I need to lead this review by agreeing with FMC Alison's best friend, Chelsea: Harrison Ford at any age can get it and share that the opening line made my jaw drop.

FW&AF is if While You Were Sleeping (ELITE romcom) and In Five Years by Rebecca Serle had a baby.

Setting: Minnesota; Twin Cities and Duluth
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Grumpy/Sunshine, Fake Dating*, "Forbidden" Love, Enemies to Lovers

FW&AF follows FMC Alison and MMC Adam.
Alison is a train enthusiast and transportation consultant, who is focused on the guilt of who she is supposed to be since she cheated death after testing for the BRCA1 gene by burying herself in self help books and hobbies that do not spark joy. In her journey of being someone she is not, her two best friends (Chelsea and Mara), as well as Adam call her out on it.
Adam, works in construction with a passion for carpentry (OKAY HI HARRISON FORD!!) who knows what he wants, but doesn't have the courage to follow through and execute.

Needs a TW for breast cancer, mastectomy, reconstruction surgery, passing of a loved one off page...
I found it interesting that this is closed door, when the ovarian ultrasound was so incredibly detailed. Like, I still feel it.

It felt more like a medical drama than a romance novel at times. I’m not sure if this is a love story between two people, or more so a love story for yourself, with a side story of two people falling in love.

This is Ellie Palmer's debut novel, and I look forward to reading future works of hers.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the digital ARC!

What a great debut novel! It reminded me SO much of the movie While You Were Sleeping, which is one of my all-time favorite movies. Alison is a very likeable heroine who has been through a lot (physically and mentally), so you can't help but like her and empathize with her character. And if you love a good enemies-to-lovers or forced proximity trope then you'll get a big kick out of Four Weekends and a Funeral. Normally, I don't care much for secondary characters, but Mara and Chelsea added so much depth to the story and the girl power vibes were awesome. I would recommend this book to everyone, and I look forward to reading more of Ellie Palmer's work in the future.

Highly recommend checking out this debut romance novel when it comes out in August. This book has a super fun premise: Alison shows up to her ex-boyfriend’s funeral but his family thinks she’s still his girlfriend. Not wanting to upset them during this trying time, Alison not only plays along, but also offers to clean out his condo, alongside his best friend Adam. What comes next is a top tier forced proximity, grumpy sunshine romance. I loved Adam, the rugged Minnesota mountain man and Alison, a double mastectomy survivor who feels desperate to change her life after her BRCA diagnosis. I also really appreciated the female friendships in this book (hoping for future books about Chelsea and Patrick and Mara and a rival trivia bro).

Four Weekends and a Funeral

3.25 ⭐️

I picked up this one way earlier that the @netgalley due date because it just sounded so cute and funny! And while it did have funny parts, there was a lot more depth to it than I anticipated.

Alison is at her ex-boyfriend’s funeral when she finds out everyone still thinks they were dating when he died. She’s asked to help clean up his apartment with his best friend. The two end up working together and finding a quick friendship and more. Alison is also dealing with a pre-cancerous prognosis and the grief that comes with losing a part of herself.

I loved the Minnesota setting and all the little Easter eggs from around Duluth and the Twin Cities! The chapter titles and even some of the offhanded comments about Alison’s mastectomy seemed like they went a little too far and were a little too overt. Alison and Adam both showed great character growth and I really enjoyed that!

This book is a highly creative, sexy, and entertaining execution of enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and grumpy-meets-sunshine tropes. In this rom-com world, thirty-year-old Allison Mullally finds herself in one of the most awkward situations: pretending to be in a relationship with a dead guy! Sam, her adventurous and thrill-seeking ex-boyfriend, dumped her six weeks ago because of their vast differences. Throughout their short relationship, Allison pretended to be happy, prioritizing Sam's needs, even participating in extreme sports activities she despised.

Now, she's attending Sam's funeral in unstylish and uncomfortable clothes, only to discover that Sam's family believes they were still dating at the time of his death. Sam's sister requests her to continue the charade, as the family insisted on Sam settling down when he was alive. Allison reluctantly agrees, thinking she can fake-date a dead guy for the sake of his grieving family. However, her commitment takes an unexpected turn when she is forced to team up with Adam, Sam's uptight, grumpy, and frustrating best friend, to pack up Sam’s belongings in his apartment for four weekends.

Despite initial reservations, Allison finds herself drawn to Adam. Their witty banter and blooming intimacy spark a natural friendship between them. As their chemistry hits the roof, and tensions rise, they realize they need to come clean and give their relationship a chance. However, Allison must confront her own insecurities and decide if she's brave enough to risk her heart.

The book boasts amazing supporting characters, with a special emphasis on the fantastic girl power of Mara and Chelsea. Unlike some romances where secondary characters feel forced, these characters add depth and atmosphere to the story. The witty banter and palpable chemistry between Adam and Allison make for a highly entertaining read. The book expertly balances emotional chapters related to family relationships, providing different perspectives on various situations.

In conclusion, I had an amazing time reading this book and wholeheartedly recommend it to die-hard rom-com lovers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this entertaining book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

3.5⭐️

I enjoyed this book. It was a nice romance and I appreciated that the plot did go deeper than your typical rom com. I also enjoyed the theme of learning to love yourself and know I could see some of myself in the main character, Alison.

There were a couple of things that held me back from absolutely loving this book. At times, the pacing felt slow. In addition, despite the depth to the characters I had a hard time really connecting with them.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book and definitely worth a read. Thank you to both NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Four weekends and a funeral is probably one of the most satisfying and original romances I read this year.
The starting point is Alison who finds herself fake dating her dead ex boyfriend while falling for sad dead ex boyfriend's best friend Adam.

I found this book tender, sweet, important to read. I loved how it dealt with grief and survivor's guilt. They're not easy topics to handle but the author did beautifully.

The romance is absolutely sweet and stunningly written. Alison and Adam have great chemistry and their slowburn was so satisfying to read. Also the characters separately were so well written and felt so real. Again to the author's merit.
And, lastly, a shout out to the friend group which was so fun and entertaining and I hope those same characters get books in the future. I'd be very interested.
I don't think I can recommend this book enough, truly.

What a fun novel! After her ex-boyfriend passes away, Alison attends his funeral to find out that his family never knew they broke up! She spontaneously agrees to help clean out Sam's apartment with his friend Adam. As the weekends go by, Alison starts to see that Adam isn't as cold as he first appears. She also learns that she needs to accept herself for who she is. Will the spark turn to flames?

A great read and it had me thinking about the things I do because 'I'm supposed to' and re-evaluate my life!

Oh how I loved this! Loved, loved, loved. This is such a sweet story about loss, love and becoming who you really are. I will be recommending this to anyone who will listen.

This was such a wonderful debut! I love a good romcom, and this one immediately became one of my new favorites. Four Weekends and a Funeral follows Alison Mullaly, who arrives at her ex-boyfriend's funeral only to find out that no one knows they'd broken up. Determined to make things easier for his family, Alison plays the role of grief-stricken girlfriend and agrees to spend four weekends packing up her ex's apartment with his best friend, Adam. As Alison and Adam work together to finish the job, their awkward silences soon turn into an unexpected friendship...and maybe even something more. Can Alison finally become the person she's meant to be—and allow herself to fall for the person she's meant to be with?

I loved this book so much! I definitely see the comparisons to movies like When Harry Met Sally and While You Were Sleeping, and since those are two of my favorite romcoms of all time, it's no surprise that I enjoyed this story just as much. However, while Four Weekends and a Funeral captures the tone and comforting feeling of a classic romcom, it also certainly stands on its own, with a unique, fresh premise that hooked me instantly. Alison and Adam are both likable, endearing, and well-developed characters, and it's impossible not to root for them, both as individuals and as a couple. I especially appreciated Alison's whole journey. I had never read a book with a character who carries the BRCA 1 gene/has a preventative double mastectomy, and I thought the exploration of that storyline was so candid and touching. I also loved watching Alison come to the realization that she didn't need to apologize for being herself. She didn't need to feel guilty for wanting a quieter life, she didn't need to hide or downplay her interests and passions, she didn't need to push herself to be someone she wasn't—because she was already enough, just as she was. It was heartwarming to see her finally be content with who she was, and I found her personality so relatable!

This story was packed with emotion and depth, but it was also just a total joy to read—it truly embodied both the "rom" and the "com!" The chemistry and banter between Alison and Adam had me smiling nonstop at my screen. The trivia aspect of the story and all the pop culture references were so much fun to read about, too, and there were so many hilarious moments throughout the book. I also loved the side characters, from Alison's best friends, to her coworkers, to hers, Adam's, and Sam's respective families. They felt just as real and vivid as Alison and Adam did, and I enjoyed following Alison's different relationships with all of them, especially her friendship with Mara and Chelsea! I'm hoping those two each get their own books one day, too—I would love to see these characters again and read their stories. Either way, I am so excited to see what Ellie Palmer writes next, and would highly recommend Four Weekends and a Funeral! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC.

a brilliant book. i haven’t read anything like this ever in think? i was just thinking about how much i would love a while you were sleeping-esque romcom and this so delivered for me! while you were sleeping, when harry met sally, and four weddings and a funeral are all some of my most favorite romcoms ever and this beautiful magical book blended them all together so perfectly that i’m going to be thinking about it and craving more books just like it for years to come.

ali and adam were such likeable characters to me not only were they entertaining as heck but it was so easy to fall in love with them and feel for them. even during frustrating fights and miscommunications that would normally bug me i just felt bad and wanted to wrap tbem up. they were both just two hurting and scared a people trying to navigate a strange situation and i was rooting for them so hard from start to finish. luv luv luved them bad!!

while the plot as a whole was so perfectly unique, i’ve also never read a book that dealt with breast cancer survival/preventative mastectomies in such a close up way (or really at all to be honest) and it was so emotional and added so much depth and character to the book that i really enjoyed! there was certainly no shortage of emotions to be felt during this!

… while we’re on the topic of allll the emotions!!! despite this book dealing with such heavy topics like grief and surviving cancer and preventing cancer and losing parts of your body in the process, it was still genuinely so much fun!! i was literallt smiling so big for so much of the book!! the banter was bantering THE WHOLE! time!! and i love that!! i feel like sometimes in an “enemies” to lovers type book the playful banterness will start off really strong and then will be lost once the couple starts entering their lover era lol but i love when they can stay playful and carry the banter into their relationships!!

just adored so much of this: the banter! ali’s humor! and persistence to make adam like her!! adam’s thoughtfulness (like WOAH!!!!!!) the banter of course!! the tension!!!!!!!!!! the culture references (otrivia benson and marquizka hargitay!!! i was bursting out laughing as a mariska girl myself)!!!! and of course of course the girl gang!!! i LOVE A GIRL GANG!!!
overall just. such an amazing heartwarming entertaining love story!! a brilliant debut for ellie palmer! thank you so so much to NetGalley and putnam books for this arc!!!

Four Weekends and a Funeral is both a book about grief and survivor's guilt (in many forms) and a romance. As a book about grief, it's a five star read for me. Allison's struggle with what it means to "skip" cancer (in her mind) is really powerful. The author has a personal connection to this, but it's so relatable within the novel and even though it can be frustrating to watch Allison constantly sabotage her own happiness, it's clear that she's processing the path her life has taken as best she can. There's a lot of really great stuff in this portion of the novel, and it's written beautifully.

As for the romance plot, my biggest issue was the pacing. Tonally, it really does feel like an homage to 90s romantic comedies. Certainly the mmc references them directly near the end. However, it's not really a slow burn, as the romance turns steamy fairly early on. And the third act break up is more of a second act break up, and it takes a long time for that to resolve itself.

I think this book is best when read as a novel about grief with a romance subplot. On balance, I'd give it 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Alison’s ex-boyfriend is dead. And her drive to do what she thinks she should do gets her back into her relationship with him at his funeral where she meets his family and best friend, Adam. Alison and Adam work together over four weekends to help out their recently deceased friend’s family and… well, it’s a romance. You know how it goes. The plot was sweet, and the characters were lovable. The writing was a bit clunky at points which brings my rating down a bit. Content warning: BCRA, preventative surgery are major themes throughout.

What a great debut. I haven't read a romance before where the main character carries the BRCA 1 gene and has had a double mastectomy. (This is not a spoiler--it comes up very early in the book.) Alison's unresolved feelings about this have led her to embrace a more adventurous life, even if she kind of hates hiking. And Adam is definitely stuck before he meets Alison at her (ex-) boyfriend's funeral, where it quickly becomes clear that everyone thinks they were still dating. An unusual premise, for sure, but it leads to some classic rom-com disasters and some heartwarming moments.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL is such a sweet, fun read! Alison was a great heroine, and I enjoyed hearing about her journey with BRCA. Adam was a loving, cinnamon roll grump of a hero and their chemistry was palpable. Even though it was closed door, I still loved all of the intimacy the characters shared and found myself wrapped up in their love story. The emotional arcs were perfect and the ending was so delightful. I loved seeing where the characters ended up together.

Four weekends and a funeral

Girl gets dumped. Ex-boyfriend tragically passes away. No one at the funeral knows he dumped her. Girl gets guilt-tripped into keeping the dumping a secret. Enter hot best friend of ex-boyfriend.

The synopsis of this book and the first several chapters had me concerned that the plot of this book was going to be a little uncomfortably predictable but I confidently confirm that this book was full of surprises! This author through her own experiences is able to portray a millennial woman with the BRCA gene with such vulnerable honesty. I think people often wish to see into the future but the BRCA Gene is the real-life application of seeing into the future and proves how difficult this information is to process.

I also want to note that I will always praise romance authors for creating complicated female lead characters with real depth. This genre is often plagued with pixie dream girls and while that is fun on occasion we need to support authors that incorporate the complicated reality of being a woman.

I am excited to read more from this author and home that she continues to write in this genre.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this digital advance readers copy.

After Alison finds out she has the BRCA1 gene, she has surgery to avoid breast cancer. She feels she must take on a series of challenges and her new boyfriend Sam, an avid outdoor adventurer, is the perfect match for her quest. But he dumps her and six weeks later he dies in a climbing accident. When she attends his funeral, his sister asks her to play along with the ruse that she is still his girlfriend. She agrees. She is then paired with his good friend Adam to pack up and ready his townhouse for sale. Though Adam and Alison get off to a rough start, as they share secrets their romance blossoms. Palmer has written a sweet book about trying to be someone you aren’t and finding your best self. It was an enjoyable read with a few surprises. This a quite a nice surprise for a debut. I will look forward to future books from Ellie Palmer. I thank NetGalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Alison attends her ex-boyfriend Sam's funeral not realizing he didn't tell anyone they broke up. Sam's sister asks Alison to play along for the day and she offers to pack up his apartment to his grieving mother. Sam's college friend Adam also offers to pack up the apartment. They will spend the next 4 weekends working on the apartment. At first Adam rarely talks to Alison and seems to not want her around but as they spend more time together, they slowly get to know each other and become friends and maybe more. I enjoyed this book because in addition to the possible love story between Alison and Sam, the book also tells about Alison's friendships and her passion for her work. Alison also had a double-mastectomy since she was a BRCA 1 carrier which is an important part of her story. I really enjoyed this book since Alison was such a well rounded character and her relationship with Sam was fun to read about.

I loved this story so much. It was so much more than just a sweet romance (but also the romance was so charming and heartwarming). Ali is such an endearing protagonist and I loved her journey just as much as her and Adam’s story. I also was so pleasantly surprised about the way Sam was developed as a character and his impact on everyone around him. I truly loved every character, from Ali’s trivia friends and coworkers to Adam and Sam’s families.

Hoping for spin offs of Mara and Chelsea because they were both so lovable and I need more of them in the future.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I truly loved this one and for me the writing style was reminiscent of Abby Jimenez, who I love. I will definitely buy more books by this author in the future..

The book opens with Allison attending the funeral of a boyfriend she had recently broken up with. It turns out that the family is unaware that they had broken up and the sister asks her to pretend that they were still together to ease some pain for the parents. In the meantime, she meets his best friend and agrees to help clean out the ex boyfriends condo with him. Watching Adam and Ali's love story unfold was incredibly sweet. They are both struggling through choosing what they want in life and focusing on themselves instead of what other people want for them. Allison has just undergone a double mastectomy due to a BRCA mutation and that is also a huge part of her story and character. Overall, it was an incredibly sweet book that felt real and had a lot of depth in the characters. I would absolutely recommend it. Thankful to have gotten an early copy!