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emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
I don’t mean this in a bad way, but basically the entire book is about the MC’s BRCA1 gene mutation and its effects in her life - specifically her relationship with her mom and her body. I really wasn’t expecting it and it just wasn’t working for me, although for others it may be a great read! The romance seemed almost like a side plot to me but I did find it enjoyable. It was also very funny in parts!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Medical trauma
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy meter: 1/2 a 🌶️ (closed door/fade to black)
Four Weekends and a Funeral was the perfect cozy read to get me ready for autumn. The book does move through the major end of year banking holidays, but it really felt like a fall book to me. I loved Alison’s friendships with Chelsea and Mara. I found Alison to be so frustrating sometimes, but I also saw a lot of myself in her people-pleasing tendencies. I also truly related to her being a 30-year-old woman and learning to figure out what she actually wanted for herself. Adam was a sweet grumpy counterpart to Alison’s quirkiness and I did really like that they pushed each other. He’s definitely molded like a classic Hallmark movie character and I ate it up. This book did read like a sitcom at times (think Friends, New Girl, How I Met Your Mother) so once I accepted that, I was able to get really into it. I do see how some people would definitely not love that, but I was able to lean into it. I loved the outlandishness and “would only happen in fiction” moments. I’m dropping a star because the writing style did take some getting past for me at first and the numerous “topical” references that either felt aged (Harrison Ford?) or I just could not relate to and could not be bothered to Google. Overall, this was a solid feel-good read and perfect for a rainy day.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Spicy meter: 1/2 a 🌶️ (closed door/fade to black)
Four Weekends and a Funeral was the perfect cozy read to get me ready for autumn. The book does move through the major end of year banking holidays, but it really felt like a fall book to me. I loved Alison’s friendships with Chelsea and Mara. I found Alison to be so frustrating sometimes, but I also saw a lot of myself in her people-pleasing tendencies. I also truly related to her being a 30-year-old woman and learning to figure out what she actually wanted for herself. Adam was a sweet grumpy counterpart to Alison’s quirkiness and I did really like that they pushed each other. He’s definitely molded like a classic Hallmark movie character and I ate it up. This book did read like a sitcom at times (think Friends, New Girl, How I Met Your Mother) so once I accepted that, I was able to get really into it. I do see how some people would definitely not love that, but I was able to lean into it. I loved the outlandishness and “would only happen in fiction” moments. I’m dropping a star because the writing style did take some getting past for me at first and the numerous “topical” references that either felt aged (Harrison Ford?) or I just could not relate to and could not be bothered to Google. Overall, this was a solid feel-good read and perfect for a rainy day.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
emotional
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
Fans of Emily Henry will enjoy this book. It swings a little heavier on the contemporary fiction than the romance and tactfully manages themes around grief, cancer, and guilt/anxiety. While I liked Alison and Adam at times it felt like they were two individuals on these journeys who fell in love without always really feeling that unity or connection. I wanted more of that on the page. Tbh I would have rather read a Chelsea x Patrick story because their friendship and connection was begging for its own story. Despite that I did enjoy reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
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
🫵 READ THIS BOOK 🫵
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy
emotional
funny
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
An original love story that puts a fun twist on the fake dating trope mixed with grumpy x sunshine & forced proximity. Full of humor and lots of heart, this one is sure to brighten your day!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief, Car accident
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Dysphoria
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
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, Grief
Moderate: Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content
Minor: Cancer, Death, Car accident
emotional
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
Despite serious subjects in the background, this was an easy read. The pacing was good throughout and the characters were fully thought through, including secondary characters. The actual romance of this book skipped over some predictable, plot devices that it could have easily used. At times, I found myself getting slightly annoyed with the female main character but in a way that I believe her friends within the book were also getting slightly annoyed. This was a good debut, and I hope to see follow up books for the two other friendships within this trio of the main female character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Death, Medical content