Such a beautifully written book. While I'm very fortunate that I've never lost a sibling, I very deeply empathized with Cassie throughout the book. Vince was instantly endearing and I thought he was a very realistic character.

This book was definitely definitely more focused on Cassie's family dynamics and emotional well being than I expected. I teared up at spots, laughed at spots and ultimately devoured the book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great book!! I loved the story and the writing style. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! My first for this author but will not be my last! The author did great with handling grief in this book.

I couldn’t finish this story unfortunately due to triggering my own grief but the chapters I did read were excellently written and the story line has definite potential. Will return to this story again once I’m okay again.

I adored this book.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the author for the arc.

The author handles grief so wonderfully.

Its sadder than I expected, given the cover. But you know what they say...

This was very well done. The romance was sweet. It handles grief of sibling loss so well. I’m an oldest daughter and can only imagine how I’ll cope.

This is a really cute book. However, I didn't find anything particular different about this book than most other romances. The cover could also use a little bit more decor

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Cass was a sympathetic narrator and Andrews explored sibling loss sensitively alongside the romance thread of the story. I was engaged throughout and am interested in reading more by this author.

Cass’s brother has died in an accident. She’s trying to navigate through her grief from her loss. And she’s watching as her parents seem to fall apart in their own ways. But the funeral director wants to help them plan the services. He’s her brother’s high school friend. He’s supportive to them all. The timing is terrible, but Cass struggles with the relationship they form. This was a relatable look at the awful emotions and aftereffects when a loved one is lost.

The cover of this book is deceiving, though not in a bad way. This book covers family grief, made me laugh, made me cry, made me thing of my own losses. It also was sprinkled with a little romance which took away some of the heaviness of the topics. Overall, I think this was a very well written book. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honsest review!

This book explores grief authentically through the eyes of Cass, who is left to hold her family together after her brother Ray’s sudden death. With a reclusive mother and an indifferent father, Cass manages the family’s burdens and funeral arrangements, including dealing with Vince, the funeral director and Ray's old friend.

The author, having experienced the loss of her own brother, conveys Cass’s emotions powerfully. Cass navigates through despair, frustration, and anger, ultimately hitting rock bottom. The story touches on the realization of one's own mortality and the long life ahead without a loved one.

While Cass is a relatable and empathetic character, Vince feels underdeveloped. Additionally, the romantic elements are poorly written, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the book provides a poignant look at grief and resilience.

I think main thing that made the book ring hollow for me is it felt like I was probably not the intended audience. im sure a lot of other people would have really loved this book and ive heard my mutuals say great things about it. the premise of still grieving girl and the wedding planner/brothers friend makes it feel more that they are trauma bonding rather than an actual romance. the radicalism of the main character also felt very weird to me. specifically the line about her regretting saying defund the police because one cop wad nice to her... as a white girl. yeahhh no. It felt half hearted like it was supposed to add a quirky as

This book was not what I was expecting, but in a good way! This book focuses mainly on grief and finding a way to live life after a loss of someone important in your life, which in Cassandra's case, was the lost of her brother. As her parents shut down after finding about his death, Cassandra finds herself being the one taking charge without proper knowledge of what to do next. She finds herself having let herself feel the grief when that's all she wanted to do. She had to put on her strong front in able to get through this loss and have her parents notice her efforts to help out.

This book was so much more. It did have the romance aspect in it, but I can fully relate to Cassandra. Trying to find a way to navigate life after the unpredictable happens can be tough. She went through all the motions of it while taking care of her family. I find that it's a bit of a heavier read. Definitely not a swoony, light romance read, but I loved every page of it!

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

3.5 stars

When Cass’ beloved brother Ray dies suddenly, the weight of the world is left on her shoulders due. With a mother who shuts herself in from the world and a father who has no interest in helping her, Cass is the only thing keeping her family together and she’s holding on my a thread. Despite Ray having a wife and a girlfriend, Cass is left to make arrangements including dealing with the funeral director Vince; her brother’s old best friend she used to be enamoured with in high school.

This book explores grief in a very authentic way, and we see how it effects different members of a family. The author wrote this after losing her own brother, so the emotions the main character experiences feel are very jarring. Cass cycles through despair, frustration and anger throughout the story before hitting rock bottom, and then the rock bottom below that. It also touches on the feeling of coming to grips with your own mortality when a loved one dies young, and realising just how long you will have to live without them. There were definitely a couple of tears but I wouldn’t say it’s the saddest book I’ve ever read or anything.

While I thought Cass was a great relatable character, and I definitely empathised with her throughout, Vince was much less-developed. He was just there? Ultimately it’s not his story, but if I can’t connect with a love interest it definitely takes away from the experience. Also the spice was super cringey/poorly written & I was just skipping to the next chapter at those points.

If you want to read about grief and a strained family, I think this is a great option. If you want to read it for the romance, I wouldn’t recommend.

Enjoyed to book. Loved how even though it was about grief and finding love it was still funny at the right moments. The hast tags did make me feel old but they grew on me.

What do you expect from a book, a good story, the wonderful characters to fall in love and steady pace for story to glide.
the summary of the book was very interesting like,
**Disappointing Read Despite Promising Synopsis**

"When my brother dies unexpectedly, leaving my family in pieces, I'm struggling to cope. Then Vince Mancini, my brother's best friend from high school and the boy I once loved, shows up. As a funeral director, Vince offers his unwavering support, promising to be there whenever I need him.
His steady presence and warm smile become my lifeline, helping me stand tall amidst the chaos. He sees through my defenses, reminding me why I once adored him.
Vince believes he can help me heal, even though my heart feels like a lump of clay. His ability to stir feelings in me is both comforting and unsettling, as the pain of loss still feels too raw and overwhelming"

The summary of this book definitely grabbed my attention, and I was excited to dive into it. However, my experience was far from positive. Despite the intriguing plot, the author failed to create an engaging protagonist. Instead, the character came across as excessively whiny, disrupting the reading flow repeatedly.

Moreover, the writing style didn't resonate with me at all. The synopsis promised a heartfelt romance that would aid in the grieving process and provide strength, but the actual story fell short. I felt misled by the blurb, and despite my efforts, I couldn't enjoy the book.

Absolute perfection! This shows grief in a way that was emotional but encourages life to go on. While it is labeled as a romance book, there was less romance and more storyline.

I expected LOVE AT A FUNERAL AND OTHER AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS to be a romance that was right up my alley. A funeral director MMC with the brother’s best friend trope! However, it turned out to be general fiction about grief with romance as a subplot.

The writing and character development were good. I just felt misled by the synopsis. It was too sad and depressing for my taste. Not a bad book, just not what I was in the mood for.

I requested this book coz of the beautiful purple colored cover and the title. I see all these glowing reviews and I'm trying to hard to see what did I miss.

I even tried reading it again just to make sure if I'm missing something. Nope , not for me. This book in my personal opinion isn't that we'll written. The main character Cassandra is whiny, I just felt that her life didn't suck as much as she thought it did. I thought it will be a book dealing with grief and loss intermingled with comedic relief but it is not. It is boring and insufferable and just not good.

Every character according to Cass is bad in some way or even horrible person. There's hardly anything positive she has to say about anyone in the book maybe except for Vince or for a second or two for Sunny. I found the conversations unreal and totally immature. There was just something off about whole book. I found it poorly written.

I wish I could say something positive about the book but I don't have anything to offer.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Tropes:
Grief
Brother's friend
Forced proximity (?)

There are some books out there that surprise you and this has to be one of them. To tell you the truth, I was captivated by this cover and that is the main reason why I chose it, but the book was captivating all on its own.

Cassie, the main character, suffers a sudden loss in the family and through her POV, it navigates the ugly truths about grief. They say that there is no proper way to deal with grief, and it is very evident in Cassie's family that they are all suffering in their own ways. Cassie reunites with one of her brother's old friends from high school, Vince, and he helps her find some light in the darkness that she is experiencing.

This book made me cry in many ways, because I think we've all dealt with loss at one point of our lives and it's hard to see that she is clearly burdened with the responsibility of holding her family together. People criticize that this book didn't focus enough on Vince and Cassie and I think that's valid since this was categorized as a romance book, but personally, I liked how it focused more on her and how she was coping with everything. I also really liked how they even posted her posts too! I didn't realize what they were at first, lol, but once I did, it added another dimension to the book!

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Andrews for letting me review this book. It was amazing <3