Nora has recently moved back to her hometown and has taken over her family’s casket business after the sudden death of her parents. Over the last few months, Nora has spent her time between working, hanging out with her grandpa, and watching Cheers reruns. This all changes when a handsome stranger comes into her store asking for directions. Garrett seems to be perfect: he’s charming, kind, and has a steady job. It just turns out that he works for Death.

The premise of this book had so much promise, but ultimately did not come through. The pacing was off, being slow in some ways and rushed in others. The dialogue often felt stilted and robotic. The two main characters seemed to instantly fall in love with no build up. About 70% into the book, another love interest was brought in, and then was quickly shut down.

Overall, I liked the morbid premise, I just wish the characters had more chemistry.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Dell for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I dislike DNFing ARCs but I just could not get through this one. Although I was initially intrigued by the premise, and the comparison to The Dead Romantics, I found this book to be a drudge to read. I understand this is a debut book, but I couldn’t ignore how basic and formulaic the plot was, featuring main characters that lacked both chemistry and charm and side characters that came across as generic, stock characters in a small town story. The pacing on the romance was too fast and the relationship was all over the place to the point that I didn't really care about them at all. Plot aside, right from the start I had trouble with the writing. Present tense is hard to pull off as it gives a very telling-not-showing cadence to the writing, then add on how stiff and clunky all the dialogue was and it really felt like this needed several more rounds of editing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet rom com! I really enjoyed this book and it was a great read.

Review of uncorrected eBook file

Garrett Bishop, who works for Death, is in Rabbittown, Alabama, looking for directions. He figures to find it in a casket shop.

Nora Clanton, running the shop since the sudden death of her parents in an automobile accident, is helping Marilyn Atkins who has decided she wants to choose her own casket. When she leaves, Garrett comes in, surprising her. She gives him the directions he needs and he heads toward the café.

When Garrett returns to ask her for a date, does Nora have any idea that this man will change her life?

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Although the premise for this sometimes-sweet tale is unique and intriguing, this doesn’t quite have the feel of a rom-com. There’s a strong sense of place with a well-defined small-town feel. Death and grief, both integral to the telling of this tale, is handle in a thoughtful and comforting manner while reminding readers that grief is a process.

The characters are interesting, but Nora cannot find her way out of the grief she feels over her parents’ deaths and although Garrett’s backstory is revealed in several chapters focused on his past, his instant attraction to Nora seems a bit out of place; the almost instant-love between Nora and Garrett is not quite believable.

Nora often seems to be her own worst enemy; readers never see what attracted Garrett to Nora. Overall, the story is well-executed [although the mid-story conflict between Nora and Garrett seems forced]; readers who enjoy unconventional stories may appreciate the telling of this tale.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine / Dell and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#CasketCase #NetGalley

This is a light, hopeful read with underpinnings of grief. I was drawn in by the premise of this book, but at first I found the relationship between the two main characters to be too flat, <spoiler>mostly because they got together so fast without knowing anything about each other. <spoiler> But to the author's credit, the story overcame my initial disinterest, and I was fully drawn in in the last 1/3 of the book. I still wish there would have been more of Garrett's story- which I felt was more told than seen-- the chapters from his point of view (especially about his own grief) disappear the further you get into the book. It would have given the book some welcome depth and would have elevated it. But I enjoyed the book as it is-recommend for fans of Katherine Center and Abby Jimenez.

Thanks to the author, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy for review.

I absolutely LOVED THIS! Perfect for upcoming spooky season! The first page was the most interesting first page I have ever seen. Love this book and love story. Great quick read and cute title page! Definitely recommending this to my followers!

Spoiler Free Plot Overview:
Set in a small Alabama town, Nora returns home to manage her family's casket business. Her life takes an unexpected turn when Garrett arrives asking for directions, sparking an instant connection between them. However, as their whirlwind romance unfolds, she soon discovers a surprising truth about his job that challenges her beliefs.

Pros:
What drew me to this book was the title itself. There’s just something unique about a main character with a morbid career working at a funeral home, casket company, cemetery, etc. The concept of working with “death” stayed consistent throughout the novel which I really enjoyed. I was also a big fan of Garrett’s character. He stands up for himself and is patient and respectful despite the situation.

Cons:
My biggest issue with this book is Nora. She is borderline insufferably negative and lacks any depth of personality other than complaining or moping about something. I truly wondered why Garrett was even interested in her in the first place. There are a few points in the story where her banter is funny, but 95% of the time it’s her being rude or whining about her life to someone else. I would have given this book 5 stars if she had been a bit more likable or relatable.

Additionally (this is a minor issue), there are many mentions of God, church, etc. As the book is set in Alabama, I understand why it was included. However, I am not a religious person, and there were multiple times when I stopped to question whether I was reading an undercover Christian novel or not. I think if the dialogue improved, these mentions wouldn’t have stood out as much.

Recommendations:
If you’re looking for an easy romance read for fall or spooky season, this should definitely be on your TBR. The concept of someone working for death and the “forbidden” romance kept me hooked until the end.

Tropes:
- Insta Love
- Hidden Identity
- Minimal Spice/Closed Door
- Second Act Breakup
- He Chases Her

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This a cute little novel about love and death. Nora finds herself back in her hometown running the family business after her parents die in a tragic car accident. As cheerful as Nora tries to be, she is inevitably surrounded by grief . . . both by the loss of her parents and by the fact that the family business just happens to be selling caskets to the locals of Rabbittown. A larger franchise has expressed an interest in buying her store, but she is still undecided and conflicted about her direction in life. Should she stay and maintain the roots of her upbringing, or set out on a new adventure? Bored and disillusioned, Nora perks up when a young man named Garrett Bishop enters the shop seeking better directions to a nearby location. Garrett is instantly intrigued by Nora. Shaking off stagnation, Nora needs to let go of her fears, weigh all of her options, and decide what path her life will take from here. I highly recommend this book to those who love dark humor and rom-coms.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Casket Case for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this story but there was just zero chemistry between the main characters. I tried to push past that but the writing was formulaic and repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book!
This is a cute book. I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters and how the book presents discussions on life and death. I thought the conflict came too early or the resolution took too long, but overall it was a fun read.

The Vibes: Pushing Daisies sensibilities, fast burn (sorta kinda), going back to small town living

Heat Index: 3/10

The Basics:

Back in her hometown and running her family's casket-selling business, thirty-something Nora feels directionless. Until she meets the sweet, successful Garrett. His logistics job is a bit mysterious... until Nora finds out he works for Death. As in, he handles the logistics of... people dying. Well.

The Review:

This.... is hard. Because as the type of romcom that we've sort of been debating a lot in romance spaces, this is about right, and it's unique in a way I really like. I love the premise, I love the quirky vibes, I love that Nora is thirty-something.

I just don't know that I would call it a true romance. Or, if it is a romance, it's less successful executed. So yeah. I struggle with the rating.

This is kind of more about Nora figuring out her life, which I found well done. It's also just nice to see a thirty-something heroine not knowing everything. The relationship with Garrett... Well, it's not really his story, to me. So he's nice but he's not a super deep character. His job is more interesting than he is.

The relationship happens quickly. Which I'm not against, but they're very emotionally invested just as quickly. And you kind of need to have that for the sake of stakes with the reveal, but like... I don't know how believable it is.

Basically, if the relationship is the most important part of the story for you, like it is to me, this is on the more mid end. If the heroine-centric growth is more important to you, then it will work. I really liked the focus on Nora's relationship with her family, and how that affected her identity. I liked the wistfulness of death, and the sorrow but... natural rhythm... that came with it. Like, there's a lot of coming to terms to death within this, and I think there's a space for confronting death in romance.

But is this a true romance, or is it a "romcom" (an ambiguous label)? I'm not sure.

The Sex:

This is all but closed door—the sex begins early, but that door is juuuust cracked open.

While this didn't fully work for me, I did find it very intriguing. I'm just more of a romance person, and... I don't know if this was one...?

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The excitement I had for this book after reading the description was off the charts, a spooky-esque romance right up my alley, but I was sadly disappointed! Garrett and Nora both lacked personality, there was no chemistry between the two of them, and their relationship seemed very forced and rushed to me. Nora got on my nerves most of the time, it felt like every conversation she had with Garrett turned into an argument. The story’s pacing was very slow and overall very difficult for me to get through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this arc.

I'm a basket case over Casket Case by Lauren Evans!

Casket Case follows Nora, a casket store owner (by chance), who meets Garrett, a mysterious guest at her casket store (maybe not by chance). These two meet and then sparks begin to fly. Nora is trying to get her feet under her when it comes to the story because she is the owner via tragedy, which means that feelings are flying everywhere and these feelings are sure to pull you deep within the pages of this story.

I enjoyed Lauren Evans's writing style immensely. It is clear, concise, and colorful. How she crafted her characters made them actual people in my mind. You cannot convince me that Nora and Garrett aren't real somewhere in rural Alabama. I did occasionally get some whiplash from switching perspectives. I enjoyed getting to experience other characters, but also feel like the time jumps and the perspective shifts did make it sometimes confusing.

The plot of this story is adorable and so sweet. It made me feel all the things and gave me such happy vibes. I think this is going to be a story that people love. I also cannot wait to read more in the future from Lauren Evans. I think she has a great deal of talent and I know that future rom-coms are coming and are going to be great.

Nora though she was done with her small town & the family casket business in Rabbittown. When an unexpected tragedy happens, she ends up back in town & running the business. There are few prospects for love for her until a stranger comes into the shop. He seems like a great job, but has a weird & vague job. As they begin to date, a strange number of deaths begin to occur in town. The stranger is at all of the death scenes. Is he the cause? Does his job have anything to do with them? Can she stay in love and build a future with someone whose job she can't stand?

I loved the 3rd person POV and the concept in this book! It was so much fun and I love books that involve grief in some way.

This was weird. Very morbid. The characters were very robotic and had zero chemistry. I do not recommend.

This is an instance when a book is perfectly fine, but did not match my preferences. I think this being marketed as a rom-com by the publisher is a SERIOUS misstep. There were no laughs from me. I don't think I even cracked a smile. It just wasn't a comedy book.

The writing is good. The plot was fine. The romance was....not my cup of tea, but I can see why readers would enjoy it.

But I could not stand the characters. Nora, the main female character, is annoying, whiny, and immature. I think as a reader, I was supposed to understand she's supposed to have regressed after moving back to her hometown. But as a reader, a) I can't be confident of that and b) her character arc didn't progress enough to solidify that for me. And the main male character, Garrett, has very little personality. If this were aged back to a NA or even YA, the characterization would make sense. But for me? No thanks, didn't work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

A cute romance between a man who works for Death and a woman who is running her parents' casket company. Nora has returned to her hometown of Rabbittown, Alabama, after the death of her parents, and is now running their business. Garrett Bishop comes in and asks for directions, and later returns to ask her for a date. Everything is wonderful until Nora starts to realize that Garrett has been with many of the people who have died recently. While he tells her that he's a logistics coordinator, he doesn't tell her that he works for death. It's a sweet story and definitely worth a read. Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

This was cute and I was really intrigued by the concept! There were just sometimes that I wanted to shake the FMC cause she was so frustrating! But the story was cute and I had a good time! Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for my digital ARC!

i really thought i’d enjoy this book- the concept and title was very appealing . I did not like the romance or the fact that they jumped right into sex- i like the characters to build a relationship a bit more so i can get somewhat involved in them, character development i suppose . I did enjoy the plot and setting !