I honestly have mixed feelings about this book. It wasn't really what I was expecting upon reading the synopsis. I really enjoyed the ladies and how they came together to support each other as well as others.

Some aspects of the book seemed a little strange concerning the town, the characters and economic wise didn't make sense. I also wish I had a warning about some of the themes covered.

This book was overall a little underwhelming. It has some nice elements- the small town aspect was fairly well done- but other than that it was not what it seemed from the cover and description. It definitely read a bit like a crisis novel, and there wasn’t enough character development for me to care enough about the characters in crisis. There were also a bunch of references to Catholicism that came out of nowhere and seemed irrelevant to the story. Overall, it was fine, but not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

This book has it all: wonderful complex, multi-generational characters, a beautiful and unique cultural setting, and a love story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is all about female friendships, and it’s honestly so inspiring. Annie, Lily, and Joan are the main characters, and they’re all super different, but they come together in this really cool way.

The story takes place in a small town, and it’s all about how these three women support each other through thick and thin. They work together at the local funeral home, which might seem kinda weird, but it’s actually really interesting.

The writing is super engaging, and you’ll get hooked from the very beginning. You’ll love the characters, and you’ll be rooting for them the whole time. It’s like you’re part of their squad, and it feels so good to be a part of their journey.

This book is all about the power of female friendships, and it’s honestly so empowering. It shows you that no matter what life throws your way, you can always count on your girls to have your back.

So, if you're ready for a book that's equal parts heartwarming and hilarious, then "The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County" is the book for you. Just be prepared for some serious squad goals, because these ladies are the ultimate #squadgoals!

I really enjoyed The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County. The setting was perfect, I live in the Northwoods and I can tell you that it is spot on. I have been around people like Esther and her crew, people who quietly help out, never asking for recognition. They are the best of us. I know what it is like on those beautiful summer nights and also what it is like to get a foot of snow at the worst time. Living up North is not for the faint of heart, the winters are brutal. I liked all the characters and how they interacted. Of course, Esther steals the show, but she has great backup with the rest of the Funeral Ladies. I also enjoyed the whole Ivan and Cooper storyline. It was devastating at times and infuriating at others. Ivan was the one who got to me and made me cry in the end. This is one of those special books that will sit with you for a while. I find myself thinking of the characters often. As you can tell, I loved this one, and I cannot wait to read more by this author, they are one heck of a storyteller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper for allowing me to read an ARC of The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book! The love of family and friends. Strong women who learn it's okay to accept help. The Midwestern setting. All of it!

This story also realistically addresses PTSD, alcoholism, and grieving.

I look forward to reading more from Claire Swinarski.

Told between the viewpoints of a widowed grandmother, searching granddaughter, and broken young man, The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County is filled to the brim with Midwestern charm and comfort. Esther Larson has been making meals for funerals for longer than she can remember. Charitable works are her forte. However, this goes one step too far when she falls for an online scheme. Iris Larson works alongside her family and friends to help her grandmother save her home, but also looks toward her own future and what might lie in store for her. Cooper Welsh is merely a visitor from Chicago hoping to say a quick farewell to his step-mother as she is buried in her hometown. While the tragic events of a funeral bring these three together, love, community, and good food keep them bonded.

This was a sweet and cozy novel that I enjoyed very much. The relationships between grandmother and granddaughter had me reflecting on my own relationships with elderly members of my family. The discussion and exploration of PTSD was valid and a worthwhile narrative as it impacts many people, but did feel a little rushed in the end. Overall this is a book I would recommend to folks wanting to feel warm and happy inside.

Characters - 7/10
Atmosphere - 7.5/10
Writing - 8/10
Plot - 8/10
Intrigue - 7/10
Enjoyment - 8/10

The Funeral Ladies are a group of women that have been providing comfort food for the families in their church for decades. For Esther Larson and her friends, the work they do is sacred. She takes pride in the effort she puts into each meal, and helping her people through life’s transitions is where she finds purpose. Now, Esther has fallen on hard times, and a younger generation will have to step in to save the day.

Esther is not the MC of this story- that honor falls to her granddaughter, Iris, a freelance graphic designer just out of college and trying to find her way. Iris and Cooper, who with his famous TV chef dad and younger sister, has unexpectedly ended up renting her not quite ready Airbnb cabin, come up with the idea to publish a community cookbook to raise money to help her grandmother.

This book delivers on the cozy small-town vibes I was hoping for. It also delves deeply into the topic of PTSD and how it affects sufferers and those that love them.

I 100% came for the colorful cover and cozy vibes. I liked each of the characters, especially the relationship between Iris and Esther. The sense of place in this novel is spot-on: I’ve never been to North Woods Wisconsin except in literature, but I can feel deeply what it’s like to be there.

I feel like some of the pivotal scenes for Iris and Connor that develop the threads of his trauma and how it affects their relationship were sort of glossed over. I would have liked to spent more time experiencing their feelings for one another deepening and then developing the resolution to their conflict.

Still, this book was exactly what I was hoping it would be and I enjoyed it. The characters, plot, and setting are totally relatable and left me with a warm feeling like homemade mac and cheese. 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publish date: March 12, 2024
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins/Avon for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was very excited for this book, as I am from Northern Minnesota and as someone from northern Minnesota, I disagree that “Northwoods” Wisconsin is southern Wisconsin. I was expecting somewhere along the shore of Lake Superior. Which isn’t a huge deal, but that was something I was bothered by. Overall, the story was interesting and the characters compelling- they were realistic portrayals of rural Wisconsinites. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of how preachy the book got at times, but the message was there. I also wish the focus was more on Esther and less of Cooper, but it was decent read nonetheless.

It was a sweet book and a good read if not entirely unrealistic. The characters met and fell in love I felt like in the span of a day. There wasn’t much action mainly just cooking and funerals, but it did showcase ptsd and I feel like the author did a good job of adding that aspect in. The plot was a little thin at times, and the characters didn’t have a lot of depth but they were likable.

"𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬."

☆☆☆☆/5

Read if you like:
Steel Magnolias & Fried Green Tomatoes
Cross-generational closeness
Small town community
Second chance romance
Humor
Multiple POV x 3
Mental health rep

Synopsis: This tale unfolds as a story of love and commitment within a small-town community. Esther and the Funeral Ladies work tirelessly to comfort mourners through the soothing power of food.

Unfortunately, Esther falls victim to an internet scam, endangering her home. Her Gen Z granddaughter, Iris, and the community unite to prevent the loss, but the question remains if Esther will allow their intervention.

Amidst changes in the small town, Iris, fiercely loyal, sees everyone move on when Cooper and his half-sister arrive as mourners. As they arrive, she feels she may have found a way to ease her unhappiness and has found the missing piece of her heart.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this book very much! What resonated strongly with me was the tight-knit and devoted relationships among Esther's family and friends, coupled with the well-placed humor throughout. The writing was smooth and well-crafted, prompting my eagerness to return home from wherever I was just to continue reading!

There are some intricate and weighty themes, but it is refreshing that some of them involve mental health representation. I encountered only one issue, which may be subjective and didn’t diminish the overall excellence of this book.

There are also mentions of faith and religion, but again, not a deterrent.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @avonbooks for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. And thank you, @claireswinarski for these wonderful characters!

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski was a captivating story.
With relatable and endearing characters.
I really enjoyed the setting. Being in a small town in Wisconsin was a great change of scenery.
I thought it was well written and it held my attention so that’s something.
I will most definitely pick up Swinarski’s next title.

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

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. Then, the description of 'a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together' sounded like a fun uplifting read. I love the idea of 'The Funeral Ladies', the power of women, friendship and community coming together through food to help other families and the community. I was excited to read how that would unfold.

Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the “funeral ladies,” she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed.
I would have loved more interaction of the funeral ladies, but I enjoyed all the characters in the book from the Grandma's to the Priest and the younger generation getting involved. Lots of great characters and the family bond is great.
A few parts felt a little disjointed where I had to go back a couple pages and re-read something to help it make sense.
The story deals with some heavy topics, but is filled with wisdom. Some trigger/content warnings would be helpful for the beginning of the book. Flashbacks, PTSD, emotional abuse, and alcoholism are also prevalent.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend. I give it a 3.5 - 3.75 rounded up to a 4. I can't wait to see this book in person once it goes to print.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books/Harper Voyager for the ARC, and @claireswinarski
#NetGalley #TheFuneralLadiesofEllerieCounty #ClaireSwinarski #AvonBooks #HarperVoyager

I loved the book. Growing up in a small town I can relate to the characters. My grandmother being heavily involved in church brought back home. It is a lovely read.

This charming book set in northern Wisconsin is easy to read, with complex characters facing challenges that readers will relate to. The author draws on recent headlines and weaves the storyline between facing personal challenges and tugging at your heartstrings. I really enjoyed it and think our readers will too!

You don’t know, do you? You don’t know you were empty until you’re suddenly full.”

Esther and her friends have made countless casseroles, pies, and cream of something sides for the funerals of Ellerie County for as long as they have called the Northwoods of Wisconsin home. They are the behind the scenes helpers, keeping life smooth. But when Esther falls for an internet scam that leaves her family home in peril, the Funeral Ladies - and Esther’s family - rally together. They have an unexpected help in Cooper Welsh, the son of a Food Network star and beloved daughter of Ellerie, home for his mother’s untimely funeral. When Cooper strikes up a relationship with Esther’s granddaughter Iris, Esther sees the beginnings of her own love story with her husband - complete with very familiar complications.

This book has all the makings of a Hallmark movie, on paper, but don’t dismiss it as soapy or bubbly, despite the romance imprint. The Funeral Ladies is a tender, lovely book about complex topics - PTSD, the continued utility and infantilization of the elderly - swirled with the simple: love, community, hope.

** Thank you to Avon Books for a review copy in exchange for an honest review. **

The book covered a lot of great topics, and I loved Esther’s POV. I wish the book focused more on the actual funeral ladies instead of Iris and Cooper. Overall, very enjoyable and easy to read, shows the charm of a small town and the importance of community. I would have liked the ending to be a bit better developed.

I loved the premise of this novel and thought it was charming at times. I didn’t care for the storyline about PTSD though. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Claire Swinarski's middle grade fiction, so requested this ARC expecting the same depth. This one, however, wasn't my favorite. I didn't hate it either. I'd describe the novel's tone as a cross between the Christian movie, Fireproof, and a Christmas Hallmark. The tone doesn't lend itself to the surprisingly generous amount of profanity littering the dialogue, The characters, outside of Esther, are cliche. The plot is predictable. Still, I willingly sunk into the story each time I picked up the book. Ellerie, WI is a dream. I have friends who will love this book, but I'm not recommending it to everybody.