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samanthabreading's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THIS is the kind of romance book I would love to read more and feel like I often cannot find!
While I have no judgement towards the spicy preferences of others, I personally enjoy a romance genre with less, because in this book, Palmer filled those potential moments instead with yearning, cute banter, and building intimacy.
While I didn’t often agree with many of the actions of the main characters, they eventually got out of their own way and it was sweet to see their relationship grow.
I had the privilege of meeting Ellie Palmer with this book club and discussing her development process. Her tie in of supportive community not just through romantic love but friendship, especially in navigating the FMC’s healing with BRCA1 (and how it was so much more than just the fertility aspect) was also a reason of why I enjoyed this book so much. The side characters had a presence and a purpose that I don’t often see in the romance books I have read.
Lastly, as a MN girlie, I could not get enough of authentic state locations and local spots! Will read this author again. 😊
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Grief
Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content
lauren_lovestoread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content
jmmreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Car accident
garbage_mcsmutly's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
📖 This was a genuinely funny book, it had me laughing at multiple points. I bought the romance/chemistry. The MCs seemed like real people with real flaws.
🎧 Single POV, female narrator. I liked her.
🌶️ 1.5/5, mostly closed door. This was disappointing for me; FMC spends a lot of mental energy thinking about her breast reconstruction and lack of nipples, and to have most of that fulfillment she finds with MMC just skipped over was a missed opportunity, I think. There is a little bit shown on page but it's like, looking and light touching, not the real passionate stuff.
🏳️🌈✊ BRCA survivor FMC, her mom survived cancer, one of FMC's two bffs dates women, and mental health rep kinda more generally.
🎧 Single POV, female narrator. I liked her.
🌶️ 1.5/5, mostly closed door. This was disappointing for me; FMC spends a lot of mental energy thinking about her breast reconstruction and lack of nipples, and to have most of that fulfillment she finds with MMC just skipped over was a missed opportunity, I think. There is a little bit shown on page but it's like, looking and light touching, not the real passionate stuff.
🏳️🌈✊ BRCA survivor FMC, her mom survived cancer, one of FMC's two bffs dates women, and mental health rep kinda more generally.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, and Dysphoria
Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
hazelgirl21's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Medical content
Minor: Car accident
sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
🫵 READ THIS BOOK 🫵
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy
jeannethinks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Four Weekends and a Funeral
By Ellie Palmer
This is a story about finding yourself, forgiving your mistakes, and knowing when to grab your future.
We start with a loss, build a friendship, and then correct a wrong.
I wanted to like this story more, but I found Allison somewhat annoying. I thinks that why it might have taken me so long to get through it.
I did appreciate the humor overly the sadness.
By Ellie Palmer
This is a story about finding yourself, forgiving your mistakes, and knowing when to grab your future.
We start with a loss, build a friendship, and then correct a wrong.
I wanted to like this story more, but I found Allison somewhat annoying. I thinks that why it might have taken me so long to get through it.
I did appreciate the humor overly the sadness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Car accident
uranaishi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
cielosiluminado's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
i am not the target audience because i found some pop culture references too cringy for me as gen z, or i did not understand some references completely, BUT! i can see millennials absolutely loving this.
what i really liked about this book was that heavy topics mentioned, and their impact, throughout the book, i.e. cancer and death, was softened by the humor, making it easier to read and digest. i also really liked all the quirks of the main characters – alison mullally and adam berg – and their family and friends.
but definitely one of my favorite things in the entire book was the banter between alison and adam. they were hot and cold, and overall just cuteness overload.
it was nice and informative seeing representation of carriers and survivors of the BRCA-1 gene and double-mastectomies. not only that, it was refreshing seeing how normalized and expressed talking about, or experiencing intense, extreme emotions (such as survivor's guilt, grief, self-acceptance, etc.) were in this book. no one was ever shamed for feeling what they felt.
what could need some more work was the pacing of the book. some things felt like extremely fast paced but then it all slowed down and i had to push myself forward.
overall, this book felt like watching a romcom. it had all the classic themes seen in romcoms, with the cliché grumpy-sunshine main characters, the "scandal" that separates them, and the public proclamations of love. a promising debut for the author.
i am not the target audience because i found some pop culture references too cringy for me as gen z, or i did not understand some references completely, BUT! i can see millennials absolutely loving this.
what i really liked about this book was that heavy topics mentioned, and their impact, throughout the book, i.e. cancer and death, was softened by the humor, making it easier to read and digest. i also really liked all the quirks of the main characters – alison mullally and adam berg – and their family and friends.
but definitely one of my favorite things in the entire book was the banter between alison and adam. they were hot and cold, and overall just cuteness overload.
it was nice and informative seeing representation of carriers and survivors of the BRCA-1 gene and double-mastectomies. not only that, it was refreshing seeing how normalized and expressed talking about, or experiencing intense, extreme emotions (such as survivor's guilt, grief, self-acceptance, etc.) were in this book. no one was ever shamed for feeling what they felt.
what could need some more work was the pacing of the book. some things felt like extremely fast paced but then it all slowed down and i had to push myself forward.
overall, this book felt like watching a romcom. it had all the classic themes seen in romcoms, with the cliché grumpy-sunshine main characters, the "scandal" that separates them, and the public proclamations of love. a promising debut for the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Car accident