Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

I really wanted to like this one! The blurb sounded like something I would enjoy but I ended up not liking it at all.

I loved this book! It was so good and I loved the storyline. I could not out this one down I kept wanting to read it!

Oof. This was painful to get through. Absolutely no personality or chemistry between the main characters. They went on a first date and asked the most bland questions ever - if that date happened in real life, those people would never want to see each other again. I was so utterly bored. This was a real letdown because I love a small town romance, and I never get to read ones that take place in my home state. But my god. This was very poorly executed and I expected much more out of it.

I really tried with this book. I thought it had a unique premise. The plot and writing were very basic and choppy. The side characters were very basic and you don't really even establish a connection with them or the story. The FMC and MMC both felt like robots just going through the motions. The relationship was like extra insta love. The writing does not show their connection or dynamic... they meet, go on a couple dates where they don't really show the connection and then all of a sudden in love and then having fights to create drama after 3 dates. The FMC says she needs him to leave and she needs space anytime she has a conflicting thought. I just can't ...

Thank you for allowing me to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I made it through 55% of the book before deciding to not finish it. Although the story was intriguing…I found myself becoming bored quite quickly. The themes and tropes were not something I usually enjoy…so I made the decision to stop. I believe others may find this story compelling as well as hopefully gravitate towards the characters. Sadly, this was not for me.

I really liked the concept of this book but I felt the chemistry was rushed and lacked between Garrett and Nora.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the premise for this one and the cover. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this one and ended up DNFing this one pretty early on. I just couldn't connect with the characters and I didn't care for the plot.

I hope others love this one but it wasn't for me.

This debut novel was such a fun, yet emotional ride. I really wasn't entirely sure what I was walking into when I started it, but I totally fell in love with our main characters. A personal favorite type of book of mine is those that blend a little fantasy with reality, and the author did so beautifully. I can't wait to read what she has up next!

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.