I had low expectations going in. I was starting to see some negative reviews about it, so I ended up listening to the novel. I think listening to this was the best route, and helped me to enjoy the book more. Nora and Garrett were so monotone, and didn't seem to have a whole lot of personality to them. Garrett may have had more than Nora. I understand that after the death of her parents, Nora feels like she's drowning and doesn't know how to continue with her life right now, but I still didn't feel like she had much to her. She felt very surface level to me. I did enjoy the little romance we got, and Garrett's job was fascinating to me. I did enjoy my time, but the whole story kind of fell flat to me.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. This is not my usual type of book. But the kind of twist to the character was so interesting of an idea, I rather enjoyed it.

Casket Case, by Lauren Evans, is about a romantic comedy about finding yourself after unexpected tragedy. Nora Clinton moves back to Rabbittown, Alabama after the deaths of her parents to run the family casket shop. There’s not much for Nora in Rabbittown except the casket shop and her grandfather. Until a handsome stranger walks into her store asking for directions and a date. Garrett Bishop seems like the perfect guy. He has a good job, he’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and her grandfather seems to like him. That is until Nora finds out that Garrett actually works for Death. Nora finds herself surrounded by Death, and is unable to reconcile the Garrett she knows with the Garrett that works for Death. Will Nora be able to understand how Garrett does his job, or will she have to give up on love?
This book is ultimately a heartwarming story about getting over the grief of losing loved ones and finding a new normal. Nora’s parents died tragically in a car crash. All that Nora has left is the casket shop and her grandfather, which are both, unfortunately, located in Rabbittown, Alabama. Nora had thought that she had escaped Rabbittown and had no plans to ever return. With her parents gone, Nora returns to run the casket shop. Nora loses her sense of self when she moves back home. Her friends and her boyfriend have abandoned her to her new life. Nora feels like her life has become completely stagnant. Nora starts to find some purpose when she starts to date Garrett. However, she has to find her sense of self outside of her relationship. She reconnects with friends, the town, and is able to process the loss of her parents. This book is not really a romance novel in the traditional sense. It’s really a self discovery book with a side of romance.
Nora is not the traditional main character of a romance book. She has quirks that some people will find relatable. Most notably, she is very anxious about her relationship. Garrett is good about giving Nora reassurance about the relationship. This doesn’t stop Nora from being anxious. When she hasn’t heard from Garrett in a while she starts to imagine worse case scenarios. Going as far as ripping up weeds in her garden to take her mind off of it. This sense of anxiety within a relationship will most likely be relatable to a lot of people. </p>
The main conflict in the book doesn’t make a lot of sense. It all centers around Nora disliking what Garrett does for work. It relies on Nora being very hard headed and not listening to Garrett. Nora believes that she has every answer to everything, and if Garrett doesn’t agree with her then he isn’t worth her time. The conflict takes up far too much of the book. Garrett is too willingly to let Nora off the hook, when she treated him pretty horribly. Nora’s point of view is not very logical and it makes her kind of unlikable.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable read. The book is quirky and it has a lovable cast of characters. This book is great for people who love a cozy, heartwarming romance read. It’s also a great novel about finding yourself when things have gone astray. It’s a great introduction to the romance genre since the romance isn’t the central point of the novel.

An extra star for being a unique concept. Wasn’t a fan of the main characters and how oblivious and helpless the FMC was. It randomly tried getting really deep on the concept of death & just didn’t do it for me.

Thanks NetGalley & random house for the pre approval on this one in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not going to provide a star rating for this book since I did not complete it. Unfortunately I DNFd this book around the 16% mark. I found myself not wanting to go back to the story and not really connecting to the characters. The first chapter I thought was interesting but once our main female character meets up with the main male character it felt so instant love and cringe to continue reading. Honestly this girl has 0 information about some well dressed man who shows up at her casket store and basically just jumps into his arms and down his throat. Not for me. Sorry. Im sure this book has an audience somewhere but I’m going to pass on recommending this story.

What drew me to this book was the unique premise, a romance between Nora, who inherited the family's casket business, and Garrett, who works for Death in Logistics Services. It takes a little bit of time to confirm what Garrett actually does, but once I did, I found it interesting. What was a little less believable was the relationship between Nora and Garrett, which developed quickly. However, this was a cute, different read, and it even pulled a little at the heartstrings at the end. I will happily read more from this author.

Casket Case by Lauren Evans is a debut novel with an original premise. It offers a blend of humor and heart, though the subject matter may not appeal to all readers. I will look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Intriguing situation for a romance. It’s funny and emotional and has great character characters. The banter is first class and you really fall for the couple along the way.

dnf @17%

I just think that this writing style is not for me. I also don't think that they have chemistry. In fact, it's almost negative chemistry, every scene makes me like them less.

This was a cute read! I love a good magical realism book, and this one was super fun. A sweet meet cute, small town charm, and a FMC finding her place in the world. Definitely recommend adding it to your TBR!

The book started out good but unfortunately missed the mark as it continued on. The characters were a bit boring and the premise kind of fell apart. I did not finish it.

I would like to start off my review by thanking Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me an ARC of Casket Case, by Lauren Evans, in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting book. Interesting in both a good and bad way. Nora spent most of her days mourning the loss of her parents/dream life, running her store, and weighing her options for her love life. However, I feel that the author did a great job at creating a realistic image of the effects that grief can cause. The touch at the end of the book was my personal favorite part. The book had potential. It is a plot that I certainly have never seen before. I liked the concept, but did not love the execution. I feel that it was stagnant for the most part. That being said, it had some flaws, but was a decent book overall.

The concept of this book was so promising. Death is really something I don't like to imagine and the concept is so scary. I appreciate the concept and what Lauren Evans tried to do. Unfortunately the characters seemed a bit one dimensional and the romance felt a bit robotic. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC.

Although It was very interesting, I didn't really love this one. Nora annoyed me, and the writing was a little all over the place for me.

3/5⭐️

So, I DNF’d this book. I liked the writing style, but I just couldn’t really get with them falling in love so fast. Don’t get me wrong, I love when characters admit their feelings early on and there’s no miscommunication about it. But I just felt like it was genuinely too fast and I couldn’t connect with their romance. I liked this idea of someone working for the grim reaper, it was really interesting and I liked that concept. BUT all that to say, the book was still good, I just couldn’t connect with the characters and it was hard for me to continue reading

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

When Nora Clanton lost her parents in an auto accident she returned to Rabbittown, Alabama to take over the family’s casket store. At thirty years old her life is work, an evening at home with an inexpensive glass of wine and watching reruns of Cheers. It is a small town with few prospects for dating. Then one day Garrett Bishop enters the store to ask for directions and sparks fly. He is well dressed, thoughtful and everything Nora could want. His job entails some traveling and late nights, but when Nora asks exactly what he does he offers vague answers. Problems arise when she discovers that his employer is Death. He is present when clients take their last breaths to guide them on their way. Nora has been surrounded by death and still mourns the loss of her parents. She is close to her grandfather, who likes Garrett and advises her to consider what she really wants in her life. However, she has a problem with Garrett’s job. As a child, Garrett’s brother died of leukemia. He always regretted that he was not there to hold his hand and offer comfort at the end. It makes his job an important part of his life. Attending a professional conference where her father was honored for his work with grieving families gives Nora a new perspective on her life. Rather than the loneliness that she felt when she moved back to her empty home, she sees the importance of the services that she offers her customers and the support that she receives from friends and neighbors. Lauren Evans’ story is an exploration of grief and the ways we confront death. She allows her characters to work through the grieving process and grow stronger in the end. There is also a twist at the end that you may see coming, but it still holds an emotional surprise and gives you pause to consider your own feelings. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

I really wanted to love this one! The male MC works for death and the female MC sells caskets. I love it! It takes place in a part of Alabama I lived in as a kid. I'm there. I was so excited going in. But honestly this whole concept could have been more fun or more romantic. But instead you get two people that unnecessarily struggle to be together.
SPOILERS
I understand Nora is a mess and still dealing with the grief from the sudden loss of her parents. But she makes just forging a relationship with her very difficult on Garrett. I don't really get what Garrett is looking for or what he sees in Nora. Even after he explains his job and his life Nora still gives him a hard time. It's nice that she eventually has to chase him because she was the one that pushed the distance.
The third act relationship with the other guy from work was weird. It felt like a different story. And honestly I didn't hate the guy. I just thought if we were going to have competition from another guy it should have happened a lot sooner in the book. There was that big twist near the end i liked a lot but once that was revealed I predicted the rest of the story.
So overall I liked the premise and the characters were okay but it could have really used a some editing.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

I think this was a cute romance read for the Halloween season but it didn’t really feel unique in a sea of so many rom com romances out there right now. The main characters dialogue was frustrating as she refused to communicate with her partner so that was hard to get through at times

This was such a cute meet cute rom com!! I was surprised there was no real paranormal elements to it, despite Death (capital D) being involved. The secondary male character was an annoying POS which I'm glad our leading lady finally saw through his skeezy ways. I wish there was slightly more involving the twist near the end of the book, but I'm glad how it all wrapped up in the end.

This was the first title I’ve read by Lauren Evans and it was a delightfully strange but well written premise of magical realism that intrigued me from the beginning. I enjoyed the alternating points of view from both characters and am looking forward to more from Lauren Evans..