What an amazing journey of discovering oneself. I love Clover. I think there is a bit of Clover in all of us. Clover is a Death Doula. This was new to me but what a fascinating career. To share peoples last word and give such comfort to those passing over. It helped me to not be so afraid of death and really trying to connect and have open conversation about it. I enjoyed watching Clover move from being quite alone to discovering herself and the wonderful woman she could be. This book has it all, friendship, first love, grief, self discovery and so much more. I enjoyed the author’s flow of writing and the book played in my mind like a movie.

Phew! This book! The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer was a stunning and heartbreaking novel surrounding a death doula. Death has surrounded Clover Brooks since she was a young girl. But maybe death isn't only about grief and sorrow. Perhaps it can be about celebration and life, as well!

Charming and unexpected, The Collected Regrets of Clover follows 36-year-old Clover’s life as a death doula in New York City. Her whole life revolves around death, until she learns how to open up and live without regrets.

This is literary fiction at its finest. Brammer does an incredible job of creating and establishing an intriguing cast of characters and bringing them through a beautiful, poignant story, with so many lovely surprises. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this debut!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Death. It’s fearful. Yet, this book brings new meaning to the word with characters that are very much alive. Some are a little quirky. Some say meaningful thoughts. And some make me smile or laugh out loud. This book is one that makes you look at the world differently.

Clover is 36 years old. She’s a death doula which is a person that helps someone in their last moments. She doesn’t have medical training. She is one that holds the hand of someone dying when the family is emotionally removed. She listens and helps them reflect on their life if that’s what they want. She helps them find peace with any regrets.

I fell in love with all of the characters in this book. Clover’s grandfather, Patrick, took care of her at age six in his NYC apartment when her parents died in an accident. Years later after he passed, his friend Leo in the same apartment building gave her inspiration and comfort. He was her only friend until Sylvie, a new neighbor came along. Sylvie got her out of her shell and encouraged her to go on a date. Yet, it was Claudia that had a powerful presence even though she was dying at 91 years old. She reminded me of my mother who was very direct and like Claudia, asked me to look up a past love that she once had a month before she died.

Clover asked her clients if they had any regrets in life. One person said they didn’t start eating mangos until she was 50 and only wished it was sooner. Another regret was not splurging on expensive dish soap. And, she heard others say they wished they were more in touch with those they loved. She wrote these thoughts in a journal including the last words someone spoke such as: I’m tired; It’s cold in here and I wish I told them how much I loved them.

The book is one to remember, to read again and recommend to others. It’s not just to help those that may be grieving but everyone needs to be more comfortable with what happens in the end of our lives. “People tell themselves they’ve got plenty of time until they’re at the mercy of careless action.” This is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

My thanks to Mikki Brammer, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of May 9, 2023.

I loved this book. I liked Clover and liked that it was in first person because I really enjoyed seeing the world from her perspective. This book could have been depressing if written by another author. But instead, it was touching, and at times light and humorous, and hopeful. It also had a lot of life lessons. I really enjoyed watching Clover grow in her journey. I know I will be thinking about this book for a long time and I will miss the characters. I definitely recommend this book and will be looking for more by this author in the future.

The Collected Regrets of Clover
A Novel
by Mikki Brammer
Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing debut.
This was a beautiful, heartfelt book. It will stay with me for a long time. After losing so many in 3 years, It made me feel uplifting about the process of Clover and a death doula in NYC. Bravo.

I enjoyed this book. Unique plot, nice character development. Protagonist, Clover, is a white woman in her late 30's who was raised in NYC by her grandfather after her parents died in a car crash when she was six years old. Clover is an introvert with limited relationship skills; she is a death doula, helping people to die with peace and dignity. During this novel, Clover has a number of experiences that lead her to question her focus on the death of others rather than on her own life. Short, easy read. In the early pages some of Clover's timelines were confusing. Hopefully that will be rectified in the final version.

While I was familiar with Hospice care, I only recently became aware of the emerging role of a death doula. Consequently, I was intrigued by the premise of this book and looked forward to a unique perspective from the protagonist. I was not disappointed in this thought-provoking, and at times inspiring, novel.

At age thirty-six, Clover does not have much to show for her life. She is single and has one friend, an elderly gentleman who is one of her few links to her deceased, beloved grandfather. Her whole focus is the service she provides to those facing death – a topic/circumstance that is uncomfortable, if not taboo, for most people, despite its inevitable presence in life. In her role as a death doula, she has kept three “journals” (Regrets, Advice, and Confessions) in which she records the last words of her clients to honor their legacy in her own way. Her only “hobbies” are reading, binging on rom-coms, and surreptitiously observing the loving couple in the building next to hers. In life, she is alone…but it is more than that – it is a profound loneliness with a yearning to connect thwarted by a fear of rejection and loss.

This is an emotionally touching story that imparts wisdom as Clover supports a remarkable, ninety-one-year-old woman and her grandson through the last stages of her life. It also has romantic overtones for both the client and the protagonist; in fact, it is the client’s regret that helps Clover face her own fears and open to the possibility of the vulnerability associated with loving another person. The conclusion provides a sweet closure to one relationship with the promise of another just beginning.

The pacing of the book is a little uneven at times and the emphasis on Clover’s loneliness seemed a bit overdone. However, this is a worthwhile read based on the character development and the unique perspective.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

I wanted to enjoy this novel but felt that what was pitched was not what I ended up reading, which was a bit disappointing because that cover is GREAT.

Having been raised by her grandfather, Clover was not there when he passed away alone, so she becomes a death doula and helps others pass on. While Clover may have regrets of her own, but she mostly collects regrets and advice of those who are passing on to the next realm as death comes for them. To honor each client who has passed, she tries to undo their regrets and heed their advice. However one client shares her love story and Clover starts to look at things differently. Because there is more to life than just death.

It may sound like an odd choice of careers, but it’s actually so well done that you will find yourself wishing for someone like Clover when you’re times comes. This book could have been a real disaster, but the author has written it so well that I found myself really seeing death in a different way. You’ll find you want to do more living yourself after reading this one…and you won’t be disappointed or depressed by the topic either. I was so touched and moved by this one that I have already recommended it to several people to add to their must read book list!

This is such a beautiful examination of what we forfeit when we allow hurt and feeling we don’t fit in anywhere to close us off to the possibilities of life. I’m exceedingly grateful to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ahead of its summer 2023 release. I predict I will be thinking about this story and these characters and the possibilities for my own lonely, small life for a very long time.

Love the cover, that was the reason I looked at the book. Touching story that I enjoyed much more than expected. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Quite a nice story, if a bit predictable. I might have preferred this more if it wasn't first person. Clover was trying to be an unreliable narrator, but it was all a bit see-through. Would make a nice movie!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A unique topic with an empathetic MC you’ll enjoy.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a story about an ordinary 36 year old woman named Clover who works as a death doula in NYC. She lives a somewhat mundane existence in her deceased grandfather's apartment, full of his old stuff, despite him being dead for 13 years. When she isn't helping people die, she's at home on the couch watching romantic movies, and spying on her neighbours across the street. When a client passes away she records any advice or regrets that they told her in one of her many notebooks and tries to heed the advice and undo the regret. It's a special ritual she performs to honour the person, One day she meets a new client whose love story makes her see her life in a new way, inspiring her to do more living despite her deathly profession.

I thought it was brave for the author to take on the subject of death which she handled respectfully and kindly in this story. It was oddly refreshing to read a story that ventured into this somewhat taboo territory. I thought the story was well paced and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I mostly attribute this to Clover.

I really liked Clover. I thought she was relatable and interesting. Her self analysis, observations of the world around her, and her thoughts and opinions on life and death were things I could connect with. What I did not like was the cliched message that to live a fulfilling life requires one to travel the world and fall in love. We see Clover obstructed by her own grief, fears, and intense deliberations to the point where she is too comfortable with her mundane routine life. She feels conflicted about trying new things and putting herself out there, questioning whether it is the right choice for her while at the same time grappling with anticipation at the prospect of trying something new. I couldn't help but feel she was a bit of a sell-out by the end of the story. There are plenty of people in the world who have never been in a relationship, or taken a random dance class, or traveled the world, and that doesn't mean they are living a pathetic life. Fulfillment and beauty are subjective, and I wish Clover could have learned to see the meaning of her life without giving into the peer pressure around her. She seemed like such a self-reflective character, yet she lacked perspective and insight. We should all aim to take a risk and step out of our comfort zones but we shouldn't do it because we think we might regret when we're on our death bed. Clover's tension of "should I or shouldn't I" was where I felt the most conflicted. On the one hand I appreciate the story's message of life, but on the other hand, the message was weakened by a rushed character arc and missed perspective.

This book has been compared to The Midnight Library whose message was similar in that you shouldn't have regrets because the grass isn't always greener on the other side. It explained it in a more philosophical way by offering lessons in gratitude and mindfulness. This book however, suggests that the grass is greener on the other side because trying to live your best life is better than not trying at all. I didn't fully resonate with this message and I don't believe Clover did either. Her choices at the end of the story felt inauthentic. I believe that Clover is secretly fine with her life and that she is just suffering from a serious bout of FOMO. I didn't like the judgy way her life was depicted which made the book's message seem a little superficial, as though there is only one right way to live your life. A client's love affair didn't seem big enough or important enough to be the call to action for Clover to transform.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book. Death is an event that has different meanings for everyone, and brings out a spectrum of responses. It's a delight to read through how clover helps others navigate death as a death doula, and discover that she has a need to do her own introspection.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is a great contemporary fiction that I really enjoyed.

This is a story that delves into finding one’s purpose, and one’s place in life. It is also a story of second chances at life and that it never too late to seek and find happiness.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and St. Martin’s Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/9/23.

I was asked to review “The Collected Regrets of Clover” by Mikki Brammer. This was the third novel I have read about death doulas, which is Clover’s occupation. Many people cannot understand that her job is to help people die on their own terms, but Clover has had those close to her die alone. Yet, Clover has been so focused on helping those die, she has forgotten to let herself live.

I really did not know what to expect by reading this novel, but I did not expect to be so moved by the author’s poignant storytelling. Yet, while this novel has its sad moments, the glimmers of hope was what kept me reading.

Four and a half stars and I do not come to such a high rating lightly.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and Net Galley for the privilege of reviewing this book.

"It wasn't just the regrets of the dying people I was trying to resolve- it was my own"

Orphaned at a young age and always a bit quirkier than those around her, Clover Brooks now works as a death doula in New York City. Losing those closest to her and knowing they died alone, she now spends her days and nights bringing solace and companionship to those in their final moments. For years she has kept journals detailing her career's experiences. The dying's last words, advice, final moments and moods, and most important of all--their regrets. Determined to not let their life's regrets be in vain, Clover tries to work their regrets into her life. A means to right a wrong. In doing so she begins to find regrets of her own. Whether fully intentional or not, she has devoted her entire life to giving others a beautiful death and in turn has denied herself of a beautiful life in the process. Clover is single, never had a serious relationship in her almost 40 years--or even a kiss, and her closest companions are her pets and 87 year old neighbor, Leo. While visiting one of the cities various death cafes, Clover has a chance meeting that leads her to a client who will help her not only reflect upon her past, but will ultimately change the course of her future.

Happenstance. Serendipity. Fate. Call it what you will, but life has a way of giving you just what you need exactly when you need it. This story is written so beautifully & is not only a story death, but one of life! The Collected Regrets of Clover definitely has moments of sadness and despair, but it is ultimately a story of hope. I went into this book blindly, not sure what to expect. Several times while reading I got Evelyn Hugo vibes and was pleasantly surprised at every turn of the page. Five stars!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publishing May 9 2023

The Collective Regrets of Clover turned out to be much much better than this reader anticipated after reading the first couple of chapters. Clover is a “death doula,” sitting with people and helping them face their transition. As the story unfolds readers learn that while Clover is adept at handling death, it’s life that scares her. This new to me author has created a story crammed with insight about living one’s life to the fullest and becoming open to new beginnings. It was a book I had to complete in one sitting! I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.