This book was extremely emotional and empathetic. Sophie Andrews did a great job at demonstrating what it’s like to lose someone so close to you through Cassandra, a young woman trying to navigate the recent loss of her older brother. The grief, pain, sadness, trials and hardships were conveyed excellently.

Although, I feel like the synopsis was definitely misleading. I thought I was getting into a contemporary romance but instead this book was more focused on the aftermath of the death. The heartache Cassandra and her family had to face.

Now, do get me wrong the writing quality was 4-stars but the story itself was boring to me. I enjoy heavy and raw stories but this one was for me. At the very beginning, it had my attention but it fizzled away through the chapters. The romance was more of a subplot at this point, but it shows the audience what it’s like to develop a relationship with someone who has so many unresolved issues. The ending felt a bit rushed and I feel like Vince was too forgiving.

Thank you so much Sophie Andrews and Netgalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love at a funeral and other awkward conversations
By Sophie Andrews

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When Cass’ brother suddenly passes away, shattering her family, she’s left to pick up the pieces. Then Vince Mancini knocks on her door. Her brother’s best friend from high school—and the boy she loved—is a funeral director, and he promises to answer whenever she calls. With his steadfast nature and warm smile, he becomes the anchor in the storm, willing to hold her up as everything falls at her feet. He sees through all of her bluster, and it’s easy to remember why she’d hung on his every word when she was younger. Now, he thinks he can fix Cass, even though there’s a lump of clay where her heart used to be. Which makes the fluttering in her chest all the more disconcerting.

After being thrown into the deep end with a heartbreaking first chapter, this story took me on a slow burn journey through love, loss and everything in between.

I wasn’t a fan of the long chapters and the big gaps in timelines however the things I enjoyed most about this book were:

* To learn that this book was loosely based on the authors own story was heart wrenching. No one should have to grief a sibling and for that I’m truly sorry but thank you for sharing your story through Cass, Vince and all the other wonderful characters.
* Cass’ witty and sarcastic humour was hilarious and relatable!
* Vince and his golden retriever energy
* Vince calling Cass “sweetheart” or telling her “You’re okay Cass”
* Loved the mixed media with the social media posts and the text messages

Tropes: brothers best friend, slow burn, he falls first, he falls hard, reverse grumpy/sunshine

Triggers warnings: death of a sibling, grief, divorce, affair

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Sophie Andrew’s for this ARC in return for an honest review

I will also be posting my review on Instagram, Goodreads and Amazon on publication day.

I read it through a net galley arc, and thanks god for it, one of the best books of 2024 for sure.
It is so emotional and so real, it gives hope without letting go of how raw and intense the grief process are. The narrator is great, its intense, truthful.
For a while i was scared that the romance would get in the way of the character development and almost hoped that the book would center only around Cassandra and her family, but, amazingly, the guy is great. He is too great, even, if there is anything to complain about. But that is also a good sign of how close the reader gets into their lives, i wished for him to be more active and stand up for himself so badly as i wished for him to never go away cause we could not take it.
And Cass development is something to be part of, and proud of.
The book is medium pace because you WILL need crying pauses. And a little moment to process the feelings. and that's great.
Waiting anxiously for it to be released, and hopefully translated to Portuguese.
It does makes me want to read the authors other works, which is also a great sign,
notes for the author/publisher: The title and the cover are amazing, but do give the vibe of a way more lighthearted book, the surprise was great for me but could not be for all the readers

If you're in the right space to read about death, this one's for you. This was raw, real and so relatable. I wish I could read this again for the first time!

→“We’re shadows of the people we used to be. We’re trying not to disappear, and it’s impossible to truly confront what happened. Like if we don’t admit it, it didn’t happen."

This book follows Cass as she struggles with the unexpected death of her older brother. Not only do we see how Cass grieves, but we view how her parents, family, and friends grieve. It focuses on the changes that come with the loss of a loved one.

Because of her brother's death, Cass reconnects with Vince, the boy whom she's had a crush on since forever. Vince is always by her side and lifts her up when she's down. He's a comfort to her. When I first read the blurb of the book, I thought that the romance aspect would be more present. Nevertheless, it was still a great read.

One of Cass' coping methods in the book is to write Instagram posts where she shares memories of her brother. After the first few, I was uninterested in them.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Death is awkward and you never know what to say or do when it happens. There is no handbook …. Well until now in some respect.
I love the fact that Sophie Andrews has written this and that it feels so raw.
You can feel what Cass is going through, it’s not all fluffy and rainbows- that everything will be alright. There’s pain. Awkwardness. Rock bottoms, mistakes from majority of the characters and best of all
There’s no right or wrong way of mourning.
Everyone does it differently.

This book is a cozy read great for people wanting a romance book and for someone who is going through the motions of dealing with the departed.

There are super cute moments in Cass’s version of an underworld.
Brother’s best friend romance

Thank you both Sophie and NetGalley for the chance to read this

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book because of the title, but I was not disappointed. I can really see the patrons at my library absolutely eating this one up! Can't wait for it to be published!

I didn't know ends to expect from this book, and now that I've finished it I still don't know. Funny how that works, right?

I appreciated the the author could make me cry and then laugh just a few pages later. It didn't always feel like I was doing the right one at the right time but hey, we're all on our own journey. :)

Cass is so relatable, real, and broken even before her brother suddenly died. I felt for her so much, especially after his death and her parents both falling apart, separately, to leave her to fix it all.

Vince, ah, sweet Vince. He's too good to be true, seriously. He says the right thing, and does the right thing, he's not human. I love him, but he's not real, he can't be. No man is that good.

I'd recommend this book if you're in the right head space to read about death and maybe laugh a little too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So I loved the beginning of the book- Cassandra loses her brother in a freak accident and she’s not prepared for the grief - ontop of that her childhood crush and dead brothers best friend, Vince runs the funeral home that she has to plan with. I can appreciate that this is based off a true story with the author - the story itself is great. The book and the writing - I just couldn’t get into a groove. I felt like it was a stalemate from 40-70% and it made me not want to finish the book. The ending was rushed after everything was the same for 40% of the book.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book captured me from the very beginning. This book follows Cass has she journeys through life after the sudden death of her older brother. Its a great story about how different people handle grief differently. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I was quite surprised on how I could relate to Cass, even though my grief dealt more with the loss of a parent. I, also, enjoyed the romance between Cass and Vince. While giving away no spoilers, it was a wonderful storyline in lieu of the sadness of the rest of the book.

Love At A Funeral And Other Awkward Conversations is a story that follows Cassandra St. George as she begins her journey of grieving her brother’s sudden death. It’s a raw and heartbreaking story that is softened by sarcasm, humor, and chaos. I was hooked to this book from the very beginning. Cassandra’s family blows up in ways she never thought were possible and Vince Marcini, who is a funeral director, her brothers best friend, and her first love, walks in at the perfect time telling her he’ll always answer her calls no matter what. He is the Hades to her Persephone! Cassandra truly steps up during the hell that becomes her new normal. She learns and grows so much throughout the book. It will take a long time for me to stop thinking about these characters and this beautiful heartbreaking yet heartwarming story.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Death at Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations from NetGalley and wow did this book set the bar high!

I love a good romance book and Sophie delivered - a little second chance romance, a patient, golden retriever like MMC and a witty, sarcastic MFC that marches to the beat of her own drum? What’s not to love?

But what really made me fall in love with this book wasn’t the necessarily the romance (although don’t get me wrong I love a good romance book), it was reading about how Cass dealt with the unexpected loss of her brother. After experiencing the sudden loss of my father in law almost two years ago - it was like Sophie was in my head and took all the feelings I felt back then and put it in this book from Cass’s perspective. Sophie didn’t shy away from the fact that grief is messy, chaotic, non-linear and generally just freaking sucks. Cass’s internal narrative was not only relatable as hell but felt realistic and gritty and raw.

The way Sophie balanced this book between romance and the heavy feelings that come with losing a loved one is just *chefs kiss* so if you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry and need a glass of wine - I highly recommend you pick this up!

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Andrews for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book Trigger Warnings: Sibling Loss, Grief, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks

This book isn't what I was expecting. When looking at the cover of this book, I was expecting an almost sarcastic story and maybe a little cheesy. This book focused a lot on loss and grief and the side effects of each on life and relationships with family and friends. It's heavy and raw and emotional.

The writing is really good, I think my only problem with this book was the expectation of something different. This isn't a feel good novel, which I feel was implied from the cover and synopsis. I liked it, but I felt the story drug on a little too much for me.

All in all, a very good book involving grief and loss of a sibling. I look forward to reading other works from Sophie Andrews!

An emotionally gripping and cathartic read for those who know the suffering of grief.

Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations follows Cass, a young woman already struggling to find her place in the world after struggling to find her dream job and moving back in with her parents, who has just received the awful, unexpected and unfortunate news that her brother, Ray, has passed. Crippled not only by her own grief for Ray, but also the shattering effects it has on her family, Cass is left broken. With the help of Ray’s old high school best friend, Vince, Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations pays homage to the rollercoaster of emotions Cass encounters with grief and her journey of piecing together not only herself but her life after Ray.

Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations gracefully and cathartically depicts the dark, messy and hallow nature of grief and what it is like to lose a loved one so unexpectedly. It was an honour to read this ARC and I am appreciative of Sophie’s honesty and vulnerability in her own experience, which inspired this story. I would thoroughly recommend this for those who have experienced grief and want to feel heard and seen, who have a loved one going through grief and want to support them, or who haven’t experienced grief like me and want to acknowledge and better understand this massive life event we unfortunately must encounter with loved ones.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for giving me a copy of this ARC for me to review via NetGalley.

An emotional read which had the tears flowing at times. We all react so differently to death, and this book shows that clearly. I did enjoy the romantic side of the book, however I feel the sexual sections were overdone and just didn't fit the rest of the story. It spoilt the book for me, hence only 4*.

Wow! I picked up this book on my kindle from the Read Now section of NetGalley because the title piqued my interest.

It is the first arc I’ve ever read, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book takes you along on a sister’s journey of grief when her brother suddenly dies. I have not experienced a loss quite like this, but I think this book’s depiction of grief is an authentic one. (I like it more knowing that it was partly inspired by the authors own life)

The FMC was annoying at times, but I think that’s just part of being human, so I can’t really fault her and still really enjoyed her character. I loved Vince with all my heart. He was so kind, such a “sweetheart” ;)

While this book does have romance in it, it is more of a subplot. I think it more centers around the exploration of what grief does not only to a person, but a family. I teared up a few times while reading this because of how raw it seemed.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Again, thanks again to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I knew what I was getting into by picking up this book, as the title (can we just acknowledge how awesome the title is) and the blurb told me it dealt with grief. But nothing prepared me for the raw emotions the first third of the book offered. I knew, even before I read the acknowledgments, that the author must have based this on her personal experience, because no one who hasn’t gone through something similar could ever replicate such pain and loneliness in grieving a sibling.

The book follows Cass as she receives the earth-shattering news of her brother’s death. Already a bit lost in life, she is forced to grow up and find her own place in the world, while simultaneously trying to parent her grieving parents and deal with her own pain. Luckily, her teenage crush Vince, now funeral home manager, is there to offer unconditional emotional support. I loved Cass as a character and I found it so easy to empathize with her, even through her angry and self-destructive phases. I wasn’t that sold on the romance between our main characters or the social media posts Cass writes throughout the book. I get that she is a writer and posting became some sort of grief journal that helped her navigate her own feelings, but it could have done without the #grief and similar hashtags. Other than that, this really was a heartbreaking exploration of grief.

Many thanks to NetGalleyUK and the publishers for this ARC.

Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations by Sophie Andrews doesn't pull any punches at the profound grieving one can go through with the loss of a loved one and then pulling yourself out of it and going to the other extreme - happiness and love.

When Cassandra's brother dies, she questions her entire life and the choices she has made and will make going forward - through sometimes abrasive behavior. Throughout her grieving process her brother's best friend, Vince, who happens to also be the funeral director who helped lay him to rest, is her best source of support and friendship.

Cass and Vince's friendship turns to more and this is more like romance-lite to me, the emphasis seemed more on exploration of emotions while in the midst of profound grief, and that's okay! I think it would have been odd to me if they had delved into an incredibly passionate relationship. It was gentle and seemed to progress naturally.

This was a good book and I'm going to recommend it as a book club choice when it is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in consideration of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I read this one so fast, I absolutely loved the dialogue and the characters were great. Despite Cassandra's loss, she is able to find a connection with someone she didn't expect to. I will say that this book was more of women's fiction than romance since there was a lot of plot that didn't entail romance. Overall a great read!

This book was very good at conveying the pain and sadness Cass experienced after the loss of her brother. That’s about it though. It is already a little bit of a weird concept, this book, but it was just made worse since their romance started to blossom so soon after the death. Like let the girl breathe.

I definitely felt bad for Cass but my god was she one of the worst characters I have ever read about. She was really annoying and rude and apathetic, and the way she reunites with Vince at the end of the book just lacked basic respect. I felt like the relationship with Vince to begin with was so separate from Cass’s brothers death, and when they did intertwine it was so forced.

Beyond that, I think the Instagram posts were really weird and cringey and didn’t really add anything to the story. I started skipping them about halfway through the book. The writing was also very boring and at one point I was just looking forward to the book ending. I am now glad that it has.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.