by the end she was great as well.

I really was excited about the premise of this boom but the execution fell flat for me. The FMC was lackluster all the way through, even in her “wild” ending, there was little that was really interesting or exciting about it. The MMC had loads of potential but even his grand gestures came through in a very understated way. Honestly, Grandpa was the highlight for me and his barely gets any time on paper. It’s fine, a bit boring, I didn’t hate it, but the characters deserved more exploration.

Thank you Lauren Evans and NetGalley for the ARC of Casket Case! I’m so conflicted on how I feel about this read. I loved the plot of the book but the FMC was quite annoying and irritating. I’m also conflicted because I thought Garrett’s job with Death was going to be more in depth in the storyline but it really wasn’t. When I read the blurb I thought it would be a cute and cozy read with some insightful and thought proving moments of life/death but I didn’t really get that at all unfortunately

I’m so conflicted on how I feel about this book. On one hand, I find the premise so interesting. On the other hand, I found the FMC to be rather insufferable.

I think I also am conflicted because I thought Garrett’s job with Death was going to be a bigger storyline than it actually was. Like, it’s certainly in there, but the first half of this book was basically just Nora and Garrett falling in love and being happy and cutesy. Which I did enjoy, but for 200 pages? I was getting bored and wondering what possibly was going to happen because it seemed like there really was no plot. I didn’t necessarily love what ended up happening, but I guess I’m glad something did happen.

This was a bit more religious than I expected. I liked Garrett. Overall I liked Johnny. I did not like Nora. Some of the stuff with her grandpa was… not my favourite. But overall I am glad that I read this because it was a totally different story that I’ve read before, and I appreciate that.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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!