A review by readswithnatalieb
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

5.0

 

THE CELEBRANTS is a big hug of a book and you’ll definitely be in your feels as you read, so that’s your emotional warning. While the title claims for celebration, it’s very much a celebration of life and death. A group of friends unexpectedly lose a friend in college and they vow to throw each other a funeral, but while they’re all still alive. The reason? The wanted to make sure nothing goes unsaid and to ensure they know how much each person means. 

 

UGH, MY HEART. 

 

Told in alternating timelines and multiple POVs, we learn how this group became friends, what they became as adults, and how they drifted yet rekindled their pact. It’s a fun and witty novel that pulls at your heartstrings perfectly. Between the humor, the lessons you learn, as well as the personalities and dynamics between each friend, you’ll wish you were in this friend group. 

 

As fun and lovable as it is, the story is of course very sad, mainly because you know how the book will end. While you know the ending, it's the journey getting there that makes it all worth it. Just like life, you know there’s an end, but it’s about the road you travel and what you do on said road to get to that ending. 

 

Big thank you to Netgalley for the ARC as well as @PRHAudio for the audiobook #sponsored #PRHAudioPartner