Such a cute read! While I don't love the "single girl who's life is dull until she meets a man" troupe, I loved the other elements of this book. Definitely excited for this one's release!

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Unfortunately I ended up not finishing this one because of the narrative style. I could never settle into the story due to the third person present POV and felt that for a story such as this it was taking away from the story and my ability to connect to the characters.

Wow, this was such an interesting and intriguing concept that really drew me in. However, I think the execution was missing and the book fell flat for me. Nora inherits a casket business and Garrett works for death... literally. I think the premise is so cool and I had such high hopes but it really missed for me. It was cute though, and I had an okay time but maybe just not for me. Nora was such an annoying character that I found her hard to stomach. I also already don't enjoy third person POV as it is, but this was written in third person POV present and it was very dysfunctional. I didn't care for that aspect at all and hurt my head. It was also super rushed and abrupt. Overall, I think it had potential but missed and while it may be something someone else really likes, I thought it was just okay.

*3.5 Stars*

I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. This was an interesting love story between a woman who inherits a casket business after her parents pass away and a man who works for death. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two but sometimes found Nora to be a little annoying and destructive when it came to Nora and Garrett's relationship. However, I did enjoy Garrett as a main character and loved reading the different timelines on how he got into the business of Death. I will admit the ending did make me cry as it took me by surprise but felt like it was beautifully done. Overall, Casket Case is a solid debut rom-com, and I will be interested to see what other books Lauren Evans writes in the future.

Casket Case comes out September 10th.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Casket Case. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

An unexpected tragedy turned Nora's life upside down, and she moved back home to Rabbittown, Alabama to take over the family business. What she doesn't expect in her quiet little town is for a handsome stranger in a fancy suit and Mercedes to walk through her door, asking for directions, and a date.

Garrett seems like the perfect guy - he's thoughtful, kind, and has a passion for his job as a Logistics Coordinator - whatever that means. Nora knows it means long hours and traveling, but Garrett is always vague with his answers. But when residents of Rabbittown start passing away - a heart attack here, a car accident there - and Garret is at the scene of each of the deaths, his vague answers start to become suspicious.

Nora wants the truth in what Garrett actually does for a living, but can she handle the truth - that Garrett is a Logistics Coordinator for Death?

So I grabbed this book, because the title & blurb drew me in & it sounded like it would be right up my alley. I thought it would be a cute, feel-good romantic comedy, and perfect fall-vibes read. I love rom-coms and autumn is my favorite time of year.

This book was cute. It kind of fell flat for me. It gave off Hallmark movies vibes & I'm not a Hallmark movie type of person. And while this book was light, it also had some depth and dealing with some darker topics (i.e death) as well. It was a fluff romance. It made me smile from time to time, but didn't really add any comedy in this romantic comedy.

I pushed through because I wanted to see more of Garrett. But Nora and Garrett's relationship was too sweet at times and very insta-lovey, which isn't one of my favorite tropes. Despite Nora working in a Casket company, Garrett's job was a deal breaker for her.

It was overall, an okay read. It was very campy, and a cute, & light & fluffy read. Not really funny per-say, but it could have just not been for me, just because I didn't love it, doesn't mean you won't like it.
3⭐ out of 5⭐.
1🌶️ out of 5🌶️ - it was mostly closed door/fade to black (mentions sex, but no details).

Tropes:
→ contemporary
→ insta-love
→ small town romance

TW:
• death of a parent
• death of a child
• sickness
• car accident

This was cute and quirky. The plot synopsis initially gave me Ashley Poston, The Dead Romantics vibes. After reading, I feel that the Bryan Fuller TV Show Dead Like Me is a better comparison.

In my opinion, the unique premise and character development outweighed some of the small issues. Issues like the romantic elements feeling rushed in the beginning, and the FMC’s somewhat unrealistic job. What I did enjoy: The chemistry, while rushed, worked. The side characters were fun. And the twist at the end was perfect, though I wish it had been explored a little further.

Writing and editing can be fine-tuned, but creativity is a have-it-or-not kind of thing. Lauren Evan’s creativity is promising, and I’m looking forward to her future work.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book, provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Casket Case by Lauren Evans
Nora returned home to run her family's casket company after the death of her parents, giving up her life in the city. One day a handsome stranger, Garrett, stops by and they soon fall for each other, but Nora doesn't know that he is in her small town because he works for death.

So the premise of this story really drew me in. It's so clever to have death be a corporation and one of its managers fall for someone in the funeral business. However, I don't know that this conceit paid off for me. Especially, once we we saw Garrett in action. It was like - thats all you do? Ok...

Nora was obviously in pain but her actions as an adult painted a picture of someone who took a back seat to her life, though other characters told us she was determined and had plans. She also acted very immaturely. I couldn't understand why Garrett so steadfastly fell for her. His character was more dimensional and interesting. The dialogue just didn't work. The conversations 50/50 made sense for adults who care for each other or made people seem like stilted teens.

I liked the character of Gramps a lot! I wish this book had some more rewrites in it because it's really close to being good. 3 stars. Thanks to Ballantine/Dell Publishing and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of, “Casket Case” had me excited for an Ashley Poston-esque romance novel. Dating someone who works for Death seemed to have just the right amount of magical realism and quirkiness.

The bluntness and direct way in which Lauren writes was comical at points, and emotional at others. More often though the brief and simple sentence structure came across as stiff and underdeveloped.
I think with more time this author could really shine as she starts exploring what worked stylistically with this book while moving away from what fell flat.

I didn’t believe the romantic connection between Garrett and Nora because it felt rushed and lacked depth. Overall I found Nora to be annoying and immature. I honestly almost DNF’d the book at around 60% because Nora was on my last nerve, but the story got into a groove once Johnny was introduced more thoroughly so I’m glad I stuck it out.
I did enjoy the chapters that explored Garrett’s life, and Nora’s grandfather, as the tone and sentiments seemed better developed.

While this book about death didn’t live up to the expectations I had for it, I still loved the unique concept and I’d definitely check out any future books by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Romance for the ARC!

Nora returns to her small town after her parents unexpectedly die in a car crash. Tasked with running their family business, a casket company, she falls into a comfortable rhythm in life. Then, in walks Garrett, to not only ask for directions but also to ask her out on a date.

They hit it off immediately but Nora starts to question Garretts presence in town when people he is around start to die. When she learns the truth about his job (He works for death as a logistics coordinator!) she must make some tough decisions.

The story was a bit disjointed and the dialogue between the main characters was a little stiff (no pun intended). No anticipation tingles on this one. “I love yous” were said early on around their 3rd date! I never considered myself a slow burn romance girl but give me a little more than insta-love. Not a ton of communication between the characters either. I feel like they never took the time to get to know each other. Very forced.

Then enters her rival in business Johnny and I actually enjoyed her banter and communication with Johnny more than Garrett. Maybe this should have been an enemies to lovers instead book instead? The triangle felt very unnecessary and kind of out of left field (again very disjointed)

Nora had all the makings of being a good character but she was a push over first with Garrett and then with Johnny. She starts to have some fire and stand up for herself, then she just lays down and it seems like the men walk over her. I wished she stood tall and firm on her opinions and showed some backbone more often. The men in the book all annoyed me except Grandpa.

Overall an imaginative premise for a book that had me intrigued where the story would go but it failed to deliver on romance. This was NOT my cuppa coffee

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for sharing this book’s advanced digital review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Notes:
I read this book through a digital ARC from NetGalley
Author: Lauren Evans- first time reader
Genre: Romance
Troupe: Insta love, Meet cute


Review will be posted on MyCuppacoffee_books on instagram in late August

This book was has a very interesting concept which is what initially lured me in. Personally I would not classify this a romance — I know there are is a love interest(s) but the relationships were honestly the least interesting part of this book. I honestly would love a book with Nora and her grandpa and it would be a fiction book, I would love to learn more about his work. I think that the love interest fell a little flat to me and I really wanted more info on his job (in general) and waiting until the last minute to even fully describe what exactly he does was kind of annoying. One thing I think the author did really well was atmosphere. The small town feel was on point, all the accents and the little southern quips were pretty accurate and charming. Overall an entertaining read and I would probably read from this author again in the future.

Sorry I just couldn’t get into it. What even is a casket company? It’s not a funeral home, she’s not building the caskets herself. The writing style hurt my head.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise was intriguing, which initially drew me in. However, my experience with "Casket Case" was less than satisfying.

Firstly, the book is written in third person present tense. This narrative style is quite uncommon and I found it jarring. It disrupted the flow of the story for me and made it difficult to get into the book.

The characters did not help either. Nora is portrayed as a whiny, angst-ridden, anxious mess of a woman, which made it hard to connect with or root for her. Garrett, on the other hand, seemed to lack any real personality, making their relationship feel flat and unengaging.

The romance in the book also fell short. The relationship between Nora and Garrett progresses from instant attraction to heavy petting to declarations of love and sex almost immediately. This rapid progression felt unrealistic and left me feeling disconnected from their supposed chemistry.

On a positive note, I did enjoy the character of the grandfather. He was a refreshing presence in the story, offering wisdom and good advice.

However, the frequent references to church and God were off-putting for me. While this might appeal to some readers, it's just not my preference in a book.

Ultimately, I did not finish this book. At about the 60% mark, I found myself wanting to skip ahead or put the book down in favor of doing anything else. This is always a clear sign for me that a book isn't holding my interest.

In conclusion, despite its promising premise, "Casket Case" didn't work for me due to its narrative style, unappealing characters, and the rapid, unconvincing romance. While it might find its audience with some readers, it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Let me start by saying that I am the exact target audience for this book, having grown up in the South with a family in the funeral business. The premise alone - a woman who runs her parent's business selling caskets meets a man who works as a logistics coordinator for Death - immediately had me hooked.

I loved the way this book handled Nora's grief (and grief in general) after her parents' deaths, as well as her struggles with how much influence death is able to have over her life.

Ultimately, the romance itself was the least compelling aspect of the story. I can understand why Nora loves Garrett's stability and dedication to her, but the sudden build-up to their relationship makes that dedication feel a bit unearned. Because Garrett is out of the picture for a substantial amount of the book without any real connection or references, the ending doesn't feel as satisfying as I would usually hope for in a romance.

As always, thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

I am always into MCs who have weird or out of the ordinary jobs. This book manages to make casket selling and being a grim reaper not that awful a prospect. I was entertained enough by the romance, but it was hindered by the pacing. I'd definitely pick up Evans next work.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book. That working for death is just a normal job. It's an interesting take for a romance novel. There aren't many love stories about the industry of death.
I had a hard time getting into the book, as it is written in third person present tense, and it's really jarring at first, as it is not the most common tense to read in.
The only thing I really didn't like all that much was Nora's big revelation. It wasn't really triggered by anything, it was a complete 180 from her earlier opinion, and there just didn't seem to be a reason. The end was also super abrupt.
Otherwise, a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital book for an honest review!
This book was just confusing to me all the way through. The characters love for each other didn’t feel authentic. They barely dated and got together so quickly I don’t think it was plotted out very well. I did like the idea the author was going with, with her selling caskets and him working for death but I think it could have been thought out more. Felt very rushed for me the whole time, and yet slow at the same time. Very hard to explain, I had to dnf this about 80% through because I just couldn’t make myself keep reading.

i was very intrigued seeing the summary for this book, but it fell a little bit short for me. i liked the premise and all the ideas put into this story, but the pacing was slow. i did not feel as much chemistry between nora and garrett as i would of liked to. it was good to read the way that the story approached the topic of grief, it was more realistic than other times i’ve read. overall, i had an enjoyable time reading! i just wish we got a little bit more with the characters!

thank you to the author, netgalley, and random house publishing/dell for the opportunity to receive an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an interesting concept to build a story around. Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for inviting me to this early read!