Casket Case was a cute concept of a story! It took me a while to figure out if the MMC was real or only if the FMC could see him because of her association with working with death and him working for death. There were parts of the book that were really fun sections to try to figure out how it was going to resolve like when she saw him at the nursing home before the old lady died. The book was a little bit long-winded in the conference section, I think I knew that Garrett was going to show up at the conference so I was waiting for the details of the conference to end so I could know when Garrett was back in the story. I also wish we heard who was with her parents when they died to maybe give her some further closure.

Overall it was a cute book and a good easy read.

Theater lovers will adore this behind-the-scenes rom-com. Witty dialogue and big personalities made it fun, though some romantic moments felt a bit rushed. Still, the energy and heart of the story made for an entertaining escape.

I was delayed getting to this book so I actually ended up reading it after it came out but WOW! This was such a good debut. It had an inventive premise and a lot of heart - loved all of the Southern references (felt like home to me!) and the death-forward theme, as someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about grief and dying. The final chapters were perfect. Loved it!

In the nicest way possible, I'm not really sure I understand the point of this book. Sure, it's a romance with a twist I've never read before but can it really be considered a romance if they're wholly in love with each other 20% into the book? I let it go for a long time because I thought it would have something to do with the plot (them falling in love so fast) but the longer it went on, the more cringey it got. They were like two teenagers, constantly fighting one minute (I don't even know about what half the time) and saying "I love you so much babe" the next. Nora is certified crazy though and I understand she lost her parents and everyone deals with grief differently but I cannot believe Garrett loved her after all of her insanity. Also, the ending? I did NOT like that. I honestly wouldn't recommend but gave it two stars because it wasn't awful, just awkward.

This started off decently, but just got worse as it went on. The fmc is kind of terrible- especially to the mmc. They say “I love you” after maybe two dates, but it’s impossible the entire rest of the book to tell what they actually like about each other (other than thinking the other is attractive). Every time Garrett tries to have any fun banter with Nora she snaps at him. I honestly end up just feeling bad for him and think he could do better. Her relationship with her grandfather redeems her a little, but mostly she’s just insufferable. For example, he takes her to a fancy dinner, where he’s asked for them to be seated somewhere quiet (obviously so they can have privacy). Her response to this is to say “She probably thinks you’re ashamed of me. Or that I’m a prostitute.” It’s possible that was actually a joke….but huh? I think this premise had potential, but it just wasn’t good. The dialogue was often wooden and the insta-love was especially strange. It looked cute, but was definitely not.

This was a cute seasonal read for me. I didn’t like all the characters but I didn’t hate them either. I enjoyed it for what it was though!

Thanks to Dell for the ARC of this one! I tried more than once to get into this book and I was just never excited to pick it up. Unfortunately, it was a DNF for me. Thanks for the opportunity.

I had a very hard time getting through this. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

‘Casket Case’ has a great premise centering the story on a casket shop in the middle of nowhere, but ultimately the pacing and characters fell just a little flat for me. I would have liked a little more time for their love story to grow and more of Garrett’s point of view in general. Only mild spice throughout.

I was truly so interested in this book, especially as someone whose partner is a funeral director.. unfortunately this is one of those books that had such a strong concept, but the execution failed. The pacing of this book was quite off. The fact that they were instantly in love after only a couple dates and a few short weeks it shouldn’t be surprising that they didn’t know enough about each other to make the relationship sustainable. Then we added in the secondary love interest, Johnny, who I’m gonna be honest, I was rooting for More. They had history they chemistry they had shared interest and by the end I just wanted her to end up with him. And then making the epilogue the grandfather‘s death just felt like the worst way to end it.

Yes, I am giving this 3 stars. I actually am looking back on this read fairly fondly because while it read less as a romance to me (even less so a rom-com), it did make me have lots of feelings. This story is more of an exploration of the role of death in our lives and how absolutely unescapable it is. It is grief in all its stages. I would lean towards heart-wrenching instead of heart-warming when describing this.

Nora returns to her small town after her parents suddenly pass away and she must take over their funeral home business, when one day a stranger walks into town and asks her for directions... and out on a date. Seeing as there isn't really many options in her town, she says yes. Does this sound like sure it could in fact be a rom-com? Well, she has pretty crippling depression that you can practically feel oozing from the pages of this book that really mutes all the potential for humor in this. Oh and to make matters worse? That stranger actually works for death and helps send people to the great beyond.

The writing style is pretty cut and dry, which lends itself towards more of a general feeling of exhaustion in Nora that made me as the reader also just... sad. Or I was in a slightly depressive episode while reading this and the story just compounded those emotions. Who knows?

I do think the premise itself was interesting, and kind of came across like an Ashley Poston type of situation, only less romance-y and more "what do I do when everyone I have ever loved and will ever love dies and I am once again alone in this world".

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an eARC of Casket Case in exchange for this honest review

First, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite for me. I struggled to connect with the main character, and most of the supporting cast felt flat and underdeveloped.

It’s strange—there were little neurotic bits of Nora I recognized in myself, but overall, her personality grated on me. Maybe that’s something to unpack in therapy. Where I see some balance in myself, she felt one-note and lacked redeeming traits.

The love story didn’t work for me either. It was a confusing blend of instalove, miscommunication, and an out-of-nowhere love triangle that didn’t add much to the plot. I went in expecting a darker, perhaps more morbid tone based on other reviews, but was surprised by how much it focused on romance instead.

The ending was exactly what I expected, but it still made me cry—which always earns a bonus star from me. So kudos for that emotional pull.

Overall, while the premise was intriguing, the execution just didn’t land for me.

Couldn’t get into this book. I struggled staying interested and connecting with the characters. I loved the cover art for this book.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at about 33% into the novel. Something that will always make me put a book down is getting this far into it and still not getting past the events described in the blurb. If you’re advertising this book to be about Nora grappling with Garrett’s job, then make it about that! Instead, a third of the way in and she still doesn’t know what his job is.

I understand some set up needs to happen. Seeing them meet and go on a few dates is only to be expected, but these moments are extremely mundane and need to happen quicker. I’m over 100 pages into the book and really nothing has happened yet except seeing two awkward adults get ice cream and Italian food. I felt no chemistry between these two. Their relationship seemed to move really fast and came across as insta-love, which isn’t very fun to read about.

Nora has no personality to her. She literally spends her free-time watching the same shows over and over and drinking a questionable amount of wine. I know it’s to show her depression from losing her parents, but it isn’t very entertaining to read about. There’s a way to portray this and not bore the reader.

This is a fantastic premise destroyed through execution. If this was written purely from Garrett’s POV, I think it’d be a better experience.

I received an e-ARC through NetGalley from Random House Publishing Group. This review and my opinions are my own.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, Random House Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Insta love, secrets, small town

This book had a good premise, but it just didn't play out how I expected or wanted. I'm not really sure why I didn't love it. It struggled to come together for me.

This book was a DNF for me. I had trouble getting into the book and the writing style was just not for me. I love the premise of the book though. I wanted to love this book based of the description.

Unusual and funny. This was pretty unique and I loved it! Garret and Nora were two halves of a whole and it showed! This had me laughing out loud! The pop culture references and the quips too good!

I really wanted to love Casket Case. I thought the premise was super unique, and who better for a logistics coordinator for death than a woman who runs a casket business? Sadly, while I enjoyed the first few chapters and their first meeting, I couldn't get invested in the story or the characters. .

Garret and Nora had some instalove, and while I don't mind it in some books, it didn't work for me with these two. I found myself bored with their relationship, and it didn't really feel like anything was going on until towards the end when they had their 3rd act breakup.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for providing me with this arc!

The concept of this book was so intriguing and could've been executed well IN THEORY. But the execution just didn't land for me whatsoever. I didn't feel any connection to either of our main love interests, I found it hard to believe that they even felt a connection with each other! It was also more akin to instalove, a personal hell trope I can never gel well with. I think this author has a lot of promise, and her concepts could be turned into something amazing, maybe romance isn't the place for it, though.

Nora is running her family's casket store after the death of her parents. Garrett is looking for an address and stops in to ask directions. A slow burn romance begins. Little does Nora know that Garrett actually is a grim reaper.
Opinion
This was a slow novel to start, so slow that I almost abandoned it. I am very thankful I did not. Once it picked up, things got really interesting and I ended up enjoying the book way more than I thought I would.
I love stories about the Grim Reaper (call me morbid, I know!) This was my initial attraction to the book. What turned my head was what happened with a side/minor character towards the end.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.