When Alison goes to the funeral of her ex-boyfriend, Sam she is surprised when his family and friends believe that they were still together, including his best friend, Adam. When Adam is asked to clean up Sam's apartment, Alison volunteers to help. Over the next four weekends, the two must deal with family affairs and packing dilemmas while navigating a new friendship and possibly a new romance.

I loved this book. This was the prefect representation of grumpy meets sunshine, and I loved the chemistry between Adam and Alison. The secondary characters also made this book a fantastic read. Chelsea and Mara were hilarious during their trivia nights but were also a great support for Alison during her emotional BRCA 1 gene journey. Overall, Four Weekends and Funeral is an emotional read that will make your heart full.

Four Weekends and a Funeral is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to review Four Weekends and a Funeral. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked this book! It was great getting to know the characters over time and learning about their past, that shaped their ongoing romantic situation.

After a BRCA breast cancer gene diagnosis, Allison feels like she should be grateful for her second chance at life and tries to be an exciting, outdoorsy, take life by the horns type person. That is when she met Sam who was they type of person. The problem was, she just couldn't do it. Hiking Patagonia for days without a shower or an actual bathroom didn't really appeal to her. Or going up in a hot air balloon, or any of the other adventures Sam wanted to do. So when Allison shows up at her ex boyfriend's funeral and realizes his whole family thinks they were still dating when he died, she agrees to pack up his apartment with his grumpy best friend, Adam. After four weekends together packing up Sam's stuff, Allison and Adam begin to realize they might be right for each other. Of course, there are bumps and hang ups along the way until they both embrace who they really are and what they really want..

This is a cute romance that touches on grief - from cancer diagnoses, to losing a friend or loved one - and also touches on therapy and getting help. A fun read with good characters! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this one! Someone described this as Emily Henry mixed with Abby Jimenez, and I feel like that was such a perfect way to describe it!

This book was so good, and it really kept me in the story. I really enjoy a romance that incorporates bigger issues and more real-life things because it just feels so much more real instead of so much of a fictional story.

I would definitely read more from this author!

Alison is dealing with her status as a BRCA1 carrier and the implications that has on her outlook on life, when her ex boyfriend Sam dies and she's suddenly thrust into a situation where she's still pretending to be his girlfriend for his family's sake. As she cleans out Sam's apartment with his best friend Adam, sparks start to fly even though Adam thinks she's Sam's girlfriend. As they get closer, they both have to come to terms with losing Sam and what that means for them. Overall, a story on what it means to lose a friend and also what it means to have your outlook on life completely change.

Thanks to NetGalley and his publicists for the advanced copy of this book.
The book seemed interesting but when I read it, I realized that maybe I am not the right audience for this book, I mean it deals with important topics, but the truth is that I found the reading a little slow, but it is a good debut for the author.

What a fun debut novel. Such a unique take on the fake dating trope because our girl Alison was put in such an awkward situation 😅 Adam is a grump for sure and the banter between these two had me laughing out loud. Loved all the side characters so much. The harder topics were handled delicately yet informative. The only thing i wish was that the last part of the book wasn't rushed so much. I wanted more out of the romance. But really such a great read regardless!

Thank you @elliepalmerwrites @penguinrandomhouse for this ARC!

I thought this was a well balanced romcom with strong character development. I particularly thought the author did a great job of incorporating her own story of being a BRCA 1 gene carrier into the storyline as an educational element that added depth. The storyline of Alison and Adam felt genuine and raw with layers of history and self-awareness, it's a fine balance that is entertaining and heartfelt at the same time.

What in the early 2000s Rom-com took me so long to read this book!? If I could go back in time and read this book the second I got my grubby little paws on it, I so would! What a delightful debut from Ellie Palmer!

And not to name drop, but I swear to you if I didn’t see the authors name on the cover with my own two eyes, you wouldn’t have been able to convince me it wasn’t written by Abby Jimenez. It had that perfect magic of romance, comedic relief, loveable characters, with a heavy topic all woven throughout. AND SET IN MINNESOTA. It’s really hard to get all of that magic to align and feel fresh and memorable, but this debut had that magic!

Truthfully, a delightful read with many outstanding moments. The characters were like-able yet “real”, so well flushed out. Alison had a wonderful cast of friend side characters, Adam was so wholesome and captivating and Russell… well he added the best comedic relief. 😆

Ellie Palmer is one to watch for, can’t wait till read more from her!

It’s so cute! Best intentions while trying to navigate everyone else’s grief and slowly falling in love with the wrong person. I loved this

If While You Were Sleeping met Emily Henry’s Beach Read.

Alison’s ex-boyfriend Sam has just died, and when she attends his funeral she realizes his whole family thinks they were still together when Sam passed. Now Alison is forced to play the grieving girlfriend and fake date her dead ex, all while grappling with the fact that she is a carrier of the BRCA gene mutation, which raises the risk for breast & reproductive cancers, and slowly developing feelings for Sam’s uptight, grumpy best friend Adam as they spend four weekends cleaning out Sam’s old belongings from his apartment. This book has romance, banter, great side characters, levity, and a genuine exploration of grief and the anxiety of mortality. All of these elements are very well-executed, and the only reason this isn’t five stars for me is that the heavier topics do take up a lot more time in the book than the romance does, which is not what I was expecting going into this. I think it would have been more enjoyable if Alison’s growth arc and the romance had been given time more evenly, or even if her growth and the romance had intersected more. In any case, this is a wonderful book that I recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam.G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Ellie Palmer for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Easy to read rom-com focused on a couple who are pulled together by chance while mourning the loss of a mutual friend. I really enjoyed our two main characters and thought that they had tremendous character chemistry! Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

With Four Weekends and a Funeral, Ellie Palmer weaved romance, friendship, mother/daughter and interpersonal relationships beautifully. There were times where I was giddy and kicking my feet and other times where I felt her inner struggle and wanting to be something she wasn’t. This book was fun while still hitting some heavier topics. It felt modern in a good way.

Nothing better than learning from a book you are reading. Which was what I liked best in reading this story about Alison and her journey of dealing with BRCA 1 and a dead ex-boyfriend. Along with some crazy best friends, an overbearing mom who is a cancer survivor and her ex’s grumpy BBF and his family. There are ups and downs trying to figure out who she is and which direction her life should be heading. Plus a ex, Sam that doesn’t go away and haunts her and his friend Adam.
#FourWeekendsandaFuneral

I was very intrigued by the character arc of a FMC having to deal with a BRCA1 diagnosis. However, the beginning of this book was not the way. Alison comes off as OBSESSED with breasts/nipples and not in a good way. More in a written by a man kind of way. Section of example chapter titles from the first ten chapters:
My phantom nipples
My Schrodinger's Breasts
Nips Out, Chilled and Perky

Point proven, I believe. Thankfully the author moves away from these obsessive thoughts in the second half of the book. She focuses more on the realities of possible breast cancer and how this impacts various aspects of a woman’s life instead of just nipples.

Overall, for me this wasn’t a romance, but women’s lit. The focus was not on the relationship between Alison/Adam and instead more on just Alison/herself. This focus isn’t a bad thing, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I would honestly be willing to say Adam had almost the same on page time as her friends.

Until the last 5-10% of the book I didn’t buy into their relationship or even the possibility of their relationship. Alison has a lot to deal with personally before adding in someone else. She isn’t even sure who she is during the book. She keeps trying to be someone, anyone else. I enjoyed her character arc for the most part, but there are several times in the first part of the book I almost bailed.

I really enjoyed this forced proximity, ex's best friend romance. It has fake dating in such a surprisingly different way and I always love the grumpy x sunshine trope. I will say this romance is definitely on the heavier side, dealing with grief, the death of a friend, and recovering from a double mastectomy (mentally/emotionally since the physical recovery has passed by the start of the book) and the effects of having the BRCA 1 gene. I think this was all handled with care but if any of those things are triggering, then it's good to be aware that it is a large focus of the book. It's great to see it's representation in a romance novel but might be a bit heavier than you're expecting. It explains a lot about her character and gives insight to her personality and relationships. I like the depth it added to the story and I'm glad it was as big a piece of the story as it was.

I loved Alison's friends and their trivia nights. They were just really good friends and supportive but stern because they wanted her to love herself the way she is and see what they see. It was all very sweet and mushy and everyone needs friends like hers! One of Sam's friends makes a few appearances and you'll know who I'm talking about after reading, but he definitely brings the comic relief for how ridiculous he is, and builds some of the tension between our MCs which I loved. Adam was the perfect grump and a perfect fit for Alison when she's being her truest self. The banter and the chemistry between the MCs was top notch and I enjoyed the friendship they built and the romance that followed.

There's a little twist at the end that I thought was super cute and I really liked the ending -- and that's all I'll say because I don't want to spoil anything.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After reading back-to-back books on dead/ex best-friend's girlfriend, I started to appreciate this story more. I love the grumpy-sunshine in this one. The subtle acts of service towards the FMC was sooo cute to me. Sam, though dead, is always included in the story with his iCal alert which I appreciate and I love how he wasn't portrayed as a villain amidst the breakup with Allison. I didn't expect how real and deep the themes are in the book but I'm not complaining. I loved it through and through and definitely one of the top reads for me this year.

I really enjoyed this book. Although it had heavy subjects matters l would still say it was a fun read. I liked that the main characters had faults and went through hard times., they were relatable.

Did this make me cry reading about grief and how the characters deal with it? yes. Did I still enjoy the interactions with the main characters and find the book fun? Also, yes. I'll admit that there are a lot of tough issues in this book but that's to be expected with a book about a funeral. I really do think everyone should give this book a chance. I really enjoyed it.

Four Weekends and a Funeral was such a surprise of a book! I'm from Minnesota and didn't know it was going to be set in Minnesota, or that the author was from here. It was so fun to be able to picture the exact places described in the book. I'll admit I had to put the book down a couple of times as unfortunately I identified too much with the very specific premise of the book, losing a boyfriend/ex boyfriend, cleaning out his apartment, navigating a relationship with his family, feelings of being enough, and all of the other complicated and often conflicting feelings that accompany.

The subject matter was handled with care by the author, and I loved seeing Alison and Adam's relationship develop. Even though this was a heavier romance book, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. Palmer is a great writer, and I'm excited to see more from her.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.