I liked this author's last book a lot but this one was slightly not as good for me. DOn't get me wrong -- it was entertaining and a quick read but it was way too much drama. This book definitely had its shining moments but I didn't love the daughter character. Maybe it was an accurate depiction of a sixteen year old but I was sad reading about her. Still, if you love behind the scenes hollywood - this book could be for you! Still, definitely love this author and can't wait for more!

Night of a Thousand Darlas comes out next week on January 21, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

I shouldn't be in a book club.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of a book club. Getting together with a group of friends with a glass of wine and a nice cheese board to discuss a good book sounds like a little slice of heaven on earth. But like most ideas I've tried in an effort to find my thing-that hobby or activity that parents look for when their kids no longer need them to act as a personal chauffeur-joining a book club is proving to be more work than it's worth.

This was a fun story, but also had a lot of heart and growth for our characters. I loved the cast of characters, but found the FMC Liza to be a bit erratic. I’m left with a lot of questions about her background and why she reacts the way she does. Darla was a quirky character who reminded me of Debra Vance from Hacks. The mother/daughter relationships were so relatable, and I loved the way the siblings came together. Also, the late 90s/early 00s references brought on such nostalgia that I felt like I was there with the Day family.

Realistic Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

If this weekend has taught me anything, it’s that predictability doesn’t always equal happiness. Life was never meant to be a sitcom. It’s too big and far too bold for that” - Liza Vance-Day

This book was a heartfelt, funny and comforting novel. It centres around Liza Vance-Day, an English teacher and former actress who is a single mother and the daughter of Darla Day–a famous Hollywood actress from the 1980s. Liza returns to her childhood ranch, Day Ranch with her daughter Avery, baby daddy and first love Scotty and her siblings Kat and Miles to attend a fake funeral for her mother Darla Day.

I didn’t know what to expect when I went into reading this book, but it was just wonderful. It’s a story that shows three generations of women in Hollywood and also has a romance aspect between Liza and Scotty (which I didn’t expect for this book to be a romance once). I love the relationship between Liza and her siblings.

This book reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo–which is one of my favourite books so that made me love this book even more.

Tropes:
🎞️ Old Hollywood
🎞️ Second Chance Romance
🎞️ Family
🎞️ Dealing with death and addictions

Characters:

Liza is an English teacher and the daughter of Darla Day. She also is the mother of Avery Day-Samson who she co-parents with Scotty Samson–her first (and only) love. Liza is the perfect representation of an adult who is trying to do everything and make everyone happy, while still trying to figure life out.

Darla is Liza, Kat and Miles’ mother who was a huge Hollywood actress in the 1980s. She invites all her kids, friends and family to her fake funeral to give them one, amazing last memory as a family in the Day Ranch. Her relationship with her kids is cute, even though she claims she could have been a better mother, the kids said they would still pick her in every life.

Side characters:
Miles is Liza’s adopted brother who is a few months younger than her and also is her best friend. He is so funny.

Kat is Liza and Miles’ older sister. She is the more put together, adult who is kind of serious, but also knows how to have fun.

Scotty is Liza’s first love and baby daddy. He was Liza’s co-star in a show called <I>Sunset Breeze</I> and that’s where they met. He is such a sweet person and a loving dad to Avery.

Also shout out to George and Avery, they really made this book complete.

Pros:
- Each character made this story complete
- The writing was just beautiful
- I loved the chapters where it goes back to an episode of <I>Sunset Breeze</I>

Cons:
- I do wish this book had different POVs. It just made sense if Kat and Miles specifically had their own chapters. But perhaps, this could give Brooke Abrams an opportunity to create other books with their perspectives.

Overall, a wonderful book and I would definitely read it again.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

・₊✧ Quotes ・₊✧

“Miles places a yellow sticky note on a brass peacock sculpture hanging on the wall. I shoot him a death glare. “What?” He shrugs. I can be concerned and call dibs."
This scene where Miles was choosing what he wants while Liza and Kat were concerned why their mom planned a fake funeral had me laughing. Miles is so unintentionally funny.

I enjoyed this story very much. It’s all about family the good, bad and ugly. The matriarch of the family decides to throw herself a funeral while she is still living. What folliws is how her adult children handle it and find out along the way about themselves and that family is everything. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this arc.

I thought I’d be getting a lot of comedy and a little drama – and absolutely there is some of both – but I wasn’t expecting quite as much of the dysfunctional family. There are also lots of serious issues being handled here and a group of imperfect people sometimes muddling through as best they can.

Liza was pushed into growing up too soon for a variety of different reasons and is determined that her own sixteen year old daughter will be able to just be a normal teen. They’ve now officially reached the stage when Avery is trying to separate herself from mom and maybe even try her hand at acting. But first they need to attempt to finally understand each other.

The Day siblings are stunned at what they think is another stunt by their famous mother. What is Darla thinking? Each sibling is having personal issues with Miles’ marriage breaking up and Kat thinking she wants a baby to go with Liza and Avery’s confrontations. What they discover is actually behind the party is another emotional blow they’ll need to come to terms with. When Scotty, Liza’s baby daddy appears, the drama goes into overdrive but maybe they’ll finally get to have the family that Reasons denied them.

Despite Scotty lurking in the background, I’d call this more a women’s fiction book. Everyone makes mistakes, has moments of imperfection that can cause frustration or pain to another. Most of the action centers on (first person POV) Liza and near the end of the story, her daughter Avery says something profound about how Liza always sees everything as it relates and affects her. I wanted more of Darla and that was something that only occurs sporadically and when it does, it’s often how Darla’s actions affect Liza. Of course.

I also wanted a bit more background on why Liza and Scotty’s relationship tanked sixteen years ago. Just the pressures of a new baby on teen parents? Then why does it appear that Scotty is having second thoughts about walking away? The one year epilogue wraps a lot of neat bows for everyone that are perhaps just a bit too neat and easy and not quite explained enough. This is a nice multi-generational drama that I read quickly but which I probably won’t remember much of. B-/C+

I really enjoyed the author’s debut and was excited to read this. Perhaps I wasn’t in the right mood but I just couldn’t get into the story (though I enjoyed the conclusion and where the characters ended up). I think readers looking for a quirky multigenerational family drama (with dual timelines) may enjoy this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I laughed. I cried. I wanted more. The storytelling and pace was perfect and the characters were incredibly lovable.

Night of a Thousand Darlas is a perfect example of a book about family drama that handles the issues without getting too heavy. It was LOL funny and I also have a relative who would very much throw themselves a Darla Day style funeral, so I felt extra warm hearted towards her. This is the perfect book to spend a day on the couch with.

Show business and the celebrity lifestyle is not something many of us can relate too; however all of us can relate to being a child, a sibling and possibly a spouse or a parent. Brooke Abrams does a beautiful job of weaving the unrelatable with the relatable in this multigenerational story. Celebrity or not, we are all human dealing with similar situations.

Liza returns to her childhood ranch, Day Ranch, which is filled with both wonderful and challenging memories. This time, she is returning to the ranch with her siblings, her daughter and her ex, because her mother is holding a "living funeral". There is never a dull moment on Day Ranch! There are so many questions and before you turn the last page, you will have the answers. It's a story that is heavy on reflection and introspection. It also shines a light on all of the unique imperfections of a family, which will have you laughing, sighing and weeping in equal measure. I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with this advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own. Here's to a rise in "living funerals"...a concept that I have never really thought about.

Darla Day has been famous her whole life. She was a child actor, born into an entertainment family, and has played many roles. She is now retired to her family's ranch as she is aging. Her adult children are called into gather for her funeral- but she is not dead. Darla is throwing herself an alive funeral and asking everyone to come dressed as her in her many roles (hence, the Night of a Thousand Darlas.) It could not have come at a worse time for daughter Liza. She has just ended her teaching job and is dealing with her teen daughter Avery and her movie star ex-husband as well as her long buried teen soap that has resurfaced on Netflix. As the Day family gathers at the ranch for Darla's alive funeral, old feelings are brought up and the children must figure out what is really going on with their mom.

This was a family comedy, in the vein of This is Where I Leave You. It was funny and has some really good moments. I really enjoyed the entertainment family and also their regular problems. I loved the adult sibling dynamics and the interesting characters. I needed a lighter in tone book and this one was great without being too fluffy. It was just right.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

A sweet story of a family - and show business. Darla has decided to throw herself a funeral before she dies. Also before she descends further into dementia. It bring up complicated issues for her daughter Liza not only about her relationship with her mother but also about what she wants for her daughter Avery. And what Avery wants. Yes it's a dysfunctional family in the broadest sense but it's also a healthy one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This book was everything I didn't know I needed.

It perfectly blends heartfelt family drama with LOL moments and just the right amount of chaos. Liza's journey back to her quirky family's ranch is filled with surprises, and her growth throughout the story felt so relatable. The mix of humor, emotional depth, and a dash of romance kept me hooked.

The unique premise of a "living funeral" and Darla's eccentric personality is what really stole the show for me. But, what I loved most was the mother-daughter relationship between Liza and Avery - so beautifully written.

This one will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on what it means to embrace life (and family). Highly recommended for those that love messy, loveable families.

Synopsis: Three adult siblings get invited to their actress-mother’s funeral, only thing is-she’s still alive.
Thoughts: This was short and sweet. It was witty with seriously funny moments and was balanced with a lot of tenderness and heart. I really enjoyed it and recommend to read it when it’s released next month!
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

Liza is called back to Day Ranch for the “funeral” of her mother, Hollywood darling, Darla. Her ex and father of her daughter (Avery), Scotty, is in attendance. Her siblings, Kay and Miles, were amazing supporting characters! A really cute story that stirred all the feels!

Liza Day’s mother isn’t dead, but leave it to Darla Day to throw herself a funeral anyway. It’s the kind of attention grab Liza left behind to build a quiet life for herself and her rebellious teenage daughter, Avery. But between her students discovering her old daytime TV show—putting her teaching job at risk—and her mother’s unexpected funeral invitation, Liza’s life feels truly like a soap opera.

When Liza returns to her family’s historic Day Ranch for her mother’s premature farewell, she’s not sure what to expect. Darla’s always been known for eccentricities, both on- and off-screen. Thankfully, Liza has her siblings to help navigate Mom’s antics, which include everyone dressing as one of Darla’s many iconic film characters, a harem of white rabbits, and one surprise guest: Liza’s former costar and Avery’s father, Scotty.

The more time Liza and Avery spend on the ranch, the more Liza realizes that it might be time to trade in the scripted life she thought she wanted, for a leading role in the family she’s always needed.

This was a beautiful story about an imperfect family trying their best to love and support each other. I appreciated that the characters made realistic mistakes.

Thanks @netgalley and @aka.brooke.abrams for the chance to read The Night of a Thousand Darlas. It releases from Lake Union on January 21, 2025.

When Old Hollywood starlet Darla Day announces her funeral, it's the last thing her daughter Lizzy wants to deal with. It's just like her melodramatic mother to throw herself a party when Lizzy is in the middle of a crisis--losing her teaching job and fighting with her teenage daughter, Avery. But when the Day family convenes at historic Day Ranch, the reasons for this event get more complicated as three generations of Days collide.

This book is full of Brooke's signature witty, insightful writing. She does such an amazing job of creating loving, memorable characters, and it's also incredibly fun! You don't want to miss it.

“Night of a Thousand Darlas” is a funny and heartfelt novel written by Brooke Abrams. The story centers around three siblings who receive a mysterious invitation to attend their very famous mothers funeral…….except she is still very much alive. As the main character, along with her teenage daughter and two siblings prepare for this unconventional red carpet spectacle, we are immersed into their complex relationships and the history that binds this family together. The writing is elegant and thoughtful even when dealing with the difficult subject of dementia. This emotional story will have you laughing out loud and tearing up. It is a poignant reminder of how our own personal struggles affect the people we love the most. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sweet and funnier than I expected, Night of a Thousand Darlas gives us a multigenerational family story. A little Hollywood glam and a lot of family and romantic struggles, wrapped in likeable and loving characters.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
The telling of three generations of family which unfolds through the dramas of grandmother, mother and daughter with lovely messaging on what really matters most in life. An enjoyable, easy read with some romance thrown in for all the feels. A good read for the beach or a cold winter weekend.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC .