special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced look at the book in exchange for an honest review.

In this debut romance, we meet Alison and Adam. While they meet at the worst circumstance possible, they end up leaning on each other while dealing with the loss of their friend Sam (Alison’s ex boyfriend turned into close friend). Not only that, Alison is BRCA1 positive and weighing her options for the prevention of ovarian cancer.

This story was so cute and some times absolutely heartbreaking. We see Alison deal with losing a part of herself and trying to heal within making more health decisions. It dives into the gene and the complications that arise with it and also complex grief. Her friendships were so strong and the way everyone was always there for her was so heart warming.

I do feel like the pacing was a little off. I understand they fell for each other in 4 weeks but to me it seemed a little rushed.
Overall I think “Four Weekends and a Funeral” is an entertaining read with great representation. Banter and humor mixed well, this is the best of both worlds for readers who enjoy romance, humor, and real life issues. I’ll be reading more by Ellie Palmer for sure!

This was such a cute romantic comedy book. It was the perfect feel-good novel I needed. It featured the protagonist, Alison, and her journey through dealing with her ex's death (Sam) as well as her own for being a carrier of the BRCA1 gene. It features her ex's best friend, Adam, and their combined journey and Adam's own personal journey and coming to terms with losing a best friend. The book starts out with Sam's funeral and pretty quickly you see that no one knows that Alison and Sam broke up several weeks ago. For the benefit of the family, she pretends to be Sam's girlfriend even at the time of his funeral, and it turns into chaos from there.

The debut novel gave me a LOT to think about. Some themes include - self-identity, grief, guilt, and betrayal. I'm glad that I got to learn more and read through the perspective of a character that had undergone a double mastectomy.

Now to the romance - it served all the feel good vibes without the spice. For me the pacing was not was I was expecting. It started out as a slow burn and then really sped up halfway. However, at this halfway point is where I connected with Adam as a character and really started routing for Alison and him. Still, it left me wanting more - a slower climb to the climax, more character exploration, and more scenes between Alison and Adam.

This was an enjoyable and feel-good read (it really kept me glued to my Kindle while on the treadmill). I'm so routing for Ellie Palmer and can't wait to see this come out on 8/6/24!

First off, loved this read. The banter, storyline, talks about mental health included in the romance, along with all of the millennial references, A+. Only thing I was kind of off-put by was that he ghosted her for 3 weeks, and the FMC was completely fine with this? I don't know, maybe she's in a better place than I am, but I'd feel put off by this. And it went straight to the I-love-yous straight after. If you like a good rom-com with an otherwise wonderful couple, read this book asap!

Unique and fresh take on some well-loved tropes in the romance genre. It could be incredibly funny one moment and the next would have a take on grief and mourning that felt like an absolute gut punch. All these characters felt real in their experiences. But above all it had a lovely romance that made me giddy.

It's going to be a great year for romance! 🌸 Let me start by gushing over FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL, a stunning debut novel by Ellie Palmer (@elliepalmerwrites). Ellis is such a talented and funny writer and she had me hooked from the first line of FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL!
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Here’s the blurb:

A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .

The right guy at the dead wrong time.

When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker 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 girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . . 

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship” means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?
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Pub. Date: August 6, 2024, and you can preorder now at the link in @elliepalmerwrites ’s bio! And if you can’t wait until August for Ellie’s writing, she has a delightful newsletter, link also on her profile.
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#FourWeekendsandaFuneral #NetGalley #bookstagram #amreading

*4.5 STARS*

I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK! I finished "Four Weekends and a Funeral" last week and have read a couple books since then, but my mind keeps going back to Adam and Ali!

Ali is a people pleaser, which is why she agrees to pack up her dead (ex)boyfriend's apartment with his best friend she's never met. Adam is feeling guilty and trying to grieve, which is why he agrees to pack up his dead best friend's apartment with his girlfriend he's never met. These two characters are complete opposites and are going to be spending the next four weekends together.
Chaos (in the form of coffee, carpentry, and friendship) ensues! This book had me smiling AND blushing.

I can't wait to read more from Ellie Palmer in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the early access to review!

I felt like this was a solid romance! I went into it with standard romance expectations and it delivered! I even teared up a couple of times, which surprised me. My only criticism is that there was way too much mastectomy talk. I was happy to read a book talking about mastectomies & breast cancer and the challenges the characters had to overcome in dealing with that, but there was SO much random insertion of breasts/nipples that was completely unnecessary. It really pulled me out of the story at times. I also think it kind of diluted the moments when the mastectomy conversations were really important. Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend for a fun, easy read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this digital ARC!

Ever since surviving the threat of cancer following a preventative double-mastectomy, Alison Mullally has been trying to live her life to the fullest by seeking adventure (even though she very much doesn’t like it), which is why Sam was so perfect for her. That is, until he dumped her after noticing she was pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

But it turns out, Sam never told his family about the break up, and after his sudden death, Alison is mistaken as Sam’s current girlfriend at his funeral. Trying to lift the burden from his mother, she agrees to pack up Sam’s apartment—which would have been fine if Sam’s grumpy best friend Adam wasn’t insistent that he also pack it up.

Alison and Adam spend the next four weekends (and some) together, getting to know one another (at first, not happily) and very slowly coming to terms with their own guilt and grief as they fall for each other.

I have been waiting to read this book ever since I read the deal announcement. The description was right up my alley. And it didn’t disappoint. Adam was the perfect, supportive and adoring love interest. Alison’s struggles with survivor’s guilt and her relationship with her mom felt authentic. And the romance between the two was swoony. The secondary characters were full of heart and were fully fleshed out, supportive, and FUN. And I LOVED the little “twist” at the end, bringing everything full circle and giving readers the grand gesture they hope for.

I definitely recommend this book, available Aug 6, 2024.

ARC Review:

I thoroughly enjoyed Ellie Palmer's debut novel. Rom-coms are some of my favorite books and this sunshine + grump story was exactly what I was needing. I loved the Midwestern feel and all the little Easter eggs sprinkled in. Definitely had warm and cozy holiday vibes, even though I wouldn't consider it a holiday book.

Alison and Adam are both dealing with the grief of losing their friend, Sam (Alison's ex-boyfriend turned friend) and agree to help his family by getting his condo ready to sell. Alison is also BRCA1 positive and is working through the trauma of a preventative mastectomy and weighing her options for the prevention of ovarian cancer while keeping her fertility options open. I loved their banter, even if it could be a little dry at times, but that was just Adam's personality which made it believable.

As much as I loved the love story in this book, I think the female friendships portrayed made it even better. Alison, Mara and Chelsea support each other through everything, including school choir concerts, surgeries, and wintery Minnesota hikes. They lift each other up and always want the best for each other.

Looking forward to more Ellie Palmer in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my review!

#FourWeekendsandaFuneral #NetGalley

“You’re kind of my favorite new person, if that’s not too weird a thing to say.”

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!

I’m gonna be honest I didn’t really like the first half of the book. The writing was good but the story was kind of slow. I wish that it had focused more on them working together to clean up Sam’s apartment but it was a very small aspect of it, when I feel like it is meant to seem like it’s gonna be a bigger thing.

The second half of the story was definitely better. It was more interesting and the couple was so cute. It made me cry. I love the progress between both characters both together and by themselves. Cute book!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC! What a great story. This books hits all of the emotions and gives an almost rom com movie feel. I loved the development of the two main characters and seeing how they worked through their own feelings to become better versions of themselves. Definitely a must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of Four Weekends and a Funeral; I loved it! It had some of my favorite tropes (enemies-to-lovers, grump-sunshine, forced proximity, and so much more), lovable leads, and a charming supporting cast. It tackled some heavy topics like grief and cancer with a great balance of realism and levity. There was so much chemistry in this book, a great slow burn, all partnered with a load of self-discovery. Defintitely recommend adding this one to your TBR and pre-ordering!

Thank you Netgalley, Putnam/Penguin Random House, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! What a debut novel by Ellie Palmer. The story felt fresh and had forced proximity/grump sunshine tropes, but not in a cheesy way. Interesting premise that led to a natural romance. But the romance wasn’t even the star. the characters were dealing with grief of not only their friend, but thru choices made in life. Allison was dealing with how to live after a preventative mastectomy and Adam figuring out life after career challenges.

A perfectly fine book, but it just didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This was my first ARC book and I really enjoyed it. I want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have this experience.

Four Weekends and a Funeral was a very cute rom-com with some very serious topics in it. There was parts that had me laughing out loud. Sometimes it was hard to follow with some of the back and fourth between the characters, but overall I enjoyed reading this book. I think it had a great message; to be your authentic self and not try to change who you are to impress others. I loved the ending and it brought closure to the characters.

This is great! I read a lot of Romance books, and this is a book I haven’t read before.. the characters are real and nothing felt forced or artificial.

I loved the discussion of the mastectomy- it felt so real and vulnerable.

I will definitely be recommending this book!

I really enjoyed this book. There are some serious, weighty topics that the characters are dealing with, but there is a lot of humor in the story as well. This is my first experience with this author, but it won’t be my last.

I loved this book! Ellie Palmer nailed it. Four Weekends and a Funeral is about Alison, who recently had a life altering surgery and then loses her ex boyfriend to a freak accident. Her ex hadn’t told his family and friends about the breakup so Alison goes along with a plan her ex’s sister hatches up to try to help alleviate some of his family’s grief and suffering. She didn’t plan on meeting Adam, her ex’s best friend, and having sparks fly. I love a grump/sunshine trope. Alison is so lovable and trying to navigate who she is and wants to be post mastectomy and I really appreciated how she felt she SHOULD feel. Her finding what she DOES feel and want is very empowering. Adam is dealing with his own internal issues and trying to navigate that while meeting someone he doesn’t think he should want. I also appreciated that Ellie stayed true to what grief and suffering really can look like. I also really enjoyed the snippets of Sam and how he stayed involved in their lives even after dying. The book isn’t ALL love and romance but it gives the best warm and fuzzies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a good romcom but this one was not for me. I could not follow the banter, which maybe younger people use today. The entire plot seemed contrived, and I could not connect with the main characters. The issue of having the BRCA 1 gene is handled very well and is something women should be aware of, so I gave this 3 stars.

I devoured this book in one sitting! It was a clever twist on the forced proximity trope and I am here for it. I rooted for Ali and Adam the whole time. I really liked how it also dealt with some heavier topics. I want to read more about this friend group!