This story was what my heart needed. Complex, beautiful friendships, set amongst the decades, with humor, intrigue, and genuine connection. While still sad at times, really felt like it was an ode to those who see you through the different phases of your life - even in the most interesting of ways.

Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC!

BOOK REVIEW!
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Publishing date: May 16, 2023

Well, now that my tears have slowed, I can write this review.

The Celebrants is a character study, focused entirely on the friendship of five friends (six, including Alec) that met in college. The story is less driven by events and more driven by the development of these people as they go through different stages of life but still find the need to return to the comfort of their chosen family. This is a love story of friendship at its core.

We lose Alec before the book even begins, but oh how we feel his presence throughout the story. This is so beautiful to me. It makes me treasure the deep friendships I have and hope that I, too, will be felt when I’m gone.

What Rowley does best is humanize his characters. You know them. You believe in them. The conversations are not just words on paper, they feel honest and hilarious and true. And he makes the act of grieving so fucking beautiful that I smile through my tears. The sadness is raw but real. And just when your heart hurts the most, Rowley has us laughing. I don’t know how he does it while making it all feel so genuine, but it’s a skill I rarely see and in which he excels.

Look, death has always scared the crap out of me. Whether it’s the death of someone I love or a complete stranger, death is a reminder that life is not infinite. That has always shook me. I have never read an author that handles death the way Rowley does. He has a way of making me appreciate the time I have left without the fear that normally comes with it. Each day is a gift. Instead of dreading and anticipating the end, love the present. Every book of Rowley’s is a spiritual experience that rocks me to my very core.

The Celebrants is a true treasure.

Guncle was my most favorite book of 2021! Steven Rowley is not only a brilliant writer, he’s also a composer playing the strings of our emotions, bringing out complex feelings we’ve been harboring. Each of his works makes you cry and laugh at the same time! He knows how to reach to the readers’ souls and captivate them with amazing stories!

This is modern Big Chill retelling couldn’t be more sentimental and ironically entertaining! Three decades of moving friendship story is so unique! At the 28th anniversary of their friendship, Jordans ( Jordan- Jordy: happy couple) , Craig ( mostly punchable but eventually tolerable) , Naomi (grieving her parents who are the victim of tragic accident), Marielle ( thankful for her only daughter and still miserable after her recent divorce) are gathered again in Big Sur to celebrate another funeral. That’s their tradition to celebrate the life after they’ve lost their college friend Alec at the age of 22!
As Naomi still deals with her own grief and Marielle is broken after her problematic marriage, Craig pleads guilty to art fraud! It seems like after three decades later, carrying the responsibilities of adulthood may already exhaust the most of them. They still didn’t figure at what to do with their one and precious life!

But Jordans: the power couple of the group deal with something more life changing. Jordan won his battle against big C five years ago but it reminisced and came back more powerful that meant he would barely live one more year!
For years the friends keep celebrating each other’s funeral but this time they can gather to honor one of them’s life which may shake their unique bonding to the core!

I’m not gonna give much away! This is so heartfelt story directly penetrates your soul! The character building is magnificent! Each of the characters were uniquely developed and you find yourself root for each of them including Craig!

Overall: I fell in love with this book and characters and I’m giving my well deserved five friendship stars without thinking any further!

Special thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this incredible digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

I highly recommend this book! I loved the friendships and the adventures. At first I thought the things they all did together during the funerals were... odd... but they revealed so much about the characters. And the adventures themselves were quirky and unexpected. I even came to have a soft spot for Craig, even though I thought he was annoying at the beginning. I feel like the author writes about grief in such an unvarnished and poignant way. It's hard not to think about his books weeks after finishing them; and this one will be the same.
The message about telling your loved ones how much they mean to you resonated with me, as I'm sure it will with many readers. Gorgeous cover, too.