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brittanyrader13 's review for:
Four Weekends and a Funeral
by Ellie Palmer
funny
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was intrigued by this book because I’d read a book with a similar premise before and really liked it. Alison attended her ex-boyfriend’s funeral, only to discover that almost no one in his life knew that he had dumped her. When his sister asks Alison to play along in order to avoid causing their parents more pain, she agrees to play the role of grieving girlfriend. This includes packing up her ex’s boyfriend alongside Adam, his grumpy best friend (and, as this is a romance, I’m sure you can imagine what happens next).
Again, I’ve read books about dating a loved one of a deceased ex before, but they were all dramas; in my opinion, this premise does not translate to rom coms very well. The author did everything in her power to make this seem okay — they’d been broken up for a long time, HE dumped HER, they weren’t even together that long, and other spoilery things — but it just never clicked. Everything felt icky. It didn’t help that Alison and Adam had very little chemistry and their feelings felt like insta-love.
What saved this book were the lovable side characters, funny writing, and the side story of Alison’s journey with BRCA 1, a genetic mutation that makes her more likely to develop certain types of cancer. All of the side characters felt a little like caricatures, but it somehow worked in this story. The prose was funny and it’s a shame that it didn’t translate into the dialogue between the main characters. I really appreciated the reflections on mortality, survivor’s guilt, and self-discovery. I feel like this book would’ve been way better if it hadn’t been a romance at all and instead focused on Alison’s friendships and personal growth.
In short, as a romance, this wasn’t great, but it was still a funny and impactful read.