Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Y’all, this book was so cute and sweet, and I am officially in love with Ivy Fairbanks. For a debut, this book really was so well written and just a beautiful story.

After the death of her husband, animator Lark decides to take a job and move to Ireland for a fresh start. After a package is wrongly delivered to her home, she takes it to her mysterious neighbor. The last thing she expects is to live next to a mortuary named Willow Haven and become best friends with the undertaker, Callum.

Where Lark is bubbly and adventurous, Callum is stoic and more reserved. They bring the best out of each other and push each other to step out of their comfort zones. Callum does not expect to fall for Lark and Lark is in no position to date or marry and honestly doesn’t want any romantic relationships after the death of her husband. Callum HAS to marry, or he will lose his family business, Willow Haven.

Over the course of the book, Lark and Callum get to know one another and the relationship that developed between them felt so authentic. They had chemistry from the beginning but the fact that this was a slow burn romance, and the author developed the friendship between them before anything else happened is something that I didn’t know I really needed from this book. It allowed Lark to eventually work through her grief and continue to work through it, and it allowed Callum to learn to open to the right person (in this case, Lark).

This book did not read like a debut for me. I couldn’t find any plot holes, and like I said, the character development was on point. I loved everything about this slow burn romance. I don’t often reread books but I can see myself rereading this in future because it was just so sweet, cute, and heartwarming.

First, thank you to netgalley and publisher for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book SO much for so many reasons. First, the names Callum and Lark? So cute. A mail order of body bags as the meet cute?! Spooky but adorable. Calling our MMC’s ~*member*~ a freaking scythe?!? Come on!! I loved both of the main characters, their love story, and the underlying lesson of how to love after different forms of loss.

This book really said “here’s a socially anxious, reserved undertaker with a stutter for you to fall in love with” and omg I really did. Listen, the embalming technical talk was not for the weak BUT Callum did not view his profession as grotesque but as honoring and caring for the departed while ushering their loved ones through their grief, and that honestly made me look at it differently too. Callum fell so hard for Lark and their mutual pining was palpable! I loved that they were immediately so comfortable with each other and able to see each other so clearly.

🪦 Opposites attract
🪦 Set in Ireland
🪦 A sexy Irish language lesson
🪦 Caretaking
🪦 Let’s get it out of our systems

3.75 stars! Ummmmm who knew we would be swooning over an undertaker/ funeral home owner, but here we are! This book was a lot of fun in the beginning. Lark & Cal were so much fun when they were becoming and friends and exploring Ireland. I simply love Cal. He was so caring and considerate. He started off quiet and reserved, but watching him open up with Lark was a treat. Watching him go on those terrible dates was so funny, and I just wanted to save him. Plus, I loved the demisexuality & stutter representation.

I liked Lark in the beginning, but as the story went on I started to be annoyed with her. So many people wanted to support her, but she continually refused to stand up for herself. Her decisions just kept pissing me off lol. There was a lot of grief & trauma Lark was going through, so I don't hate her, but I think she needs a lot more therapy .

There was a lot of grief and sadness, but also a lot of fun & banter. Friends to lovers, sloooooow burn girlies, this one is for you.

First I wanna thank NetGalley for the opportunity to get this book as an ARC!! I overall thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved being able to follow Callum and Lark on their journey to discovery. The book had amazing representation of asexualism, Irish culture, as well as what it’s like to deal with losing the death of a spouse. I feel like this book was wholesome with a side of spice and I loved it. The sexual tension between these two made me giggle. I will definitely be adding this book to cart when it is published!

I absolutely died over this heartwarming and surprisingly steamy rom com. I just adore Lark + Callum and their unlikely friendship that turns into an emotionally swoonworthy romance. This was such a unique story and I will definitely be reading anything else Ivy Fairbanks writes. I’ve read a lot of romance books and they can get repetitive, but this was so different and the characters were complex. It was so refreshing to read something so unexpected with so much emotional depth. Check the TW

🖤Neighbors
🖤Grief, loss, trauma
🖤Friends to lovers
🖤Grumpy sunshine
🖤Opposites attract
🖤Slow burn with spicy scenes
🖤Irish dirty talk
🖤Demisexual MMC
🖤He falls first

Already preordered a signed copy from Tombolo Books!

4.5 stars!

I loved how grief is portrayed in throughout this book. Love after loss is such a touchy topic for many ways and it's very well done in this book. It took a bit for the romance to kick in but when it sparked it was great! I was loving them together and rooting for them. As they help eachother through their personal issues, sparks eventually fly, it's warming and such a slow burn tale.

The title is unique and it has a stunning cover. This is a very well done contemporary romance with the a friends to lovers theme that had me in all the feels. This is a great debut and I will be looking forward to this author's next works!

Not for me. I didn't enjoy this to a degree that I think I'm the problem. It's ostensibly a fun and cute rom that touches on grief and self actualization, but it simply did not hit for me. The characters were not endearing, the plot was odd, and the writing felt juvenile. Giving two stars instead of one because I worry my dislike is at least partially due to personal taste.

This was a sweet, vulnerable, heartfelt story of friendship, healing, and opening your heart to love again, but I’m a bit disappointed because we were set up for a marriage of convenience (one of my most favorite tropes)… and it never landed. Even with multiple proposals… nada.

Callum and Lark were tremendously lovable and relatable and there was such tenderness in their friendship. I appreciated how they provided each other with a safe place to share their hearts and souls. While I loved them dearly, Lark’s wishy washiness with Callum hurt my heart - I know she was healing and trying to protect her heart, but I wish she hadn’t used Callum.

Overall, this was cute and I enjoyed the setting and spending time getting to know the side characters, but Lark’s flippancy with Callum left a sour taste.

☘️ Book Review ☘️

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Re-Publication: August 20, 2024

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 (I really liked it)

This was my first book by Ivy and I really liked meeting Callum and Lark. I have to say that it felt like Callum was written just for me. A lot of his inner thoughts resonated.

I did dock some stars mostly for pacing. I’m not sure how to describe it but it felt off for me, however this was still a cute read. Plus it will be perfect for fall time!

For fans of:
☘️ First person POV
⚰️ Dual POV
☘️ Shy x Bubbly
⚰️ Neighbors
☘️ Demisexual rep
⚰️ Friends to lovers
☘️ Must get married
⚰️ She helps him go on dates
☘️ Love after loss
⚰️ Slow burn

Short Synopsis:
After the death of her husband, Lark finally decides to move on and move countries and leaves her family and life in Texas for Ireland. But she knows nobody and befriends the mortician next door.

My Thoughts:
This book has so many cute parts and did some much so well. I love how grief was portrayed and the demisexual representation. I’m here for an Irish love story too. I also loved the representation of a MMC with a stutter.

I will say Lark was such a caricature of someone from Texas. As someone who actually was born and raised in Texas it drove me batty. I’ve never not once said “remember the Alamo” in conversation unless I was actually at the Alamo. 🙃

What You’ll Find
Love after loss
Demisexual representation
Friends to lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Irish setting

5 🌟 apparently a mortician as a love interest really worked for me (who could’ve guessed)?? Don’t get me wrong, our FMC was a complex ball of sunshine and I loved her character development throughout but WOW Callum was so down bad and it was the most endearing pining I’ve seen in a while!! This might be classified as a “grumpy sunshine” but he’s not actually grumpy - he just has social anxiety and a stutter (which made me love him even more). Grief is a central theme of this book and it was handled with such care and showed many different forms of it, giving every reader something to relate to. I definitely wanted to give Lark a good shake after the umpteenth time of her refusing to allow herself to be happy but also played into the themes of progress not being linear. Just all around this book was so enjoyable and realistic; I started giggling and kicking my feet 5% in and never stopped. So cute and would highly recommend checking this out once it re-releases in August!! 🫶🏼

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute! The grumpy/sunshine couple was just precious. Im glad she stood up for herself and stuck it out. The funny banter and accidents was lovely. I cant wait to read more from this author!

Morbidly Yours is as romantic as it is cathartic. Fear, grief, and loneliness are all on page as Callum and Lark fall in love.

Lark left her life in Texas to take an animation gig in Ireland. She's making a new start for herself after the untimely death of her husband. Callum is facing a deadline to marry or risk losing inheriting his family business - a mortuary. Where the easiest solution would be a marriage of convenience, he is seeking love and true connection.

I love Lark and Callum's friendship. She wakes up Callum's playfulness. He allows Lark to be still and grounded. At the same time, they work to respect boundaries both said and secret. Lark learns to recognize Callum's social battery levels, and Callum becomes a safe place Lark can rest her grief when ready.

When their romance sparks? Oh my word! The chemistry is fully developed. Callum and Lark get full marks in relationship. Their sexual relationship is spiced with the attentiveness and enthusiasm we already see in their friendship. After a few personal breakthroughs, there's no doubt these two have something so special together.

I shed all categories of tears - happy, sad, anger, even the laughed till I cried kind - over Callum and Lark falling in love. This book has left its mark on me. I'm happy to carry Morbidly Yours in my heart always.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Random House / Putnam Books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this story but something about it just kept me from losing myself in the characters.
A solid 3.5 stars for me.

Lark + Callum

-friends to lovers
-opposites attract
-slow burn
-irish dirty talk
-demisexual rep

this was such a unique story & the opening was HILARIOUS, it had me hooked immediately!! the comedy throughout was amazing & entertaining as well! i had a great time!!

First, don't skip this if you think it's dark or ghosty from the title - it's not! It's a gorgeous, loving, contemporary romance! I am feral for MCs who make "rules" just to break them later, and this attempted friends to benefits with a splash of marriage of convenience SCHEME does not disappoint! Both MCs are misunderstood in their own ways, and this brings them together so tenderly. The Irish setting is so dreamy, and their spice is explosive. Includes demisexual rep in the MMC ❤️ an incredible debut; don’t miss it!

When publishers advertise new authors by saying things like “if you like Abby Jiminez and Emily Henry you’ll love this new book by so-and-so” I prepare myself to be disappointed, because it’s so rarely true that new debut authors are even close to these NYT bestsellers. Ivy Fairbanks’ writing, however, really was very reminiscent of both Jiminez and Henry, and this was a well done first novel. The banter and way the two characters were playful and fun together was what made the book so similar to a lot of my favorites. When I’m reading romance I want to really understand why the characters want to be together so badly, or why I should root for them, and I was rooting for Callum and Lark from the beginning. A great example of opposites attract, friends to lovers, and there’s even a marriage of convenience storyline thrown in for another plot twist. I will definitely be watching for more Ivy Fairbanks in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the basic idea of this book a lot. I thought the fact that Callum is an undertaker who is an introverted demisexual with a stutter was a unique take on a romantic male lead. He is the star of this story, in my opinion.

I didn’t dislike our female lead, per se. The author gave her a tragic backstory that definitely made me sympathetic. But Lark is pushy. She claims to be supportive of Callum’s demisexuality but then pushes him to kiss Saoirse when he’s clearly not ready. She is sometimes very empathetic to his needs but then will steamroll him in a sort of “I know better than you” way. This improves as the book goes on and she is much more understanding of Callum’s needs as the story progresses.

The plot seemed to meander towards the end. I found myself skimming as it started to feel repetitive. But the sex scenes were written really well and I definitely would read more from this author. I really loved the unconventional male lead and also that she wrote Lark as a recovering people pleaser. I think many readers will see aspects of themselves in these characters.

Morbidly Yours was unexpectedly good! I went it with an open mind because honestly I couldn’t grasp that the MMC was an undertaker and that’s a little dark for me BUT I really enjoyed the morbid parts.

Lark and Callum are both dealing with issues of their own but they help each other navigate them. Their friendship flourishes and becomes more as they help and rely on one another. The writing style was addictive that I finished it in one day.