This was such a pleasant surprise, I picked this one up solely based on the cover and it did not disappoint. It was so far beyond just a sweet romance that takes place in rainy Ireland between a mortician and a cartoon animator.

It was the sweetest friends-to-lovers story I’ve had the opportunity to read in a while. Being able to see the friendship between Lark and Callum was so freaking endearing! The way they just casually involved the other in their life and then tried to play off - such a silly goose the pair of them!

This was truly a gem of a read and I cannot wait until I have a physical copy in my hands! Everyone needs to read this one when it comes out! 🫶🏼

I have a strange fascination with romance novels that have morticians as MCs. Callum has to find a wife or he can’t inherit. Callum has a stutter that the author writes very well

Vacationing Lark is a widow staying next door who doesn’t want to find love again but agrees to help Callum find a wife.
Ofcourse love is right in front of them and finding love again after loss is one of my favorite tropes.

There’s a slow burn.
Grumpy/Sunshine
No MOC though….

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC copy of Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks.

"Morbidly Yours" by Ivy Fairbanks is a charming and heartwarming romantic comedy that skillfully balances humor, poignancy, and a touch of the macabre. Set in the picturesque town of Galway, Ireland, this novel explores the unexpected ways in which love can bloom in the most unlikely of places.

Callum Flannelly, the introverted heir to a family-owned funeral home, faces a daunting ultimatum: to inherit the family business, he must marry before his 35th birthday. For a man more comfortable among the dead than the living, this proves to be a formidable challenge. Enter Lark Thompson, a spirited Texan animator seeking a fresh start far from her painful past. The last thing she wants is a reminder of loss, yet she finds herself living next door to a funeral home.

When Lark learns of Callum's predicament, her natural vivacity and empathy drive her to help him navigate the treacherous waters of the dating scene. What begins as a mission to find Callum a suitable match quickly evolves into something more profound as their friendship deepens and their mutual attraction becomes undeniable.

I cannot really lie when I say that it took me forever to finish this book, even when it was so well written and moved pretty quickly. I love the organic way that Lark and Callum come together, it doesn't seem forced and plus you're rooting for them the entire time. But their individual journey's are also a welcome, as they are both in the process of growing and mourning situations in their life on their own. It gave them and the story growth and a rounded out feeling that you don't always get with rom coms. It also goes into grief and how different for each person it effects. Which is also a nice little aspect.

This was a really sweet and emotional book with a heartfelt exploration of love after grief. This take on the “need to be married for an inheritance” was unique. I also really enjoyed the morbid humor and demi-sexual rep. Not usually a friends to lovers fan but this was so cute!

Any book that quotes Hayao Miyazaki has my heart.

𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

🖤Morbidly Yours : Ivy Fairbanks 🖤

Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Publisher: Penguin Group - Putnam Books
Publication Date: August 19, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book begins with one of the main characters, Lark Thompson, moving from Texas to Ireland to take an animator’s job. Two years ago her husband passed away after a tragic car accident, and she couldn’t stop blaming herself so she decided it was time to get away.

When Lark arrives in Ireland, she moves into an apartment that she assumed was next to a B&B. She receives a package that isn’t hers and accidentally opens it. In it she finds body bags. She walks to her neighbors house to give them their package, and meets her neighbor Callum Flannelly. This is when she discovers he is a mortician, and she lives next door to a funeral parlor.

Callum Flannelly is the owner and operator of the funeral parlor. Well, he is currently. His grandfather’s will states that in order to inherit it he must be married by the age of 35. He would rather spend the rest of his life indoors than go out on dates. He is very shy due to his stutter. Lark overlooks it and seems to bring out the best in him. She helps him make a plan to go on dates and find a wife. Little does she know, it is her that will fall in love with him.

If you like a quirky romance then this is the one for you! I was pleasantly surprised at the way Ivy Fairbanks incorporated death and dying into this book, and turned it into a beautiful love story.

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

#MorbidlyYours #PutnamBooks #IvyFairbanks #Romance #MorticianInLove

I really enjoyed Morbidly Yours! I really appreciated Lark and Callum’s journey both individually and together. I particularly liked that grief and healing so important to the story and was handled with a lot of care but still realistic. Sometimes I did feel that the plot meandered slightly in terms of pacing and progression. The character development, romance, and inclusion of the Irish language were the shining qualities of Morbidly Yours. Overall, Morbidly Yours was a really good read showcasing an intertwining of friendship, love, and grief. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the chance to read this novel!

Seriously the CUTEST book I’ve read in a long time! Loved this! Everything was so perfect! Can’t wait to grab the paperback for this, too.

At first, I thought this was gonna be more of an October Read, just based on the title, but I was pleasantly surprised This adorable romance is an all seasons love story. A recently widowed woman moves from Texas to Ireland for a fresh start, carrying nothing but a broken heart and a penchant to have a happier life.

I liked that Lark was a upbeat, sunshine, and super kind to those around her. Knowing the guilt & heartbreak that she carried in her heart would have given her every reason to be bitter & grouchy. I liked that she was not your average written widow.
Callum was such a kind character. I enjoyed watching him slowly crawl out of his comfort zone, whether he crab crawled or belly slithered, it was a delight to experience.
I liked that the premise was set up for a marriage of convenience, but it didn't come to fruition because it didn't need to. That was an excellent surprise!!! I for sure thought the nuptuals would be exchanged. I liked how Cal would have given up everything for her, even though it appeared that he needed her to keep everything. That was so romantic.
The apology chalk drawings were so cute, the little mouse short was adorable, and I just really liked this entire relationship. It was a healthy one. It didn't boast of any falsehoods or unrealistic standards. The characters were flawed and yet still found an HEA.

Wow, I’m buying a plane ticket to Ireland after reading this! Thank you to the author Ivy Fairbanks and NetGalley for the ARC. This was a perfect rom-com. Lark and Callum’s story was engaging and emotional. If you’ve ever grieved losing a loved one and feeling afraid to love again, I feel you will be able to relate to Lark. This book has more emotional depth than just spice, although there are plenty of spicy scenes that were HOT haha. I imagined Callum as Henry Cavill and it was amazing lol.

The cover along with the plot instantly grabbed my attention. This was a cute story but the writing made it hard for me to stay engaged. I don’t really know how to explain it other than it was lacking. While reading I was thinking, if only this book was written better it would be one of those stories you can’t put down. Instead it was just overall very meh. I do believe others will enjoy it, so I would recommend it.

I’m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers story, and this debut novel by Ivy Fairbanks did not disappoint me. I’m looking forward to reading more from her.

I quickly fell for Lark and Callum and their story. Ivy crafted an interesting setting and plot for these two. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. It was cute, but didn't really stand out to me.

Apparently, stuttering, Irish undertakers do it for me. Callum and Lark are an unlikely pair. Callum is a quiet, unassuming undertaker. Lark is full of life and trying to escape the pain back at home after the death of her husband. Lark brings Callum to life and he grounds her and gives her a shoulder to lean on. Lark is having problems with a coworker and Callum is at risk of losing his family business due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather's will. This was an endearing story of two people who truly deserve each other.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I must admit upon seeing the cover and reading the initial synopsis of this debut novel from Ivy Fairbanks, I assumed it would be just another sweet and sexy Booktok and Bookstagram bait book, and I would have been content if that’s all that Morbidly Yours turned out to be. However, simple and baiting this book was not. This was a deeply emotional and heartbreaking story about what it means to mourn and to move on in finding love, while also managing to be funny and sexy and beautifully adorable throughout. If this was just the start of Ivy Fairbanks’ career, I will be first in line to buy every one of her future novels. This is an absolute must read, gut wrenching rom-com that goes toe to toe with the humor, emotional weight, and spice of P.S. I Love You.

I really loved so much about this book. It was funny, sweet, tender, spicy - all the good things. I also eat up a dual POV so it was great to be able to see them both process all their feelings. I really appreciated how they both had their own personal journeys throughout the book as well as the growth of their relationship. I'm also kind of just obsessed with Callum - I'll probably go back and listen to the audiobook when it's released bc I need to hear that Irish spoken aloud!

(Read Kindle Unlimited edition December 2023) For my slightly morbid lovers. I started this a while ago and then set it aside, but picked it up again and blew through it in 2 days. Love when a book pulls you in so much, sleep schedule be damned. LOVED our demi-sexual cinnamon roll MMC, and our strong-willed, avoidant sunshine of a FMC. Loved the fun accents, the work through and amidst grief, the wit and depth of the characters, the fun and loving spice! 🌶 Minus a star for some minor line errors and very occasional cringe, but really I loved this and it consumed me. I am mourning spending time with this love already 😂😭

Expect cozy, rom-com, neighbors, friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, like literal heart-eyes devotion. With a side of actually punching toxic masculinity in the face, as a treat.

✅ Lark, American, widow, animator; Callum, Irish, mortician
✅Dual POV
✅ grumpy - sunshine
✅ set in Ireland
🌶️: yes.

I really enjoyed this!!

Y'all I am *OBSESSED* with this book. I don't think you understand.

This is the cutest, angstiest, most heartfelt book in existence. I love it so much. I need more of Lark and Callum immediately. I am actively moving to Ireland to get my own Callum. This book has me in a chokehold.

First of all, the premise is literally the best??? She's this super sunshiney animator that moves to Ireland to escape some personal issues and ends up living next door to a morgue???? He's this super shy and reserved mortician/owner of the morgue that needs to find a wife in order to keep the morgue but he refuses to do so unless he's in love????? And they become best friends while she tries to help him find a wife???? And he speaks Irish Gaelic?????

Lark and Callum are seriously the best. For one I love how their grumpy x sunshine dynamic worked. Callum wasn't an asshole to anyone; he was just shy which came off as grumpy. And Lark was the perfect sunshine character because she was optimistic without being naive. It has been so damn long since I've read a good grumpy x sunshine.

The romance itself is indescribable. I'm gonna try anyway. As I previously mentioned they started off as friends, although it's hard to say they were ever friends considering the ridiculous amount of chemistry they had. Seriously it was like stepping back into a high school science class and being told we were playing with chemicals for the next forty-five minutes. Incredible. I will be screaming about them for the next five to six business years.

They also had phenomenal character arcs. I loved how they grew individually while also supporting the other through their own journey. They had the space to grown on their own but were also never alone. It was absolutely beautiful.

I'm ending the review here because I'm afraid I'll accidentally spoil something. Either that or the review will be longer than the book itself.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy.

I loved the concept of this one - Lark as an optimistic American, chasing a new start following the death of her husband, and Callum a quiet Irishman running his family's funeral parlor and dealing with his own grief.

Unfortunately, in execution it left me wanting a lot more. The pacing was a little all over the place - both in varying chapter length and in how the romance unfolded. Neither Lark or Callum felt authentic in their dialogue. I was also hoping for more depth to the various grief storylines, but everything felt a bit superficial.

I think there are some readers who will really enjoy this one! I'm just not one of those readers, unfortunately. 2 stars. Thanks to NetGalley an Putnam for the ARC.