Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

OMGGGGGGGGG. Y’all. This was the book I’ve been NEEDING. It was a breath of fresh air. This was one of my most anticipated ARCs and it did NOT disappoint.

Lark and Callum are the perfect puzzle pieces for each other. The yin to each other’s yang. Where Lark is vibrant and full of life, Callum is strong and silent and his job is literally in the business of death. They are both struggling with their own hardships and pasts, but my gosh do they come together beautifully as a couple in this story.

This book was so well written and the pacing was just perfection. I also loved the Gaeilge that was sprinkled throughout - it really helped immerse me into the story (and made me want to go to Ireland even more).

I think I found a new book boyfriend in Callum. The man is so dreamy without even trying but I still want to protect him at all costs. I felt myself falling head over heels for him the more we got into the story. He was simply so perfect. I can’t say enough good things about him and Lark or about this book. Please do yourself a favor and read it!!

The first line of the author's acknowledgements refers to this as an "odd little book," and I have to agree. Lark goes to Ireland for a job, still grieving and hurt after her husband's death. She discovers her nextdoor neighbor, Callum, is a mortician, and he's grieving the loss of his grandfather and trying to keep the family business intact. Lark swears she doesn't want any kind of relationship. Callum has been single for a long time and says he's usually disinterested in physical intimacy. Based on those two things, the story felt awkward that they were pining away for each other and then turned into friends with benefits.
This wasn't the book for me but might be of interest to those who enjoy more unique or quirky romances.

I love books that take place in Ireland but this one just didn’t work for me. The conversations between Lark and Callum seemed stilted and awkward most of the time. Plus the use of the Irish language was great but because the definitions were at the front, I had to leave the story to find out what was being said and it just didn’t work. It kind of ruined the enjoyment.

THIS BOOK! Y'all this one had me kicking my little feet but also yelling at the friends to become lovers already!! This was such a fun read. The book explores grief and guilt, as well as love and live after loss. It brought me to tears a couple of times!

Morbidly Yours has such a fun premise! It 's fun while bringing real emotion to the table. A great debut!

Overall an ok read. The story theme was nice but Lark was over the top satire of an American in Galway. And Galway was written about in a weird Americanized way. Tough to explain. The story arc worked well though the ending was unsatisfying as was the ultimate resolution to Carl’s funeral home ownership problem. The spicy scenes didn’t work for me, just weirdly written after sharing that Cal may be ace or uninterested in sexual romps.

This was such a fun and cozy read. Truly a friends to lovers book and almost a slow burn. It had me screaming “JUST KISS ALREADY” at the half way….the tension was too high HAHAHHA

I adored this book so much. As someone with a stutter that comes out at the worst times - this was such a breath of fresh air.

The romance in this book came slowly but so sweetly. I thought it was even more realistic this way. I’ve read a lot of romance books where the characters fall too fast.

One of the sweetest books I’ve read so far this year.

I loved this story! The author did a fantastic job weaving in how the main characters dealt with grief in their everyday lives while also showcasing their personalities and romance with enough humor and cute moments mixed in. I really enjoyed that these were people living with grief, a stutter, etc. and not people whose entire personalities became those traits. The love story was great, and watching Lark be herself on the pages while bringing out Collum’s personality was so fun to read!

I loved these two idiots.
The banter is fabulous, the spicy bits are good and the plot was a lot of fun!
These two idiots take waaay too long to figure out they are meant for eachother, but otherwise this was a fluffy delight!

Much love to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for hooking me up with this!
I highly recommend you scoop it up.

This was such a great debut! I loved Callum’s character, and how his sexuality and stutter were portrayed. It did take me a bit to get into the story, but it was really sweet as it developed. Overall, I enjoyed it and I’m excited to read more by Ivy Fairbanks in the future.

Thank you Penguin Random House for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks so much to Putnam for sending me an ARC of the traditionally published version of this story! I enjoyed it so much Callum was such a little sweetie & Lark was the perfect person to help him out of his shell. I loved seeing their story unfold and how they opened up to each other! Can’t wait to read more from Ivy Fairbanks!

Come for the Irish endearments and dirty talk, stay for the heartwarming friends to lovers, opposites attract love story.

Morbidly Yours follows Callum Flannelly, a shy and demisexual Irish mortician, who faces a unique family obligation: he must marry before his 35th birthday in just a few months' time to inherit his beloved family business. Meanwhile, Lark Thompson, a Texan animator with a bubbly personality but hidden grief, moves in next door.

Despite their mismatched personalities, Lark offers to help Callum find The One. As they embark on a dating project, Callum finds himself falling for his lively neighbor instead of the women he's taking out on dates. Lark knows she's developing feelings for Callum too, but she has vowed to never pursue another romantic relationship. Will they be able to navigate their complicated feelings about love to find happiness together?

I don't read a ton of romance novels, but this sweet and steamy book is exactly what I do like about the genre. The novel explores themes of grief, second chances, and the unexpected ways love can find you, all while still hitting the highs and lows one associates with the genre.

I appreciated the author's thoughtful approach to sensitive topics, including death, demisexuality, and Callum's stutter. Although I was frustrated with her at times, Lark's reluctance to open her heart felt genuine given her past trauma. I was also happy to see that Lark was portrayed as artistic and free-spirited without devolving into the manic pixie dream girl stereotype.

The engaging plot and well-developed characters made it hard to put the book down. I often found myself reading much more than the "just one more chapter" that I had promised myself.

If you're a fan of Abby Jimenez or looking for a romantic comedy with depth, Morbidly Yours is a fantastic pick for you. I really have no major critiques of this one. Five stars!

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 21, 2024 and to Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on August 23, 2024.

I loved Morbidly Yours! What a great debut from Ivy Fairbanks.

A young widow moves from Texas to Ireland for a fresh start; and finds it, along with a relationship with her mortician neighbour. Callum is a wonderful character and Lark is his perfect counterpart; I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop. The slow burn pays off wonderfully.

A little offbeat, to have a romance novel with death such an integral part of the plot, but that makes it interesting and fresh. I can see myself reading this again.

Lark has moved to Ireland for a job. It’s the perfect escape after she’s experienced tragedy back home. She moves in next door to Callum who runs a mortuary business that has been in his family. He loves his job and wants to keep the business but there’s a huge stipulation that he doesn’t have much time to figure out before it’s taken from him. As Callum and Lark develop a beautiful friendship, she tries to help him keep his business. He’d love nothing more than to keep to himself but outgoing and bubbly Lark has other plans!

I have not read an entire book in one sitting in a long time but this was one of them! The friendship, the tension, the slow burn, everything was SO GOOD. I love seeing books with representation of different people and this was beautifully done. One of my favorite reads of the year so far!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Ivy Fairbanks, and Penguin Group Putnam for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on August 20th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date.

I *ADORED* Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks. Lark has moved to Galway to work on an animated movie project, but she's also running away from the grief of losing her husband. A 28 year old widow, she's looking for a fresh start--and she unexpectedly finds it when she befriends Callum, her next door neighbor and the local undertaker. He has to get married by the time he turns 35 or else he loses the funeral home, so she decides to help her painfully shy neighbor turned friend find true love, never suspecting (or allowing herself to think that) she might just be the one he's been looking for.

It isn't often that I see demisexuality so clearly portrayed on page, and I loved it so much. I felt so very seen in Callum's character. He needs that emotional connection, that closeness, in order to experience desire, and I loved how Lark respected and accepted that. There was no judgment from either of them about the others' preferences or needs--just care and understanding.

The whole book is just a wonderful balance of sweet and spicy, funny and poignant. The audiobook is actually fantastic--Gary Furlong's Irish accent was *chefs kiss* Angela Dawe's narration was also really good, even though I get a little put out when people just assume people from Texas have a Southern accent. (That's actually rarely the case.) Other than that little annoyance, I really loved all the references to Texas, like the mention of HEB, my favorite grocery store!

I loved how it explored grief and loss and guilt and moving on. I thought it was, overall, very very well done, and I couldn't put it down.

This was such a cute read! A great balance of steam to story with really well-rounded characters. I fell in love with them as they fell in love with each other. Also, the Texan in me is in love with the fun blending of Texan and Irish slang!

📱Morbidly Yours📱⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Length- 328 pages. ⁣
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⁣Genre- Contemporary Romance. ⁣
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⁣My thoughts- Who is ready for cozy fall books? This one isn’t set in fall, but man- it put me in the mood for sweet reads, candles, the smell of baking cookies and rainy mornings! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Morbidly Yours features a hot mortician, Callum, who must marry before his 25th birthday or lose the family business. When Lark, an American animator and widow, moves next door she agrees to help break the introverted man out of his shell. ⁣
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⁣Read this if you enjoy: ⁣
⁣- Friends to lovers. ⁣
⁣- Slow burn. ⁣
⁣- Books set in Ireland. ⁣
⁣- Open door romance with tons of spice. ⁣
⁣- Sweet, lovable characters. ⁣
⁣- Cozy books that also tackle heavy topics. Grief and death are tackled here. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣This book was so much fun! I can’t believe it’s Ivy Fairbanks first book and planning on reading her next one! Fantastic! ⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for my honest review. Morbidly Yours is out now!

4.5/5✨

Morbidly Yours

📖 via E Arc

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the reader the ability to have a copy for review.

Slow Burn
Grumpy MMC
Sunshine FMC
He falls first
30+ rep
Stutter rep

This book was such a good time!! Love after loss, morbid humor what’s there not to like?!! I loved the authors writing style!! I will be reading more by this author in the future!!

So I cried while reading this book. Like, a lot. Like I already had a migraine and the amount of crying made it worse.
I am such a sucker for socially awkward broody boys, and Callum fit that to a T. He was demisexual, which I NEVER see enough rep for, had a stutter, and crippling social anxiety. Lark was sunshine incarnate, with a tendency to run from and/or ignore the big issues in her life, including grief and guilt from the death of her husband. This book handled all of that so well.
I loved the balance of Lark and Callum’s friendship developing alongside their passion for very different careers. Callum was what every undertaker should be; patient, kind, and respectful of all types of grieving. I’m just a lil bit obsessed with him.
Lark and Callum were so wonderful together, complementing each other via different strengths and ultimately respectful of one another’s needs. Their unlikely friendship was the foundation necessary for authentic growth together and ultimate understanding, passion, and mutual joy.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: death, grief, embalming process, mentions of macabre aspects of embalming, mention of animal consumption of dead body, mentions of childhood bullying, parental abandonment and subsequent toxic relationship, workplace harassment, sexism, brief allusions to homophobia