Hilarious, yet thought provoking. Exactly the book I needed right now. Lauren Evans is on my list of authors to watch.

I requested Casket Case based on the premise alone. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read a novel about a woman who falls in love with someone who works for Death? However interesting the premise was, it didn’t make up for the lack of characterization and the poor quality of writing that plagued most of Casket Case. For the majority of the novel, it seemed as though the characters, action, and conflict were being described superficially, rather than being fleshed out properly. I never felt as though I entered the story, let alone immersed myself in it. Nora was incredibly one dimensional for a protagonist and Garrett was simply a stereotype of the romcom love interest.

That said, the quality of writing did improve a tad after the requisite second-act breakup occurred. The end was lackluster though and no conflict was truly resolved.

Thus, this debut was unexpectedly disappointing.

Casket Case had an intriguing premise, what with a woman who runs a casket shop meeting and falling for a man who works for death.

Unfortunately, while I appreciated the emphasis on grief and nonlinear healing, I found it difficult to connect with the story for a couple different reasons. Firstly, Nora and Garrett's romance was unexciting and underdeveloped. They were together immediately, exchanged "I love you's" after only a couple dates, and then spent the majority of their time as a couple fighting, which was wearying and sucked all the joy out of seeing them together. Secondly, Nora was unlikable. Now, I'm all for unlikable characters so long as its done with nuance and purpose, but here, instead of her coming across as a person who was mourning the loss of her parents, she came across as temperamental. Hostile. Almost acting as if she were the only person in the world who had lost someone she loved to tragedy. She constantly snapped at Garrett, too. Her remarks pointed and borderline hurtful. That made it hard for me to root for them.

I'm sorry to say this one didn't jive with me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my review.

After Nora's parents die in a car accident, she moves back home to Rabbittown, Alabama and takes over the family casket business. Not exactly a high-volume business most days, so Nora is more than a little startled when a handsome man comes in to ask for directions. Once she gives him the directions, he asks her out on a date. Garrett Bishop is handsome, kind, and gainfully employed in logistics. While Nora doesn't really understand the specifics of what Garrett actually does, she does know that his job involves travel and some long days. When two residents of Rabbitown die, and Garrett was nearby when both deaths occurred, Nora starts to question both Garrett and her feelings for him. When she confronts Garrett and demands to know exactly what he does for a living, she finds out that he does work in logistics, but his employer is Death. Nora finds it hard to see the man that she fell in love with as an agent of death and has to come to a decision if she can be in a relationship with someone who works in a job that she thinks is heartless. A quirky romance and a delightful read.

This sounded like a unique rom-com, sort of Dead Like Me vibe. I really enjoyed it. Garrett and Nora are really interesting and different characters and the interactions they have with each other and those in Nora's small Alabama town are relatable and sweet. The story gives us various looks at grief, death and acceptance. I found it a very nice read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.

While this book wasn't for me, I do think it was a good book overall. You will enjoy this book if you have strong family ties, believe love takes work and not everything needs to be hashed out to be okay.

Nora runs her families casket business after her parent's tragically died in a car accident. She was working the shop one day, when a handsome man came in looking for directions to the café near by. They bump into each other a few more times and their relationship hits the ground running. There's just one small problem... Garrett works for Death. Casket Case follows Nora and Garrett and their fast, tempestuous relationship and their two separate relationships with Death, as a concept and as an employer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy, it was greatly appreciated. Unfortunately this could not hold my attention, which was super disappointing because this sounded so cute!

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book from Netgalley because the premise was super interesting to me. A woman who runs a casket shop meets a man who works for death. I really tried to give this book a chance but it reads like a rough first draft of something. There is no character development, the main characters start dating immediately after meeting and say I love you right away, but all they do is fight. I gave this book a chance thinking the stuff about working for death would get interesting but if really didn't. I didn't really feel like there was much going on besides the main characters bickering with each other and the FMC talking about how she's never good enough. I had to put this book down for good about 50% in. I think I was hoping for Sign Here vibes but this book lacked complexity, an interesting plot, and interesting characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this eARC!

This book had potential but it fell flat for me. It’s a unique concept: casket saleswoman meets death’s employee. I was hoping it might be a bit like Dead Romantics but unfortunately I didn’t feel that the main characters had chemistry and all the characters had a similar “voice”.

I was excited to read this due to the title alone. It had a cute story but the relationship didn't have much of a build-up so it fell flat. The concept could've made such a great story but it wasn't written well at all.

This was cute but cheesy and didn’t consistently grab me. If I didn’t feel I owed a review I may have even DNF’d. The concept had potential to be a really cool take but I just didn’t vibe with the authors writing I guess. I feel awful rating this low but I refuse to gas up a mid book :/

I really wanted to like this book and I did at some points but not consistently. The characters jumped way too quickly into strong feeling after a short time. And I couldn’t relate to the MFC. Her emotions and feelings had me questioning if the missed something. It was an interesting and intriguing concept but fell flat for me.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 There is a huge casket supply warehouse right off the highway by our house, located right next to an amusement park with the high thrilling rides. It’s one of the simple yet amusing things that always puts a smile on my face and reminds me that life is too short to not laugh through the ups and downs. They say the only things you can count on are taxes and death, and Nora’s life running the family casket business is predictable, just the way she likes it. She has experienced a lot of loss and Lauren Evans explores death and grief in a unique and relatable manner throughout this book. When a handsome stranger comes into her life, Nora is faced with life and death beyond her preferred predictability. Casket Case is an adorably eccentric romantic comedy that tackles some pretty tough issues in a fun, totally different, delightfully light and existentialist way.


Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

this plot had so much potential but was not executed well. Noras anxiety annoyed me throughout the book.
the idea of working with death gave me Belladonna vibes and i LOVE that book.
the romance felt rushed and insincere, and then another love interest pops up towards the end...i just didn't get it.
It was also a lot darker for a book that is marketed and a rom com.
2.5 stars

An interesting concept on death and dying, this book is billed as a romantic comedy, but it is anything but. The writing is overly wordy with cheesy phrasing, and the female love interest, Nora, spends 90% of the book creating unnecessary drama with her love interest, Garett, who appears to have zero chemistry. Many characters are introduced at the beginning without making it clear who they are, and it is difficult to understand their importance, especially in an opening scene. It turns out only one, her grandpa, has a significant role. Also, we have an entire scene from the coffee shop owner's POV and nothing else from that character. Church is mentioned multiple times, but Nora doesn’t actually seem to be religious. I have no problem with religion in romance and know there is a market, but the sex shaming is unnecessary, and it would have been nice to have the character discuss her faith, especially given the main subject of this book was death, to add depth rather than all these vague references to God and prayers.

The writing is just too descriptive, with nonsense details that don’t add to the narrative. This is an advanced copy, but it felt rough and needed more editing. I wish details were flushed out, the structure less clunky, and the conversations clunky with too many side characters. Everything was wordy. For example, instead of saying they went to the park, it says they put on their shoes. They open the door. They stepped outside. I feel like all of these things are implied. This is how half the action in the book proceeds.

The Conversations are awkward and do not flow. Their breakup felt destined to happen from the start, and then there was that strange situation with another man, and then they were back together. It just did not work for me. I did not buy their relationship. Then there is forced drama and what should be an everyday domestic situation. They are both either immature or horrible at communicating. Their breakup felt destined to happen from the start, and then there was that strange situation with another man, and then they were back together. It just did not work for me. I did not buy their relationship. There is no chemistry because she makes everything an argument then they are in love? Her insecurities are exhausting as a reader. She Needs grief counseling and appears overly depressed, which missed the opportunity to deal with her mental health. Also, The alcohol use felt excessive, and even as someone who has a healthy relationship with alcohol, I was uncomfortable.

His job is cool. The author explains it well, making it a unique concept that is the highlight of the book. I am glad the epilogue brought things full circle.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this book. I am actually not going to post it on my social media because it feels cruel, but this is the first book I have felt strongly enough to avoid posting on anything but GoodReads.

"Casket Case" presents an intriguing premise with Nora, who inherits her family's casket business after the sudden loss of her parents. The exploration of grief is a compelling aspect, especially as Nora navigates her emotions while forging a new relationship with Garrett, who works for Death.

While the story captures the challenges of moving on from loss, it struggles with pacing and character development. The rapid progression of Nora and Garrett's relationship feels unrealistic, particularly with declarations of love occurring early on. This "insta-love" detracts from the depth of their connection, making it hard to root for them when conflict arises due to Garrett's job.

The slowdown in pace during the later chapters, focusing on Nora’s internal struggles, feels drawn out. A deeper exploration of the chemistry between Nora and Garrett could have enhanced the narrative, as well as a more nuanced portrayal of their attraction.

Despite these flaws, the book presents an interesting take on grief and relationships within a unique setting. It could benefit from more "show, don't tell" moments to better convey the characters' feelings and motivations. Overall, while the premise is strong, deeper character exploration and pacing adjustments could elevate the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book took me by surprise in the best way. I didn’t know totally what to expect just based on the premise but I loved Nora, Garrett, and the rest of rabbittown by the end.

This book follows Nora who has lost her parents and is now back in her small hometown as the new owner of her parents casket company. She meets and falls in love with Garrett who she discovers works for death.

The premise of death being a corporation that functions like any other company was such an interesting take and I didn’t know what direction it was going to go but I love how it all worked out. Casket Case doesn’t try and explain death or the afterlife but it focuses on the people.

I was crying at multiple points in this story because you grow to care for these characters so much. The second half of the book really picks up and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what happens next.

I also really loved the small town aspect and realizing how dreams and priorities change and that it’s okay to want different things. Nora’s struggle with this felt super similar to my own life so I really related to that!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to any and everyone. Such a unique and fresh perspective while still having a really beautiful love story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Casket Case by Lauren Evans.

The plot and the concept behind this book really made me want to read and enjoy. However, the writing is just not good. No one talks about themselves the way the characters in this book do.

the idea of someone working for Death is an interesting idea but it just didn't work in this book.

This may be my favorite romance of the year and I've read Abby Jimenez, Emily Henry and Ashley Poston. I found the love story endearing and the characters realistic and likeable. I imagined Garrett as Gabe Lewis from The Office and Nora as Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray. I could not put this early release down and I ended with tears streaming down my face. Once this book is released I will be telling everyone I know to pickup a copy!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This blurb reeled me in so fast! I am fascinated by funeral homes and mortician jobs, so I was excited to read this. It got a bit muddled and hard to follow at times.