An extra star for being a unique concept. Wasn’t a fan of the main characters and how oblivious and helpless the FMC was. It randomly tried getting really deep on the concept of death & just didn’t do it for me.

Thanks NetGalley & random house for the pre approval on this one in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not going to provide a star rating for this book since I did not complete it. Unfortunately I DNFd this book around the 16% mark. I found myself not wanting to go back to the story and not really connecting to the characters. The first chapter I thought was interesting but once our main female character meets up with the main male character it felt so instant love and cringe to continue reading. Honestly this girl has 0 information about some well dressed man who shows up at her casket store and basically just jumps into his arms and down his throat. Not for me. Sorry. Im sure this book has an audience somewhere but I’m going to pass on recommending this story.

What drew me to this book was the unique premise, a romance between Nora, who inherited the family's casket business, and Garrett, who works for Death in Logistics Services. It takes a little bit of time to confirm what Garrett actually does, but once I did, I found it interesting. What was a little less believable was the relationship between Nora and Garrett, which developed quickly. However, this was a cute, different read, and it even pulled a little at the heartstrings at the end. I will happily read more from this author.

Casket Case by Lauren Evans is a debut novel with an original premise. It offers a blend of humor and heart, though the subject matter may not appeal to all readers. I will look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Intriguing situation for a romance. It’s funny and emotional and has great character characters. The banter is first class and you really fall for the couple along the way.

dnf @17%

I just think that this writing style is not for me. I also don't think that they have chemistry. In fact, it's almost negative chemistry, every scene makes me like them less.

This was a cute read! I love a good magical realism book, and this one was super fun. A sweet meet cute, small town charm, and a FMC finding her place in the world. Definitely recommend adding it to your TBR!

The book started out good but unfortunately missed the mark as it continued on. The characters were a bit boring and the premise kind of fell apart. I did not finish it.

I would like to start off my review by thanking Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me an ARC of Casket Case, by Lauren Evans, in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting book. Interesting in both a good and bad way. Nora spent most of her days mourning the loss of her parents/dream life, running her store, and weighing her options for her love life. However, I feel that the author did a great job at creating a realistic image of the effects that grief can cause. The touch at the end of the book was my personal favorite part. The book had potential. It is a plot that I certainly have never seen before. I liked the concept, but did not love the execution. I feel that it was stagnant for the most part. That being said, it had some flaws, but was a decent book overall.

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.