4.5 stars and I'm so glad this is the start of a new series called Love in Galway. This was a fun and cozy read. Lark Thimpson takes a job as an art director in Galway to get away from her grief in Austin, TX. She ends up moving next door to a dour mortician, who actually isnt as dour as we firs think. They become best firends and the slow burn is exquisite. Seems poor Callum has to marry before he turns 35 so that he can keep his family business. And time is ticking. Lark tries to help him find a match but of course ends up falling for him herself. And callum falls for Lark. And the getting there is slow and adorable and completely believable. Loved this fun romance! Can't wait for the next book in the series!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for this e-arc.*

This was such a unique concept for a rom com! An American widow leaves the states to get away from the loss and guilt of losing her husband only to move into the apartment next door to an awkward yet sexy and cute, Irish undertaker! Maybe because my grandmother was the hairstylist at our local funeral home before she retired but, my family never made death a taboo subject, so I appreciate a good death pun and this book had plenty but, still addressing Callum's job with the dignity his customers and their families deserve. The relationship between Lark and Callum felt natural and sweet. They brought out the best in each other.

Morbidly Yours delivers a quirky, transatlantic romance that pairs an introverted Irish undertaker, Callum Flannelly, with a vivacious American cartoon creator, Lark Thompson. The premise is charming: Callum, who would rather spend his days in a mortuary than on the dating scene, is forced to find a wife before his 35th birthday to inherit his family's undertaking business. Lark, visiting Galway to escape the memories of her late husband, reluctantly agrees to help Callum find "The One," despite having sworn off love herself.

The novel shines brightest through Callum’s point of view. His serious and sarcastic demeanor, combined with the unique setting of a family-run funeral business, adds a refreshing contrast to the rom-com genre. Callum’s character is so compelling that he easily becomes the highlight of the book, making it hard to put down whenever the focus is on him.

However, Lark’s character may not be as universally appealing. Her "toxic positivity" and refusal to address her own grief through counseling or conflict resolution make her come across as overly bubbly and somewhat one-dimensional. While some readers may enjoy her effervescent personality, others might find her avoidance of deeper issues frustrating.

Despite these concerns, one of the novel’s strengths is the natural progression of the romance. The friendship between Callum and Lark grows slowly and organically, laying a solid foundation for the eventual romantic connection. This careful pacing makes their relationship feel more authentic and satisfying.

Overall, Morbidly Yours is an enjoyable read with a unique premise and a standout male lead. While Lark’s character might not be for everyone, the book’s heartfelt exploration of friendship, grief, and love makes it a worthy addition to the rom-com genre. Fans of opposites-attract romances will likely find themselves rooting for this unlikely pair.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book, much to my surprise. Im a sucker for enemies to lovers trope, and this delivered!! Callum and Lark had amazing chemistry and i really loved their characters. Get me on a plane right now!!

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I loved this adorable (yes, it is an adorable novel, even given Callum's profession ⚰️ and Lark's grief❤️‍🩹) book. I loved how the relationship between Lark and Callum bloomed. I loved the humor, heat, sexual tension, and learning all the neat things about Ireland. 🍀

Ivy has a perfect voice for dark romcoms. This book is for you if you are a fan of grumpy and sunshine, Ireland, quirky humor, and spice. Oh, and if you don't mind dead bodies (not in a zombie way💀).

I'm looking forward to reading the next Ivy Fairbanks book.

⚠️ TW: Funeral house and mortuary
⚠️ TW: loss of loved one (of the pages)

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons & NetGalley, for the ARC.

This book!!! I was drawn in by the cover and the blurb but I stayed for the adorable and touching intimacy that jumps off the page. Callum is my sweet, sarcastic, adorable Irish cinnamon roll. He is so earnest and caring. He takes his job so seriously with the appropriate amount of decorum and respect. He has a silly little sarcastic sense of humor. I also loved how he handled and embraced Lark's past. He treated her with the utmost care and adoration. I am obsessed with this man. 

Lark!! What a gal. I loved her career and her bravery in moving countries to begin a new life for herself. I also loved her journey into accepting Callum into her life and learning how to open her heart while also dealing with grief. 

This book was full of those little moments in a romance book where you can physically feel the couple falling in love. From roller skating in matching outfits, to playing with their pet mouse, going to the pub and getting their faces painted like puffins, I was in love with these two as a couple.

I didn’t know I needed an opposites attract, friends-to-lovers romcom (featuring toe-curling Irish dirty talk) that handled loss and death and grief so beautifully and tenderly until now but here I am, looking up flights to Galway

I suppose if you suggested a romance about an Irish undertaker and the cheerful American widower who moves in next door, well, honestly, I’d be like, all right. Let’s go!

Callum is shy and self conscious about his stutter, prefers to dress formally and in a lot of black, and has been part of his granda’s business for as long as he can remember.

That business? A mortuary.

Lark moves in next door. She’s in Ireland on a visa, working at an animation studio. Recently widowed, the circumstances of her husband’s death have left her leery of love and relationships. Despite that, she’s the kind of person who is full of life and laughter.

Callum falls head over body bag for this vivacious bright light.

Between capturing a mouse named Houdini, rollerskates and polyester outfits from the 70s, and a vintage scooter, these two are toast.

Callum is in a bind. He’s gotta get married before his next birthday or he will lose the business due to a caveat in his granda’s will. And though Lark won’t marry for love, she will marry to help out her new friend. Unfortunately Callum will settle for nothing less than everything.

Stalemate.

Their connection is undeniable, so how long will they keep trying to deny it?

While the style of the story wasn’t my favorite - a lot of exposition where I prefer action - I fell in love with Callum immediately. I don’t want to give too much away, but Callum is such a vulnerable character and he wears that vulnerability without apology. It’s not only endearing, it’s also sexy.

Lark is a good foil for Callum and vice versa. Where he’s shades of gray, she brings color to his days. Where she’s wild and free, he grounds her.

There is a a lot of dirty (and sweet) Irish talk, a few fun side characters, and a satisfying ending. It’s emotional, smart, and full of heart.

Thanks to @netgalley and @penguin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one comes out August 20, 2024.

When I received this book on Netgalley I wasn’t sure what to think. The cover seemed a bit too cartoony (which, after reading the book makes more sense) and I wasn’t sure about the premise. But I was pleasantly surprised by the story of Lark and Callum, two totally different individuals who become best friend that turn into lovers. I loved the characters and how they developed and the story had a really good flow to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

📣 a charming contemporary that explores love after loss in Ireland

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

📖 how do you usually sign your emails or letters? I usually sign “Best,” on professional emails & “Love,” on personal. I’m very basic 🤣.

I was curious about Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks: a mortician hero, an animator heroine who has just moved to Ireland, stutter rep, life after loss…

This book is charming & sweet with 🔥, too, & while I didn’t fall head over heels in love, I can certainly see why it’s been a hit.

It’s a sunshine & reserved MC combo with plenty of quirkiness, respect, & appreciation thrown into the mix. Ivy Fairbanks inserts a maybe-marriage-of-convenience obstacle in there too, & I really liked how it all ended up for the leads, even if I could have done without some of the angst 🤪.

I think if you like Chloe Liese, you’d like this one.

4.25 ⭐️. Out 08/20.

CWs: previous loss of spouse due to accident or possible suicide; feelings of guilt over spousal loss; manipulative father.

[ID: Jess holds the ebook in front of a tree with Spanish moss on it.]

📚 Read if you like: friends to lovers, opposites attract, spicy books, books about grief and healing, demisexual rep

I am not the biggest friends to lovers fan (I prefer the tension of enemies to lovers 😈) but this has me changing my tune! I really loved this! Callum and Lark were adorable together and this book gave me all the feels!

Callum and Lark feel like destiny. They are the epitome of opposites attract and fit together so beautifully - they just accept the other person for who they are without fuss. They have so much great banter and so many precious moments together. But also their chemistry is fireeee. He teaches her some sexy Irish words and phrases and that scene was so hot omg 🥵

I definitely did not expect the range of emotions I would get reading this. Going in, I knew there will be moments of grief and death and I thought they were handled beautifully. Absolutely cried my face off at some scenes. But there’s also so much joy and honestly hysterical moments that had me howling with laughter!

What a stunning debut novel - absolutely cannot wait for whatever Ivy Fairbanks writes next! Highly recommend this!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Morbidly Yours is rereleasing on August 20!

This was a lovely little book. I thought I might be a little creeped out with the love interest being an undertaker, but he was amazing.

I felt like I was back in Ireland, and it was so cozy and wonderful. Also… best language lesson in a book ever 🥵 oh my goodness!

5/5 stars
2/5 spice

I couldn't put this one down! I loved both of the MCs, they were written very well and very relatable. Callum and Lark were compete opposites but complimented each other in all the right ways. Both of them had experienced so much pain and it was great to see how their friendship flourished. Of course, the romantic chemistry was there but it was great to see how well they did as friends first.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for fans of rom coms, friends to lovers, and Irish MCs.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

A wonderfully fresh romance about friends-to-lovers that includes fantastic character growth, respectable representation of both demisexuals and those with speach impediments, the takedown of toxic masculinity, and embracing the dark in the light.

I am not one to give 5 stars to romance books. It's a genre I am admittedly picky about. This book hit every bullet point on my romance check list (to my great surprise) and gave me hope for the future of contemporary romances. Representation of all kinds matters, and Callum hit my soul in a way I didn't realize I needed. Ugh.. corny romance stuff. Don't make me talk about this.

Introverts, pessimists, non-allosexuals - they (we) deserve happiness and affection, too, on our own terms.

And the tension throughout the first half of this book? Phew..

Wonderfully written and addictive, I look forward to more offerings from Ivy Fairbanks.

Don't let the rom-com cartoony cover fool you -- this romance has a lot of heart, friendship, and deep themes!

Thoughts: I really, really enjoyed this story. But honestly, I wish publishers would stop with the cartoon covers because, while this cover is cute and I have nothing against it artistically, the cartoon aspect does no justice to this story. The title isn't helpful, either -- there's nothing "morbid" about this story, and the death jokes and undertaker insider-info is kept to a minimum, adding just enough to make the story believable and slightly humorous. Considering the FMC is grieving the loss of her husband, this plot isn't as deep as one might think, but has enough feels to get readers invested in these two characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this friends-to-lovers story. Their slow burn is so sweet to watch unfold, and there's enough spice to satisfy romance readers. And while there is some humor sprinkled throughout, the MCs take themselves and their jobs seriously, and develop their friendship on such a deep level that it felt inevitable that they would end up together. Nothing is all sunshine and roses, so expect plenty of drama, but not enough to be too frustrating. <i>Morbidly Yours</i> is a great read for anyone who likes their romance stories a little less serious but not overly ridiculous -- it was *chef's kiss* just the right temperature.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

A beautiful, moving, romantic story about love after loss, self-advocacy, and finding light and life in a world of death. The best romance books are more than just their love story and tropes. And Morbidly Yours is one of the best romances I've ever read.

From my story for Creative Loafing Tampa Bay:
A bubbly Texas art director flees to Galway to escape the grief of losing her husband. A grumpy Irish undertaker faces a ticking clock to find love and save the family funeral business. Sparks fly as the two grow, heal and better understand death through their love for each other.

This novel about getting a second chance at love, discovering your voice and finding hope and healing from death grew out of the author's desire for comfort amid chronic illness.

In the book, Callum is a painfully shy funeral director who, per his granda’s will, must marry by the time he turns 35. Into his life bursts Lark, a ray of Texas sunshine running away from the stormy weather of grief over her husband’s death. Both people-pleasers in their own way, Callum and Lark strike up an unlikely friendship that blossoms into so much more.

Through Lark, themes of death anxiety and grief are explored alongside self-confidence, advocacy and emotional fortitude. And with Callum, his stutter, social aversion and demisexuality are treated with both respect and mastery. Their story is much more than a romance, but one about embracing and honoring all the emotions that fill us through love and death.

This was such a fantastic debut, I loved everything about this. The author managed to intertwine romance, grief and humor so well.

Lark was such a sweet soul. I loved everything about her (especially her cowboy boots). AND CALLUM. I fell in love with him immediately. I loved that this book was dual POV, I think it really added to the story because the way Callum thought about Lark and developed his attraction to her (he’s demisexual) was beautifully written.

I loved the way Lark’s grief was shown throughout the book. She’s a widow and not only lost her husband but her best friend (due to her grief) as well. I think it was so important to show how she still loved her husband (and always will) but was able to find love for Callum as well.

I loved seeing the development for Aidan and Cielo, I cannot wait for their book!

Here’s a shortened and rewritten version of your review:

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This book had its moments but was a mixed experience for me. It was spicy without going overboard, but the pacing lagged in the middle. I enjoyed the quirky humor around grief and undertaking, like the puns and graphic details that are unusual for a romcom. Lark and Callum had some adorable and memorable scenes, though certain heteronormative aspects, like insecurities and possessiveness, felt unresolved and a bit frustrating.

One trope I really disliked was the guy-punching-another-guy scenario, which felt unnecessary and out of place. Additionally, the plotline about Callum needing to marry to keep his business felt outdated and limiting, ignoring alternative ways of building a family or legacy.

Overall, while there were fun and touching moments, especially around grief and second chances, the book’s lack of awareness about non-traditional paths left me wanting more.

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This version highlights your key points in a concise way.

What do an undertaker and an art animation director have in common? Nothing! Callum Flannelly is an undertaker. It’s his families business, but in order for him to keep his inheritance, he has to be married by a certain time. However Callum is shy, awkward, and dates don’t go so well for him. Enter Lark Thompson. Girl from Texas in Ireland for work. She rents accommodations next door to Callum. She befriends him and tries to help him find dates so he can wife up and get his inheritance. Lark is bright and colorful, full of chatter. The opposite of Callum. The more time they spend together, the more the attraction grows, but her time is coming to an end in Ireland.

I promise with me, you’re always going to get honest reviews. I did not like the first half of this book. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, I didn’t really like them. I also didn’t feel anything between the characters. Honestly, I was over it. But I don’t DNF books, and this book is the perfect example of why.

After the halfway point, this book really started to pick up. The characters, since we’ve gotten to know them, are more likeable. I felt the chemistry between Callum and Lark, and honestly, I kept reading because I loved reading about the both of them. Also, lots of spice in the second half of the book, but it is done really well.

I adored the Irish language in the book and appreciated that the author put in translations and phonetic spellings for those words. It really helped enjoy those parts of the book that much more.

3-3.5 stars

First off, when I read the synopsis on this one I misread it. I read animator like someone who raises the dead. Doh! Would have went seamlessly with a funeral home director! Alas, animator in this book is someone who makes cartoons. Ugh, that was on me.

This book was alright, maybe if I would have been in a different mood I would have liked it more, but I found it slow, and I found Lark a conundrum. She's so extroverted in all aspects of life but when it comes to herself and her own job she can't stand up for herself? I just could never connect with her character. Even once they admit that they have feelings for each other, she's still sticking her head in the sand, ready to run any minute. I did not like the way she was written.

Callum was fine for a hero. He was sweet and awkward. I wouldn't call him grumpy at all, just shy. There's a huge difference. All the Irish talk grated after a while, like a few words/phrases would have been good, but if you're going to have an entire sex scene with Irish words I can't have the word meaning stuck at the back of the book. That doesn't work for me, lol, takes away from the experience.

Overall I felt like this book tried to do too much in solving too many problems for these characters. Callum needs to get married to keep Willow Haven, but he's also a demisexual and has to have a bond to even feel attraction, oh and he's painfully shy, oh and he has a stutter, oh and he's got gallows humor, so let's obviously put him on a dating app. So many issues, lol, and that's only his issues. Lark has just as many. The whole "Rachel situation" was resolved very quickly and strangely for someone to have moved countries over it. I dunno, I feel like if we could have narrowed down the issues, and focused more on resolving the big things the characters would have been more endearing.

It was alright. I doubt I'll read any more in these series honestly.