Outstanding debut novel by Ellie Palmer! I will definitely be watching for what she does next.

I loved this book! It’s up there with my favorites of 2024, for many reasons. The FMC Alison was so funny and I genuinely laughed aloud to much of the witty banter between her and her friends. The character arc of her navigating who we are vs. who we want to bb is so relatable. The MMC is also the perfect sensitive grumpy book boyfriend! I fell in love him along side Ali. The way their story unfolds really gripped my heart throughout the book.

The most powerful and unique element of this book was the topic of Ali’s experience grappling with the emotional aftermath after electing to get a prophylactic mastectomy. I also have the BRCA gene mutation and have been dragging my feet on making a decision about how to proceed. Ali’s story gave me a much needed peek into the future of life post-operation. It gave me courage to make an appointment with my health team to discuss surgery. So to say this book changed my life (possibly saved my life) is not hyperbolic!

My only tiny criticism is that the ending seemed a bit rushed, but overall Four Weekends and a Funeral is a hilarious, beautifully complex story! I am so excited to see what Ellie Palmer writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Rating: 4.5 stars
Steam: Closed Door
Pub date: 8/6

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for my physical copy and PRH Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

This book is a delightful debut romance that’s both funny and heartfelt. The story kicks off with Alison Mullally, a 30-year-old woman who’s recently had a double mastectomy, finding herself pretending to be the grieving girlfriend at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral. The catch? No one knows they had broken up, and now she’s stuck packing up his apartment with his grumpy best friend, Adam.

I adored this book! The relationship between Alison and Adam starts off rocky, but as they spend more time together, the chemistry between them is undeniable. Adam, who seems cold and distant at first, starts to show his softer side, and their banter is hilarious and sweet. I laughed out loud quite a few times listening to the audiobook. The tension between them is palpable, and you can’t help but root for them to get together.
Palmer does a fantastic job of tackling serious topics, like Alison’s experience as a BRCA 1 carrier and her decisions around her health. The book handles these issues with sensitivity and realism, making Alison’s journey feel authentic and relatable.

What really stands out is how Alison and Adam connect on a deeper level, especially as Alison navigates her new body and the insecurities that come with it. Adam is the perfect book boyfriend, handling every situation perfectly, even the third-act conflict.

This was just a joy to read. The audiobook, narrated by Karissa Vacker, is fabulous. She is one of my favorite narrators and she captures the characters’ emotions perfectly here. This book is a fantastic debut, and I can’t wait to see what Palmer comes up with next!

I absolutely loved this book! Through tender moments, witty banter, and plenty of swoon — author Ellie Palmer examines themes of grief, love, and self-discovery in her debut novel.

Palmer blends humor with heavy topics, delivering a heartfelt love story between characters moving through grief. I loved the growth of the characters over the course of the story, and I truly felt connected to their journeys. This was an easy five star read for me.

What to expect:
❤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🎄Christmas, holiday season
❓Trivia nights with friends
❄️ the Midwest {Minnesota}
🚂 Trains, public transit lover
💝 BRCA1 carrier
🪑 Hot carpenter

I was hoping from the cover that this would be a rom com, but it’s a heavier read and slower paced than I was expecting.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Title: Four Weekends and a Funeral
Author: Ellie Palmer
ISBN: 059371430X
Retail Price: $18.99
Pages: 368
Publication date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Read📕: Kindle
Rating🌟: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice🥵:🌶️🌶️
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity and grumpy x sunshine
Language: PG

I was drawn to this book because the main character is a 30 year old woman who is a carrier of the BRCA 1 mutation. I have this mutation and have completed a hysterectomy- Oophorectory with removal of uterus, cervix and fallopian tubal in 2022 at the age of 28 and the possibility of a double Mastectomy. I did this to reduce my risk to cancers.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. I LOVE ELLIE PALMER. I love she is bringing this mutation to the surface. Allison is pretending to be in a relationship with a DEAD GUY! Sam her ex boyfriend dumped her six weeks prior due to their differences. They had a short relationship but durning said relationship he was a thrill seeker with participating in extreme actives, Allison pretends to be happy and puts Sams needs first even going in on this actives.


NOW: She is at Sam's funeral to find out Sam's family thinking they were still dating at his time of death. Sam's sister asks her to continue to pretend. Sam's family was insisted on him settling down while he was still alive. Allison agrees to continue to fake date a dead guy for his family. Her commitment takes a huge turn when she has to team up with Adam. Sam's grumpy best friend while packing up sam's belongings in his apartment for four weekends.

Allison is slowly drawn in to Adam. they have the BEST banter everything is such a natural friendship. They have exceptional chemistry and when they realize they need to come clean so they can actually try to give their relationship a chance. But she has to face her insecurites and if she can be brave enough for her own heart. Their relationship had me in a chokehold. LAUGHING OUT LOUD. I was blushing while reading, Major major butterflies. I felt connected to Allisons story with my personal story with the BRCA 1 Mutation.

I will absolutely be purchasing this book. It is incredible. I think this might be a top book of 2024 for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Ellie Palmer & netGalley for Advance Copy Read (ACR) IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW🤍

I loved how this story was equal parts funny and thoughtful. Between the witty banter, the rising tension and the vulnerable moments, I was nonstop rooting for Adam and Alison. The BRCA gene representation and the deep exploration of this topic was handled with care as it mirrored the author’s own journey and feelings.

I absolutely loved this book! Ellie's writing is captivating and full of wit and heart; there were so many lines I highlighted just because I loved how they were written.

I fell head over heels for Alison and Adam - their journey together was so believable. And I really enjoyed Mara and Chelsea and the trivia.

I have a lot of health anxiety, and normally have a hard time reading books where a health issue is a focus - however, I appreciated not being blind-sided by anything, and that aspect of things didn't negatively impact the reading experience (quite the opposite!). I feel like, sometimes, authors will use a health issue as a tragic event that almost feels manipulative, but that was definitely not the case with Four Weekends and a Funeral. It was so relevant to the. plot here, and to Alison as a character, that it didn't feel like it could have been any other way. I appreciated the author's care and vulnerability here.

An easy 5 stars, and I cannot wait to read whatever Ellie writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam (via the best Happy to Meet Cute podcast!) for the ARC.

Handled some deeper topics while keeping it lighthearted. Slow start, but the romance picked up after a bit and was worth investing in.

Thanks to @bookedwiththeemilys @elliepalmerwrites @putnam books for the #gifted copy of this book.

Summary: Alison Mullally, thirty years old and a post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier, arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral only to find out that no one knows they ended months ago. She reluctantly agrees to play the role of his girlfriend to help the family pack up Sam's apartment. The only problem is that she has to pack with Sam's grumpy best friend, Adam Berg. The only saving grace: It should only take four weekends...

Thoughts: What a debut!! This book pulled at all my heartstrings... It had me laughing but also close to tears. The banter between Adam and Alison was fantastic and made me laugh out loud a few times. I loved the forced proximity of having to clean out Sam's apartment together, even though their reasons to help were very different. Their relationship progressed at such a natural pace that it felt real, especially since Alison was not still hung up on feelings for Sam. Adam was so swoon-worthy with the small things he did for Alison. The grand gesture at the end... well it was worth it!!

There were times when it was hard for me to hear all of Alison's guilt over "cheating" cancer through her preventive surgeries. It took her a long while to figure out how thankful she should be for the opportunity she was given. I've watched several family members with breast cancer who had to endure different treatments, that I'm sure would have been grateful to have the opportunity to prevent it. I'm so grateful that Alison finally realized (through the help of therapy) that she could be grateful without feeling guilty for the path she was able to take.

Forced proximity brings fated mates Alison and Adam together after the death of Adam's best friend and Alison's ex-boyfriend Sam. Tasked with cleaning out Sam's condo, these two spend the weekends together, which could be the start of something big between them.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is a story of loss, love, and self-discovery. It covers these important topics while revolving around a FMC who has recently had a double mastectomy and reconstruction following a BRCA diagnosis. I was so surprised to see that again so soon in a book after reading Just Playing House! I'm so glad authors are broaching tough subjects like these in Romance!

This was a cute book overall, I'm thankful I had the opportunity to read it on @netgalley

Points for a clever and absolutely fitting title. Alison Mullally attends her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral. (Oddly it is never revealed how he dies.) Once there she is greeted as his current girlfriend as seemingly his friends and parents didn’t know they had broken up. Being a people pleaser she offers to help his grieving parents by cleaning out his condo. Sam’s friend Adam Berg offers to help as well saying it should take a few weekends. She’s never met Adam as he lives a couple hours away and was the friend that always canceled or didn’t come to town for Sam’s party’s and activities.

Kind of like Abby Jimenez the author has more going on than just romance. There is a whole side story on Alison being a BRCA1 carrier and she has recently completed a double mastectomy while only being 30. She grieves the loss of her breast and yet feels guilty that she gets a pass from actually having cancer like her mother. The whole thing brings a more serious tone to the story. To lighten it up, she has two wonderful best friends who get some of the best lines in the book. Adam has some issues of his own that he needs to deal with. But one thing is for sure they are attracted to each other.

This is a bit on the heavy side but still has humor and character growth. It fades to black or is off the page when things heat up between the pair. I enjoyed the story more than I expected just based on the blurb. It is well worth the time I spent reading the book.

Short synopsis: Attending the funeral of her recently ex boyfriend Sam, Alison doesn’t correct anyone when they think they were still dating before his death. Meeting his best friend Adam for the first time, the two agree to work together to clean Sam’s house to sell.

My thoughts: This book was an easy five stars from me! So much heart, tender moments, swoony scenes, movement through grief and growth, and hilarious banter.

I’m currently obsessing over Adam and Alison! I loved their banter as they fixed up the house together and grew in their friendship. I also adored the friend group and their trivia nights, they were so loving and supportive and called Alison out when she needed it.

There is so much growth in this book, from Alison deciding medically what her journey looks like, to the steps she’s going to take to find her own happiness.

Read if you love:
- Breast cancer survivor stories
- Trivia nights
- Christmas music
- Great friend groups
- Grumpy sunshine

This was such a fun debut! I found Alison very relatable - endless people pleasing, nerdiness, love of Christmas, difficulty to enjoy hiking and the outdoors, I could go on. Adam was a really sweet and supportive love interest. One of my favorite parts about their relationship was how much they supported each other’s goals and interests!

The two best friends were also great. I loved their discussions and inside jokes - they felt very real, and I would love to go to trivia with them! I also appreciated the representation of BRCA1 carriers, and the exploration of how the diagnosis impacted Alison physically, socially, and emotionally.

Of course, the Minnesota setting was also a great time. I haven’t read too many books set here, so it was really fun to read about places I’m familiar with and some local culture.

Overall, this was a great debut romance and I can’t wait to see what Ellie Palmer comes up with next!

Run, don’t walk to preorder this amazing book by debut author Ellie Palmer!!

Alison finds herself dating her ex boyfriend again. The only issue? He’s dead. When Alison finds out that her ex boyfriend never told his family they’d broken up before he unexpectedly passed away, she finds herself agreeing to play the part of his girlfriend and helping his best friend clean out his apartment. On top of her growing attraction to Adam, which she’s sure he doesn’t reciprocate, Alison is coming to terms with her life post-BRCA diagnosis and post-preventative mastectomy surgery.

Palmer brings this romcom to life while blending humor with heavy topics and a complicated love story. And it’s chock full of While You Were Sleeping vibes (complete with her very own spin on a Joe Jr character!) You will not want to miss this beautiful story that I’m positive will be one of my top reads of the year!

A big thank you to Net Galley, Putnam books and Ellie Palmer for providing an ARC of this beautiful story in exchange for my honest review!

Four Weddings and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

4.25/5⭐️
🚪(fade to black)
2/3🦋

•Blurb•
Swipe for published blurb.

•My Thoughts•
I had such a great time with this one! A book that made me FEEEEEL so much that I kind of didn’t know what to do with all of my emotions. I laughed and giggled at the banter, 90s nostalgia and Alison’s friends. I teared up as our MCs dealt with their grief and navigated some really hard personal topics. Alison, our FMC, discovered she has BRCA1 gene after her mom had cancer and she opted to have a double mastectomy. This was a heavy part of the book and it explored her feelings of survivor guilt and how she thought of and dealt with everything - it was both fascinating and heartbreaking to have this window. Our MMC, Adam, was perfectly grumpy, swoony and sweet. He was dealing with his own personal issues and the combo allowed for this feel of a “real life” romance. Normal people dealing with hard things that life throws at them and learning to be content. Defintiely commend!!

Thank you @bookedwiththeemilys @putnambooks @elliepalmerwrites for the #gifted copy.

The BEST kind of surprise, this grabbed my attention from the first few pages and never let go. I'm truly impressed by how deftly this debut author navigated a storyline that contains such heavy elements, while also infusing it with so much humor, sexual tension, and SWOONS. The forbidden aspect dialed the tension up another notch - these two had palpable chemistry. It's technically closed door, but you can feel the heat. And even though we didn't get the hero's perspective, it was easy to see that he was GONE for his girl. I loved the little breadcrumbs that showed the deeper connection, all while enjoying that instant friction. Peeling back the layers of this stubborn grump was so much fun, and he really is the perfect match for our strong and resilient heroine. She's gone through a lot in her life and is still grappling with some of the changes, so watching the hero be quietly supportive and loving was immensely satisfying. The story touches on too many heavy topics to be a good fit for every reader, but it handles those topics very well. I loved it!

Please note that breast cancer is central to the story, so be kind to yourself if that's a trigger for you. The story follows Alison, a woman who briefly dated a wild, adventurous man shortly before he passed away. Alison recently underwent preventative cancer treatment, and that's made her feel like she needs to do more with her life - even if being adventurous is the last thing this homebody wants to do. While attending her ex's funeral, Alison discovers that he never told his family that they broke up. They all believe she's his grieving girlfriend, and Alison doesn't have the heart to correct them. In fact, she soon finds herself volunteering to help clean out her ex's place, and that's how Alison ends up spending four weekends with her ex's best friend. Adam is even grumpier and more set in his ways in person (they'd only met via group chat in the past), but there's something about him that is oddly appealing. As the two box up their mutual friend's belongings, they discover a connection that neither anticipated.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this debut, but I loved the freshness of the blurb. Complex love stories can be some of the most impactful, and that was definitely the case here. Both characters are grieving a loss in different ways, which influences their every interaction. Adam believes that he’s falling for his best friend’s girl, and that causes some angst and friction. I also loved the representation of a heroine who has undergone a double mastectomy and is still grappling with her BRCA mutation diagnosis. It’s not something I’ve ever seen represented in a romance book before, and it adds a richness to the story. Adam is such a big, grumbly man, but he is nothing but kind and supportive when it counts. You could feel his love throughout. I also loved that the story is genuinely funny at times. Maybe not a true rom com, but the lightness provides such a great contrast to the heavier elements. It’s pretty stellar for a debut, and I’m excited to see what’s next from the author.

Think of that one episode of New Girl where Jess goes to an ex boyfriend's funeral only to discover that he never told anyone he'd dumped his ex before Jess so she pretends to be his coworker, except the FMC is the first ex that the family thinks was still with him. It's that, plus a hot guy and a great discussion on grief.

I appreciated the little dip (not quite a deep dive, but a swim none the less) into grieving, but it felt a bit predictable. Everything was laid out a bit too well that I could see the full character arc by chapter 3, then I felt frustrated when the characters arcs were unfolding at a normal pace because I got to the conclusion long before they did. If it was a bit less obvious, I would've appreciated the journey more.

Overall, a solid read. It was good.

A huge thank you to Ellie Palmer, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC <3

This book is my new obsession. I loved the unique premise and mentions of familiar Minnesota landmarks! Alison was a very likable main character who is on a self-acceptance journey that will resonate with many readers. Not to mention the chemistry between the main characters was perfect. Thank you PRH Audio and Putnam for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

An endearing debut! Will be excited to see what comes next!

This book starts off at the funeral of Alison's ex-boyfriend - Sam, yet his family does not seem to know they had broken up. Sam's family cannot bear the thought of going through Sam's personal effects and readying his house for sale. Enter Alison and Adam (Sam's best friend), who are tasked with getting the house ready for sale. It's a bit of a grumpy sunshine situation. Adam is not the friendliest at first, but their friendship grows into more as they sort through Sam's belongings over the course of 4 weekends.

I appreciated that this book was set in the Twin cities. I have never read anything set there before and I was interested to learn more about the area.

Additionally, this book gives great representation to BRCA-1 genetic carriers, of which Alison is one. It is so interesting to delve into the mind of a character who feels they have "cheated cancer" by proactively seeking a mastectomy. I read that the author is also a BRCA carrier, and this no doubt influenced her writing.

This book was so delightful and fun! I loved Adam’s grumpiness, and I feel like this is an original/new storyline that hasn’t been written before. I really enjoyed reading it and will be recommending it to everyone!