3 Stars
One Liner: Good premise with a not-so-interesting lead character

Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying (and death) than living people. It started in kindergarten, and as an adult, Clover chose to be a death doula. She lives in NYC, in the same apartment she shared with her grandfather since she was a six-year-old.
Clover’s job and purpose are to help the dying pass their last moments in peace and stay with them until their last breath. Her purpose is her life, and a thirty-six-year-old Clover has nothing else to do. Until the wish of a dying old woman sends her on a trip that could change her life forever.
It’s time Clover finally examines her life and decides what she wants. But this is easier said than done.
The story comes in Clover’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
The book has an intriguing premise and a character with a profession I haven’t read before. I like that the story has many light moments despite the heavy topic.
Thanks to many friends, I went into the book with low expectations and a good idea of what to expect. Yet, it didn’t improve my enjoyment levels (at least, I didn’t feel too annoyed, so that’s something). I did like a few quotes/ introspections.
I think the story would have worked better with a limited third-person POV than Clover’s first-person POV. She isn’t a character to like almost until the end, which makes it hard to connect with her experiences or regrets.
The chapters alter between past and present, giving glimpses into Clover’s childhood and life with her grandpa. We can see that he is her idol, and his loss makes her turn their home into a shrine of sorts with all his items intact and in their positions.
There are enough scenes to show the role of a death doula. However, the novelty of the profession is pretty much overpowered by Clover’s characterization, which, let’s say, is not the best.
I wonder if the MC traveled across different countries wearing an invisibility cloak. Even an introverted person has to interact with people when traveling, especially when it’s to learn the death rituals in other cultures. These aren’t the kind of things they share unless you ask. Thus, when Clover acts super stiff with anyone who is not dying, it feels more like she wants people to be perfect and fit into the slots she created for them rather than accept that they are all flawed humans and that not everyone we meet has to mean something to us.
The other characters are almost stereotypes, though Leo manages to shine in his limited space, and Claudia is a ray of sunshine. Sylvia is the exact opposite of Clover, and Sebastian is the average guy we see all around us.
There’s a love track towards the end, which seems unnecessary but throws light on interesting patterns. I don’t agree that the love interest is a way of Clover coming out of her shell or exploring the world. Instead, she is going back to the same pattern as her childhood. Hugo is much like Clover’s grandpa, and in a way, that’s what propelled her out of her self-imposed loneliness. So even the character development isn’t as good as it seems.
Despite the issues, the book has its moments and makes us ponder our choices, decisions, and regrets. It can be thought-provoking if we push the MC to the background and focus on the lessons found in the ‘confessions’ and ‘regrets’ notebooks.

To summarize, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a decent debut novel with interesting elements but manages to distance the reader with an irregular character arc.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I really enjoyed this book. Once I got into it, and it took a little while, I was enthralled with the story that Brammer had created.

While it was sad to be a part of Clover’s job as a death doula, it was also so heartbreaking to see and hear the stories of people who die alone. Or how they are filled with regrets of things they didn’t do or say and now they can’t because it’s too late. It really makes you think about how you could change things in your own life.

Clover’s own story was also quite sad, that she lost her parents and her grandfather and was alone in the world at 20. So that meant she had no one to help her navigate the intricacies of relationships and truly making the most of her life.

I did struggle a bit with how naive and childish Clover seemed at times, and it was hard to believe that at the age of 34 she has not built any personal relationships. But I suppose that speaks to how reclusive she was and was buried under her own grief.

This book was fantastic though, and it had me in tears a couple times from not only sadness, but joy at seeing Clover open her heart up to others.

What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life? This is the story of Clover, a death doula. I find this occupation interesting and think about the people who can do this. Clover helps people accept death, no only the dying but the family. It's too bad she can't help herself accept the death of her grandfather. She still lives in his apartment with all his belongings. Her latest patient, Claudia sends Clover on a journey to find a man from her past. Claudia's story will go into Clover's regret's journal. I enjoyed the story and found some of the characters quite fascinating.

When I read this synopsis, I wasn’t sure where this would go. I was interested.
What a beautiful transformation Clover makes. She slowly opens herself up to strangers in her groups, her new neighbor, Sebastian and then Hugo. I loved that Sebastian wasn’t the one for her. I knew it when he said he was allergic to pets. That would never work. Clover’s relationship with Claudia was spectacular. Reuniting Claudia and Hugo was a perfect ending.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is a heartwarming new release, a contemporary novel about navigating death and grief, and about living life to the fullest.

Clover is a death doula.

This is a relatively new profession/concept for the twenty-first century U.S.A., which tends to treat discussions of mortality as a taboo. Death doulas are trained to bypass the taboos to help shepherd the dying through the process.

Clover is particularly well suited to the task. Her own parents died in an accident when she was just six. However, Clover’s relationship with them was not close. In fact, they died when they were out of the country on one of their many jaunts taken without her. She was brought up by her grandfather, who became her best friend. In fact, aside from an elderly neighbor, he was her only friend. He died thirteen years prior to the period covered in the story – and she was not at his side when he passed, a source of unending guilt.

A combination of extreme introversion and an off-putting profession has left Clover always feeling like an outsider. At 36 years old, the closest contact she has with other humans is with her dying clients.

Clover has a lot of emotional baggage. And yet, her empathy for the dying is extraordinary. If you’ve ever wondered what to say to someone at the end of their life, or to their grieving loved ones, this novel serves almost as a guidebook. It isn’t that she always says the right thing, but that she has vowed never to look away from someone’s pain. She is there for them. She doesn’t want anyone to have to die alone.

And maybe not go through life alone either.

This summary makes this book sound depressing. But it absolutely is not. It’s quite beautiful and life affirming. Recommended!

Perhaps I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this story, I had to make myself finish and admit to some skimming. Having a family member in the long term care industry I’ve been exposed to death as far back as my memory serves. I was employed in nursing facilities the majority of my career. Clover’s upbringing, family and life experience was totally opposite from anything in my own background. It was hard to relate with her or understand how she could be a death doula. It was equally difficult to reconcile Clover dealing with death when she had minimal people skills. She’s emotionally ill equipped for adult relationships. How could she possibly relate to life experiences being so devoid of love?
One of her clients, Claudia, was my favorite character and a well developed piece of the story. Her life, wit, love and regrets brought the story clarity and meaning. The latter section of the book redeemed Clover’s inadequacies. The story is about death but was not a tearjerker and I appreciated the direction of the plot.
An advance reader copy of “The Collected Regrets of Clover” by Mikki Brammer, published by St. Martin’s Press, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own personal, honest thoughts and opinions provided without compensation.

Mikki Brammer, where have you been hiding? The Collected Regrets of Clover is the first book I've ever read about a death doula. Partially because I think it's a relatively new thing and partially because books about death are hard for me. But this is a book about life that just happens to center on a character who works with death for a living. I'm not one for highlighting quotes but I definitely highlighted some things in this one. It was such a beautiful story and I teared up a time or two. I've got my eye on you Mikki Brammer.

This debut was really good and I highly recommend it. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for a gifted e-copy.

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.