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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC**

A cute rom com that takes place in Ireland. It’s a slow burn romance with a grumpy mortician and a girl going through grief living next door. I loved the slow burn between Callum and Lark. He was such a grump but I still enjoyed his character and their relationship. This book covers grief really well and I enjoyed the authors work!

"The falling matters too. Not just the ever after."

This was a really cute story that was just what I needed. I'm a sucker for romance books that also talk about grief and I think that Ivy Fairbanks did a really great job at capturing the complexities of grief and the non-linear path that it often takes when we go through it and allow ourselves to feel it. And I especially loved the way that Cal's character as a whole approached death and his profession. It was such a beautiful take and it had me loving him more and more throughout the entirety of the book. He takes such pride and care in his job and the way that he sees death and grief and all of that is just beautiful and I think that was probably one of my favorite parts of this whole book.

Lark as a character overall was enjoyable. I really loved the fact she was from Texas because same. And it was really cool that she's a female animator who is actively working on projects that we got to "see" and hear about throughout the story. I also felt like the way that she tackled life was really wonderful and I loved that Cal seemed to have the perfect ways to describe her during his chapters without just writing her up as some sunshine character because she isn't without her flaws. And because of that, she felt super real which also meant that at times I was so frustrated with her. But everything came around at the end.

This book was funny and cute and had a lot of really beautiful and complicated moments. I'll definitely be checking out Ivy Fairbanks future work!

- friends to lovers
- friends with benefits
- they're neighbors
- opposites attract
- slow burn
- mutual pining
- great banter
- demisexual rep
- animator / mortician
- bubbly / shy
- set in ireland
- dual pov
- romcom vibes
- love after loss

This is such a good read. I love the characters and how the main couple brings out the best in each other. The author also does such a great job talking about multiple types of grief. It discusses romantic, platonic, and familial grief. It shows how its a complex topic and that you aren’t just healed one day and how you can continue living your life while still living with the grief. I also loved the main demiseuxal representation. There were other queer characters in smaller roles too, such as lesbians and nonbinary people. Even if the main couple is “straight,” it’s nice to see causal representation throughout the side characters.

Such a fun and sweet book! The characters are interesting and their stories will draw readers in with the build up of romance. The idea of a Texan moving to Ireland is interesting in itself. I don't think I have ever read a book about an art director in the animated film industry. It fascinated me. Callum is so much deeper and thoughtful than what is seen on the surface. I loved these characters and their journey.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a cutesy, rom com and definitely a mild grump/ sunshine trope. I loved that the characters were different work life then the typical ones given so it had a nice change of pace. And also tick off the box for reading in a setting outside America. Plot moves well and depth is stellar but smidge drawn out easily could’ve been nearly shorter than already is if they’d have just stopped tamping down feelings.

This book is gravely underrated. I would like to pinch the mmc cheeks I love him so much. It had the perfect amount of happy to sad ratio and I cannot wait for more from this author.

3.5 🌟 I genuinely enjoyed this book so much. The characters were impossible not to love, I loved the quirks and the small details that made this book so interesting and unique, especially compared to other books I’ve read in the past. I love that the MMC ran a morgue, I found the details of his job so fascinating. I typically hate the miscommunication trope, but this one was done so well! Can’t wait to read more by Ivy! Thanks NetGalley for the copy!

This debut novel by Ivy Fairbanks is a little bit quirky, but adorable. Being a Texan that also happens to love Ireland and visited Ireland recently, it was perfect for me. An excellent rom-com. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Ivy Fairbanks.

When Lark moves across the Atlantic, she doesn’t expect to become friendly with the mortician next door– who happens to need a marriage of convenience to save his family business.

I loved this slow-burn romance! Callum’s demisexuality was characterized so well and it was fun to see his feelings toward Lark unfurl. As someone who spent a lot of time in a mortuary as a kid, I enjoyed the quirky setting. The side characters were well-rounded and added a lot of humor to what could have been an angsty tale.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC!

Thank you Putnam Books, and Ivy Fairbanks fro this ARC copy.
This rom-com is Fairbanks debut novel including a very unique set of characters and plot. The MMC is a mortician who owns a funeral home in Ireland. The American FMC traveled to Ireland for a job opportunity, and ended up living next door. Filled with laughs, this novel also includes deep topics about mortality and grief. I loved the juxtaposition between the lightheartedness and the emotional plot. The lovable main characters and side characters make it feel like you're with them. I knew this was a 5 star throughout the novel. I would definitely read another novel by Ivy Fairbanks.

Sunshine Texan meets broody Irish morticain, YES PLEASE 😍
"We would cherish the light and honor the darkness together."

I knew I was going to like this one just from the cover alone but I didnt know I would love it as much as I did! Its was so sweet and cute but definitely got me in my feels a lot. I felt the topic of grief and loss were handled with so much care and actually helped me a bit in dealing with my own. and the was Lark made callum comfortable enough to come out of his shell, it was just SO sweet❤
10/10 Highly reccomend this read!!

A very sweet strangers to friends to lovers story.
Lark runs away from her home country, after the passing of her husband to try to start fresh. She lands a job in Ireland and a flat next to a funeral home. Her new neighbor, Callum, the Undertaker, is quiet and unsure how to deal with this bright bubbly personality at his door with his mail. Callum needs to find someone to marry to keep his funeral home, Lark who has vowed to never marry again decides to help Callum find his bride. While their friendship grows, other more serious feeling are also developing.
The overcoming of grief was a large part of this book, I found it a lovely story, but some might find it delicate subject.
This book does have a slower burn romance but does hit spicy when they finally, fully connect.

This book was so cute! I loved the banter. I loved Callum so much. He was such a a grump but in the best way. I want more of them!!

» 3 stars ᯓ★

➞ the blurb sounded a whole lot more interesting than this actually was. but it's fine. it's fine! not like i was expecting a five star or anything. nope. i'm fine really!

🧸┊the plot: uhhh basically girl moves to new place and falls in love with neighbor who also happens to be a mortician (is that the right word?). and then they .. well yeah. do things and fall in love.

💐┊my thoughts: maybe this would've been better as a fall read? maybe this is a me problem? but i was so bored for a good part of this. i loved loved loved the mental health rep and the characters that are so different from most contemporary romance. the real issue here is that i felt no chemistry between the two. i really liked them as friends, in a very platonic way, no kissing no sex, that sorta thing. the second they stepped into a romantic relationship i stopped enjoying the book bc it felt like it took away all the good parts of them if that makes sense?

i also wasn't the biggest fan of the writing but i'm not suuuuper picky about that so that didn't really play into my rating. the pacing felt off in some parts though.

➞ tldr? the concept was better than the execution. and my expectations may have been slightly high which tends to lead to disappointment but u know! would def recommend for a spooky season palette cleanser but otherwise it was meh.

🏷️┊tw: anxiety, grief, death (mentioned). keep in mind there may be more that i forgot here! ur mental health matters <3

Morbidly Yours is a delightful rom-com following a grieving animator and widow who moves from Texas to Ireland- right next door to a mortuary.

This grumpy/sunshine story has likable characters, a beautiful setting, and ultimately forgiveness.

It's sweet, a little grumpy, and incredibly enjoyable.

First of all, Morbidly Yours is a book that feels like a gift *specifically* for me. It has everything that I love: a grumpy sunshine slow burn that is not just grumpy and sunshine, but truly gloomy and somber grump and an absolutely sparkling, glittering delight of sunshine. Callum, a serious undertaker with fantastic dark puns, and Lark, an effervescent social butterfly covering the grief of her past, have my whole heart from the first moment of each of their POVs. The premise here is both tropey and fresh; he needs to marry by his birthday to inherit his mortuary; she has sworn never to marry again after her husband dies and she relocates to Ireland for a fresh start. They become friends by proximity, grow close because of chemistry, and endure heartfelt shenanigans in their attempts to help each other while ignoring their growing feelings. Also, I think I may have died of swooning when we get to the murmured intimate affections in Gaeilge. It’s possible that I am writing this review as an actual ghost now that I have read that. I found myself pouring over the pronunciation guide at the beginning and the one at the end with all the best bits, just falling in love with Callum all over again.

This is the first book that actually made me wish for a moment that I was back working retail in college because I once worked in a story that sold fancy wool sweaters and I would give anything to be close to a sweater that reminded me even a little bit of Callum Flannelly, my new favorite book boyfriend. It’s probably a good thing that I don’t work there anymore so that I’m not caught softly whispering words mispronounced in Gaeilge to a sweater, but still. If I ever go to Ireland I am going to be extremely annoying to my traveling party about taking a copy of this book with me and visiting some of the places in the book. In fact, maybe I should go to Ireland for this express purpose.

Truly this is one of my favorite books not just of this year, but of all time. It’s fantastic, and I am so happy that it is the first in a series. Romtraumcom, or romantic dramedy, as I have seen the author call this, is such a special and perfect genre blend that takes care to include those of us who read romcom and know grief, and need both to exist together so we remember that our grief exists side by side with the humor and joy that makes it possible to carry on. Also, prepare to weep, as I did, at the end of chapter 35. No need to even remember that number; you’ll know when you get there.

Thank you to Netgalley, Putnam, and Ivy Fairbanks for this eARC. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was pretty good and it’s a debut. I will absolutely check out more by this author.

Update: this delightful story was picked up for traditional publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
This was a fun, romcom read! The flow of the writing & pacing of the story was done well, and made me want to continue reading. There are some graphic bodily descriptions within the mortuary that occur & discussions of death and grief throughout the book, so be sure to take that into consideration. A bit too much focus on steamy physical intimacy for my liking, but that just is my own preference! Overall an enjoyable read!

3.5/5 stars

I loved that so much. I saw stuff about the book on insta a couple months ago and looked to see if my library had it which it obviously didn't but then I saw scrolling here and saw it and got so excited and did absolutely lived up to my expectations. Demisexual undertaker love interest and artist mc? Sign me up. I loved both of them. And the character development? Damn good. I read the pronunciation guide like 3 times and was still saying all those Irish words and names wrong lol. Maeve. I heart old lesbian side characters. 11/10 (old lesbian side characters and the book as a whole) I also loved the bit with Rachel at the end. There was also a good balance of smut and story, some books definitely get rid of some story to fit in more smut (cough Icebreaker cough) but this one definitely didn't. I also liked that there was an epilougue from both povs. 2nd book with Cielo and aiden??? Would 100% read just saying

I originally read the KU version awhile back and jumped at the chance to read the newest version. I loved this slow burn romance between Callum and Lark. Callum is in need of a wife in order to keep his family's mortuary and Lark is trying to move past her grief from losing her spouse. Featuring one of the best meet cutes I have seen in ages. These two have fantastic banter and Callum is so romantic. I loved reading their story and look forward to any of the side characters getting heir own story.