A beautiful book about love, loss, living life to the fullest, opening your heart and mind and being open to discovery. Clover is a young woman who has been impacted by death since she was 5 yrs old. It has become her whole world as she has lost every person she has loved and loved her back. She now lives her life as a death doula and keeps herself distant from relationships, except with her clients until one truly changes her life for the better. This is an emotional, thought provoking, interesting, mind opening book. You can’t help, but want all the best for Clover. Its wonderful watching her open her heart and come back to the living.

“But the secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life. Putting your heart out there. Letting it get broken. Taking chances. Making mistakes.”

I had a doula with my first son and it was such a great birthing experience. Besides the support and comfort she offered me to have the natural childbirth I wanted, she gave me a beautiful story afterwards that detailed out many of the small things I had forgotten or hasn’t noticed.

Clover does that same type of thing, but for the other end of life. Sometimes she collects the regrets of the dying. Sometime she captures the beautiful sentiments to share with the families. It’s definitely not a profession I’ve ever heard or thought of, but can certainly appreciate.

I felt for Clover the whole story. She had a lot of character growth as she went from almost a recluse to putting herself out there for a chance to find love. I really enjoyed watching that growth.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Read if you like:
Character driven stories
Introverted characters
Looking at death in a new light

This was a lovely book and easy to read. For a hot second there I thought it was going to be a romance book with how it was written but it wasn’t.

I was able to sink into Clovers story immediately and feel invested in her journey. The book is written at a good pace that didn’t feel too rushed but also didn’t drag on to the point of boredom.

I think my only complaint was for a section of the book I found every characters (including Clover) to be extremely annoying. The only characters to relieve me from this annoyance were the elderly people in Clovers life. Luckily at the end we swung back around to liking most of the characters and enjoying the story again! Excited to see what else this author writes.

Who would have thought a book that centres around a death doula would be so cute and funny! I absolutely loved this book. Clover could sometimes be frustrating but in an understandable way. This book had me laughing and crying

“What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life?”

I was hesitant when I picked this one up.

I’m all about the Happily Ever After.

Could a book about death ever end happily?

Hopeful is probably the better word, and hopeful is enough for me.

There’s so much to recommend in this book.

First off, it tackles the taboos around death. Why don’t we talk about it, when it happens to LITERALLY EVERYONE.

It also does a decent job talking about loneliness and legacy and adult friendships.

Also: Do I want to become a death doula?

Can’t wait to read more from this debut author.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press, for this thought-provoking ARC.

A beautiful reminder to do what feeds your soul. Don’t let grief hold you back from living your life and pursuing your dreams. Just because you lost someone doesn’t mean you should remain stuck in grief. Living a life that makes you happy and fulfilled will give you stories filled with good memories instead of regretted missed opportunities.

This was a really interesting book about clovers. She accepte DEA TH. At a very young age. Her teacher dies when she is five and then her parents died when she was six. She went to live with her grandfather in new york city and she had a really special bond with him. She would go to death Cafe where they talked about death and dying. She also was a debt duo. People when they were dying they could talk about what they heard or they're getting regret.. I think she was a really interesting character. as a very a lone person but as the book progressed she made friends She trave She travels the world at different cultures about dyi'm. Her grandfather died and then she was really alone. She kept his apartment just as she remembered it. She met a lady named s y l l I e who try to get her out of her shelf. Things can go well. Leo was her friend as well who went back to her grandfather's day. They always play chess together. She also went to a bookstore every sunday even when her grandfather died. This was an interesting connection you'll find out at the end of the book. Why this lady played such an important part in her life. She met a man named S EBS TION. Grandmother was dying named c l a u d I a e. This was really good in the book because this lady was really interesting because she is a photographer. She went to get photograph Claudia remembered a photo. When she was traveling in france. Man's name was h u g o. This was her true love but she could not marry him because she was gonna marry a wealthy man from new york. So this also has a really interesting Twist to this story because they weren't looking for this man. Found his grandson. Because Hugo died. This has a really interesting twist to the book and I loved it because everybody was a happy at E n d

This is a beautiful novel about a death doula who helps people as they die. Equally important is how her clients help her finally begin to live. Thank you to NatGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*

Clover Brooks, a death doula located in New York City, has dedicated her life to helping people in their last days. She keeps mostly to herself, excluding her neighbor Leo and her local bookstore owner Bessie, and is content with how things are. She contents herself with daily dog walks, fills her three notebooks with her clients last words-- Advice, Regrets, and Confessions, and lives in the apartment her and her grandfather once shared.

However, with the introduction of a new neighbor to the building and a memorable new client, Clover begins to realize that may be she has been missing out on the best life has to offer.

This book was stunning and so touching. Clover was a woman stuck, unable to grow and mature after the death of her deeply beloved grandfather. At 36-years old, she's missed out on a lot of 'normal' human relationships-- friendships and romances-- and suddenly has the opportunity to foster new connections and work through her unprocessed grief.

The first part of this story is slow moving, but things begin to pick up after the 60% mark. This book has the poignancy and depth of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Midnight Library. It does touch on heavy topics (mostly, unsurprisingly, death), but is a true gem if you decide to read it!

CW: Death, grief, loneliness, parental death, illness

Clover is a death doula who finds herself a client whose grandson connected with her after they both attend a death cafe. The client, Claudia, is a woman who is told she has a few months left to live. We see their relationship create a shift in Claudia from a lonely recluse to someone who starts to reflect on the state of her life and what more she wants from it. By the end of it, Claudia comes to terms with not only her own grief with her grandfather but with Leo and Claudia’s - reflecting on the fact she shouldn’t be “living out of habit”.

This book was definitely a heavy read, but it was a read that was so compelling and elicited a much needed discussion on death. It encouraged a discussion of normalizing death as something that is an inevitable stage of life - that it should be something that should be spoken about and not left to the last moment. I loved the character growth Clover shown and how she realized she wasn’t living her life as she has always wanted to by the end of it and changed her ways to truly show how special her life is to her. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did - it was definitely not something I typically read, but am glad I did!

I cannot say enough about this book. It had all of my favorite components - complex characters, whimsy, excellent development, and a push for introspection. Clover, the main character, is such a beautifully full character. Further, each character is complex and interesting, and I loved each of them in their own ways. This book is an absolute celebration of life - despite the theme of death, the book is adventurous and inspiring. Grief is embraced in its entirety, allowing for nuances and messiness. Would recommend to just about anyone!

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is absolutely captivating until the last page. Clover Brooks is a death doula, someone who helps others in their time of need when they are getting ready to transition away from life. All that changes when Clover gets a different perspective and returns to herself and the life that she wants to chase. It is beautiful and makes you rethink the life you're living.

That was a lovely read. I rather enjoyed being in Clover's head as she navigates life. The writing was descriptive and flowed beautifully. It was a treat to read this author's words. Clover is trying to figure things out as new things come into her life. She tries very hard to avoid change and facing things she can't control. All the characters were believable and likable. I was not crazy about young Hugo's saccharine understanding of all the things, but the rest of him was great, so we'll take it.
I received a pre-pub copy of this read for my honest review. I will gladly recommend this one to others.

THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER by Mikki Brammer is an emotionally moving novel, but unfortunately the pace drags a bit in the middle. Clover Brooks is a death doula, helping others to have a peaceful death. She is also a loner and rather lonely herself, having lost her parents at a young age and been raised by a somewhat reclusive Grandfather. Brammer, an Australian journalist based in New York City, provides a masterful description of Clover's self-examination and growth, introducing several supporting characters along the way: energetic neighbor Sylvie; plus, a possible love interest named Sebastian, and his dying grandmother, Claudia. The beginning and end of this debut novel are wonderful, but readers may want to shake Clover out of her lethargy during some middle parts of the story. Two favorite quotes encapsulate Clover’s comfort with being alone and her increasing willingness to step out of that comfort zone: "the headphones ... were also a mental retreat. I didn't usually listen to anything – it was the feeling of being enclosed that comforted me. Sliding them on was like escaping to a private space of my own, observing the world rather than participating in it." and "If you want something you don't have, you have to do something you've never done." THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER received a starred review from Kirkus ("a beautiful tale of a vulnerable, compassionate woman who finds that, in order to care for others, she must also let herself be cared for."). 4 stars if you are willing to be patient.

While I enjoyed this book, I know there are others who enjoy it so much more than I did. It was okay, and I don't regret reading it, but I wish it would have focused more on the storyline that happens at the very end of the book. Maybe that's still to come? I do appreciate the journey Clover was on with her career as a death doula, working through her own grief, and finding her new circle of people in life.

A sweet book about a NYC death dula who while helping people through their deaths has forgotten how to live. I loved that this book focused on a multitude of types of relationships. I really enjoyed this book!

If you would have told me at the begging of the book I would have cried towards the end- both happy and sad tears, I would not have believed you. I wouldn't have believed I would even finish the book.
The beginning is slooooowww and redundant. Think depressing after depressing after depressing thoughts with no change. But then Claudia is introduced and changes the whole book. I only wish she would have entered sooner or the beginning of the book could have been reduced down without losing the meaning or a sense of her life.
But like I said, I shed some tears in this book, so I was hooked enough on Clover.

The Collected Regrets of Clover
Author: Mikki Brammer
St. Martin's Press
Release Date: May 9, 2023

I love originality in books, and Brammer delivers just that in her debut novel. Clover, the main character, is unlike any I've ever read about. She is a death doula, who helps people in the last stage of their lives. In keeping a notebook of her clients' regrets, she tries to honor them by actually carrying out something they missed out on in their lives. Brammer's development of Clover is deep, explaining Clover's background and what led her to become a doula. Clover is based in New York, but her travels are part of who she is and what she hopes to accomplish.

Instead of being depressing, this novel is warm and full of relationship building and personal growth. I found the book to be heartwarming and full of depth. It is a book that will stay with me, leading me to think about what is the most meaningful and important in my life, and how to live it without regrets.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Collected Regrets of Cl0ver by Mikki Brammer. This book is about Clover, a death doula who, over the course of the book, learns to take chances and live life to the fullest. Childhood trauma had made that hard for Clover to do. It was really satisfying to see her overcome those experiences and start living the life she wanted.

The first person Clover saw die was her Kindergarten teacher, but unlike the other children who panicked, Clover held his hand. Thirty-one years later, Clover has now watched ninety-seven people die. At the age of six, Clover went to live with her Grandfather after a tragic loss. Clover is intrigued by death and travels the world to study death in other cultures in her twenties. While on her journey she loses her beloved grandfather and years later still spends her days trying to make up for his dying alone. It was destined that she become a death doula, but in becoming a death doula she spends all of her time waiting for someone to die and has forgotten how to live. Clover never wants someone to die alone, she knows what it feels like to be lonely and she knows that it’s something no one ever chooses. Clover has three notebooks titled Regrets, Advice and Confessions in which she documents her clients last words and memories. Determined not to get close to anyone again because she’s already suffered so much loss, Clover choses to observe rather than engage, helping to keep her emotions in check, but hope has a way of healing and Clover’s journey is about to change. Trying to honor her newest clients words, Clover sets out to not let the best parts of life pass her by because she is scared of the unknown and finds out that the secret of a beautiful death is living a beautiful life. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most of all, Clover’s story will help you learn how to live❤️ Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an Arc of this book.