The Collected Regrets of Clover by @mikkibrammer

Three words to describe this book: Refreshing yet bittersweet.

This book is the perfect example of the power of character creation. From the moment the author introduced Clover, I knew I was invested in her journey and the people she encountered along the way. The characters had such a wonderful range of personalities, and I honestly think more books could be written on some of the older characters...I need to know more about Leo and Patrick please dear author!!

I feel like readers of Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon would like this book, but even if you weren't a lover of that, please give this book a go. It will leave you reassessing your thoughts on death, reminding you of how precious life is. whilst also giving you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Expected publication date is the 9th of May but you can pre-order now :)

The cover indicates a distinctive novel with a different voice. My prediction is that this will be a huge hit. Clover Brooks is a death doula, who spends time comforting those close to death and helping them find closure. She meticulously documents their regrets. Occasionally, after they've died, she lives out the thing they always wanted to do.
Clover has never had a boyfriend and avoids emotional entanglements. Her best friend is a man in his 80s, a friend of the grandfather who brought her up.
Clover is asked to act as the doula for an elderly woman not thought to be aware of her imminent death sentence. Through Claudia she discovers a lust for life that makes her realise she is sleep walking through life. Claudia's last regret, that she never reunited with a man she fell in love with on Corsica, inspires Clover to try to find closure for Claudia before her death.
A thought provoking and believable novel where romance plays a secondary part to stigmas around how we deal with the dying. Published on 6 July.

What an amazing book!
Surprisingly joyful in small and unexpected ways Clover brings warmth to dying people as she helps them navigate their final hours.
Clover herself is just a beautiful character and her relationship with Leo, her Grandfathers friend, is a joy to read and her blossoming friendships with Sylvie and with Sebastian are so utterly descriptive of that feeling of trying to make a new friend as an adult!
With every page turn I could picture this being a phenomenal film (but as always you should definitely read the book first!)

This book was a beautiful story about the important lessons that death can teach us about living our lives to the fullest. I loved Clover’s story and I was rooting for her the whole time.

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a very similar story to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine about a woman who has lived a secluded life and essentially is prised from her shell. Whereas Eleanor was a lowly office worker though, Clover is a death doula, someone who helps others have a "good death" by helping with the final days of her clients (yes they really exist apparently). She was orphaned as a young child and spent the rest of her life living with her grandad, who also died a few years ago, something she has failed to move on from (despite her job).

My problem is that anyone in such a responsible position inevitably has to have a huge rapport with people and will have a regular churn of emotional exchanges and experience lots of difficult moments which she would have learned from. Plus she'd have to be able to demonstrate her emotional maturity in order to obtain work. That didn't really square with someone living such a limited and sheltered life. Essentially the character in the years not covered by the novel basically did nothing.

The book is a bit gooey and over-sentimental and nearly all the other characters are so nice and kind and all want to mentor Clover through life's travails. There is a complete lack of bad guys. Any kind of interaction with a male character produces a response like "my entire body was tingling". If that's your sort of thing then you might enjoy it, but I found it a bit repetitive.

It's supposed to be an inspirational book about living life without regrets, but I think that there are better novels I have read that cover the same ground such as The Midnight Library.

Where do I start? What a fantastic book. Clover is a death doula and this is about her life and one particular job with an elderly lady called Claudia. Clover was brought up by her grandfather after her parents death when she was 6. She is introverted and lives a quiet life in the flat she shared with him, reading books and spending time with her pets. Her only friend is Leo, an elderly gentleman she plays mahjong with, who was her grandfather's best friend. Clover is introduced to Claudia through Sebastian, her grandson, who is finding his grandmother's imminent death hard; not least because his family don't talk about death or dying. This is Clover's story as much as Claudia's and is about how she learns to navigate new relationships and let people in. When she sets off on a quest to find out about Claudia's long lost love she has no idea how it will change her life. A well written story with relatable characters, told beautifully.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and author for the preview of this wonderful book, I loved it!

Clover helps people die a better death. She keeps journals of their last words of wisdom, regrets and advice. She tries to follow some of it, but really she has closed herself off from the world to prevent from being hurt. We find out about Clover's past and her life with her grandfather. When she starts working with Claudia her life really does start to open up. The story is not about death, it is all about living without regrets. Beautifully done, warm, rich and full of great characters.

A book that is sad, makes you think a lot, yet warms your heart? This is how I would describe 'The collected regrets of Clover'.
Clover is a death dula living in New York City. The story is written from two perspectives. One, Clover as a young girl who grows up with her grandad, and has a strong bond with him. The other is Clover as an adult, who works as a death dula and tries to manage her life.

Throughout the book, the story of her childhood evolves, as well as her life as an adult. What I loved about this book was how clear M. Brammer has written the storyline, and how well the character develop. It was so easy to enter Clover's heard, and to connect with the character. Given that a lot of people choose a profession that is somewhat influenced by their own experience, I loved how Clover's own past made her to the 'current' working Clover in the novel.

Another brilliant part of the book was how relationships and forming relationships was part of the book. There were several themes across the book, but what moved me was the relationship Clover had with her granddad. The kindness her granddad treated her with, and how this influenced her as a character was simply heartwarming to read. Derived from this theme, the book went on to cover more themes of friendship, love and self-doubt, all of which were covered in a way that made me think about my own life. The ability as an author not only to make one connect with character, but also to reflect on ones own life is something I highly value, and which is why I ended up loving this book so much.

Overall, this book was a beautiful yet sad story that also addresses themes one does not necessarily pay enough attention to nowadays. If you want to read a book that helps you to reflect on your own life and decisions in form of a fictional story, this one will be your perfect read.

What a delightful story. Clover is such a lovely character. Constantly giving without taking and yet, as is the way with people like that, she seemed so lonely. I loved how the story progressed and it certainly felt like Fate was playing its part. It’s such a gentle story, but there’s a message within its pages for us all. The ending was perfect and wrapped the story up beautifully. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

This was a fabulous story. I’d never read something that involved a death doula and Clover’s character felt so authentic and genuine. She’d had a tough time of it but was so likeable and I really really wanted her to succeed at living life. I loved all the other characters too, and genuinely shed a tear on some occasions but I don’t want to ruin it for others so I won’t give anything away. But I really would urge you to give it a try. I’m still wondering what Clover might be up to now, which is always a sign of a good book!

Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me. I had to DNF it. Thank you for the opportunity to read regardless.

I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley and found it to be a much lighter read than I expected. It is a surprisingly uplifting book that definitely centers on Clover and her life more so than the people she works with. It didn't engage me as emotionally as I expected when characters passed on and it is hard to say why I didn't make a very strong emotional connection with them. Perhaps it was because Clover tried to keep herself emotionally detatched and that detatchment has been passed on to the reader? There is some character growth in Clover as the novel progresses so it was a nice, quick and easy read.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

Clover is a 36yo death doula, she is dedicated to her job and her pets. The only friend she has is 84yo neighbour Leo. Clover was raised by her grandpa after her parents died when she was 6yo.
Clover is a bit of loner but things change when she meets Sebastian in one of the death cafes.

What a debut novel this is. It is beautifully written with amazing characters. The story is easy to follow and you cheer for Clover and Sylvie, Leo and Claudia. Amazing strong female characters.

If you love A man called Ove, All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle, this book is for you.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is a charming but never saccharine book that really will warm your heart while also gently kicking you in the butt in an attempt to inspire you to live your life to the fullest.
Clover is a quiet, solitary woman who works as a death doula In New York , providing support and companionship to those nearing the end of their lives. At home in the apartment that she once shared with the grandfather who raised her from the age of six, she curls up with with her dog and records their last words in one of three notebooks , Advice, Confessions and Regrets. Each day she picks a page from one of these books at random and tries to follow the advice or make up for one of the confessions or regrets as a last remembrance of her client. She is reasonably contented in her life of isolation but still sometimes wonders about what might have been if her life had been different. When her latest client, Claudia ,a woman in her nineties with only weeks to live , admits that despite an amazing life filled with travel for her work as a photo journalist before she settled down, married and had a family, she has one regret that she has lived with for decades, Clover is determined to try to make it right. Claudia confesses that she met the love of her life on one of her last photo assignments in France , but because she was already engaged she left him behind and came home to New York. With only an old love letter to go on Clover embarks on a quest to find out what happened to Claudia's great love and along the way she starts to realise that she cannot live in the past, she needs to open herself up to what the future may hold and live life to the fullest.
This is a book that moves at a gentle pace and one where characters take priority over plot. There is a story that runs through the book and it is well told but it was the characters that made me want to keep reading, and not just Clover and Claudia, but all of the other more secondary characters who were so well written with an attention to detail that I really admired. The title and subject matter might make it seem like this is a sad book, but in fact it is anything but, it is uplifting and full of hope and I really hope that it gets the success it deserves.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

This is a beautifully written book about one woman and her relationship with death.
It was not what I expected, nor what I usually read but I ended up loving it. It was slow in pacing, but it really got right into Clover's character that I felt like I really knew her.
I would recommend this to everyone to read.

What an absolutely glorious, warm book that encourages us all to not just be alive, but to really live. I adored the character of Clover who as a death doula is more comfortable in the land of the dying, than the living. In fact she deliberately separates herself from the living as a protective barrier against her emotions. The dying don't stick around long enough to make lasting relationships,and participating in the living world has become exhausting for her. As she shepherds people.out of this world, Clover carefully records their regrets, advice and confessions, in notebooks, and attempts to put right their wrongs, and live out their advice. It's all just wonderfully human and honest.
Anyone who has experienced grief will find this book deeply comforting, and realistic. As an ex emergency services worker, on more than one occasion, I've been the last person to hear someone's voice, and the only person to witness their death. This book touched me to my core, and has in all likelihood helped heal some of the trauma I experienced in that occupation. I cried, and I healed, and I'll continue to be cautiously reckless. What a wonderful book!

Well I will always be grateful for the copy of this book thank you thank you thank you.

I had to think a while before writing this as I do not quite know how to do it justice.

This book is mind blowingly fantastic. It is wonderful, charming, emotional, sad, raw, heartwarming, life affirming, sentimental, poignant - I could go on and on.

Such a moving story. I wept and I enjoyed every single second of every single page.

Clover is a flawed but adorable lead character and as her relationships with Claudia, Leo, Hugo and Sylvia unfold you adore her more and more and become more invested in where this book takes you. It is also so lovely to read about her grandfather but again sad. The ending blew me away. I literally wept.

A very powerful and poignant read and without doubt one of the best books I have read in years. I actually think everyone should read this.

You don't just enjoy this book you learn from it, it stays with you, it teaches you and guides you.

I am beyond grateful for this copy thank you. So so very much.

This book shouldn’t have worked. It is mainly about death, a subject that lots of people will never talk about, be it their own or other peoples. But it does work, it’s beautifully handled and ultimately uplifting. I’d never heard of a death doula, but love the concept that some one is there for you when your life is coming to its end. There are no judgements made, they are there to ease the passing of the terminally ill, providing spiritual and emotional support.

Clover is a fairly naive young woman, who is still grieving for her own family, yet providing comfort to strangers. When she meets Claudia, she starts to come to terms with her own grief, and realises that she too must move on with her life. I love the idea that after her clients are gone, Clover collects their last words, recording them in 3 notebooks, Advice, Regrets and Confessions. A real gem of a book. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a lovely little book I enjoyed this one so much , the narrator a young girl works as a death doula in New York and the story is told via a series of flash backs into the lives of those she has helped in the past . At the same time we learn about her own childhood orphaned as a young child and growing up in the house of her elderly eccentric grandfather surrounded by a museum quantity of natural history objects
The novel looks at what its means to be lonely in the middle of a modern busy city and how family can be made through unexpected friendships .
I adored the characters immediately they were so real and well described totally recognisable people , there is a cast of smaller parts all as well detailed .
The author writes with an easily read style and I enjoyed the whole experience of reading this book , the job of the narrator I suppose might put some people off from reaching for the book but I would say that this would be a mistake as the general feeling of the book was warm welcoming and life affirming a big gental hug of a book that I shall remember for a long time
I would recommend if you liked a little hope by Ethan Joella , this is us by David Nicholls or A man caked one by Frederick Backman
I read an copy of the book on Netgalley uk it was published by Penguin Uk in January 2023

4.5 stars rounded up

I can already tell this is going to be one of my favourite books of the year. The Collected Regrets of Clover tugged at my heartstrings; the story was heartfelt, earnest and moving. Clover was a likeable, facetted heroine and I found myself relating to her a lot. I loved how the story diverted my expectations and managed to avoid some obvious clichés. I loved learning more about death doulas and exploring the grief theme.

Overall I'd highly recommend!