When I requested this book off of NetGalley I had such strong hopes for it and it ended up COMPLETELY blowing me away. I read this book at work and I'm glad that I was alone while I did because so much of this book had me tearing up. It was raw, it was beautiful, it was funny. Most importantly, it was so real.

Cass's grief was just...it made me feel some things. I (thankfully) haven't lost either of my siblings, but over the years I have lost a number of people in my life. I have felt the hurt, the anger, the lingering behind it all and I think that's what made this book one of the absolute favorites that I've read this year. It's what made me love her as a character.

I loved the romance behind this book as well. Normally I'm an advocate for dual POV but this book was about Cass and her grief and how her brother's life affect her. There were parts where I wish we got Vince's perspective but I'm also glad that we didn't have it at the same time. Speaking of Vince, I loved that man right away. I just want to put him in my pocket and keep him around. He just felt so warm and comforting.

I'm not usually one for a third act break up, but it was so necessary for this book. As someone who has fallen into the pit of depression that grief can lead to, I loved how that was touched upon. My only wish was that at the end, I kind of wanted more than just a quick apology. I kinda hoped it showed more of a building up of trust again between the two. But to quote Martha Dunnstock in Heathers the Musical, "I'm a sucker for a happy ending."

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for providing me an ARC copy of the book for my honest opinion.

💐Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this ARC💐

4.5/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️

⚾ Brother's friend.
⚾ Grief and healing journey.
⚾ Second Chance.
⚾ Found Family.
⚾ Mental Health Rep.

I'm trying to figure out how to approach this book review other than to be candid about it. The author crafts a narrative in which she infuses parts of her own grief.

This entire book is a grieving journey, one with which you might identify with or, if you have experienced it, perhaps your grief differed. That's the thing with grief: it's yours. Nobody can hold it for you. Nobody can take it away. And no one will have the same exact experience as you. However, one thing is certain: grief is terrible to those touched by it.

This is the best way in which I can describe grief and what to expect if you choose to read this book. As someone who has experienced grief several times at a young age, even reading the first two pages was difficult; moist eyes and a knot in my throat accompanied me throughout the story, and I had to put this book down so many times that I lost count.

Is there romance? Absolutely. This book is full of love; different kinds of love, and if you are expecting a novel that focuses solely on the romance aspect between the female main character and a male lead, I would advise you to forget about that and dive into this book with an open mind because, while you will find a soothing, challenging, and hard-edged romance...there is a bigger love here—the one of a female heroine who loves her older brother and whom she lost.

But gosh, when you're ready, dive into this book. You will weep, ponder about life, hug those you love, cry some more, mourn those who are no longer here, be captivated by Cassie and Vince's romance (I loved him!) and then cry some more; sometimes from grief, frustration, and even rage, and sometimes from relief, happiness, and hope.

Books about grief are always immensely difficult for me to read. I have had so much loss and grief in my life that I often stay as far away from the topic. I had decided on a whim to request this book, and I’m so glad I did.

Grief is raw and different for everyone. We all react differently, and come out of it differently. While I didn’t have the same journey as Cass and her family, I still feel so connected to this story.

Cass is the anchor of this book, as much as she would argue that the anchor is actually Vince. Her journey throughout this book was what really kept me together while reading it. Of course, I am a romance girlie at heart; so I truly did love her bond with Vince. But Cass was the shining by star. She was the root of this book.

(I love Vince. He literally makes me so angry because he’s not real. His steady, quiet love for Cass was extremely emotional and real. He was so tender and sweet and caring. And I actually think I would’ve liked a few more scenes with him.)

This story, while extremely difficult to read, was exceptional. I think it’s worth a read.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This is a raw, emotional look at a type of grief that is often overlooked - the loss of a sibling. It's a unique position, as the MC constantly battles with - you may not have lost a child, or a spouse, or a parent, but "I lost someone too." I thought this would be more of a quirky romance that an emotional roller coaster, but the romance subplot is really not the focus.

This did lost momentum for me toward the end, as it felt rushed to wrap everything up neatly.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

Read the book! And get your tissues ready.

This book isn’t your typical romance, but more about grieving, and finding love through grief. The book is wonderfully written, and it makes you feel every emotion.

[3.75] Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book. This was a great short read full of ups and downs. Although I don't typically enjoy a self-sabotaging FMC, I think it made sense in relation to the overall theme of grief throughout the novel.

Sophie Andrews' *Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations* is a heartfelt and compelling novel that beautifully portrays the multifaceted nature of grief. The author excels in capturing how different people cope with the loss of a loved one, making the story deeply relatable. Cass is funny but sometimes you just want to jump into the book and shake her. Her journey through grief is both heartbreaking and inspiring, as she strives to find herself amidst the chaos of her emotions. The writing style is engaging and evocative, making it easy to get lost in Cass's world. The dialogue is sharp and often humorous, reflecting the awkward conversations that arise in the wake of tragedy. This balance of humor and pathos makes the book a compelling read from start to finish. This is definitely a book I will continue to recommend. 🖤

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was a really grwat read and I enjoyed the concept. It exceeded my expectations by a long shot! Highly recommend!

It is a beautifully written, heart-wrenching book and I absolutely loved it. It has loss, grief, depression and healing, with the perfect amount of slow-burn romance. The book mainly revolves around the loss of a family member and how the members of the family deal with this differently.

Cass, the FMC, was witty and so relatable - loved her dark humour. I felt so much empathy for her and my heart broke for her. The romance between her and Vince was so sweet. He didn’t sugarcoat things for her and was pretty straightforward and calm with her.

This was my first book by Sophie and I absolutely loved it. The story will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you so much Sophie Andrews and Netgalley for this ARC copy!

Wow. This was one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. If you’re a crier, have tons of tissues.
This is my second @authorsophieandrews book and I loved it just as much as I loved the first one.
It’s raw and honest and heart wrenching. I haven’t lost a sibling but I’ve lost several friends and close family members as well as my ex.
This book tears you apart to put you back together only to tear you apart again and I loved every minute of it. I LOVE books like these so much. The way Sophie handles the stages of grief is perfect. She also nails the different ways people respond to grief. It very much brought me back to the grief I’ve gone thru in the past and how hard it was. This was so beautifully written. I highly recommend.

I was so surprised by this book! This was the first book I have read by Sophie Andrews. I thought this book would be more of a rom-com light hearted book and it was so much more than that. The books does a great job expressing the emotions of the main character and her family as they navigate the death of a sudden loved one. Having recently lost my father in law, this book gave me a lot to think about in how to process all of the emotion. I would highly recommend this book!

Is this the most realistic romance I have ever read? It think it just might be. It was amazing. I loved it so much.

Cass is a 27-year-old trying to deal with her older brother’s death and holding her family together. The book focuses on how she and everyone around her falls apart after this tragic and sudden event.

This book touched me deeply, but, unlike my fellow reviewers, not because of how it handled grief. The romance was what resonated the most with me. Cass’s anxiety and emotional roller coaster of healing spoke to me. It was touching, seeing my thoughts and struggles on the page. I also related to her wit and sense of humor. The dialogue flowed seamlessly, and I loved how we got to experience the minutiae of her interactions.

I loved reading her posts. They made the book more realistic and relatable. There were several laugh out loud moments for me which I valued greatly. I don’t know if the MMC Vince is at all realistic, but he was the best. He was there for her, supportive, and all-round amazing. I loved that he was making over his house. I loved this family.

This book also made me think a lot about how other cultures view death. How they deal with it makes it a lot harder.

I loved that Cass’s relationship with her parents was complicated. Her parents were more realistic than I would’ve liked 😅

My only problem with the book is that it’s too spicy for me. Also, beware of triggers concerning death and anxiety.

This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster through real life situations. Although this book is a romance novel it is far more then your average romance novel as it is strongly linked with death/grief. The tone of this book starts off sad and ends in a happy place. Everything in between is the journey to get there.
Don't be fooled by the cover of this book. It very much is a don't judge a book by it's cover kind if book. Although it meets the storyline, you could be fooled into thinking this is just another cheesy romance story and it is far from it. It is an exploration of real life human emotions at arguably the hardest time of your life (when you lose a loved one).

Great book and even if you aren't a romance reader you should give it a whirl.

I think I'm finally over whatever reading slump I was in because hello????

This book was so enjoyable! I feel like I mention this in every single one of my reviews, but one more time (or several) won't hurt.

I love anything romance related! It is my absolute favorite genre. I devour anything romance related, I can't help it. I'm a romantic at heart.

This book? Devoured.

I sat down on my reading chair, picked up my Kindle, opened this book, and the rest was history.

I loved the writing, the plot, the characters. Not to mention the book having one of my favorite tropes.

I just knew going in that I would enjoy this book, even if I was a little hesitant at first because of the slump I was in.

I'm so glad it didn't affect my enjoyment of this book! If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?

5/5! Wow talk about eye opening. Don't let the cover of this book fool you. This story goes through all the different stages of grief and how different they are for everyone There is romance also but the main focus is the grieving process.

don't sleep on this story. it's well worth the read.


Review posted to GoodReads, Amazon, and Instagram.

LOVED this book! So many emotions so well written to make you laugh and want to cry all at the same time. The story of a young lady that loses her brother and all the deep emotions that come with it. Definitely pick this book up! You won’t be disappointed!

3.5/5 stars | ⭐⭐⭐½

The first half of this book had me full-on cathartic crying, something very few books have achieved. Sophie Andrews has a real talent for depicting earth-shattering grief, and it was incredibly moving to read. In addition, the start to the central romance was absolutely lovely.

Now, the last ~20-30% is where it fell off for me.

I think I've just grown incredibly weary of third-act-breakups in romance novels, especially since the heart-wrenching nature of this particular breakup was not, in my opinion, well balanced by the minimal amount of romance we received up until that point. Worse still, the fault of the breakup lies almost entirely with the FMC, who then ghosts the MMC for several months, then randomly shows up one day at his work to beg forgiveness. The makeup scene felt off, with the MMC caving a bit too easily, and it didn't feel like a satisfying continuation of their story.

Still, despite my disappointment with the final act, the non-romance elements of this book held incredibly strong, and I overall enjoyed reading about Cass's journey.

This book is for anyone dealing or has dealt with the complexities of grief and picking up the pieces. It was a bit all over the place at times, but that is what grief and coping is and Sophie Andrews captured it perfectly. Although it is a work of fiction, the author draws a lot on her own experiences which is probably why this book just feels so real. If you have lost someone suddenly I think you will especially connect to this book. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations eARC by Sophie Andrews — ★ ★ ★ ★

Tropes 🌷
- brother’s best friend
- slow burn
- coming of age

“I’ve spent so much time and energy fixing something that, in the end, is unfixable.” — Cassandra

This book is an emotional journey through the stages of mourning and healing. It’s not easy, but it definitely gets better. You don’t forget the loved ones you lost; they continue to live in our memories. 🥹

Cassandra excels in portraying the raw and emotional struggles that come with loss. Her grief over the death of her brother is palpable and deeply moving. 😭

Her story reminds us that even after the deepest sorrow, there is always a possibility for new beginnings and happiness.

If you’re looking for a moving read that handles grief with sensitivity and grace while also offering a heartwarming conclusion, “Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations” is a perfect choice! 💗✨

This book comes out tomorrow, May 31st, 2024! 🫶🏻 Thank you so much @victoryeditingngc @netgalley @authorsophieandrews for this e-ARC copy! 💗

As someone who doesn’t share this experience (so take my review with a pinch of salt), I did think this was a wonderful tale grief. At some point in time, I did get frustrated with every single character in the book but knowing that people react to such life changing news in different ways made it realistic. Acknowledging that we can’t romantise the dead and remember them solely as good people even if they’re not, but we continue to love them anyway, is in my opinion a very powerful message. I believe this was conveyed well. (Btw I’m all for open door romances but was it really necessary and appropriate for this book???)