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!

A sparkling, poignant debut! I was hooked from that killer first line--this was such a lovely story: cozy, funny, chock full of chemistry, and deep. With so many romances I usually find the B plot doesn't hold my interest like the main romance, but not the case here! I thought how Alison and her mom's relationship transformed over the book, and Alison's relationship to her BRCA diagnosis, were just as strong and Alison and Adam's love story. Adam was grumpy deliciousness, and when he lets his guard down, even better! Highly recommend to light, sweet, cozy romance lovers who love the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and want a layered, meaningful family and self-actualization plot. So good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

I liked this authors writing style and hope to read more from her in the future! I just, for whatever reason, wasn’t invested in this story. I liked the two characters together and thought they really balanced eachother out. It just seemed like they just really needed to figure out their communication a bit more and trusting eachother enough to talk about the really tough subjects. They were getting there but then the third act breakup came in and just blew it up. Alison is just dealing with a lot of guilt around her health that I’m sure people can relate to, so it wasn’t a light read. Just keep that in mind as you start the book!

Would recommend.

Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving bride for the sake of the family and pack up Sam's apartment with her prickly best friend, Adam Berg.
After all, it will only take you four weekends...


It's been a while since I liked a romance book so much that it earned five stars and this book did it. The interactions between Adam and Alison were so natural, healthy, and beautiful. I had such a great time reading this book, I highly recommend it for all types of readers.

Alison's story is BRCA 1 post-double-mastectomy, she believes she has to take a trip to Chile to “be happy” but in truth she doesn't like climbing mountains. Even at thirty, Alison is getting to know herself. Her story made me cry a lot and gave me a lot of happiness at the same time. Adam is a scared grumpy, he has to go through a difficult time with himself, with the death of his best friend and the feelings he feels for Alison. The only thing I didn't like about him is that they don't say how Sam died and every time they mention him, which is quite a lot, they don't say what happened to him.

Four weekends and a Funeral is a quick read with simple English, natural characters and a beautiful love story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the premise of this book! Alison and Adam had great chemistry and had me rooting for them from their first interaction. A great rom-com that will make you laugh out loud!

Thank you so much to Putnam for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be out August 6th.

Readers. I love this book so much! I knew very early on while reading that I was going to love this book. This book has tension, the banter, trivia, serious themes and all the swoon!

"I don't think you're boring."
"Well, that's just a blatant lie."
"I don't."

I really love how Ellie paced the relationship between Alison and Adam. Things did not start off on the right foot but over the course of a few weekends of cleaning out their friend Sam's apartment the walls of Adam's exterior started to crumble. He threw out some flirty zingers that threw Alison and me for a loop. There was just so much sexual tension between the two BUT Alison dated Sam and the awkwardness that brought on. They just worked so well together and they helped each other find themselves by the end. They just had me smiling from ear to ear.

I thought it was unique for Ellie to incorporate something that should be discussed more. Alison is a BRCA 1 carrier and as a precaution she recently had a double mastectomy. She also is debating on removing her ovaries to ensure that she doesn't get ovarian cancer. I have not been in this position but it felt like all the things that Alison was going through was realistic. There are real women out there who are going through this and making these tough decisions. And even the intimacy of it all. Being touched for the first time in this new body and how scary it can be. Alison had this really great line to Adam, "I want you to touch me the way you want to touch me. It feels sexy to be wanted by you, even if I can't feel every part of it." Having a partner who can understand that and accept that, I can imagine is indescribable.

I did my best to articulate how much I loved this book! I truly did not want it to end. I love the friendships within the book and how they have this bond of trivia. And here I am just thinking about the ending with the kind of grand gesture - iykyk.

It was hard to believe that this was a debut. I am super excited to see what else Ellie has ahead!

PS - The gasped I gusped when there was reference to Formula One and one of my favorite Christmas movies Babes In Toyland!

At the funeral for her ex-boyfriend, Alison finds herself pretending to still be his girlfriend so that she can do something nice for his family. As any true people-pleaser would, she finds herself volunteering to clean out his apartment with his best friend, Adam, the "North Shore Grump" who wants nothing to do with her. The central plot is their forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine romance, but we delve into deeper topics as well. Alison is a BRCA1 carrier and had a preventative mastectomy, and we learn about her BRCA journey as well as her journey to try to make her life more meaningful, mostly through outdoor adventure. There is a lot of focus on that though, so if that would be hard for you to read, this may not be the book for you. Overall, I think everything came together beautifully without seeming clunky. We have: romance, the meaning of life, cutthroat bar trivia, Hallmark movie references, school concert shenanigans, and misuse of notary services. I give it a 5-star, since I kept wanting to come back and read more.

This was a wonderful mixture of romance with a meaningful plot.
I loved the MMC in this story. I wasn't sure if I would since it was a single POV book, but it was a nice change from other books I have read.

Let's talk about the slow burn. Every time the author gave me a crumb, I was jumping out of my seat, Giggling at the build up, just for it to be ripped away (MULTIPLE TIMES I MIGHT ADD) Which lead to me standing up and screaming, "No!!!" LOL. I loved the chemistry between them. It felt natural and unforced.

Honorable Mention: "You're kind of my new favorite person." had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Overall, I really loved the underlying themes in the story. Grief from losing a loved one, health trauma and grief, finding yourself. It was an easy and entertaining read.

Thank you for allowing me to read an advanced copy via Netgalley. :)

Alison is at her ex-boyfriend’s funeral when she learns he never told his family they broke up. She decides to play the grieving girlfriend role, because it’s easier than letting his family down, but when she meets his best friend Adam and they have to go through his stuff together, faking gets a little bit harder.

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. A perfect read for fans of Emily Henry and Jessica Joyce.

What to expect:
-Forced proximity
-Grumpy/sunshine
-Trivia nights
-Breast cancer awareness
-MN setting

I think this is a beautiful story about grief and how it can affect people and cause them to go a different direction in life they didn’t expect to go. Grief can be a wake-up call. One that reminds us of the fact that fitting in maybe isn’t always the best thing to do. Sometimes we must embrace who we are to move forward. This is a lovely love story of two people who are lost. They both want to be the best people they can be and support those connected with the ex-boyfriend, and best friend. Yet sometime taking care of others’ needs can cause our own needs to be buried. Adam and Allison are fun characters who grow exponentially throughout this lovely love story.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Alison ends up at her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral and no one knows they broke up. Caught off guard, she agrees to pretend they're still together. Sam's grumpy best friend, Adam, steps in to clean Sam's condo after his mom can't handle it. What starts as a simple cleanup turns into hilarious chaos and surprising sparks between Alison and Adam.
Totally devoured this book! Full of angst, grief, and guilt.
Alison’s friends were perfect but I absolutely loved Mara!

Rating: 4.8⭐️
Pub Date: 8/6

Thank you Penguin Group & NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

You’ll love Ellie Palmer’s debut rom-com novel if you love:
-grumpy/sunshine
-Abby Jimenez vibes
-forced proximity
-learning about BRCA 1
-amazing female friendships
-fake dating -ish?
-trivia events
-being a homebody
-journeys of self discovery

This was such a fun read, & it was so hard to put down. I was blown away by Ellie’s writing: her turn of phrase, amazing character arcs, & ability to describe a situation in a way that everyone can relate to. I really appreciated the insight into the BRCA 1 gene & into the grief, survivor’s guilt, & other feelings (or lack thereof) that result after a double-mastectomy & reconstruction. I, like Alison, live in Lowertown, so it was super fun to picture & try to guess her whereabouts! While some of the romantic bits were a bit cliche & corny, I loved it; it made me feel all fluffy & warm. I was distraught when a particular scene was fade-to-black, because the build up was *chef’s kiss.* Overall, Ellie knocked it out of the park with her first novel, & I can’t wait for her next one.

📝💕🪚

am not usually a rom-com reader, however this book was a pleasant, delightful surprise with serious undertones. So thank you Netgalley and G. P. Putnam & Sons. This review is my personal opinion.
Alison is dealing with a double mastectomy and learning that Sam, her ex-boyfriend has tragically died. Her ‘ex’ whom everyone assumes she was still dating at the time of his death.
Adam is Sam’s best friend. At least he was and they were no longer speaking.
When these two meet at Sam’s funeral, the misunderstandings continue.
With likable characters, snappy and sweet dialogue, this debut book was pure enjoyment.

A fantastic debut from Ellie Palmer! The way she wove the BRCA pre vivor storyline in with the romance was so beautiful and unique. I highly recommend!