When Cass's brother dies, she is left to pick up the broken pieces of her family. Her father is angry, her mother is depressed, and Cass is completely lost. Amid making funeral arrangements, she finds solace in the company of the funeral director and her former crush, Vince Mancini. Despite the crushing waves of grief, resentment, and loneliness, Vince is the only thing that keeps her afloat. For Cass, they can be nothing more than friends. She is a mess, and her life is in shambles. Who would love someone like that?

This book blew me out of the water! I felt like it was a raw but beautiful representation of grief and how everyone processes it differently. I went in expecting a romance/ romcom story, but I was surprised to see that the main storyline was following Cass and how she was processing her grief. For some, that may have been disappointing, but for me, I found it very refreshing and honest. This book had me in tears, especially when I found out the owner wrote this book based on her personal experience of loss. Don't worry, it's not all tears and heartbreak. There is some romance with a side of spice.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Surprisingly with this cute cover, this book will get you right in the feels if you have a sibling, especially an older brother. The main character loses her brother right at the beginning of the book. We go through all rhe stages of grieving with her. Her brother’s childhood best friend randomly shows up, a nice break from the sadness, and a slow burn romance story begins. I promise there’s a happy ending!

✨ BOOK REVIEW: Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

You can’t NOT double take at the title. That’s what drew me in, in the first place because, really, how are conversations anything BUT awkward at funerals. Grief is, essentially, awkward. This is one of those books where you think you know what you are getting into, but you really don’t. I knew it wasn’t going to be unicorns and rainbows because it has the world “funeral” in the title but I also didn’t think it was going to be so laden with grief. I wouldn’t really call this a romance book, though. I think that can either steer the reader away or keep them reading depending on why they picked up this book.

⭐️⭐️✨ = 2 stars and a consideration

⭐️ The way that grief was described in this book and the way the different characters all went about it was refreshingly real and raw. I could feel my heart squeeze with Cassandra and her reaction very much reminded me of that episode of Buffy. You know the one. Because everyone experiences it differently — whether it be shock, breaking down crying, denial and anger — and all forms of those are acceptable.

⭐️ The romance was not really the focus of the story and that actually seemed to work because I enjoyed the nature of Vince and Cass’ relationship and their ability to support each other through the death of loved one even if it is through humour.

✨ The social media posts were getting a bit much and I was finding myself skimming over them. I think that is just my personal qualm whenever I see real world things integrated into books.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, Sophie Andrews and Net Galley for this ARC.

This was an emotional rollercoaster. The first chapter left my heart hurting, so you can imagine how the rest of the book feels. I didn't expect it to have such a huge focus on grief, with a minor romantic subplot.

This book focuses on the journey through life after losing a loved one, and the new roles people play in each other's lives. You see how the FMC handles her grief compared to how her parents handle it. And then you get little bits and pieces of romance from Vince, who's very patient and supportive and always willing to take things at her pace.

"I've learned it's okay to not be okay, and we need to take time to heal." This has been something I try to live by for years now, and I love that it was included in the book!

I've lost family and friends and this book helped me feel normal with the way I deal with my grief. It's a constant fluctuation of highs and lows, good days and bad days, and just trying to live this new life that your loved one is no longer a part of.

If you're looking for an emotional book about sibling loss, grief, and a pinch of romance with a supportive MMC, then I would recomend this book to you!

Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy of the book and Sophie Andrews for the complimentary audio!!

Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations by Sophie Andrews touch my heart in every possible way there is! I love it!

This book was not what I was expecting going in, but I enjoyed it, and it made me tear up, it made me sad, and made me smile. I had so many emotions I felt every single word that Sophie wrote.

Grieving is not easy and how we cope with the loss of a loved one can involve many different emotions, actions, and expressions, and how we deal with it is so different for everyone.

Cassandra goes through an emotional journey after losing her brother. She must learn how to cope with the emotional grieving and hold her family together. At the same time balances her romance with Vince who is her brother's best friend and the funeral director. I love how their relationship develops throughout the book. Vince becomes her rock during her difficult time. I love Vince no matter how much Cassandra pushes him away and feels like she doesn’t deserve him; he is always there for her.
My heart aches for Cassandra. She tries to be strong in every situation, but she forgets that it is okay for her to grieve and feel all these different emotions.
Her father was the worst the way he treated her and how he was not there for her, or her mother just broke me.

Favorite quote:
" I'm alive and I want to be alive with him."

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is a beautifully written book! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!!

I really enjoyed the audiobook. Rachanee Lumayno did a great job with the narration.

I can't wait to read more books by Sophie Andrew's.

I haven't read anything by Sophie Andrews yet, and if I'm honest, I requested this ARC purely for the title. This book is going to cause me to read more Sophie Andrews' books though, that is for sure. This book was delightful with all its witty banter and dark humor. Vince is a dream boat of a man who tries to give Cass everything she needs while grieving the loss of her brother. The push and pull of their relationship is perfectly relatable, and the spice is *chef's kiss*. This book isn't overly spicy, but there's a load of tension, which sometimes can be better than all-out spice, in my opinion.

If you're looking for a well written book about love at an unexpected time with a fantastically written love interest with some great dark humor and an underlying message about grief then look I highly recommend you pick up this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for the chance to read this ARC and open my eyes to Sophie Andrews writing.

Wow, I don’t even know what to say.
This book is heavy, but also light and fresh. I loved the insight into grief and loss, how messy and devastating it is. I’m in the funeral industry and see mourners and deceased everyday, but I don’t know grief like this. I’ve never experienced this kind of loss and it was really good to see the other side. Bad but good ya know?

I loved Cass’ story, I related to her a lot in the sense that she’s the black cat, not the family favourite, struggling to keep people together and pushing away the people that care about her. Sometimes it feels easier to just do it alone, not be a burden, and it’s hard to try to be vulnerable.

I also loved Vince. Although I know he’s not real, he was such a good support for her when she just needed someone. He didn’t ask for anything really.

Although this was a dark comedy/romance, it was intense. Maybe I’m too much of an empath but I could feel a lot of this pain through the words. But I chalk it up to Sophie Andrews being an incredible writer! I cried a lot. This was honestly so beautiful

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I want to preface this by saying this book isn’t a 5 star book in the beginning. It becomes a 5 star book as you continue reading it. There’s something so touching about this story that makes you feel so close to the character and by the end of it all, you’re rooting for her.

Like I said, it doesn’t hit you in the beginning that it is a 5 star book, but at the end of the day, all you can think to yourself is this is a 5 star read.

Cass is a very complicated character. She’s not perfect, in fact you have to say, she’s the definition of complicated, confused and troubled and that’s what makes her relatable.

This is a character who doesn’t know how to react or live in certain moments.

It’s funny but honestly true, how death is what it takes for a lot of people to feel like an adult. Like we weren’t feeling that way until death. Mind blowing.

Anyway, I enjoyed this story a lot and stay tuned for a Booktok review.

4.5⭐️
Wow! What a book! I honestly felt ALL of the feels reading this book. I had tears in my eyes (several times), I felt endless empathy for Cassie, I smiled and chuckled and I also swooned.

This book follows Cassandra, she has been living in her parent’s basement after leaving her job and moving from the city. She is working as a waitress and she just feels really stuck. And then she is given a body blow she doesn’t see coming, her brother dies suddenly of a heart attack and what follows is Cassie’s journey through her grief.

As someone who lost her mother at a young age, I really understood Cassie’s grief. I remember feeling all of the same emotions in the aftermath and feeling completely alone in my grief. This was such an honest depiction of grief and finding your way through it, how absolutely messy that journey is.

There is also a romantic aspect to this book. Vince is the funeral home director, her brother’s high school best friend and Cassie’s childhood crush. He becomes her friend, her rock through the storm of her grief and her love interest. I loved his character so much. He was a swoony book boyfriend and I really wanted to sink into one of Vince's hugs. He was infinitely patient with Cassie, even when she was difficult. I didn't approve of all of her choices, but I also understood that grief makes you do some uncharacteristic things.

This story is more about Cassie’s journey than it is about the romance but I still enjoyed the bit of romance we got. We got a little bit of spice, some swoon worthy moments and some heartbreak.

The writing was excellent. The characters were real and relatable. I really wish I had a book like this when I was in the middle of my grief, It would've been nice to know that I wasn't so alone.

This was an instant gripping read , characters and story enjoyed start finish
Makes you laugh cry and think

I have a lot of mixed feelings regarding this book. Firstly, the cute cover, quirky title and even the first paragraph led me to believe this was going to be a fun and light romance. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The beginning of the book was very difficult to read. As someone who has lost a father, it was emotionally draining almost. The emotions were raw, real and relatable. However, I was hooked. The story sucked me in from page one.

The middle of the story was fantastic to read. Again, I related to a lot the story. I enjoyed reading Cassandra’s emotional journey, as well as her interactions with Vince. The romance is definitely a subplot for me, while it was beautiful, it wasn’t the main story. Also, there is a tiny amount of spice.

The last 30% of the book was just one disaster after another. I did not expect all of these things to happen but they were written in so well. Cassandra’s personal development is done so well. I was rooting for her, and I think if an author manages to make you connect with a character on such an intricate level, they’ve done a great job.

Also, there were times while reading I was smiling and laughing. There were moments of inspiration, hope and, ultimately, love. The plot of this is truly well fleshed out and speaks to the author’s impeccable writing ability.

I tried hard to get into this but I couldn't.

I'm not sure if it was the writing or it was just too sad. I knew it was about her brother's death but I guess I had expected it to take place after his death and I wasn't attached to the main character. I couldn't connect with or care about her that much.

I wasn't sure how this book would be for me- as someone who has experienced quite a bit of grief in my life, I didn't know if this would be a hard read. However, I found this book to be the perfect reflection of grief and love. I appreciated that the author was honest about the many feelings that come and go with grief and the difficulties of moving on after the loss of a loved one. However, the addition of romance added some levity to a difficult topic. I really enjoyed this book!

Dear Reader,

This week, I delved into "Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations" by Sophie Andrews, initially drawn in by its intriguing premise surrounding the delicate theme of death within a romantic context. Admittedly, I approached the book with some skepticism, unsure of how it would balance such weighty subject matter with the lighter tones of a romance narrative.

While the book didn't fully meet my expectations in terms of the romantic aspect, which felt somewhat overshadowed and rushed, I found its exploration of self-love to be a refreshing and important theme. Andrews skillfully challenges conventional notions of grief and loss, offering a nuanced perspective on how to navigate the complexities of losing a loved one.

Additionally, the book provided me with valuable insights into sibling dynamics, a perspective I hadn't considered before. While I couldn't personally relate to this aspect, it added depth to the narrative and piqued my interest.

Overall, "Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations" is a thought-provoking read that skillfully combines romance with deeper themes of self-discovery and resilience in the face of loss. Despite its shortcomings in the romantic subplot, the book's compelling characters and well-crafted narrative make it a worthwhile read for those interested in exploring the intersections of love and mortality. Mark your calendars for its release on May 31st, 2024—it's definitely worth checking out.

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

Book Boyfriend Rating: 🥵🥵/5 -He was okay.

Spice Rating:🌶️🌶️/5 -I didn’t love where the first scene took place and the second scene I didn’t like the dialogue.

Margins by Mikayla

P.S Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you @netgalley and @author for my copy!

When I sat down to read this book, I thought I was getting myself into another of my beloved romcoms. And while there was romance in this book, it's very deep and brought me to tears at moments. Cassandra is dealing with the shocking loss of her brother, and is reconnected with his high school best friend - turned funeral director.

It was an authentic look at life after the death of a loved one, and the healing that slowly takes place. The romance is there, but it's secondary to Cassandra healing from her trauma.

Note: this book may be triggering for anyone who has experienced traumatic loss of a loved one.

This book really got to me. It just makes me think about losing my brother and how devastating that would be. Cass’s brother has passed away and then we meet Vince, his old high school best friend. Vince is now a funeral director and is going to help get Cass through this!

Sad but predictable romance. Death,, forgiveness and love show us there is always a way out and back again

Good storyline, kept my attention.

#netgalley
#sophieandrews
#loveatafuneralandotherawkwardconversations

This book absolutely wrecked me.

I am not a big crier, but for the first third of the book I was sobbing. Cass acknowledges in the book (and Sophie Andrews mentions in her note that this was something she noticed as well) that there isn’t much literature about the loss of a sibling, and this depiction and narration by her was just about as visceral as I think the loss could be. I even stopped a few chapters in to text my siblings to tell them how much I love them and that they better not leave me in this situation (only half joking…). I really do caution readers that this book could be extremely triggering. However, it is ultimately a story about grief overall, which means we see Cass eventually come around to a stage of healing.

All this to say, that as devastating as it was, I still couldn’t put it down no matter how many tears came. Cass’s romance with Vince was beautifully woven in, but I still wouldn’t classify the book as a romance. It is a drama with a romance subplot in my opinion (with some great bits of dark comedy thanks to Cass’s humour).

I also really enjoyed Aunt Joanie - a somewhat unsung hero who was a great support for Cass.

Overall, a beautiful and heartbreaking story that will continuously rip your heart out from page one but piece it back together by the end ❤️

An emotional read, the story of Cass following the loss of her brother. Everything around her seems to rely on her not falling apart, and Vince is there fr her, but will she let him in. Looking forward to more books from this author.

I absolutely loved this book. I went into this thinking it would be a bit more on the romcom side from the description and cover but it was so much more. Cassie's process of grief was so raw and very close to what many people experience. Reading about Cassie struggling between taking the lead on funeral decisions and balancing this idea of having to share your deceased loved one with so many others when you're one of the few people who truly knows them best felt very profound. One of the moments I felt most connected to Cassie was when she was choosing her brother's clothing since I was in a similar position a few years back when my cousin passed. Anyone who has lost a loved one can see a part of themselves in Cassie and most importantly can walk away with making peace of there not being a "right" way to mourn.

I was expecting Vince to play a more central role based off the description. I appreciated that his character wasn't just some "knight in shinning armor" but actually held space for Cassie to grieve and talked her through her emotions. I also appreciated Cassie recognizing that being with him could be an easy way out instead of actually finding a way to heal the deep wounds within her. I'd recommend shifting the focus from Vince in the description since the book overall did a beautiful job of processing Cassie's grief, healing, and balancing difficult family dynamics after the death of her brother.

I'd rate this a 4.5/5