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.

this book was a slog. the insta-love in the first 50 pages meant there was no romantic tension, and honestly the book just didn’t have a point to it? could have been such a cool concept of a story but instead it was just incredibly mundane. this needed a secondary plot to do with garrett’s job, i think that may have helped. also i know she’s been grieving but nora truly had no friends???

I really wanted to like this one. It’s such a fun concept, great blurb. But unfortunately it just did not deliver in execution for me. I’m not sure what the problem was entirely, maybe that it needed to choose a lane? Either whimsical or sardonic, either lighter or darker or grounded, instead it just felt like I could never fully get a grasp on the pacing and vibe.


It also felt like a caricature of a small southern town, and Nora, the FMC, seemed to repeatedly follow beliefs and routines that she didn’t seem to want to, that was just what they did there. The sort of stereotype much of the south is trying to break away from. Including this interaction where she doesn’t gently have a discussion about her friend’s overstepping, because she knows better. “She’s trying to find a recipe for her grandson’s fifth birthday party. Lucas doesn’t like cake. He doesn’t like bread of any kind. He also doesn’t like loud noises or excitement, so this birthday party might not be a great idea, but Nora knows better than to tell that to a grandmother.”

She moves home even though she doesn’t want to, she continues her family business because she should. She jumps from relationship to relationship and bounces all decisions off of other people. In a healthier situation this could be seen as a village but unfortunately it just seems like she doesn’t know how to be her own person.


I’m sure plenty of people identify with this character, but personally I don’t want to encourage much of the people pleasing behavior that Nora exhibits. She fears “doing something wrong without even knowing” and is ready to say her relationship is serious after less than a handful of encounters. She is extremely codependent. This is a very real character, and also, I wish there had been more encouragement and growth.


This story just wasn’t for me.

"Casket Case" by Lauren Evans is a thrilling, fast-paced mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters are well-crafted, the suspense is high, and the plot twists had me on the edge of my seat. Evans weaves humor and intrigue into a story that’s both clever and entertaining. Huge thanks to the publisher for the ARC! I’ve already added a copy to my library system. If you're a fan of mysteries with dark humor and unexpected twists, this book is definitely for you. Highly recommend it!

Cute and preposterous. I get having to suspend disbelief with fiction, and who knows how exactly death works, but this wax just silly.

Casket Case has a pretty wild concept, and I’ll admit, the blurb completely drew me in. I was hoping for something interesting and a little offbeat—and on that front, it did deliver. The story follows Nora, our FMC, who works at her family’s inherited casket store. She crosses paths with a mysterious stranger, Garrett, and the two quickly fall for each other. Then comes the twist: Garrett works for Death himself. Nora is left to wrestle with the reality that her seemingly perfect guy might not be so perfect after all.

While the premise was unique and intriguing, the execution fell flat for me.

The pacing felt off from the start. The insta-love between Nora and Garrett was hard to buy into—it felt more like a product of loneliness and proximity than genuine connection. Their romance lacked depth, and once they got together, the story became a repetitive cycle of Garrett internally debating whether to tell Nora the truth, and Nora going back and forth on whether she could handle that truth. This went on for hundreds of pages with little progress, and I honestly think the story would’ve been much more impactful (and less frustrating) as a novella.

Then out of nowhere, we find ourselves in a love triangle—which, to be honest, only added to my confusion about the relationship. It made me question whether Nora actually had real feelings for Garrett, or if she just latched onto the first new person to show up in her life. It didn’t feel like genuine chemistry so much as convenience, which made it hard to root for any of it.

Character development also left a lot to be desired. There were hints at deeper emotional arcs—particularly with Nora and her grief—but they were never fully explored. The side characters were indistinct and forgettable, and I couldn’t tell you much about any of them, which made the world around the main couple feel hollow.

The book is written in third-person, and in my opinion, it would have worked better in first-person. For a story so focused on emotions, relationships, and internal conflict, a more intimate narrative perspective could have brought us closer to the characters and made their emotional arcs feel more genuine. As it stands, the third-person narration felt oddly detached and occasionally too revealing, almost like an over-sharing narrator we never really got to know.

Stylistically, the writing felt choppy and abrupt. Most of the sentences were short and lacked detail, giving it a rhythm that reminded me of one-word answers in a conversation—awkward and unsatisfying. The dialogue didn’t feel natural, which made it hard for me to connect with the characters. Garrett especially gave me the ick from the beginning, and the way he was written didn’t help.

Overall, Casket Case just wasn’t for me. It had a fresh, creative concept, but the lack of emotional depth, character development, and flow in the writing left me feeling disconnected. Big thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for my DRC.

I unfortunately had to DNF this. I am reviewing here, but won’t be posting elsewhere as I typically don’t review DNFed books

I just couldn’t get into it. Yeah, she works at a mortuary, but it’s labeled a rom-com and I felt it was more morbid than necessary. The characters had the worst case of insta-love, but still somehow felt stiff and unnatural. It just gave me the ick all the way around and I couldn’t continue past ~42%

I would definitely recommend this book. Nora ends up where she never wanted to be.. back in the small town she was from. Selling Caskets! Love and death completely intertwined. Add a little Paranormal when she finds out Garrett the man she is falling for works for Death.

Nora takes over the casket sales business that her parents owned in her tiny hometown. Her life in the big city over, she believes that this is her new life. She is not happy, but she is also not unhappy. She is just okay.
But then she meets a man. Charming, attractive, perfect except for his job. Turns out he works for DEATH.
What ensues is a complication of what death is, how it affects the people who live and how love can make you do things you did not know you were capable of.
It is a lighthearted look on a serious subject. Enjoyed it very much.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

Nora Clanton owns and operates the family's casket business. She inherited it when her parents died unexpectedly. All seems normal in her life until a handsome stranger Garrett arrives in town. The couple begin dating and all is a fairy tale until his "logistics" job becomes a problem. Nora must decide if she'll stay in her small town or move away with or without her new love.
I do like that we know that Garrett works for Death. And the twist at the end made the book even better.
Some of the flashbacks didn't make sense, and there were many of them, which seemed a bit unnecessary since the author already shared the backstory in the current day plot. I also wanted a clearer transition that we were returning to the present time - like a "Present Day" label along with the the chapter title.
Some of the content could use an edit. For example, we read that the couple spends time with each other's families over a four-month dating adventure. But then Nora mentions that she's never met Garrett's family, and he only met her grandfather once, which doesn't make sense.
And the angst and arguments between the couple seemed childish rather than emotionally mature. I quickly grew bored and skimmed the whiny back and forth.
The ending made me cry. And I liked the reminder that death is part of life. However, we can truly live and appreciate our loved ones while we can!

Always on the hunt for a cozy spooky szn read, CASKET CASE sold me on the fun synopsis about “a young woman who returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect neighbor.”

It was morbidly interesting to learn so many facts about the casket business, with themes of grief at the center of the story.

I paired the book with audio and enjoyed them both!

*many thanks to PRH audio, Dell Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Reading this was a struggle at times, and the plot was ripe with secondhand cringe. I was tempted to quit at chapter 11, but stayed committed until the end hoping it would get better.... it didn't.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

With an adorable title for the fall season, this story sounded promising to bring all the fall vibes. Overall, a cute story that had the vibes I wanted. However, you have to pay really close attention to the chapter titles (which is not always my preference). I recommend if you want a seasonal read to check off on your list.

I love romance books so much and in the realm of romance it doesn’t take much to impress me usually.. this book fell extremely flat. I did not like the FMC at all and it felt like there was zero connection between them then entire time. The romance was weird and some of the comedic bits felt forced. Overall not something I would recommend but hopefully it finds its people

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The premise was interesting and promising but the execution just fell short for me. The romance was giving me whiplash from instant love to moving on so quick.

Honestly loved this little romance! I love the banter and the story so much! I don’t like doing reviews that give stuff away but if you want a good chuckle and being sucked in! This is for you!

Casket Case follows Nora, a woman struggling to find her new place in life after the death of her parents, a move back to her hometown, and breakup with her long term boyfriend and Garrett a logistic coordinator for Death.

I’ll be honest… I didn’t get it. Nora was insanely judgmental about Garrett’s job. Practically accusing him of murder the entire time. They had zero chemistry. She had way more chemistry with Johnny before he did something stupid just for the plot to allow her to go back to Garrett.

There were a ton of little inconsistencies that drove me crazy too. In just one example, they’re out to dinner and the waiter asks if she wants wine and she says no. Then a paragraph later, she’s gulping wine.

The premise was great and I was excited but the execution fell flat for me.

The title grabbed me, and the plot so different. Nora is grappling with grief after the death of her parents and now runs the family casket business. She develops a romance with Garrett, the mysterious man who works for Death. It was a cute romance. If you like sweet Rom-Com's, this book is for you. . Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review..