A romp of a romance that's also informative about the work of a mortician (and yes, it's oddly fascinating!) Lark, who works in animation, has moved to Galway from Texas to take a job and to get away from the grief after the death of her husband. Callum, her neighbor, must marry -and soon- in order to keep the family funeral home. This has all the tropes to be sure but it's also a bit deeper than I expected. Callum struggles with stuttering among other things and Lark, well Lark is carrying a burden. And she's got to deal with a real creep at work. They make excellent friends and then there's steam and spice. I liked this for the characters (not just these two but also Maeve, Saroise, and others), for the setting, and for, gotta admit it, the Irish slang (complete with a pronunciation guide at the end). Thanks to the publisher for the ArC. I very much enjoyed this and am looking forward to more from Fairbanks.

Lark is a bubbly animator who moves to Ireland to start over. Callum is the nervous mortician who lives next door. This is more socially anxious/sunshine than a grumpy sunshine. But I still loved it.

This book was heavier than I expected but it felt like it was done with love and respect, which I appreciated. I struggled with the sort of info dump of everything at the start. But after awhile I really enjoyed it.

The friendship is a really high point for this book. The demisexual rep is really awesome too.

This was a 4.25 for me! I adored this book. It was unique, heartfelt, emotional, funny, and quirky. I loved Callum so much. He was the best book boyfriend. This was a friends to lovers slow burn that was fantastic. I enjoyed the demisexual and stuttering representation. You’ll be ready to pack up and move to Ireland after reading.

There’s nothing I love more than a great debut novel in the Romance world. Ivy Fairbanks wrote a fun and refreshing story of love, grief, acceptance, and dedication. Morbidly Yours? Absolutely!

Lark has started a new job as an animation art director after moving to Galway. She first meets her next door neighbor Callum as she enters the funeral palor to return a package left at her residence by accident; a package of body bags. The starting conversation is hysterical and sets the tone for the novel and our characters.

What I loved:
***The chemistry - off the charts.
***How the novel handled grief of a widow; the feelings of guilt and what if’s. I thought it was so wonderfully written.
***A hunky undertaker? I mean, I’m now a believer thanks to Callum. He was just so sweet, so kind, and so dreamy. Perfect MMC!
***The use of the Irish language - beautiful. It fit perfectly into the story.
***Both points of view from our leads; it felt so necessary for these characters.

This book was so different from others out there in the Romance section; I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading future novels from the author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

There were so many things I loved about this book! I adored Callum and loved that he was an undertaker since I have never read a rom com with a character of that profession. I liked Lark a lot and also enjoyed her somewhat unique (for a rom com) job as well. I love an angsty, "I want you but we can't be together" romance, and this was a good one. It was definitely more of a slow burn, as it took them a while to get there and I was shouting at them to just tell each other how they feel. There were also themes of light and dark throughout that I loved, and I would say this is probably more of a dark and quiet/sunshine than a grumpy/sunshine. I just loved the two of them together, and especially how Callum describes her a few times during his p.o.v.

I felt the topics of grief and death were dealt with well. The very matter-of-fact details of preparing a body for burial were sometimes approached with a sort of dry humor, which I appreciated.

I also enjoyed all of the side characters, the humor, the office drama and how it worked out, and the incorporation of the language.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants characters with interesting jobs, grumpy(but actually a shy introvert)/sunshine, slow burn, something that feels a LITTLE different from the traditional rom com, or one that is not too light and fluffy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

4.5/5 Stars

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

I had heard amazing things about Morbidly Yours when it originally came out as an indie book but I never got around to reading it before it got picked up so when I saw it up for request, I had to request it. This book was an amazing Friends to lovers romance that talks about grief beautifully and has the best demisexual representation I have ever read. It really surprised me with how much I enjoyed this one as I wasn’t sure at first but I came to love these characters and the romance. The discussion about grief is so heart wrenching but is done so well and I truly felt like both the reader and the characters got closure in the end.

Callum would rather hang out with dead people than go on a date. But when his grandfather dies and leaves behind a will that says either Callum gets married before his 35th birthday or the family undertaking business goes to his estranged dad, he has no choice but to try and find someone. Lark moved from Texas to Galway to get a fresh start on her life and career not to get reminded of her deceased husband everytime she looks outside and sees a funeral home. But when Lark learns about Callum’s dilemma, she is determined to help him find the one, even if she has sworn off love. But slowly as they get to become friends both realize maybe friendship isn’t the only thing they feel for each other.

Lark has lost pretty much everything when her husband died, she lost her best friend and the family she had gained in the marriage and has mostly lost her mother as well. The only person who stood by her was her cousin. She moved to Galway to try and restart her life and she didn’t expect to move right next to a funeral home that reminds her of her husband. Her friendship with Callum starts by accident and I loved them as both friends and romantic partners. Callum is socially awkward and demisexual so he truly before the will didn’t care to find a romantic partner soon and especially wasn’t rushing to marry someone but the will threw him off balance. Their friendship is so sweet and truly doesn’t start as either looking for romance because Lark makes it clear she doesn’t want romance. So we see each of them slowly accept that their feelings are not just platonic friendship but are romantic but it takes a while. I loved their progression and how long it took as well as it not being smooth sailing and being complex.

I really recommend this one if you want amazing demi rep and great discussion of grief. It has some heavy topics so check the trigger warnings if you are worried but it was fantastic. I loved the epilogues and I am excited to see what Ivy writes next.

This story follows a women who arrives to Ireland where she meets a mortician and begins to fall in love. This was a cute storyline which was very unique and follows in the place of Ireland. I loved the setting and learning the new words in the book. I do have to say because there was Irish, I had to often flip back and forth of the book to look at the glossary. I would have loved to see in text meaning or in the footnotes like some authors have begin doing. The storyline was very heartfelt where two people are looking for a new change but there was a lack of variety of conflicts. This book follows both Lark and Callum perspective.

Lark is an animator and is looking to go on with her life but because of her past, is having a hard time. I enjoyed seeing her development and really loved her bubbly personality. Then we have Callum who is a mortician who’s a introvert. He’s a sweetheart who cares so much for Lark and doesn’t know how to express his feelings. There are many side characters in this book and I can tell that some of them are about to have thier stories. I do have to say that it was hard to connect with them through the MCs because I felt they didn’t include the other characters much in their story. The romance is slow burn with friends to lovers which had some steamy scenes. I liked the chemistry between these two.

The ending was well done and we get a cute epilogue of their stories. I’m excited to read the next book in the series and to follow their story from a different character’s pov. This was such a fun story written so uniquely. I recommend checking this one out!

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Oooh! This one was cute!

I love that the characters didn't have 'traditional' jobs.
What a unique idea to start writing with.

I loved the banter, the Irish verbiage, and the intimate scenes.
The two characters had great chemistry.

I do feel I connected more to the MMC than the FMC.
Not exactly sure what it was, maybe she was too dry for me?

Overall the story was well written and I would 100% pick up more of ivy's work!

Morbidly Yours is a quirky romance that blends humor and heart against the dynamics of life, death, and second chances. Callum Flannelly, a brooding mortician, must marry to inherit the family business but is challenged when Lark Thompson, a feisty American, enters his life.

Their budding friendship turns into undeniable chemistry, making it impossible to deny their connection. Their connections simmer off each page, and I sometimes yelled just to admit their feelings. The slow-burn aspect was definitely in full play. Callum and Lark's friendship is filled with humor, passion, and compassion. Overall, this was a good story that kept my attention. I found myself smiling at the end.

This book had so much more depth than I had expected. Yes, it’s a fun and charming rom-com with some really hot spice, but it also handle death and grieving in a way that feels real. And Lark’s workplace harassment added yet another layer that I wasn’t expecting. I expected something light and fluffy but came away with one of the most satisfying books I’ve read in a long time.

This book was a super fun read! I dont know what I expected going into this book but I loved it!


The MMC is a mortician who will be losing his funeral home if he does not get married due to a clause in his grandpa’s will. The FMC is a widow who moved to Ireland for work. The two become neighbors and as they get to know each other, the friends to lovers trope is perfected

What a sweet book! I devoured it while giving my Irish accent a go! It was an easy, fast-paced read with wonderful character development. There are some steamy moments as well.

Lark has moved to Ireland for a job where she finds herself living next to a funeral home where she meets Callum, the undertaker. Lark is the sunshine to his grumpiness. They quickly become friends as she helps him try to save his family business.

Lark and Callum have great chemistry. Both are very patient and understanding. I love their banter and how open they become with one another. The side characters we meet are fun and endearing. Overall, this was such a fun read. I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Ivy Fairbanks for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very impressed with this debut novel! I was intrigued by the cover alone and the name of the novel. This was such a fun read and it was written so well, and I love when there is an accent involved 😉.
Watching these two both fall for each other and how it happened I just loved it! I found both of the characters to be very funny and they had me laughing more than once. Lark is very witty and outgoing whereas Callum is shy and very reserved, and seeing Lark get him out of his shell was perfect! I cannot wait to ready more by this author!

Thank you to Putnam for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Lark has just moved to Galway, Ireland for a job and to run away from her life in the US after her husband's death. She thinks she is moving in next to a cute little bed and breakfast. But it turns out to be a funeral home. Callum, the mortician, needs to get married within a few months or he will lose the business.

When a book is told in first person, I get quite annoyed by choices to not let us, the readers, know what the motivation and past experiences of the first person narrator are. In this case, we regularly were reminded that Lark was shaped by her husband's death and especially its circumstances. But those circumstances were withheld. The longer it lasted, the more annoyed I was.

But some aspects of the story were so charming. I loved the characters that Lark met, both at work and in the grocery story. The descriptions her animations were charming. And while the behavior of a co-worker was horrifying, it added great depth to the plot and her character arc.

I really appreciated Callum's chapters. I appreciated the demisexual representation for Callum. I hadn't known to expect it, and it was incredibly well done. There was a bit more detail for his job than I needed, and I even skimmed a couple of the sections about embalming.

I greatly appreciated the ending and felt the book improved the more I read.

CW: death and grief, misogyny

I really struggled to get into this book. I just couldn't connect with the characters and the pacing felt slow. I think this was more of a case of right book, wrong reader, so I would still encourage others to check out this book! I think this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little different from what I usually read but Morbidly Yours was a pretty good friends-to-lovers story. This grumpy sunshine story was filled with great banter and humor there was a lot of fun sarcastic moments.

This book was just not for me. I wasn’t finding any connection between Lark and Callum. And I know that the book is named Morbidly Yours but sheesh with all the very descriptive embalming techniques. For me a book that is dubbed romance needs more connection and a bit less gore.

I really really liked this one. It was such an original story to me! Maybe not the story itself but aspects of the story. The characters were great. I can't say I have read a book with a mortician or a cartoon artist as the main character before- LOVED. I am debating whether I should call Callum a grump or not. He was just more introverted I think. But man was Lark his true sunshine. The way that he opened up and started feeling more confident. Lark was on the struggle bus understandably. She had never dealt with the grief that came from her husband's passing. She did what most people would do and ran to somewhere new where no one knew her. She wanted to start over, but her heart was cutoff forever. Until she meets Callum and it starts beating again. This book made me over the moon happy. I found myself smiling and giddy almost the whole time. Their first spicy scene was SO HOT- read it and you''ll understand. I just love how GOOD they were for each other. How they found each other at the perfect time.

Lark has moved to Galway. She knows no one, but she is excited for this adventure. Until she realizes that she has moved next door to a funeral home. Albeit a funeral home with a hot mortician who she finds herself drawn to for some reason. She likes his quirkiness. He doesn't seem weirded out by how she is. She wants to get to know him. But she won't cross any lines- she can't open herself up the way she did with Reese. It was just too hard. So friends it is. But then Callum tells her about his problem- he needs to get married to keep his business. Instead of offering her services, she devotes herself to finding him a partner. Throughout all of her tutoring though, she finds herself enjoying life more than she has in a long time. She finds herself WANTING things she hasn't wanted in a long time. She wants Cal. Maybe if they get it out of their system they can move on. She has to set the expectation that she will not be his wife. Maybe they can be friends with benefits? I mean what could possibly go wrong besides acknowledging the growing feelings and thing that is growing on the daily between them. Absolutely nothing- right??

Callum is confused. He has been working at his family's funeral home for forever and now that his granda has passed there are hoops to jump through in order for him to take over. He has to get married. He has to ensure that the family legacy will continue. What does that look like for someone who hasn't been on a date in 6 years? For someone who is content in their existence. But then everything changes when Lark moves in next door. She is legit sunshine. She is rainbows. She is flowers and smiles and everything that Cal isn't. He is instantly interested but when she makes it clear that they can only be friends he decides that he will have to start looking for a wife. The problem? Every time he is out on a date, he finds himself wondering what Lark is doing. He wants more than she can give him. So when she offers herself up on a platter with no strings what can he say besides yes. But now the deadline is looming and so he decides to throw caution to the wind and take a chance with Lark. What could possibly go wrong?

I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a slower kind of burn with some NICE heat. I enjoyed the found family in this one as well. Just overall a really fun read! I was excited to see that this is going to be a series and am thinking Lo and Aidan for book 2?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Morbidly Yours is a friends-to-lovers story.

Lark lost her husband in a tragic accident and moves to Galway in order to escape her grief. Callum is a shy undertaker who needs to marry in order to inherit his family business. What follows is a story of friendship, grief and choosing to love after loss.

Book 22 of 2024 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Ivy Fairbanks for an ARC of Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks in exchange for my honest review.

The moment I read a description of Morbidly Yours on NetGalley, I saved it. In an attempt to get my review percentage higher, I kept putting off requesting an ARC (silly me), until I finally read a preview of it on the Libby App and knew I couldn’t wait any longer.

Morbidly Yours is a dual POV, friends-to-lovers & grumpy/sunshine rom-com told from both Callum Flannelly & Lark Thompson’s perspectives. Callum is an shy, Irish mortician who generally prefers the company of his work to other people until Lark, a vivacious animator from Austin, TX, moves in next door. Both are dealing with loss, albeit different types of loss, and find comfort in each other. Fairbanks makes you love her characters instantly - Lark is wonderful as the FMC, but we must protect Callum, the MMC, AT ALL COSTS.

The representation in this book was another highlight. I can’t remember reading a book with a main character (Callum at this juncture) who has stutter, and it’s treated with the utmost care. Callum is also demisexual. We have additional LGBTQIA+ rep in one of Lark’s co-workers who’s non-binary and Callum & Lark’s friend Maeve, an older lesbian woman. We have diversity in race and ethnicity with Cielo & Anvi, just to name a couple…I can’t wait for Cielo’s story next. A Latina from Texas in Ireland, finding her match? Sign me up!!

The open door scenes were so well-done - kudos to Fairbanks! 🌶️

5/5 ⭐️, 2.5/5 🌶️ - Callum is a new favorite book boyfriend. Ivy Fairbanks is going to be an auto-buy author. I’m so glad TikTok made this book a sensation - I’m already ready for book 2, and I hope Fairbanks gets to a book tour! 🍀 ✍🏼🐁 #NetGalley
#MorbidlyYours