It’s probably not shocking that a book with funeral on the cover has a lot of grief in it and in many different forms. Ellie has such a hopefully way of showing grief. It’s not exactly light, but an ache like a therapeutic stretch. The characters are all so thought out, the descriptions cinematic. I’m excited to see her expand this universe.

What a debut!! This book has it all one minute you’ll be laughing in the next minute. You’ll have tears in your eyes.. but the most important part is you have two characters that you’ll root so hard for. I love books with people that feel real and this one just hit me right in my core.

This debut was so sweet and cute. It tackled really heavy topics in a way that felt real. Allison tries so hard to be something she’s not but finds herself in the end.

I loved the way the book started at a funeral and how the story progressed. Allison was a very distinct character with a friend group that is there for the good times and bad times.

I’m excited to pick up more from Ellie Palmer when it exists!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Putnam books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are well-developed and charming, the set-up is fun and unique, and the banter is pitch perfect. I loved watching Allison and Adam's relationship evolve from a grumpy-sunshine dislike of each other to a lovely and heartwarming happy ending. The side characters are also engaging, and the sub-plot of Allison's BRCA diagnosis added some gravitas to the otherwise light story. The writing is crisp, funny and emotionally resonant. I look forward to reading future novels by this author.

When Alison Mullally, a post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier, attends her ex-boyfriend's funeral and finds out no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to pose as his grieving girlfriend to help his family and sort out his apartment with his grumpy best friend, Adam Berg. Stuck with Adam for four weekends, Alison is determined to win him over despite his monosyllabic demeanor. As they navigate family tensions and packing dilemmas, a surprising chemistry develops between them. Alison must decide whether to reveal the truth and embrace the love she's always wanted or risk losing her new romance due to her initial deception.

This was a cute & funny contemporary romance debut! If I didn't have a million things going on, I probably could've read this in a few days. I can see this appealing to those who love the Midwestern US setting - lots of details on that. Lots of talk around breast cancer, so if that's a trigger for you, proceed with caution. I don't think I really understood why the 'third act conflict' was even a conflict... Maybe I missed something, but I felt like the situation was kind of exaggerated/blown out of proportion? Took me out of the story a little.

It is, at its core, a romance between 2 unlikely people, but also deals with topics of death, grief, and cancer. The characters felt so real and authentic, and the way they handle the serious subjects feels realistic. I liked it!

📣 a wonderful contemporary featuring a funny, train-loving heroine & a grumpy hero

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 have you read any romances lately that feature something you’ve never seen in a romance before? This book’s heroine has the BRCA mutation & chose to have a double mastectomy before the book begins.

I’ve seen some great things about FOUR WEEKENDS & a FUNERAL & it didn’t disappoint. With overtones of some fave rom coms, a funny heroine, supportive & also encouraging friends, & a grumpy hero who is gone for the heroine from the beginning even though his grumpiness almost, ALMOST hides it, this book is so good.

This is the first time I’ve read a romance featuring a heroine with the BRAC mutation. Alison chose to have a double mastectomy before the book opens, & that decision process—& the subsequent effects on her life is movingly (& sometimes humorously) included.

I’d recommend this one for fans of Roni Loren’s What If You & Me & other books in that series—the vibes & the heart of it are so good 🥰.

4.5 ⭐️. Out 08/06.

CWs: former death of a friend, grief, former mastectomy.

[ID: Jess holds the ebook in front of a vase of pink-orange hydrangeas.]

4.5 stars. I really liked this book, it was an amazing debut novel. I love how complex both Adam and Alison are as characters, and being in Alison’s POV, I loved going through her struggles and her journey with the BRCA gene mutation. I loved having her insight and watching her character development as she figured out who she was following her double mastectomy and the death of Sam, who to her surprise, was someone who got the ball rolling over how Alison was really feeling. I loved Alison’s chemistry with Adam, and how he brought out the real her and loved her for how she was and didn’t want her to change herself due to her thoughts about how she should live now that she lowered her chance of breast cancer. The ending at the trivia competition is PERFECT (iykyk). This was the romcom that I needed to help my reading slump, and I can’t wait to see what else Ellie Palmer has in store. Mark my words, she’s someone you should keep an eye on.

Thank you Netgalley, Ellie Palmer, & GP Putnam books for the ARC!

A stunning debut! I laughed, I cried, I want to follow these characters forever. Also loved the insider look at dealing with BRCA 1 and the aftermath of a mastectomy. More stories like this, please!!

This was very sweet, and it was interesting reading from the perspective of a woman who underwent a double mastectomy. The way Sam's calendar alerts paid off in the end was also really well done.

I didn't feel that there was sufficient build up of sexual tension before the two characters got together, which knocked it down to four stars for me. I did enjoy the book and will definitely read more of Ellie Palmer's books.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Putnam for the eARC!
Wow! What a debut! This is such a heart warming, feet kicking, giggle inducing romance novel! An absolute must read - with such authentic characters, a compelling story and message, how could I not adore this? One of the best romances I’ve read this year. I cannot wait to read more from Ellie Palmer. I can’t recommend this enough.

I don’t mean this in a bad way, but basically the entire book is about the MC’s BRCA1 gene mutation and its effects in her life - specifically her relationship with her mom and her body. I really wasn’t expecting it and it just wasn’t working for me, although for others it may be a great read! The romance seemed almost like a side plot to me but I did find it enjoyable. It was also very funny in parts!!

This was and interesting story and I enjoyed the romance aspect of it from a character that had undergone a mastectomy. I thought it started to fizzle out toward the end and the male character was a bit too serious and bland to keep my interest. Overall it was solid.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Well, it certainly is a predicament Allison finds herself in, still the girlfriend of a dead man! This was such a fresh perspective on enemies to lovers, factoring in the discomfort and tension of grief. That being said, the intertwinement of grief and budding love. The relationship between Allison and Adam grew very naturally and I fell in love with them as a couple. Ellie Palmer's character development reminds me a lot of Emily Henry's, which is the highest compliment. I can't wait to read what she writes next!

This book is a delight, and I really love that it is funny and warm and deals with a lot of different types of grief. Allison and Adam meet for the first time at her ex boyfriend's funeral---except that his parents, and subsequently most of his friends and family, thinks they didn't break up, and treat her like the grieving current girlfriend. Rather than add to the loss of their son, she agrees to help his best friend, Adam, clean out his condo. Adam is grumpy, and hot, and you guessed it - way more perfect for Allison than Sam, who turns out to have been a good friend to her, ever was. I loved the grieving for Sam and for the distance between him and his ex AND him and his friend, Adam, who feels they have grown apart. I loved the grieving Allison does for who she thinks she needs to be or could be in another life now that she has had a double mastectomy to avoid the high risk of breast cancer as a BRCA1 carrier. The escapades between these two are warm, funny, and restorative, which is wonderful, because I do think we need humor to get through some of the more difficult bits of life. Additionally, there are moments like an elementary school play set to the song "wobble," but "gobble baby gobble" for thanksgiving, which had me in stitches.

Thank you to Ellie Palmer, Putnam, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this. I learned a lot throughout as well about BRCA mutation which I didn’t know about before. The slow burn was perfection!

Allison finds herself in an unusual situation when she shows up to her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral and is asked by his sister to pretend that they never broke up. Fake dating a dead guy seemed like a harmless enough ask until she is forced to team up with Sam’s best friend Adam to clean out Sam’s apartment over four weekends.

Allison and Adam have great banter and are drawn to each other, but in order to give a relationship a real shot, Allison has to come clean and be vulnerable.

I can’t believe this is a debut!! I really enjoyed it, and I was hooked by Allison and Adam’s banter and connection. This book also features a trivia team, which is always a favorite of mine!

While this was definitely a rom-com, it also contained some heavier notes. Allison carries the BRCA gene and had a preventative double mastectomy. She struggles with guilt and feeling like she took the easy path by avoiding chemo and radiation. I thought this topic was really well handled, and it felt realistic and empathetic toward Allison’s guilt.

I highly recommend this book! It was a funny and romantic debut, and I absolutely loved it!

Content warnings: Death, cancer

Thank you to Putnam for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

The hype is real with this book. It's everything everyone has already said about it. It's beautiful and heart-wrenching, with everything in between.

Delightful romcom with witty banter and sexy 30+ characters. If you love a good enemies to lovers but with a little bit of dark humor, you’re in the right place. Writing was really enjoyable and the plot and pacing were even. A little angsty at times, but overall I enjoyed this one a lot.