Great book! I love books that go back in time and you meet generations back and this was perfect. Family drama and dynamics. It was a lovely read for sure. I hadn't read any books by Brooke Abrams before but will surely look for more now.

This was a good book! I liked following the 3 generations of women through life, and seeing all the family drama that comes with it! It was funny and entertaining. I thought the characters were all written well, and the pacing of the book was good and enjoyable. I like this author! The concept of the oldest woman inviting everyone to her funeral while she is still alive is wild.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

The story kicks off with grandmother and former soap star Darla Day sending out invitations to her own funeral, although she is still alive. The book has a likeable first-person narrator in her daughter Liza, a harassed teacher, for whom this comes out of the blue. The tone is smart and funny, and drew me in. I think the story would appeal to fans of Lindsey Kelk and Ashley Poston. It has a lot of charm and chutzpah.

There are many good lines, including: "I pick up a box of wine, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, and a lavender-scented face mask from Target. It's moments like this when I appreciate self-checkout."

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This was a strong story and I enjoyed the use of three generations of women. It worked well with what I was looking for and thought the setting was really well done. Brooke Abrams has a great way of telling the story and making characters that I cared about their journey. It was really well written and glad I was able to read this.

Night of a Thousand Darlas was a book with everything: humor, family drama and problems, teenage daughter, aging parent, and getting out of your own way to have the future you don't even know you need.

I loved the three siblings, LIza, her sister, and her brother, who were invited to their mom's funeral, when she isn't dead! Darla was once a A list celebrity, and Liza was part of a soap opera with her first love and the father of her daughter.

The characters were fun, but had depth, and I loved watching them evolve. Despite the turmoil, you could feel they really loved one another.

I loved this book, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

More romance than a multi-generational story. This book is funny and comfortable, like a hug.

Even though the title refers to Darla and her funeral while still being alive; the book is centred in Liza Day. The youngest daughter, mom of a teenager, co-parenting with her first (and only) love. Maybe is my own preference speaking, but I think this story would have greatly benefited from different characters' point of view, instead we only get Liza's account. Even though the book touches on heavy topics such as death, addictions, and child labour, the overall tone is light-hearted. This might mostly be due to Liza's propensity of making jokes when she feels vulnerable.

What I like was the readability of the story. Is easy, full of cliches which didn't bother me but instead added to the cuteness factor of the love story. I must admit I am not a big romance reader, I tend to read mystery novels, but I still enjoyed the romance and the background of the family dynamics. It does touch some heavy topics like seeing your parents age, unresolved childhood trauma, and the love-hurt dynamics that some families have. I would be lying if I said is a simple breezy book, but even in those times, it still felt comfortable as Liza has several people that love and support her.

What I didn't like is that I was left craving to know more of Darla from her own point of view and not through the eyes of others. This also happened with the other characters like Kat, Miles, Scotty and George. I wish the author would have gone deeper and not stay in the superficial level. In a way I started the book thinking I would read the story of a family and was left with the story of a romance. Which wasn't bad, but it was not what I expected or wanted by reading the book.

Trigger warnings include: death, addictions, child labour, and trying to conceive.

I would recommend the book to people that enjoy a cute love story and are slightly interested in family dynamics, specially one where the family head is a woman and not a man.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Night of a Thousand Darlas will be published on January 21st 2025. #NightofaThousandDarlas #NetGalley

This is a good read that gives the reader a bit of everything.

It has a fabulous main character in Liza, who really made me warm to her. All the characters added something to story.

The story itself is unusual and one that is quite unique. Darla organises her own funeral but she isn't dead. What happens next is funny with some weepy heartfelt moments and in the end Liza realises that family matters and if you have each you have everything.

This well written novel is brilliant. I am going to recommend it to my book club.. I think it's a read everyone will love.

This is a great, easy read with amazing characters and plenty of the kind of almost slapstick action which makes you slap your hands over your face and peek through your fingers as you read. I love an ending which ties up loose ends and this book does that in a really satisfying way without being cheesy. The author has an amazing knack for dialogue and is able to bring the reader right into the midst of every scene and every conversation,

I loved this story so much!!! I love when a book brings you into the characters story and almost immediately you feel like you are a part of their lives and need to know what’s happening. That’s exactly what this story did for me. I instantly felt like Liza was my best friend and I was hearing her tell me about everything in her life.

One twist after another had me in such a hold and opened up so much more of the story than I was imagining! All of the characters here truly have their own story within this book. You get to see into the depths of each one and then they are wrapped up with a big beautiful bow, no details left aside.

I laughed, I cried, and I felt that this story brought on every element possible. I love how the heavy topics shared in this book were done so in such a delicate and thoughtful way while still showing the real depths of them (trying not to spoil here!). The emotions of real life were steady throughout the book, but I truly felt like I was learning from the characters towards the end of the story and gaining perspective for my own life.

This should be a definite read! It is a happy and heart warming story for anything you’re going through, this would be a good choice! Highly recommend!