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.

"The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County" is a story of family. Family by blood and family by choice are treated equally in this story. This story follows Esther, a widowed grandmother, and her family as well as the family of superstar chef, Ivan Welsh. When Ivan and his children, Cooper and Cricket, arrive in Ellerie under horrific circumstances, the Funeral Ladies ensure they feel welcome through this tricky period.

Esther, too, has her own share of trouble and must lean on her family for help. Her daughter, Fran, and granddaughters, Iris and Olivia, will stop at nothing to help sweet Esther. These women are all very close and will always look out for each other, even if it means saying something that could be upsetting to family.

As the story progresses, we see some deeper topics and themes such as PTSD, sickness, abuse, alcoholism, and grief.

My initial draw to this text was that it takes place in the Midwest. Having been born and raised in Missouri, I appreciated the consistent attention to detail of the Midwestern culture. If it's summer, it's only natural to be outside on a dock with a beer in your hand. The small details of different cheese types and choosing to include specific county names when discussing the summer cabin culture. Besides the physical setting, the people reminded me of home. The community feeling of the Midwest, especially in summer, is unmatched. Swinarski perfectly captured how strongly people care for their friends and families. Esther has lived in Ellerie for the majority of her life at this point and has had the same friends since she was young, and even her Grandchildren are familiar with these women. This moment struck a special chord in my heart thinking about my own Midwest Grandma and her friends who have watched me grow up.

This book suprised me in a really good way. I went in expecting a fairly lighthearted story about Midwestern grandmas. The characters were beautifully rounded and created to change and grow. I felt like I knew every single character because of Swinarski's clear development of each of them.

Between the love, the heartbreak, the joy, and the tears this book really covered all of the bases for me. Although the characters had their own troubles, I could count on the Funeral Ladies to always cheer me up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Claire Swinarski for allowing me to read the ARC of this text. I'm counting down the days until March 12, 2024!

I really hope this author writes a sequel to this story because I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

Esther Larson knows the only way to make a good pie is with your hands.

This is how you are introduced to the main character. Three generations of Larson women live in Ellerie County, Wisconsin: Eighty two year old widow, Esther; Mary Frances, who is a side character but a very supportive one; and Iris, the tech savvy Gen Z who owns an AirB&B.
The story is mostly from the POV of Esther and Iris. The author does a great job of showing the generational gaps such as Esther being a devout Catholic in a small town and active in several community groups, for example-the funeral ladies. Whereas Iris has friends that are Instagram famous and has her own freelance business.

We meet Cooper, the third POV as he and his half sister and father try to find the church for his stepmother’s funeral. Here he meets Esther and she offers Iris’s Air B&B as a place to stay.
Cooper’s story is filled with trauma and heartache. His father is a celebrity chef and very distant. His mother abandoned him and his stepmother was killed in a car accident. His only goal is to make sure his half sister knows she is cared for and loved. However, Cooper has his own struggles with PTSD and tries to battle it alone.
The subject of PTSD and mental health are heavily discussed which I greatly appreciate that the author goes as deep as she does.

Esther feeling lonely falls victim to a money scam and is on the brink of losing her home. Her family tries to figure out how to get the money back without hurting Esther’s pride even further. Iris suggests she get the funeral ladies together to make a community cookbook after Cooper finds an old copy at the storage unit of Annabelle’s and sell it for the holiday season. At first Esther refuses the help but eventually agrees and even has fun putting the book together with her granddaughter.

Iris and Cooper end up spending a lot of time together and falling in love but it’s not enough to keep the darkness away. Cooper leaves to focus on himself to be able to be the best for his sister and the love of his life. Esther also sees the darkness and does not want this life for Iris because she too loved a man who saw trauma and had his own struggles.

Love is choices.

I definitely recommend this book and think it would be great as a book club book.

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County struck me as an appealing story - I’ve liked books with similar themes by Lorna Landvik and J. Ryan Stradal, but, I had a hard time with this one. There’s almost too much going on - there’s the title’s chief funeral lady, Esther, but her story didn’t seem like the main plot, so readers may find themselves disappointed or confused about the story the book wants to tell. Certainly the characters are compelling, but I didn’t find myself anxious to pick this book back up and moved on to other books before returning to finish this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book is told from 3 POVs: Esther, the beloved grandma; Iris, her granddaughter and small town enthusiast; and Cooper drawn to town for his stepmom's funeral who then falls in love with Iris.

Esther and her friends have spent 50 years experencing life together. Especially funerals, where they provide comfort food for the grieving families.

Esther, known for her community service, faces a challenge when she loses $30,000 to an online scam, leaving her too embarrassed to ask for assistance.

Iris is a freelance graphic designer who bought and refurbished a cabin as a rental home for tourists coming to the lake.

Upon discovering that Esther might lose her cherished childhood home, she concocts a plan for the funeral ladies to create a community cookbook, the proceeds of which will help prevent Esther from losing the house she holds dear.

Devastated by the loss of his stepmom, Annabelle, Cooper finds solace in the opportunity to leave the city. Seeking an escape from the trauma of his paramedic past, this quaint little town becomes a haven.

Iris met Cooper when he and his stepsister needed a place to stay. Offeirng him the rental, an immediate connection sparked between them. They both fell hard and fast. Unfortunately, Cooper couldn't outrun his past trauma and when his PTSD is triggered, he becomes a different person.

This book is ultimately about family. At times it's a difficult read because it deals with tragedy, PTSD, and violence. But it's also an incredible story. Because family is the nucleus of who we are together and alone.

As always I like to find a quote that causes introspection or promotes conversation:

"It was exhausting, trying to convince all these people that sometimes love didn't look like a pat on the back. That sometimes it looked like telling hard truths you didn't want to hear."

I adored The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County. Thanks to @netgalley @harpercollins and @claireswinarski for the advanced e-book copy. I can't wait until March 12, 2024 when I can purchase the hard copy.

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County is a nice book. It was enjoyable to read! I give it 3 out of 5 stars because it didn’t blow me away. It’s not that I disliked it, it’s a sad yet heartwarming story. It just didn’t grab me and hold my interest.

I find when there are lots of characters in a book I struggle a bit to keep everything straight and none of them get strongly developed.

This book is such a cozy, lovely story. I adored the characters that Swinarski created - the small-town connectedness and real-life nature of them were so authentic & just enjoyable to read about. I found myself laughing out loud at multiple points during some of the banter. Unfortunately about 80% of the way through the book, the plot had a twist that I didn't particularly enjoy, and that knocked off a couple of stars for me personally. I'd recommend reviewing triggers prior to reading as it turned fairly PTSD-heavy, but I appreciated the author's realistic point of view and would consider reading other books by Swinarski in the future.

I really expected to like this one more than I did. And while I didn't hate reading it, finishing has left me with an odd taste in my mouth. Some bits of it just made me uncomfortable. I HATED the way drunk driving was normalized. Heavy drinking was so casual in this book, and although it was addressed in one of the characters, the normalcy of it made me uncomfortable. I also didn't love the religious aspects. I'm not 100% sure where they went wrong, but some bits of this just felt preachy.

With that being said though, I did like the funeral ladies. Their snark was cute and I loved the relationships they had built with each other. I liked the focus on food and their cookbook was a cute ideal to rally around. I just wish we'd had more of them and less of Iris and Cooper.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County may be the best book I've read that tells the story of a small rural town. Through a wide cast of characters, you get all aspects of rural life - reliance on community, knowing everyone in town, the secrets we keep to ourselves, and small town traditions. This book feels so honest and interesting.

The funeral ladies are a group of women committed to make sure that anyone grieving in Ellerie County is fed with good comfort food. They work tirelessly to care for their community, and now Esther needs them to help care for her too.

If you decide to jump in, make sure you keep track of the cast of characters at the beginning, because there are a lot of lives to keep track of. But I promise it's worth it! I'm grateful to NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book, it made me nostalgic for a town I've never been to!

I really enjoyed this book so much. As I read I could feel the emotions coming off the page. It is written so well I didn't want to stop reading it. It was such a great book that I can't get it off my mind. I adore Esther and i could so see her in a bunch of different women in my life. Iris i could see parts of myself in her. 5 stars.
I just reviewed The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski. #TheFuneralLadiesofEllerieCounty #NetGalley
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I liked how it jumps right into the story but still gives you context of who the character are. I’ve been enjoying dual or multi perspective books a lot lately. Has me giggling/cracking a laugh smile easily.

- Being from Hartland, Wisconsin, I enjoyed the references to things and towns in the area that I could relate to. But the mention of a mass murder at a Christmas parade made it hard to continue reading. A plot point inspired by the Waukesha Christmas parade and Chicago suburbs parade shooting didn’t sit well with me Being that this was a real event that happened in that area made mention of it in the book triggering at best and distasteful and harmful at worst. I wasn’t at the tragic event but still found it difficult. It may be recency bias. Someone with Vietnam ptsd could say the same about this book but it doesn’t affect me as a reader the same way. On the other hand, I appreciate the acknowledgment of the real world that we’re living in and making people think about the realities of gun violence and the after affects in America

- Maybe wasn’t reading closely enough at the start but I feel like I missed an introduction to who Hazel. Esther just started talking about her out of nowhere

- Would have liked a little more detail on the Iris and Cooper feelings and attraction. It’s not like much is skipped over but still feels fast maybe. Like Iris mentions they’ve been dating “for a summer” but it had been 1-3 dates at that point

- I should have seen Ivan’s illness coming but I really didn’t! A good twist

- I hope that the published version of this book will include some trigger warnings

This started as a really pleasant story about friendship and family coming together to help one of their own, somewhere about half way through it became a HEAVIER darker story about a man with PTSD. The funeral ladies took a backseat.


Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed "The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County! What a charming & heart-warming mid-western story, centering on a scammed grandma & head "funeral lady", Esther and her savvy grand-daughter, Iris and her romance with traumatized paramedic Cooper. The local cookbook fund-raiser is a real winner & I love that recipes are included which seem pretty authentic to the area & fictional contributors! I also appreciated the "clean" romance & while I was fine with the PTSD inclusion as a plot device, it is something that some readers may want to be aware of. This novel would also be a good choice for a book club. My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net galley for the complimentary DRC, my sincere pleasure to review it!

The magic of this novel lies not just in its endearing characters but also in the community spirit it embodies. As Iris, Cooper, and Esther navigate their respective challenges, a community cookbook becomes a surprising source of solace. The quirky inclusion of casseroles and cream of chicken soup mix adds a touch of humor and authenticity, highlighting the comforting power of shared recipes and communal efforts.

Swinarski skillfully weaves together themes of family, community, and resilience, creating a narrative that resonates with warmth and sincerity. The characters are richly developed, each carrying their own burdens and dreams, making them relatable and endearing. The story doesn't shy away from tackling issues of modern life, including internet scams and the challenges faced by the younger generation in a changing world.

"The Funeral Ladies Cookbook" is a heartening reminder that sometimes, amid life's complexities, a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can offer solace and healing. With its blend of humor, heart, and a dash of Midwestern charm, this novel is a delectable treat for readers seeking a feel-good story that celebrates the strength of family, the resilience of community, and the transformative power of a good meal.

This book had some heavy-hitting moments and some trigger warnings - PTSD, Death, Gun violence, etc. With that said, I really developed an appreciation for the characters, especially Esther. The combination of real-life crisis, grief, community, and found family really brought this story to life. I was content with the pacing, the level of detail, and the overall plot. Overall enjoyed this read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this one it shows the beauty of the small town and how the countryside rally’s behind each other . Overall a good book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I'm conflicted on this book. I really enjoyed the story of the funeral ladies and especially liked how they rally together to help each other. The part that was difficult was the extensive talk of the PTSD. My favorite character of course was Esther. I would love to hang out with her and glean all of her recipes and cooking knowledge.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

4/5

Overall a charming story about the people of a small town coming together and to overcome. When the head of the funeral ladies at the church in small town Wisconsin is scammed out of her nest egg, can her community rally around her to keep her in her home? With a celebrity chef in town with his handsome son, an ambitious grand daughter about and a charming cast of characters overall a nice read.

I struggled with three things keeping it from a 5 star:
- I do not like mass shootings being used as a plot point, it feels gimmicky and really rubs me wrong. There was a very heavy hand of this in the entire story and I could have done with a softer anchor point
-it got a bit pro Catholicism for my taste
- the way the grand daughter talked about being a Gen Z irked me

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content Warnings
- Language
- Loss of Parent
- Gun Violence
- Extensive talk on PTSD

Rating this one is hard, and I'm torn! I did enjoy most of this book, but there were multiple parts that I had a big problem with and made me want to quit reading a few times if I'm being totally honest.

This was laugh out loud funny at multiple moments throughout but also touched on some very heavy subjects, including PTSD. I loved the quirky/sassy personalities of the funeral ladies. I loved the community of Ellerie County. Everyone supported each other and banned together in times of grief and hardship, true to small town living. I loved the family bond between Esther, her daughter, and granddaughters. These things really made this a wholesome and comforting read.

Here's where I had issues:
Although Catholicism and related practices were woven throughout this book, it in NO way displayed any elements of faith or displayed any characteristics of a true Christian. There were many uses of cuss words, including multiple uses of GD. A 13 year old child also cussed a few times when speaking to her father and legal- guardian brother. In one conversation between two characters, one mentions not even believing while the other said she wished she didn't believe. There was another time that God was referred to "Mr. Hot Shit, "which was very disappointing and honestly offensive.

I can overlook language, and I can accept a character who has different beliefs and morals than me, but the religious aspects of this book just really made me feel some type of way. As mentioned above, apart from that, this was a great great read. I would still recommend this to others.

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon Publishing and Harper Voyager, for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

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I enjoyed my journey to Ellerie County and my visits with the Funeral ladies! I loved the contrast between gen z and the boomer generation and the conflicts that each deals with in our internet based society. This was a fun read with some deep issues embedded in the story. It gave me a little nudge of “Kitchens of the Great Midwest” probably just because of the setting and culture h the story. 4 stars!