This one is much more than a pretty cover. It made me question what I want from life and what my regrets would be if I were dying now.

Clover is a death doula. She dedicates her life to helping others on their final days. Making sure they are not alone, help them navigate any unsolved issues, listening and be present.
Instead of using all the advice people would give her on their final hours and live her life more fully, she just existed. Until Claudia...

This book resonated with me in several aspects. It talks a lot about anxiety, isolation, and loneliness. The sweet balance between finding comfort when alone, not having the pressure of others; and the isolation that comes from it. It talks a lot about grief and how it affects people differently.
Was not expecting to end in a romance, but it just made the book warm and cosy despite the heavy topics.

All the characters are well developed, and I can't even pick a favourite. They just bring so much with them.

It's definitely a lovely read. I will be buying the physical copy when out. It's full of amazing quotes, and it is so easy to read. Hooked from the first chapter.

Favourite quote:
"And instead of constantly asking ourselves the question of why we’re here, maybe we should be savoring a simpler truth: We are here."

I wasn't sure if I was enjoying this book, it raised so many questions inside me about grieving for my own parents. But the characters were so lovely, and Clover so gentle, that by the end I was in love with them all. I wouldn't call this a summer beach read, but it is definitely something to read quietly, and then allow yourself to take stock of all the different emotions that have ever run through your body. Recommended.

Be cautiously reckless. I want that embroidered on my wall or on a tile, such wise words!

I know I'm not supposed to share quotes from an ARC, but I cannot imagine this being edited out. Don't we all have hopes and dreams, fears and regrets? No matter how life shaped us into who we are. It is okay to be afraid as long as you don't go numb, and let me add: it is okay not to be living the hell out of your life. Being housebound and chronically ill, there is only so much of life I can handle. But I am grateful for every day I am able to read :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

A good story, I just needed a bit more motivation to get it finished.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the author for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

The Collected Regrets of Clover lets us into the life of a death doula; someone who helps the dying. They don’t provide medical care, but more spiritual and emotional support for those who need it. However, Clover spends so much time with the dying, that she doesn’t really have a life of her own. She avoids getting close to people after she lost her own beloved Grandfather.

But can Clover go through life being so lonely? Or is it time to spend more time with the living than the dead?
Clover is a wonderful character; warm, caring and also very socially awkward. It was a joy to get to know her and the cast of characters, who all felt fully fleshed out and real. The novel’s pacing is good and engaging, and I just found it very well written.

I really loved this book, and I found I resonated quite a lot with it. It was a really enjoyable read and didn’t want to put it down. I find myself thinking back over it, even long after I finished it.

I found this book thought provoking, and couldn’t help but question my own thoughts and feelings about death and grief. However, it was in no way morbid, instead it was almost uplifting and hopeful.

I would definitely recommend this to book clubs as I think it would spark some incredible discussions.

Do read about Clover, you won’t regret this life affirming read.

I really thought I would love this.

Clover is a death doula working in New York City. Hers is an entirely non-medical service - she sits with people in their final days, offer them comfort, accepts their confessions, and records their regrets. I thought this could be quite upsetting to read, but actually we’re not given much insight into Clover’s career before we’re catapulted into a vapid romance with a guy she meets at a death cafe.

Although Brammer seems to have taken care to characterise Clover, there is nothing redeeming about her, and she mostly seems robotic and emotionless, particularly given her job and her reasons for doing it. I felt ashamed that I felt nothing for her, and couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for the events unfolding in front of her.

Perhaps, like people, some books just don’t come into your life at the right time.

2023 Book 14 - The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Releases 3rd May 2023.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's only April, but I'm already prepared to say that if you read one book this year - make it this one.

Clover is a death doula - rather than bringing life into the world, she helps guide life gently out of it, in a dignified and compassionate manner.

She lives her life through those of her clients, and honours their biggest regrets by doing those things herself and thinking of them as she does. Clover is happy with her life - until she takes on a client who manages to unknowingly be the impetus that turns her world upside down.

This is brilliantly written, so easy to read and fall in love with the characters, and grabs you to make you listen. It has shot way up my list of favourite books already - I'll be banging on about it for a while so be prepared.

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Uplighting and moving. Tender reading that makes you think. I found it hard at times and I had big feels but this a book that needs to be read. Will make you ponder what life is all about…

A gentle, literary wade into deep waters.

The Collected Regrets of Clover was incredibly sweet and quietly compelling. The writing had this way of
wrapping around you, like a homemade blanket or curling incense. Clover was a complex woman that I think any woman can see parts of herself in. She was shy, but defiant, curious and bold, but cautious and self conscious. I loved her complexity.

HOWEVER, as a person who’s more social and direct, I found her to be a little self righteous and borderline “I’m not like other girls”. The crazy thing is, just when I was ready to give up on her, another character calls her out on her attitude. And she has to stop and really examine herself and her life. I loved that.

All the characters have a unique and life like quality. The romance element in this story was so unique. I don’t want to give too much away, but I think the way it plays out is wonderful. You don’t have to settle and when you’re ready, the right people will find you where you are.

And finally, I love the way this book explores such a dark and difficult topic like death. The snippets of wisdom are encouraging without being patronising or trite. I felt warm and hopeful at the end, and maybe even a little less afraid of the great unknown.

I would recommend this book to anyone at a crossroads, who’s looking for light and life in unsuspecting places. A warm and pensive read that leaves you feeling like you’ve been given a long, warm hug and sent back to face the world with strength and excitement.

I enjoyed this book, it was quite thought-provoking. I do wish there had been more of a focus on the books where she collected the regrets people had, which was skimmed over mostly.

Lovely book. Though it deals with death and the dying, there is nothing morbid about it, nothing creepy and nothing mawkish. This is actually a book about life and how to live it well. This is the first book in a very, very long time that has brought tears to my eyes but the characters are so well developed there is inevitably a sense of grief when they go.

Buy this for the introvert in your life (without being pushy), or if you want to understand the introvert in your life.

Everyone has lost someone and the confusion and thoughts that it brings can be unrelenting. This novel although not a how to handle grief handbook, definitely made going over a loss a lot easier for me to revisit. I loved clover and her musings, definitely well worth reading, a beautifully imagined story and style

Thank you to Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Loved, loved, loved this debut novel from Mikki Brammer. Clover is a death doula and throughout the novel you begin to understand how she ended up choosing this, has her career. It might sound like a depressing topic (my husband would read the synopsis and choose this book for me...saying "this sounds depressing, I reckon you will love it" but it isn't depressing at all. It is expertly delivered in such a poignant way that the novel ends up being full of heart and hope. I found myself writing down so many quotes from this book. It is a long time since I cried over a novel, but I actually cried a few times. Clover is one of the protagonists that I feel I will miss dearly. (I still miss Cyril from The Hearts Invisible Furies). Looking forward to seeing what Mikki Brammer comes up with next.

A sweet book that I think will be very popular with its hopeful themes of living life without regret. Clover is a death doula in New York, failing to deal with her own grief. Instead of getting involved with other people she numbs out at night in her cluttered flat watching nineties rom coms and spies on the perfect happy couple who live in the apartment opposite. I found the writing was too on the nose, and the death customs research a bit bluntly inserted. I felt it was a mistake to have her travel widely as a young person as it made her isolation in her thirties harder to believe (although it was elaborately explained. Clover is nothing if not self aware). Although predictable, the redemptive ending works nicely and I would be surprised if someone doesn’t make this into a film or tv drama - Clover is not a romcom fan for nothing.

Clover is a death doula, a wonderful, kind job which means she supports clients in their last days. So they don't die alone. While the job is motivating and needed is Clover using this as an excuse to step back from her own life, by consuming herself with others?

The collected regrets of clover was such a heartwarming read. I really connected with her and the characters around her. I loved that it was open and reflective about death, which I really enjoyed. It also made me reflect on how I approach death in my own social circle. From a character perspective I did feel that Seb was a bit of a dirtbag, but that might have been intentional?! And Claudia was an absolute darling. Thanks Mikki for a brilliant read.

This is a weird book but, in its own way, quite enjoyable. The central character, Clover, is in her mid-30s and has lived with her grandfather since she was six years old, following the sudden death of her parents. Lived is perhaps not the correct word since her emotional life appears to have stalled at that point. She has had no proper relationships, has few friends and at work she is a death doula, a professional befriender of the dying offering a range of support. It’s fair to say that she runs away from living, friendly people and avoids situations.

It’s an unsatisfactory life and it takes a new client and a series of events to enable her to unwrap what she has become. There’s a nice man involved and a romantic interest as Clover gradually comes to see the corner she has batted herself into since the age of six while pretending to be okay.

Along the way, there’s an interesting insight into the work of death doulas and some discussion of how people deal with death as well as something about how Clover files away final messages and regrets.

In the end it all turns out okay and Clover survives her own potential deathbed regrets to live another day!

If you're looking for a strong, emotional book you've found it. It might seem from the cover that the book is cute and beautiful. It is, it is beautiful, but also heartbreaking and reflective.

Going into this book I had no expectations as I usually don't when I read a debut from a new author. If I would've had some expectations I think they would've been met. Mikki Brammer put her entire heart and brain into this book, which paid off.

I've been trying to read more contemporary fiction for the last couple of months and this is what I love. I've been put on an emotional rollercoaster and it was worth it! From the first pages I was in love with the main character Clover, her dedication to the job was clear from the start.

This book gave me a lot to think about, for what it's worth we don't know when our life will come to an end, and what if we will end up regretting so much that it will cause pain to our body?
I'll definitely try to be more open about everything so I can go from this world leaving a piece of advice to someone rather than have too many regrets.

Beautifully written, this is the story of an isolated woman, Clover, who works as a death doula. Reminiscent of Eleanor Olihfant, I struggled with the character of Clover and ultimately did not finish the novel.

I am indebted to NetGalley and Viking for allowing me an early reading of this book.
This is a wonderful book. It tackles a difficult subject with empathy and a great deal of wisdom, but without sentimentality. The pain and unpleasantness of death is not denied.
Poppy is a ‘death doula’ whose job is to assist and support people as they approach death, including sharing their anxiety and pain. Over a number of years she has recorded last words in three categories: advice, confessions and regrets.
I was a little unsure about the Mills and Boon romance element but it helped to illustrate a key message: that even someone as apparently emotionally intelligent could have their own problems. In this case the fact that she had not properly grieved for her own much loved grandfather who had died thirteen or so years earlier.
We meet some wonderful people, especially Claudia, a ninety year old who had been a photojournalist in her youth, Bessie, the book shop owner loved by both Poppy and her grandfather, Sylvie, the first real friend Poppy has, and Leo, the grandfather’s good friend who keeps an eye on Poppy and gives the best piece of advice: the secret to a beautiful death is living a beautiful life.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a touching cute story about Clover, the death doula, and her encounters with loneliness and grief; both her own and her clients. For the first 100 pages or so, I quite liked the charm of the story and the really delicate way it dealt with the topic of loss and Clover's solitude. I think there's definitely something here that can resonate with many readers, especially those looking for a story that has a certain softness regarding grief and the everlasting trauma that comes with it rather than to delve into the overly depressing hole many books seem to fall into.

However, I felt there were many things missing in the characterization of Clover. She doesn't seem to have the sensibilities that are required for someone in her profession and, in what we see in the book, she makes quite a few important blunders and oversteps a few boundaries that lead me to doubt whether she's any good at what she does to be honest. There are also quite a few moments (especially in the 2nd half) in which she severely seems to be suffering from the "I'm Not Like Other Girls" syndrome. In some cases, she's led to understanding she was wrong in how she viewed others but, most of the time, there's just a focus on her being different and, thus, better than the other characters in the book.

Overall, this is closer to 3.5 and I did find it a very easy, fluid, and well-written book. I view it as something between a YA novel and an adult book (which is odd considering the subject matter and the age of the protagonist) and if you're looking for something charming and delicate to read, I'd recommend checking it out!