The concept of this book was so promising. Death is really something I don't like to imagine and the concept is so scary. I appreciate the concept and what Lauren Evans tried to do. Unfortunately the characters seemed a bit one dimensional and the romance felt a bit robotic. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC.

Although It was very interesting, I didn't really love this one. Nora annoyed me, and the writing was a little all over the place for me.

3/5⭐️

So, I DNF’d this book. I liked the writing style, but I just couldn’t really get with them falling in love so fast. Don’t get me wrong, I love when characters admit their feelings early on and there’s no miscommunication about it. But I just felt like it was genuinely too fast and I couldn’t connect with their romance. I liked this idea of someone working for the grim reaper, it was really interesting and I liked that concept. BUT all that to say, the book was still good, I just couldn’t connect with the characters and it was hard for me to continue reading

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

When Nora Clanton lost her parents in an auto accident she returned to Rabbittown, Alabama to take over the family’s casket store. At thirty years old her life is work, an evening at home with an inexpensive glass of wine and watching reruns of Cheers. It is a small town with few prospects for dating. Then one day Garrett Bishop enters the store to ask for directions and sparks fly. He is well dressed, thoughtful and everything Nora could want. His job entails some traveling and late nights, but when Nora asks exactly what he does he offers vague answers. Problems arise when she discovers that his employer is Death. He is present when clients take their last breaths to guide them on their way. Nora has been surrounded by death and still mourns the loss of her parents. She is close to her grandfather, who likes Garrett and advises her to consider what she really wants in her life. However, she has a problem with Garrett’s job. As a child, Garrett’s brother died of leukemia. He always regretted that he was not there to hold his hand and offer comfort at the end. It makes his job an important part of his life. Attending a professional conference where her father was honored for his work with grieving families gives Nora a new perspective on her life. Rather than the loneliness that she felt when she moved back to her empty home, she sees the importance of the services that she offers her customers and the support that she receives from friends and neighbors. Lauren Evans’ story is an exploration of grief and the ways we confront death. She allows her characters to work through the grieving process and grow stronger in the end. There is also a twist at the end that you may see coming, but it still holds an emotional surprise and gives you pause to consider your own feelings. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

I really wanted to love this one! The male MC works for death and the female MC sells caskets. I love it! It takes place in a part of Alabama I lived in as a kid. I'm there. I was so excited going in. But honestly this whole concept could have been more fun or more romantic. But instead you get two people that unnecessarily struggle to be together.
SPOILERS
I understand Nora is a mess and still dealing with the grief from the sudden loss of her parents. But she makes just forging a relationship with her very difficult on Garrett. I don't really get what Garrett is looking for or what he sees in Nora. Even after he explains his job and his life Nora still gives him a hard time. It's nice that she eventually has to chase him because she was the one that pushed the distance.
The third act relationship with the other guy from work was weird. It felt like a different story. And honestly I didn't hate the guy. I just thought if we were going to have competition from another guy it should have happened a lot sooner in the book. There was that big twist near the end i liked a lot but once that was revealed I predicted the rest of the story.
So overall I liked the premise and the characters were okay but it could have really used a some editing.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

I think this was a cute romance read for the Halloween season but it didn’t really feel unique in a sea of so many rom com romances out there right now. The main characters dialogue was frustrating as she refused to communicate with her partner so that was hard to get through at times

This was such a cute meet cute rom com!! I was surprised there was no real paranormal elements to it, despite Death (capital D) being involved. The secondary male character was an annoying POS which I'm glad our leading lady finally saw through his skeezy ways. I wish there was slightly more involving the twist near the end of the book, but I'm glad how it all wrapped up in the end.

This was the first title I’ve read by Lauren Evans and it was a delightfully strange but well written premise of magical realism that intrigued me from the beginning. I enjoyed the alternating points of view from both characters and am looking forward to more from Lauren Evans..

I wanted to love this one, the concept was so good. It wound up not doing it for me. I didn't feel any connection between the 2 main characters. I didn't dislike either of them, I just didn't get any spark between them, and their whole relationship/love story is the point.

Should I wait until I’ve stopped crying to write this review or just go for it? I’ll go for it.

You know those books that find you at just the right time? “Casket Case” is that book for me. Nora is so relatable! She’s navigating grief - both from losing her parents and losing the life path she thought she was on. She’s hopeful and scared, stuck and dreaming about the future, lonely and loved. She displays the confusing mix of human emotions that is the happy right along with the sad. Whatever “Instagram therapists” she keeps referencing, they’re doing a good job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC of this book! This is my honest review. I’m sorry for not getting to it before the publish date but Nora and Garrett and Grandpa (especially Grandpa) knew when I’d need them.

This book was a fast read for me, and I loved the concept of working for Death. The character building was strong, and I enjoyed the relationships between all the characters in the small town. The insta love between Garrett and Nora didn’t feel totally earned to me, and I wish we had seen more of why they fell in love.

This had the potential for a great and creative story. After the sudden and tragic loss of her parents, Nora returns to her small Alabama hometown to run her family’s funeral casket business. Soon she encounters the mysterious new guy to town, Garrett. It’s not long before there’s a spark between them but he’s holding a big secret from Nora: he works for Death and shepherds folks onto the afterlife. While she grows increasingly suspicious of Garrett, she also must face her own trauma and grief and the loss of what she thought would be her future.
I really wanted to like this but it felt like there were so many random plot lines and unanswered questions. There didn’t seem to be a real point of their encounters or any lessons learned.
Thank you to Random House-Ballantine for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a DNF for me, as I just couldn't get into the story. The writing felt a little off and I think that's what had me feeling disconnected from the story. The reason I'm still giving it 2 stars is because I do love the premise of the book. Perhaps it was just the mood I was in at the time I tried to read it but just wasn't for me in the end.

I really wanted to love this book and I tried my best to push through in hopes it would get better but I just couldn’t get into it. I was very intrigued by this book because it’s different and nothing like I’ve read before but I felt like it was poorly executed. I felt the romance moved way too quickly and the book felt rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the arc copy of Casket Case!

For the first portion of the book, I thought it might be a DNF for me. The pacing was super fast and all tell, no show. But there was something that made me want to keep reading. And I’m glad I did!

Nora and Garrett go through a lot of character development and end up as well rounded, likable characters. I love that Nora ended up being the one chasing Garrett rather than the typical male chasing female trope. I also loved the exploration of death throughout the novel. It is a topic that is not talked about enough, and I felt like the author did a great job with making it seem more normal and less scary.

Nora Clanton has found herself back in her hometown running her parents casket business after their sudden deaths. She certainly didn’t expect to be in the tiny town of Rabbittown, but things aren’t exactly terrible. She doesn’t expect to date since prospects aren’t strong, but things change when Garrett Bishop walks into her business asking for directions and a date. Sparks fly between the two and he seems to be everything she has been looking for. Nora just can’t get her head wrapped around his job. All Nora knows is that he works in logistics and is always on the road. This drives a wedge between them and when she finally finds out that his employer is actually Death, this might be the last straw. She doesn’t understand how someone so wonderful can do a job like that. Can she see past this or will this be what ends their relationship for good.

This one had such an interesting premise to it, but in the end, it didn’t make the marks for me. I know fantasy genre is not always my favorite, but I really struggled to get into this one. I couldn’t get into the characters and the continued hidden truths between them all was frustrating. The whole time I was reading this book though, I kept thinking of the song ‘My Name is Death’ by Red Wanting Blue. If this book had a theme song, it is absolutely that one.

DNF at 64%. I tried to finish this, but it was a painful read. The writing was not great, and the main character was always picking a fight and super annoying. Like all her and the guy did was argue, she was insufferable. He should have just left. This could have been an I treating concept but it’s just not well written. This was not for me.

This was cute and I really like the premise. Nora is a cute character and I did honestly find her relatable. While I did struggle to get through this book, I enjoyed how the writer addressed the topic of grief and death.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for my eARC!

DNF at about 25%

This book just couldn't grab me, and I was dreading picking it up. The concept seemed somewhat promising, but once I was reading it, I realized that the execution just wasn't there.

I really enjoyed the first and last part of this romance, but I got pretty frustrated with Nora in the middle. The premise was great, and I loved how Lauren Evans did a different take on Death and the business aspect! I also liked the "everyone in your business" part of small town life.