Reviews

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

symptxns's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

“Of course the morbid specter of guilt would follow me from Austin. Grief had been my stowaway across the pond.”

Rating: 4.25 stars

Ivy Fairbanks paints a perfect picture of grief, kindness, and love in this whirlwind romance. I read this book in 4 hours from start to finish because I didn’t want to put it down. 

Grief is shown in many different ways through Lark’s loss of her husband, the different people who come through Callum’s funeral home, and Callum’s grandpa. One of my favorite things was to see how both Callum and Lark respected each other’s boundaries regarding their grief and didn’t push them for answers. I usually avoid books where a main theme is grief because it personally triggers me, but I would highly highly recommend this one. Such a delicate subject was interspersed with laughter, jokes, and down to earth characters. 

Callum’s demisexuality representation was nice to see and explained really well. The only thing I didn’t love about it was how Lark kept thinking ‘if he just needs attraction, we can do this no strings attached!’ I understand she was trying to justify it to herself, but that’s not really what demisexuality is about. It’s hard to have a ‘no strings attached’ arrangement with someone you care about. 

I do think this book dragged a little bit at the end, but not too bad. I didn’t love how Lark acted after Callum’s response to Sean (side note: fuck that guy). Overall, I did really love this book and despite reading maybe 1-2 rom coms a year, I will be on the lookout for the next Ivy Fairbanks book! 

hjhill_55's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

ctg424's review against another edition

2.5

This was a touching and emotional concept with great moments of levity. Unfortunately, a lot of the workplace drama rubbed me the wrong way — maybe it’s just me, but I struggle with a female lead who just lets herself get walked over time and time and time again. Not quite my ticket, but I think others who aren’t as sensitive would like it more. 

2.5 stars. 

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

alexisjankowski's review against another edition

Not the vibe for now - haven’t read it in quite a while. 

inmylibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional relaxing

• 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

3.0

this was such a cute book! i loooooved Callum, what a sweetie! 
the theme of grief was so well executed, and the setting was great. 
the characters felt very well thought out and i really enjoyed the plot, however i just felt i couldn’t feel their romantic or sexual chemistry that much. 
loved their friendship and the individual storylines but struggled to connect with them as a couple!
really enjoyed the book anyway! 

jackiee's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

saoirsekelly's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance by preference, but this really stole my heart. Fairbanks creates a vibrant and dimensional cast of characters, and treats the themes with respect. I found myself grinning like a loon at some of the antics and near tears at the moving scenes. Definitely recommend this debut novel and look forward to reading what she writes next. 

whiskey_kitten's review against another edition

5.0

Prevailing Tropes:
•Slow Burn
•Friends to Lovers
•Grumpy/Sunshine

Notable representation: lesbian, non-binary, demisexual


Contemporary romantic comedies, especially slow burns, are not typically my genre of choice, but 2023 is proving to be the year of pleasant surprises for me, and this book is no exception.

I was enamored with this book from page 1 and the way the characters and romance felt natural and progressed in a way that had me squealing. And speaking as someone who has a sensitivity to the subject of loss and grief, Ivy handled the subject matter with delicacy and grace. Finally, the representation in this book is incredible and was such a breath of fresh air for me as a reader.

A beautiful story and a beautiful debut for Ivy Fairbanks.

cshae's review

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

🌶️🌶️

rsbrack's review against another edition

5.0

Read this book. This is a wonderful rom-com between an animator and an undertaker set in Ireland. I loved every minute of this book. Just put it in your TBR pile and thank me later. 

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.