I really enjoyed reading this! The characters are very charming and relatable- the chemistry is perfect. This book would make the perfect early 2000s rom com movie.

The book opens up with the main character Alison attending the funeral of her ex-boyfriend Sam. Sam never told his family they broke up, so they still believe they were dating when he passed. To make this easier on the family she takes on the roll of the heartbroken girlfriend. She agrees to clear out his apartment with Adam, Sam’s best friend. This novel deals with grief, and there were many raw moments throughout the book.
Along side the grief of Sam, Alison has the BRCA 1 gene mutation. She has already had preventative surgery and feels like she needs to do more with her life, be more adventurous. She goes out of her way to try adventurous things even when that’s not who she really is.
This book was SOOO amazing. It dealt with sensitive topics in an amazing way. And the romance with Adam is one of the best I’ve read in a long time! The banter between them had me giggling. The characters felt so real and human it was really refreshing.

2.5 stars rounded up…. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC which puts a particular damper on a romance book. I liked the plot and there were a few cute moments that I enjoyed but overall this wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Good read but I feel like it hit on the “survivors guilt” by cheating a cancer diagnosis too much. I did enjoy navigating Alison’s journey though!

Thank you to Net Galley and the Penguin Group for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I'm shocked that this is a debut novel - it really does such a great job of creating and interesting premise and giving us a main character who feels real and like she has real life problems. This book was quick to generate empathy and help us understand, as women, what it would mean to find out that you are a BRCA carrier and might need a mastectomy. I deeply appreciated that.

Four Weekends and a Funeral starts with the premise of a dead ex-boyfriend and a newfound chemistry with said-ex-boyfriend's best friend. Adam hits all the grumpy points well - he's clearly great with his hands, responsible, and gruff with his texts and affection. He buys her Thin Mints and freezes them. He leaves his sandwich behind when he founds out Alison is at a cancer doctor's office. All the things! I will say that this premise of the secret that the dead man was an "ex" and of hiding their romance from the ex's family didn't actually hang over the couple the way that the description suggests - and I honestly preferred that. Those things can make me anxious and make me put down a book, honestly. But the conflict resolution here? So smooth. Very smooth. Most of the book is dedicated to the buildup, of showing us why Alison is a little messed up and why Adam is going to make a great boyfriend, even if he can't take any risks. The spice is minimal, though referenced. And all in all, a well plotted, well paced book!

I loved our side characters as well, and would love to see a book starring Mara and Chelsea! Giving this book a solid 4 stars for its execution, but losing that little bit on lacking a squee factor for me personally or specifically memorable elements (thinking of the politics in Love, Theoretically, as an example.)

This was an interesting book with fun characters, Alison and Adam. It is their story as they work through the death of his best friend/her ex-boyfriend. There were emotional issues with Alison and her experience dealing with the breast cancer gene, choosing to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction. I enjoyed the book and the exploits of Adam and Alison as they worked together to clean out their friend’s apartment.

3/5. Releases 8/6/24.

Vibes: health condition rep, losing the idea of the life you thought you had, 90s romcoms

Heat Index: 2/10

Alison's life changed forever upon the discovery that she carries the BRCA 1 gene, which makes her much more likely to develop breast cancer (as well as uterine and ovarian cancer). After having a preventative double mastectomy, she finds herself at the funeral of her ex-boyfriend, who died suddenly. Extra problem: his family didn't know about the breakup, which results in Alison going along with the confusion. Somewhat unintentionally! For the next four weekends, she'll have to pitch in on packing up Sam's apartment... with his grouchy best friend, Adam. Who doesn't buy her story one bit.

I... don't really know how to feel about this one. I'm giving it three stars in recognition of solid writing and representation of important issues. It plays with some fun 90s romcoms (While You Were Sleeping and Four Weddings and a Funeral obviously come to mind). But I found that it read a lot more like women's fiction than a romance. I see a lot of Emily Henry comparisons, and I do agree with them; and that's a good thing for Ellie Palmer! Unfortunately, I'm not an Emily Henry girl. So I'd recommend this to those who are, but for me... It's not quite right.

I will say though, to those interested--if you have medical or health anxiety, this may be somewhat triggering. Ellie Palmer is open about having the BRCA 1 gene, and this definitely reads as a personal book, which I appreciate.

This is also a closed door novel--nothing on the page, allusions otherwise. While I get it, and it's always every author's right to do whatever they need to do... A part of me feels like it could have been powerful to read Alison and Adam's experience together on the page. I think of a very different novel I read in which the heroine had a mastectomy (without reconstruction). You see sex on the page in that book, and I found it rather impactful.

But again, I feel, like that's totally up to Ellie, and I get why she wouldn't want to.

To reiterate--I think this would be a good fit for you if you like Emily Henry and enjoy a softer romance that's funny without taking away a serious edge. It was too much of an individual journey versus a romantic journey for me. But it will work for a lot of people.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was amazing! Loved it. Gives an insight to those with the breast cancer gene. Definitely worth the read!

This was such a great book. It was emotional, impactful, thoughtful, funny when it was appropriate, and a great example of how grief affects us all and affects us in different ways. The chemistry between the FMC and mc was fantastic.

4.5 stars to this adorable debut romance

This was so cute! The protagonist was super likable and unique and I really enjoyed the thoughtful way the author addressed the BRCA gene mutation and how it affected Alison's life and relationship with her body. The slow transition from strangers to friends to lovers between Alison and Adam was realistic and perfect. I did find the ending to be a little rushed and the final resolution a bit cringy. But overall, I think Ellie Palmer wrote a fabulous debut that will be a big hit and I can't wait to read what she writes next!

This book was a mix of light and heavy topics and just the perfect amount. You would think that a story about breast cancer and death would be interminably dark. However, the friendship that blossoms at the funeral and continues as Alison and Adam pack up the apartment brings needed joy and levity to otherwise sad topics.

I enjoyed the grumpy, sunshine trope as well as the enemies to lovers. I thought the book was thoughtful with going over survivors guilt, health issues, loss, and grief. I enjoyed this book a lot!

One of the best books to come out of 2024. This book is hilarious and heart-wrenching by turns, with the most compelling main characters I've read in ages. The book is stunningly written, with sentences that stopped me in my tracks. (One scarf moment in particular!) It's sexy (although closed door), angsty, and truly laugh-out-loud funny. Loved the mastectomy representation, loved Allison, loved Adam. I can't wait to read a million more books by Palmer.

This was a cute book! I loved the banter between Allison and Adam, it felt realistic and there was chemistry! I was surprised so much of it took place over the holidays - time was marked by 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. That felt like a little much to me and I found myself wishing it was not centered around the winter, especially when it is being published in August.

Otherwise, the premise was great, I loved Allison's friends and her discovery of self. Definitely recommend for a good weekend read!

I loved the slow build of Allison and Adam's relationship. It was very cold first and then become warmer and warmer. This was an unconventional love story that swept me up and captured my attention. Loved it!

Well hey there new author to me...didn't you just deliver an epic book!
This book is a cleverly written, enemies to lovers that deals with medical representation that needs more focus on, The intital premise of the book is what intrigued me- it was original and reading the two main characters story and living their chemistry was everything. This is an absolute must read and will be making its way onto my physical TBR!

this book was truly so wonderful. Adam was so funny and reminded me of a sitcom character. their romance was beautiful. I loved this story so much.

The title of this book is what first caught my attention. Then I read the synopsis and was like this sounds like a fun book. Alison was Sam's girlfriend but they had broken up. When Sam passes away, his family thinks they were still dating so they throw Alison into the Sam's girlfriend category. Then enters Adam, Sam's long time best friend. Adam and Alison are now working together to clear out Sam's apartment. At first it seems that Adam can't stand Alison and Alison never tells Adam the truth, that her and Sam were not actually dating at the time of his passing. As the two continue to work together, there feelings start to grow. Can these two put the past behind them, One being the ex-girlfriend and the other the old best friend. But maybe just maybe Sam wanted to meet all along....

Forced proximity, grump meets sunshine, millennial references - all the makings of an outstanding story. This was a charming story while incorporating some harder topics (tw cancer). The title I think lends itself to not all sunshine and rainbows, but also has some light hearted moments and a delightful story of falling in love. It is an adorable quirky story that Emily Henry fans would enjoy.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC

4.5 stars! What a spectacular debut novel. It would have been 5 stars for me, but I can’t stand the mention of social media in books, especially TikTok. (Just a personal ick. I’m sure it doesn’t bother anyone else.) Four Weekends and a Funeral had me laughing and crying! Very excited to see what’s next for Ellie Palmer. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy. I love discovering debut authors, and this was a winner. Publication date August 6, 2024.

This was a fun rom com with a grumpy + sunshine pairing. I thought the premise was unique and I was excited to read it. I am a big fan of Christmas and liked that this book takes place around the holidays. I really enjoyed the first half, but the second half fell a little short for me. Having been through a tough health journey myself, I found Ali's thoughts about her own medical issues to be very relatable and spot-on. The author did a good job of addressing heavy topics in a way that was easily digestible. It was refreshing that Ali was 30 years old and not early 20s as you often see in romance novels. I didn't feel a strong connection between Adam and Ali. Adam spends a lot of time doing very thoughtful things for Ali, but she never really reciprocates. This was very much a hallmark movie in book form.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for sending this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own