This trope is very a la “while you were sleeping,” and which can fall into a miscommunication trope that I don’t love. But I generally found this cute, and an interesting framework to explore the main characters relationship. I’d recommend!

I would give this book 3.25 stars. I have many thoughts for this book. I thought the synopsis was super unique for a contemporary romance. However, I just found her ex’s family not knowing anything to not be believable? The pacing with Alison and Adam’s relationship was uneven. Their banter at the beginning was cute and strong but by the end, plus this 3rd act break up, just felt weak and kind of like a cop out to add conflict. As a woman in STEM, I did enjoy the accuracy when talking about breast cancer.

Overall, the book was okay but not memorable for me. However, this is a debut novel and I definitely see potential in the author’s writing. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I found this book very hard to get into. The plot just didn’t do it for me. I wasn’t really invested in the main character. There weren’t enough plot points about the main character and love interest to really get invested in the story, I also found it really annoying that the main character is focused so much on her breasts. I understand the author is trying to bring awareness to prophylactic mastectomies, but it’s mentioned so many times I started to become annoyed by it, I truly don’t want to read about breasts that much. Not a must read for me

This book was very cute, but very predictable. It was a good mindless read, but not something that I found myself really loving.

First half of this was so good and enjoyable (banter, fun writing, great character dynamics), and then the third act conflict hit and ruined everything. This book just really loses momentum once the two characters get together, and then it's like treading water. The problem in this case is that the characters conflicts are so defined and obvious, like something straight out of a novel outline. And you can tell that these conflicts lack complexity because they become increasingly repetitive throughout the story, with characters just saying the same things in slightly different ways. the last third of this was such a disappointment for me--it's like the book built me up in the beginning just to sorely let me down in the end

Solid 3.4-3.75 book.

The first half was so good. It reminded me a lot of Emily Henry or Ali Hazelwood. Just a good story, with witty humor. The pacing got a little off in the second half of the book and the big conflict felt weird / overwrought. But this was a great debut and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Four Weekends and a Funeral in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This was a very interesting concept and it held my attention through pretty much the whole book. The grumpy+sunshine trope really worked in this book and I think it would be perfect for anyone a fan of that trope.

I dont think I've ever read a book like this and there's no way to really categorize it. It broke me down and made me cry but it also filled me with hope.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Alison Mullally has had a lot of her plate. As a BRCA 1 carrier and double-mastectomy thirty-year-old woman, she is attending a funeral for her ex-boyfriend. However, when she gets there, she finds out that Sam never told anyone they broke up. Well, he told his sister, but not his parents. His parents are "happy" to meet Alison, the one Sam was going to settle down with. Before Alison could correct everyone, Sam's sister pulls her aside and begs her to not tell anyone that she and Sam were no longer together when he died. Alison figures this is a one-day issue and agrees. However, Sam's parents are too upset to pack up his condo and get it ready for sale, so Alison volunteers to do it. As does Sam's best friend, Adam.

Over the next four weekends, Alison and Adam work to get the condo ready for sale and work through their own issues. Mainly, why Adam does not like Alison. Alison finds out that Adam does not dislike her, it is a bit of the opposite.

3.75 stars
This was such an interesting plot for a book, and I found myself pretty engaged for the first half of the book, just to see how things were going to play out, but it start to feel like things were getting dragged out and I did start to loose interest by the end. It was a good book, but ultimately not one that will be very memorable to me.

Sam broke up with Alison and then, six months later, he died. At the funeral everyone still thinks they were together. He was the adventurous type, she's an introverted homebody.

What's really great about this story is how it explores a woman's journey through her decision to get a double mastectomy due to the cancer gene found during genetic testing. While trying to cheat this disease she struggles with how to live life to the fullest without going the Eat, Pray, Love route.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Grumpy + Sunshine = A Fun Time!

While pretending to still have been dating her ex-boyfriend Sam at the time of his death to comfortchis parents at the request of Sam's sister (I know, it's a lot LOL), Allison falls for Sam's grumpy friend, Adam while helping him pack up Sam's apartment. This grumpy + sunshine themed story has all the elements of traditional rom-coms and is sure to check all the boxes to satisfy anyone who enjoys this genre!

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

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Four Weekends and a Funeral" by Ellie Palmer. All opinions are my own.

First off, love the title and cover. Huge fan of "four weddings and a funeral" so immediately knew this authors taste was good. Her writing was wonderful. The conversations and dialogue felt real. I loved the character development and seriousness that was included. Even with these serious and painful topics of death, cancer, guilt, etc., this still felt funny and romantic and beautiful. I cannot wait to read Palmer's next book!!

I never would have thought I'd enjoy a book involving a funeral so much. Alison was relatable, as a people-pleaser myself, and I enjoyed how well Ellie Palmer wrote the evolving relationship between Alison and Adam. This was a delightful read over the holidays and left me satisfied and cozy, like a good christmas cookie.

One of my favorite things about being a book reviewer is being exposed to books I probably never would have picked up on my own. I never imagined falling in love with a book that had the word “Funeral” in the title, and I didn’t think it was possible to giggle and swoon while reading a book that included such heavy subject matter. But here we are! Ellie Palmer did a beautiful job of balancing out the humor with the emotional aspects of the story, and really made me fall in love with these characters and their individual stories.

Our heroine, Alison, opted for a preventative double mastectomy after she tested positive for the BRCA 1 mutation. She’s grappling with survivor’s guilt and feels she must live a big, meaningful life in order to feel worthy of escaping death. To her, this means she must live a life of adventure even though she’d rather be at home on the couch than out camping and hiking in the mud. She’s essentially trapped in a life she doesn’t feel worthy to have, living it in a way that isn’t true to who she is. Her feelings about her life and her new body are so raw and poignant and they really touched my heart. She’s so strong and has been through so much. She’s still navigating through the changes of losing her breasts, and is facing an uncertain future as she considers other life-altering procedures to further preserve her health. I felt for her so much, and really identified with parts of what she’s going through. As a way to fuel the adventure in her life, she dated an adventurous, adrenaline-seeking guy named Sam for a while. Ultimately, they were too different and broke up shortly before his sudden passing. Instead of telling his family of their break-up, though, Sam let them think that he was getting ready to put down roots and get married. It’s not until she arrives at Sam’s funeral that Alison learns that they all believe her to be his grieving almost-fiancée. At the request of Sam’s sister, she plays along with the charade and ends up volunteering to help his best friend, Adam, pack up his things and prepare his home to go on the market. And that’s how she ends up spending a funeral and four weekends with him.

I loved the set-up for this story. It’s so unique and has so much depth. You’ve got two people grieving in very different ways, going through many different emotions, all while this layer of untruth rests on top of them. As they work together, they develop this special connection that begins as a timid friendship and blossoms into something far deeper than that. Alison is trying so hard to check off all the boxes in the life she thinks she should be living that she isn’t completely sure of what she wants. She’s confused and struggles to be herself. Adam is trying not to think any romantic thoughts about Alison because she’s his best friend’s girlfriend, so he’s grumpy, standoffish, and alternates between hot and cold. But you can tell he cares about her and wants to know everything there is to know about her. As she opens up more about who she is and what she wants in life, he’s so accepting and compassionate. It’s a bit of a rocky road for them at times, but it felt real and they felt it was worth fighting for. I loved seeing them develop and heal separately as well as together. The romance between the two of them is quietly powerful and very, very sweet. It’s sexy and swoony, with no spice. Any heat is behind closed doors.

This book takes place over the holidays, so there’s festive cheer in the form of Christmas carols, a cookie party, and snow sprinkled throughout. I loved those moments so much. There’s lots of humor and light moments juxtaposed with more serious topics and conversations between Alison and Adam as well as Alison and her mom. Trivia nights play a big role in the story, which gives us lots of time with Allie’s friends (she has some really amazing girlfriends), all of whom were really fun. These people take their trivia very seriously! Alison is really funny, too! I laughed out loud at some of the things she said. There’s talk of Pizza Hut’s Book-It personal pan pizza program, gel pens, Christmas music that can never be played too early in the year, a run-in with a difficult parking enforcer, school concert shenanigans, loving someone means never running out of Girl Scout Cookies, and a cat named Colonel Corduroy. So. Much. To love.

The ending was magical and everything I wanted. I absolutely adored Four Weekends and a Funeral, and my love for it kind of snuck up on me as I immersed myself more into the story. It’s emotional and heartwarming and so unbelievably tender and sweet. And funny! It felt like reading a classic rom-com like While You Were Sleeping (which seriously, I swear this book was inspired by that movie because I feel like I found a million Easter eggs for it… Adam builds furniture and there’s even a mention of leaning at one point. If you know you know.). I highly recommend it, and am shelving it with all my other favorite romances!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I was really looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it didn’t work for me. It’s hard for me too put in to words what exactly didn’t work for me, probably the characters.
The premise wich sounded interesting and was why I picked the book up, weren’t enough to make this work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Sorry I don’t have more to say.

A captivating mix of humor, romance, and emotional depth that hooked me at the start. The writing is clever and witty and I enjoyed the relationship characters along with their idiosyncrasies. A perfect mix of laughter and tears.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

After feeling like she cheated cancer and isn't enough for ex, Alison finds herself playing the role of girlfriend at her ex's funeral. Determined to pull off the role, she finds herself volunteering to pack up her dead ex's apartment with his best friend, Adam. No problem, she can keep up the facade for a few more weeks... Right?

Ultimately this is a story about identity, loss, and guilt. Alison is attempting to be deserving of her life now that she's mitigated her cancer risk. Adam is trying to make up for a fight that will never get resolved. Both are trying their hardest but can see straight through the other. It's easy to give advice when it's not your own life.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the complicated and non-linear journey Alison went on. I loved how her friends both had her back and weren't afraid to call her out. The romance was a slow build (I mean, he is her dead ex's best friend) and had the perfect amount of yearning. And the best part is that it balanced the emotional parts with humor very well. Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an arc for an honest review

I unfortunately did not enjoy this one! I had high hopes because of all the reviews I had seen, but I couldn’t get into the story. I didn’t feel invested in the characters and I didn’t feel much chemistry between them. I sadly could not finish this one and I dnf’d it at 30%. I might give it another try at a different time!