Just wrapped up The Funeral by Helen H. Durrant and… I’m still trying to untangle how I feel about it. It kicks off with a mysterious funeral invitation that completely hooks you — who died, and why was she invited?

From there, things get unsettling fast. The vibe is tense and suspicious, especially with Hannah, the creepy daughter who had me side-eyeing every page she was on. Everyone in this story feels a bit off — no one is fully honest, and I genuinely didn’t know who to trust. That kept me reading, but also made it hard to fully connect with anyone.

It’s a solid read if you like twisty, unreliable narratives. Not a standout for me, but a decent, eerie thriller that kept me guessing.

3.5 star thriller read for me. I enjoyed the story line but the characters were all so odd it was hard to connect and like any of them. Loved the twists and turns of the book.

I find myself in limbo on how I feel about this book. Absolutely love the storyline in theory and how the book begins. Part of me wanted the invitation and funeral itself to play out more. The appeal was there but the execution lacked. Mildly seems like I you are dropped into the middle of a movie or starting on season 2 of a series. Felt it was missing details and storyline early on.

Not quite what I expected, but a fun ride!

Premise: Alice receives an anonymous invitation to a funeral and when she attends she realizes she’s the woman being buried - or, rather, the victim was living under her old (real) identity. She goes undercover with the dead woman’s acquaintances to try to figure out what on earth is going on.

From the description I expected more of a Mr & Mrs Smith anonymous assignments situation, somehow related to regularly crashing funerals… that’s not this book at all. Pick this up for:

- messy family dynamics
- found family
- the banal lives of psychopaths
- long lost secrets coming to light

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sarah Durham. She’s lovely to listen to and delivered a really dynamic, enchanting read. I highly recommend this format for the book!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine getting an invite to a funeral and you have not idea who it is from or who died!

The protagonist is up for a whirlwind when she shows up to her own funeral! Or did she? The gravestone has her name, Alice Anderson.
She looks over at the attendees who are all well dressed and does not recognize any of them!

What is she hiding? Who knows her secrets! Get ready for a crazy ride. Thank you Bookouture for this audiobook which is out May 14, 2025. The narrator captured the characters well.

This was an enjoyable psychological thriller a relative easy listen, easy to follow audiobook that flowed well and was also well narrated. It was a bit of a slow burn however I was invested in the characters from the beginning.

We meet Donna who received an email inviting her to a funeral an email address she hasn’t used in a long time and due to her circumstances being that she in-fact is not Donna at all and is called Alice but left behind her old life for a new one she feels compelled to attend. When she gets there she doesn’t recognise anyone surely this must be some mistake then she sees the name of the deceased is her name Alice so who sent her this invitation and why?

When she is invited to attend the wake her need to know pulls at her and before she knows what has happened she finds herself taking a job in place of the deceased Alice in her new name of course as Donna for Max and his wife where Alice who had passed away had been his assistant. When she meets their daughter Hannah she soon starts to unravel some of the backstory to this home and tries to work out her place in it all….

It does keep you invested with a few other characters, twists and turns throughout that I didn’t anticipate at times some things seem obvious and you think you have it worked out then plot twist something else is added in which was well done!

With thanks and gratitude to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ELC in return for an honest review. Best wishes for publication on 14th May 2025 📚🙏🏽❤️