It is a beautiful melancholic love story with an unexpected premise. This is perfect for others who also have a death fixation.

A sweet story, full of sentiment and how to live while constantly trying to make death feel beautiful

This book started slow but picked up as I read/listened. It's almost a coming of age novel for a woman who is in her 30s. Clover is an interesting character who learns to stop living through others.

Clover Brooks is a 'death doula'. She has a master's degree in thanatology, the study of death and the losses brought about as a result. She lives alone in a brownstone in the West Village of New York, and has only one friend, her eighty-seven year old neighbour. She is a loner, with a dog and two cats. She loves to read, but not socialize. She was raised by her grandfather after her parent's death and she loved him dearly. When he died while she was away, she became a death doula, to help others on their final journey, so they would not be alone. Clover is hired by Claudia's grandson, Sebastian, but the family is having a hard time dealing with her cancer, and they won't talk about it. Claudia has regrets and asks Clover to help her with one of her biggest regrets, so she heads off on a cross country trip and re-examining her life, her regrets and how to move forward in a less cautious way. Sebastian and Clover become attracted to one another, and there might be love in the air. There is also a new tenant in the building, and it looks like Clover might have a friend. with all this going on, it looks like Clover's life might be changing.

This was an interesting book, one that I really liked at time, and was ambivalent about at others. Clover was a character that I had a hard time liking. She was a confident twenty year old, traveling the world, then became a mid thirties recluse with no self-esteem. I know she was devastated by her grandfather's death, but she became really annoying at times. Her role as a death doula also had her recording the last conversations with the dying and found they were often regrets, but also secrets or accomplishments. Clover grows a lot in this story and decides she needs to open up to others and live. I really liked Sebastian's character, he was my favourite and I loved how he helped Clover come out of her shell. This is Mikki Brammer's debut book and I will watch for more of her work. I enjoyed the story overall, I just wish I had liked Clover more.

Clover Brooks has long been acquainted with the specter of death, but perhaps it's time for her to embrace life's possibilities.

From a tender age, Clover has been touched by loss: witnessing her kindergarten teacher's collapse at five, followed by the tragic death of her parents in a vacation mishap in China at six. Raised by her devoted maternal grandfather in New York City, she finds solace in the quiet routines of her existence. Now, at 36, she continues to reside in her grandfather's West Village apartment, maintaining her role as a death doula—an emotionally taxing yet fulfilling vocation. Her closest companions are her pets and her elderly neighbor, her only confidants in a world marked by solitude.

Despite her contentment with the status quo, fate intervenes in unexpected ways. Sebastian seeks her assistance in comforting his ailing grandmother, Claudia, while Sylvie becomes a new neighbor downstairs. Through these connections, Clover embarks on a journey of self-discovery, grappling with her own grief and guilt while forging new relationships and confronting her past.

In Brammer's skillful hands, what could have descended into cliché blossoms into a poignant narrative of vulnerability and resilience. As Clover navigates the complexities of love, loss, and human connection, the story strikes a delicate balance between sentimentality and genuine emotion, leaving a profound impact on the reader.

A heartfelt exploration of life's fragile beauty, "Walks the edge of sentimentality with poignant success" is a testament to Brammer's ability to infuse familiar themes with depth and authenticity.

💐The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Braumer: Clover is a death doula with no life of her own, who is pushed out of her comfort zone by a client and finds a new lease on life, and (you guessed it) romance. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman will probably life this one.

“The Collected Regrets of Clover” is a beautiful book, and also a very thought-provoking book. Clover is a death doula, which she describes as helping people die with dignity and peace, which can involve helping them reflect on their lives and work through unresolved issues. Clover keeps a series of journals in which she writes down the final words of her clients, which fall into the categories of advice, confessions or regrets, as well as things she found particularly noteworthy about them during the time she spent with them. However, her job, her journals, and her general interest in death traditions and rituals are also a way of hiding from life. She has always been a loner, never good at making friends. She does not really venture out of her comfort zone. Yet, her interactions with her newest client, Claudia, as well as other events I will let the reader discover, will finally push Clover to open herself up and try to really embrace life, so she has fewer regrets when her time comes.

The message of the book is quite poignant. We don’t know how long we have to live, but yet we often let fear, societal expectations, etc. hold us back from chasing our dreams, trying new things, taking risks, or even just telling others how important they are to us, leaving us with regrets for missed opportunities.

Clover, is our protagonist and death doula. We follow her as we accompanies the dying and attempts to make sense of all the last words and shared wisdom of those she serves. Definitely a tough read if you're grieving, but the novel offers a fresh perspective on death.

Clover is an inspiration for considering accompanying another person on their journey and transition from this life to what’s next. The novel flows and draws you in. Beamer’s characters are compelling and interesting. They draw us in and make us care. Bravo!

Enveloped in warmth and emotion, this book delivers a delightful journey of love and connection with its endearing characters. While I found myself deeply enamored with the protagonists, I yearned for a deeper exploration of their intricate personalities. Nevertheless, the overall experience was immensely enjoyable, leaving a lasting impression.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a story of a woman who helps those transition from this life to death, and how to accept it gracefully and come to terms with it. Throughout her journey of healing others, she then heals parts of herself she did not know needed healing.
This is a story that will leave you to examine your relationship with death and make you view how you are living your life.

Clover is a death doula who spends more time with the dying than the living. After her beloved grandfather died alone, she finds purpose in ensuring that people have someone by their side when they pass. She keeps notes on the regrets, advice, and confessions they share–recognizing they are valuable insights, but rarely making changes in her own lonely life. When a client shares a story about a long-lost love, Clover sets off on a journey to see if the two can be reunited–a journey that could finally be the catalyst for change in her own life, if she lets it.

This was a charming read that had a lot to say about living without regret, and about how easy it can be to become isolated when you’re struggling with something. I wasn’t a fan of the relationship with her client’s son, but otherwise I liked Clover and the various friendships that helped to draw her out. A good choice for anyone who likes feel-good reads about unlikely friendships.

Love this cover and gorgeous book. It was different than what I’ve read in awhile. It definitely had a slow build though.

This book really took me by surprise on how much I loved it. I can't say that I've ever heard of a death doula, but it certainly made for a great read. Both quirky and heartfelt, I highly recommend this one 💛 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had #read so many #reviews absolutely raving about this one and it did not disappoint. This is a short, sweet, beautifully written little #book that gracefully touches on the subject of death, life, grief, loneliness, love, and everything in between. I was a little nervous at first because Clover was first presented in a light similar to the fairly popular (and honestly not my favorite, I think it’s been far too overdone in the past year or two) trope of the socially awkward, clueless 27-33 year old female character. However, Clover was a pleasant surprise, and her caring, quirky, deep feeling self absolutely won me over.

•

Clover has experienced quite a bit of death in her life. Orphaned as a child, grieving a recent and devastating loss, and currently a death doula - a job that entails doing whatever it takes to ensure that people are at peace, not alone, and have some closure in their last few days of life - she is not shy about broaching the taboo subject of death.

•

Through her job, Clover has always kept journals that note the last words of the people she comforts in their last moments on Earth, all of which fall into a few categories: regrets, advice, or confessions. Unfortunately, after taking on a new, unorthodox client who she begins to grow more attached to than usual, Clover begins to realize that for all that she has given to others and for all of the takeaways she’s gotten from people in their last breaths, she herself may have missed the entire point, and completely forgotten to live a life worth living.

•

This one will have you feeling so much love, sympathy, heartbreak, hope, and joy, and remind you that it’s never too late to make new friends, tell someone you love them, travel, apologize, right a wrong, start over, and - above all - begin living.

This cover is so pretty, and I admit, it's what initially intrigued me about this book! The story itself is engaging, though not quite what I was, perhaps, hoping for and didn't hold my attention as much as I thought. All in all, however, a well written book with well developed characters.

5 surprisingly superb stars!

A charming, unique, endearing, thought-provoking, memorable read!

Thirty-six year old Clover is a death doula. Her job is to comfort the dying in their last days on earth. Clover lives an introverted life outside of work, finding companionship with her dog and two cats. Raised by her grandpa since the age of six, she lives alone in the apartment he left to her when he died thirteen years prior.

Prior to reading this, I had not heard of a death doula or death cafe. Clover seemed to be the perfect fit for this career choice and I enjoyed learning about these fascinating concepts through her character.

Clover is an endearing and unforgettable character. She is quirky, awkward and loveable. She got to my heart immediately. I found her to be a mix between Maddie from Maame and Eleanor Oliphant, both books that I adored.

The second half of the book had some “cute factor” which is usually a turn off for me. However, it wasn’t an overly powerful cuteness, just the suggestion of it so it didn’t overshadow any of the plot or writing for me. It wasn’t enough to take any stars away.

This book shares some very thought-provoking topics surrounding death and living without regrets. It is a book that I feel will make an impact on every single reader who picks it up.

The writing, the characters, the setting, the plot, the pace — I loved it all! I was shocked to find out this is a debut novel. I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did and am happy to report this makes my 2024 Favourites List. I cannot wait to see what this very talented author comes out with next! Highly recommend!

Some quotes that I loved:

“I didn’t need more books, but I liked the rush of dopamine that came from finding a new title to add to my potential reading list.”

“Grief is just love looking for a place to settle.”

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

I really wanted to love this. Clover was endearing, and a complicated character. But it took her so long to just... figure it out? I was incredibly bored by the end of everything. An unnecessary slog.

DNF @ 16%. Really going against the grain here, but for a book about death this is surprisingly… boring? Something’s missing for me.

It was ok. Maybe someone looking for a philosophy-lite book about embracing life might find this more to their liking than I did.

I was highly intrigued by the idea of Clover's profession as a death doula, and liked the snippets about how death is treated in other cultures.

However, the characters (especially Clover) read as robots trying to figure out how to behave based on what they've seen in Hallmark movies and sitcoms.