Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of <i>The Collected Regrets of Clover</i> in exchange for an honest review.

What a charming book! I absolutely adored Clover, Leo, Claudia and Sylvie, and kind of despised Sebastian. Clover is such an endearing character and I loved her growth throughout the novel. Though it started off a bit slow, the book soon became one that I struggled to put down. I highlighted so many passages that spoke to me and put myself in Clover's shoes as she recorded each dying client's words of wisdom.

Although this book discusses death quite a bit, it is so uplifting and sweet. I highly recommend this stunning novel!

I really liked this book. If you’re a fan of Eleanor Oliphant and/or Lessons in Chemistry, you’ll like it, too. It doesn’t delve into emotions quite as deep as these other two books, but it contains a female protagonist who is just as flawed and relatable. One of my favorite reads of 2023…

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

As a death doula, Clover helps people move from the now to the afterlife in NYC. She lives a very closed life, she is all alone after her grandfather passes away, alone. This is what made her want to become a death doula, so that no one dies alone.

Cloves spends all her time with these people and does not have friends. Sure, the older man in the building she spends time with, but no one her age. She does not have friends, it had been hard to make them when she was often made fun of as a child.

This book was amazing. Dealing with death in an honest, frank way, made me give more thought to the life that I am living and what I would want in the end.

A heart-filled story about death, and life. Protagonist Clover has experienced a lot of death in her thirty-six years of life. Her chosen profession is that of a death doula, someone who stays with those in their last days and helps them to come to terms with their own deaths. From witnessing her kindergarten teacher die in the classroom, to losing both her parents in an accident a year later, to finally losing her beloved grandfather, the man who raised her, it's no surprise that Clover feels this connection with death. Unfortunately, her fear of getting close with others only to lose them has prevented her from truly living. Until she meets a man named Sebastian, and he convinces her to take on his grandmother, Claudia, as a client. Trying to bring peace to Claudia at the end of her life really opens Clover's eyes to her own regrets. She realizes that, though you have to take chances to experience them, friendship and love are worth all the heartache. You never know when your time will come. But if you live your life to the fullest, hopefully you won't end with many regrets.

I had never heard of a death doula prior to reading this novel. What an intriguing and beneficial position. This story is surprisingly heartwarming. In a lot of ways, I could relate to Clover. Her introverted nature stems from a fear of rejection and loss. While it's a little hard to imagine someone at that stage of life who had traveled the world, yet had never even been kissed, her fear is relatable. It was a joy to see her open up, forming friendships and giving love a chance. Her relationship with her grandfather, seen through flashbacks, was so sweet to witness. I also greatly enjoyed her interactions with Leo, Claudia and Sylvie. This story has a lovely message about what it truly means to live. It's thought provoking, and will probably make you cry. Well worth the read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a unique story. The Collected Regrets of Clover touches on a topic that many people in Western civilization find uncomfortable.... death. The emotional journey Clover goes on while trying to process her own grief was done perfectly, and she was a character that was easy to cheer for.

I loved a combination of touching prose and quirky humour and this definitely delivered. It's also a good read for anyone open to exploring the topic of death and grief from a fictional perspective.

Clover is a death doula living in NYC who provides her clients with companionship, comfort, and helps them find closure during the last phase of their lives.
Clover is such a beautiful, compassionate heroine and I loved witnessing her growth throughout the story. THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER is a sentimental and thought-provoking story about self-discovery, death, and living a meaningful life. Highly recommend if you need a feel-good story.

Mikki Brammer's novel "The Collected Regrets of Clover" explores the life of Clover, a death doula whose devoted service to others has left her forgetting how to live her own life. This touching story explores themes such as loneliness, fate, and the power of vulnerability. It's a story about the importance of self-care and the need to embrace change in order to truly live. I quite enjoyed this book for the most part.

Clover is meant to be a vulnerable and relatable protagonist who carries the weight of her regrets on her shoulders. Her journey towards self-discovery and personal growth should evoke empathy and compassion from readers, but I found her incredibly frustrating. She seemed grating and immature for her age, even for someone as emotionally stunted as she was. I also thought her romance with Sebastian was unnecessary; if that component had been removed from the novel, I'm sure I would have given it a higher rating.

Despite my distaste for Clover and Sebastian, the novel's remaining protagonists are so well-defined that they alone make the novel worth reading. Mikki Brammer manages to make every other individual seem real and engaging. I'm excited to read Brammer's next book. This is a book I wholeheartedly recommend.

The Collected Regrets of Clover By Mikki Brammer is a beautiful and engaging read that is thought provoking and tries to answer the meaning of life through death, an inevitable part of our life.

Clover is one of those characters that will stay with me for a long time. As a nurse, I am often surrounded by death and dying witnessing this far more than I want to experience. It has bogged me down and has even contributed to burn out to a degree. I loved this story that resonated with me, and I immediately hung on to Clover’s journey. Clover has experienced death throughout her life from her kindergarten teacher at the age of five then the death of her parents, which brings her to NYC to live with her grandfather, and now at 36 yo living alone with a friend Leo, an elderly neighbor, her grandfather’s friend.

In this very unique read, I found in its story much needed comfort, many people will love to experience.

What an amazing story. There were so many memorable things. Clover is a death duola, which is actually a profession and one I had never heard about. Dealing with death prior to a person passing away also means you deal with their lives. However, this seems to have given Clover the chance to not deal with her life. It was an interesting tale and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved this story! The characters were unique and endearing and I felt attached to them right away. While the story wasn’t a faced paced page turner, I was still very motivated to pick it up and read each day. I loved the love story that was somewhat of a side story and it didn’t feel forced or cliche. The last 20 % really tugged at my heart strings and I know that I will be thinking about it for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this free copy in exchange for my honest review !

WOW what a read. the way the author attacked the topic of grief in the book blew me away. everyone has that one life changing situation you just dont know how to deal or get past. the love displayed even through the grief was well and beautifully written.

“The Collected Regrets of Clover” is one of the best books I’ve read this year. A fictional book about death and a death doula which while it made you think about deep topics, also managed to weave in an interesting story, which was lighthearted at times. There were some analogies about grief and living a fulfilling life which I found very poignant. This was a really good novel which will stay with me for awhile. I need to check out more works by this author. 4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

This was a wonderfully moving story - about a "death doula" - Clover, who helps others find peace and comfort in their last days. It's an interesting take on living your life when your job is to help people die. The first part was tough, Clover is really still mourning the death of her grandfather and the chapters were sad and a bit slow. But it quickly gets jumping as you learn about Death Cafes and other support type systems that Clover sees.

I liked thinking about regrets and getting stuck in grief. I think it's easy to want people to just "get over" their grief so I like that this story really reveled in it and pointed out that grief is like glitter. At first, it covers everything. Slowly, it will recede with each cleaning but it never fully goes away. You'll stumble on your grief, again and again, throughout your life. But it isn't worth giving up all the joy in your life.

I loved the second part to the story, the letters and missed regrets. The story was so lovely and upbeat. I loved how it all came together and the growth that everyone showed. Such a great story.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I didn’t expect to love this story as much as I did. I found I could really relate to Clover, who loves to read and is quite the recluse. This books is truly unusual, but in the best way possible.

When I first started reading this book and realized it was about a "death doula" I was not so sure I wanted to read it. However, I was pulled in immediately to a wonderful storyline, vivid descriptions, amazing characters and I was hooked!!! I loved how this author got into Clover's head and her thoughts would come out. Every paragraph was in great detail, I couldn't put this down. I loved the whole story and I will be looking for this author again in the future.

utterly charming and insightful, really funny for a book about death, but i truly enjoyed it. also so much better than the midnight library oops

"The Collected Regrets of Clover" by Mikki Brammer was wonderful! The tale of a death doula, whom never reconciled the traumas of death in her own life, as it finally catches up to her. Great character development, personalities and story. I really liked this book! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Clover is in her mid-thirties living alone in Nee York City thanks to her rent controlled apartment. She was orphaned at six and went to live with her grandfather who has also passed away, and Clover is alone in the world. She works as a death doula helping people through their last days, so she’s seen her share of grief.
I adored this book. Clover is such a quiet woman not trusting that others will want her friendship or love, but thanks to a new neighbor and her most recent client, her life changes immensely. It was a heartwarming, life affirming novel that I’d highly recommend.

“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."
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From the beginning Clover captured my heart due to her sensitive and perceptive nature early in life. Unexpectedly she had to meet death, grief and loss being so little. Later in life, she becomes a death researcher/doula. This book reminded me how we can use our own wounds to guide and help heal others. In a sweet, soft and balanced pace as I read, Clover started living her life honoring the regrets of the dead- what a beauty! I particularly appreciated that she did not end up with Sebastian as one would think she would. What I loved most: Clover’s relationship with her grandfather, their older neighbor and her job. I immersed myself in the death doula stories with curiosity, so much that I started looking for information about death cafes. I found them an exciting and brilliant idea. We must talk more about death in an open and natural -as -breathing -way, I agree. Why do we live as though we will not die? Crazy, right? This book is a reminder to live now, take advantage of your time in the present, do what you really want to do. Loved it!

The Collected Regrets of Clover is an interesting book. From the description, I was not sure what to expect. As others have said, overall the book is not a sad story. There was one part that resulted in tears for me.

Clover is a mid-thirties woman who has experiences more than her fair share of loss. As a result of all of her loss, she has become an expert in death and even is a death doula as her profession. Sadly, Clover has cut herself off from everyone and lives a very solitary life.

Clover's world is shook up with a new client and Clover must decide if she stays safe and doesn't open herself up to others or takes a risk.

Possible triggers: Sudden loss and/or parental loss.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.