It’s laugh out loud funny, irreverent, sad, reflective, and thought provoking. It’s a story to be savored as the author has a way with words that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.

I See You’ve Called in Dead
What a read! This was a breath of fresh air. Funny, relatable, and deep all at the same time.

Full video review on my socials. Loved it!

This book was highly recommended recently by my local book store. I may have easily missed this book if not highlighted in most anticipated books for the first half of 2025.

As the story illustrates, the days of our life are not infinite, so use them wisely. It tells how some’s life is more than just a list of accomplishments, places lived, and known relatives. It makes you think of what the real summary story of someone’s life is through a different lens.

The characters are easily relatable where you find yourself cheering them on and hoping for the best. Touching moments in the story will propel the reading until the end.

I highly recommend this book for a self read and to a book club read.

Poor decisions and bad luck seem to follow Bud, the protagonist of this tale about life, death, and everything in between. Darkly humorous, Bud often finds himself as his own worst enemy. His sarcasm, mixed with insecurity and a streak of humorous negativity, makes him an endearing yet flawed character. As he navigates through difficult times, Bud discovers that the people who truly lift him up aren’t always the ones you’d expect.

This story invites readers to reflect on what truly matters, what needs to be reprioritized, and the irreplaceable value of friends and family.

I found out about this book from a local independent book store event that talked about upcoming newsworthy books. I knew nothing about the author the title was catchy, and the host of the event, Bill, described it as a book about a man who wrotrs obituaries for a living.

It's so much more than that. Every person who is a human should read this book. If you think you understand life, you don't. If you think you understand how everyone copes with death, you don't. This book is funny (yes I said funny) and moving, and has sad parts (gut wrenching). Leo is my favorite character and is wise beyond his years. I'm going to recommend this book to a lot of people, so they can learn how to live.

I started reading I see you've called in dead because I was looking for a humorous light read. It is definitely full of humor, but it is also so much more than that. It is a book of love and loss, friendship, death, redemption, and second chances. It is just a beautiful book.

What I assumed would be a jokey, tongue in cheek book about an obituary writer who gets in trouble after drunkenly writing his own hilariously inaccurate obituary and accidentally publishing it on his newspaper's website turned out to be a very sweet, insightful, and reaffirming book about life, death, and everything in between.

Bud has been just barely floating through life since his ex-wife left him and has been doing just enough at his job to avoid getting fired...until now. But is he truly living? What's missing in his life, and does he care enough to do anything about it?

I can't recommend this book enough. I was reading it when I got a phone call that a good friend had died. This book is a reminder that no one is promised tomorrow and to make the most of the time you have. Go hug your loved ones. Take the trip. Read the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think we've all at least briefly done it at some point, wondering how we'd be remembered. For an obituary writer, it would seem an occupational hazard. However, actually writing your absolutely ridiculous obituary and submitting it? Yeah, that goes a bit beyond.

This quirky tale of feigned death and it's obvious and not so obvious consequences was delightful. Though it must be said that there's plenty of meaty thought to accompany the humor. It wasn't so much a book about someone who thought about dying as it was about someone who was struggling to find a way to fully live. And it must be said that everyone should have a Tim in their lives ready to show them the way. I highly recommend this funny and touching novel.

“What a thing to have that in your life.” Sums up the whole book really- counting up all the things that make life, any life, amazing. Starts off slow but stick with it… (also a good approach to living)

I haven’t cried actual tears at a book in a really long time. Books wreck me and make me feel sad, but rarely does a book bring me to tears. This book was one of them. I can’t believe how sad and touching it was. There is so much loss in the world, but what do we do after that? What comes next? I loved this book, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

3.75 stars

While blurbed as a humorous novel (and there is a lot of humor) this is a pretty serious look at living every day to the fullest with the spectre of death lingering at the edges, which makes sense since the main character is an obituary writer.

Bud went through a bad divorce, and lost his mother at a young age, and is somewhat paralyzed emotionally. He jokes his way out of serious situations and does something stupid and gets put on probation from his job. But, he has some great people in his life -- his gay co-worker Tuan who puts up with the bad jokes and is a nurturing soul. Let's not forget that sometimes someone who cares about you showing up with a meal is the perfect gesture. And Bud's landlord/friend Tim, who is in a wheelchair after an accident in his younger days.

This book meanders for a while which reflects Bud's aimlessness. He runs into a woman (Clare) who has an interesting back story of her own. She affirms life by attending funerals and memorials of people she doesn't know and soon Bud and Tim join her. Bud carries on far too long about his divorce, and there is some rubber band emotional stuff near the end which is stunning. A little bit of philosophizing/preaching about seizing life and being grateful but nicely done. And the author's note at the end is perfect. The ending is emotionally satisfying and a bit hopeful. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A wonderful, enriching novel that at times made me want to cry and then to laugh. A story everyone can relate to and especially if you have ever wanted to give up on yourself. If even for just a short period of time.

This book will leave you with a redeeming sense of hope. The character development is amazing. Bud is a quirky character somewhat like a Walter Mitty. Enter two other endearing characters that come into Bud’s life in an unusual way and the rest is a strange dance with life and death, love and despaired. The title alone is enough incentive to pick up this book. Do it! You won’t regret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Books for allowing me to read the advanced copy for an honest review.

I appreciated that this story was equal parts humor and reflection surrounding the topic of death. It was a quick read and definitely worth it.

BOOK REVIEW

I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD by John Kenney

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌿What It’s About
A coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story.

🌿My Thoughts
✨In the opening pages, we meet Bud, a middle-aged obituary writer, who is a bit of a lovable loser. He’s just struck out on a blind date when the woman he’s meeting brings her ex-boyfriend along to tell him the date is off. Ouch. After drinking off his humiliation, he goes home and writes – and accidentally publishes – his rather hilarious and entirely false in every way obituary.

✨ At its heart, this is the story of an obituary writer who doesn’t understand the meaning of life. It’s got heart, humor, depth, love, loss and all the things that make for good reading. In these pages, you’ll find a tale of what it means to love the miracle of just being alive.

✨It’s a love letter to New York City with all its nuances and cadences and hidden, tucked away corners. You can’t turn the last page of this book without having a new appreciation for the Empire City.

✨I fell in love with the charming cast of characters, and I couldn’t help but look at life a little differently when I finished – Kleenex in hand.

♡“Maybe we’re all obituary writers. And our job is to write the best story we can now.”
(used with permission)

🌿Read if you like:
✨Humor
✨Laughter through tears
✨Neurodivergent rep
✨Mental health rep
✨Disability rep
✨NYC settings

I highly recommend this one, friends.

My thanks to @zibbypublishing and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

When I first started reading this book, I thought the premise was rather silly. Oh, how surprised I was. I laughed and cried.. In a humorous way, Bud shows us how to think about our lives and how to live them in a positive way. i loved his interactions with his friend Tim and with the 10 year old neighbor. Very thoughtful.

Touted as “The Office meets Six Feet Under”, this tells the story of Bud Stanley, a divorced, middle aged, lonely, on the down slide writer of obituaries who, one drunken night, writes and files his own obituary, greatly exaggerating his accomplishments. His newspaper wants to fire him but is prevented from doing so because the company’s computer has him listed as dead, and they can’t fire a dead man. Dismissed pending a hearing, Bud learns some life lessons from both the living and the dead.

I had to think a bit about how I felt about this read and then realized how much I really liked it. Well written by a Thurber prize winning author, there are witty lines, laugh out loud moments, and profound observations. It is also poignant and at times sad, but, ultimately, an affirmation of life. I also loved Kenney’s vignettes of life in New York City.

Protagonist Bud Stanley, an obituary writer, is my kind of guy—funny, funny, funny, even as he's so depressed and removed from his life that were he not so funny, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near him.

And author John Kenney is my kind of writer—a pro.

The story of sad sack Bud, who sabotages his life with a really dumb but hilarious "mistake," is perfectly paced between humor and almost lyrical passages—I say "almost" because "lyrical" often connotes a self-conscious effort and there is none of that here. The narrative flows. The humor erupts just at the right time for relief but there is no showing off or manipulation in the writing. And the observations come so organically that you could miss them if you weren't slurping this up with appreciation for every carefully chosen word:

"A kind of theatre, a play, this unending parade of humanity. Pio Peruvian food next to Jalisco Tacos next to China House next to El Viejo Puerto Rican Café next to Famous Original Ray's Pizza next to Fat Albert and Hollywood Discount Furniture. It made no sense. The history of the world is tribes banding together behind large walls, going to war against one another, rejecting other religions, other ways of life. And yet here, on these crowded streets, the world came together. A bit of Spanish overheard here, a bit of Mandarin over there. Farsi, Yiddish, Italian. And yet somehow it worked. Food was ordered, diapers were bought, a flange was sold from a picture someone brought to a hardware store, neither person sharing a language. A neighborhood, a city, held together by a kind of societal duct tape, a New York shoulder shrug, a who-am-I-to-judge?" [page NA]

Not since E. B. White's Here Is New York (which Kenney obliquely references by an early explanation of New York City that echoes White's) have I read my city so honestly portrayed.

The book is full of life and death—and since that's all there is, it's about everything. It's moving without being sentimental, funny without guile, an absolute joy to read.

Be ready for a swing of emotions with this lighthearted, often funny novel about the serious side of death. Travel through the press room of a large newspapers where obituaries are crafted and workplace drama insues. Anyone losing a position will identify with the woes of the main character as he struggles between desperation and ambivialance in retaining his position. Both a true friendship and a light romance with perfectly quirky characters make this an enjoyable well-paced read. It's a title I've already shared with my book groups.

Bud is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Even as he writes about the lives and deaths of others, he’s not able to fashion a satisfying and meaningful life for himself. As he trudges along, he drunkenly decides to write and publish his own obituary. The results change him in small and big ways. This book is very funny and deeply touching.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I really enjoy books that explore grief and loss and death, so I requested this after reading the synopsis because I had a feeling I would love it. And it started off so strong. I was laughing out loud SO much in the beginning. However, the middle lost me. So much of the story feels like a stream of consciousness and I found the writing style to be quite chaotic. I really enjoyed the ending and the wrap up of Bud’s journey and lessons learned, but the path there wasn’t it for me. There were moments that worked, but on the whole I feel like the flow of the story could have used some finesse. I do think, given the narrator’s unique voice and humor, that this will work for a very specific reader looking for a sort of no-nonsense dark humor/depressed take on death and dying.

Thank you so much, Zibby Books and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.