I simply cannot believe how much of a good time i had while reading this!!! I didn't have the biggest expectations, and would have been happy if it had just been a cute little romance, but it honestly blew me away!!!

I was really intrigued by the idea of this book as i don't think I've seen many books that focus on a mortuary owner as the love interest (i guess because people are scared of the idea of death?). It was done so freaking well though!!! Part of me did think that it might be kind of depressing and sad, just because there was obviously going to be talks of death and grieving, but that wasn't 100% the case at all. Yes, there were some really sad scenes, and some parts of the story where things were devastating and the talk of death became very real, but i do think that the author handled it all really well, and added a comforting layer to everything when it was being mentioned. It didn't feel nearly as upsetting to read as one might think.

This book also doesn't entirely revolve around death or the mortuary industry (thank god). First and foremost it is a romance!!! And it is such a deliciously told one too! I had so much fun getting to know both of the characters, and thought they they were incredibly well thought out. They didn't seem like that good of a match at the beginning either. The fmc was bubbly, loud and outgoing, she works at an animation industry and loves to make people feel happy, whereas the mmc is a lot more reserved, shy, quiet, not really looking for a relationship because he wants to but because he has to. It was really endearing to see them begin to become friends and have fun together (she would bring him out of his shell and make him try new things, and he would give her the space to be content and enjoy the quiet moments). Watching the romance begin to develop had me squealing and happy crying all over the place, it was adorable and felt so real at the same time. There was no instant love or crazy expectations/grand gestures, it really felt like something that could really happen, and i think that is the most magical part of this book, just how real all of it felt.

Don't get me wrong, there were also heartbreaking moments that had me crying and trying to read the chapters as quickly as i possibly could so that i could get to their happily ever after, and the miscommunication that they went through at the beginning before realizing that they were at very different points of the relationship was gut wrenching. It had me feeling so bad for both of them at different times, but it made it all the sweeter when they FINALLY worked everything out, and decided against doing things that the other person might have wanted from them.

I cannot stress just how much i enjoyed this book!! Like i said before, i think it has something different to offer as a romance book, and while it was sad at times, it was so much fun to read!!

A massive thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this book! <3

Morbidly Yours is a sweet, trope filled romance that manages not to veer into melancholy despite the funeral home setting. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it well enough and will probably pick up more from this author.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Another romance where I really liked the ideas and relationship dynamics, but overall felt a little lacking by the execution. Basically it's a sunshine, widowed American and a grumpy, loner mortician who needs to marry to get his grandfather's mortuary. Enter fake dating meets friends with benefits. With graveyards as a backdrop.

Overall I liked the dynamics, the chemistry is good and I liked that Lark isn't the typical romance protagonist. She's hurting, grieving still and finding new love comes with it's own set of emotions. However I wasn't keen on the spicier scenes, which verged on the cringy for me. I also could have done without a lot of the filler secondary plots. Lark's backstory should have been enough to carry this story, and adding all the extra elements lessened it's effect somewhat.

Decent enough romance, with some great themes but this could have done with a tighter edit, concentrating more on Lark and Callum and less on everything else.

I finished this book in one sitting, which says a lot as I often leave some books half read for several months.

I loved the unusual premise - I have never read a romance where the MMC runs a funeral home - but the author didn’t ham this up and make him creepy or dark, which I appreciated.

One note would be that the back and forth of “will they, won’t they” became a bit repetitive towards the end and I wanted to shake the FMC by the shoulders, but I can forgive this because I physically couldn’t stop reading.

This book was very wholesome, and although it had the usual romance tropes that can become a bit cliche, I enjoyed it tremendously. I love a friends to lovers story and this hit the nail on the head.

I absolutely adored the concept for this book. I am all for these industries being shown. I loved the set up for these characters and I enjoyed getting to know them and I enjoyed as the story unfolded.

Major tension in this book and it is definitely a slow burn, which isn’t a bad thing. I loved the MMC and his issues were so well written.

I would recommend this book most definitely

Surprisingly cute and delightfully morbid - I adored this!

Callum and Larks relationship was very believable and the chemistry practically kept off the page! Their cute puffin moments, pushing each other out of their comfort zones and the continued support was great to see. I particularly loved seeing Callum grow into himself as the story progressed and always enjoy good disability representation.

I am definitely not the target audience for the “American in Ireland” bit and tend to shy away from this narrative as it can often fall into weird caricatures. However, I felt the author was able to safely move away from that after the start of the book and I ended up loving Lark and found her incredibly endearing.

Overall, I had so much fun with this romance and would highly recommend!

thank you netgally, Penguin and Ivy Fairbanks for this arc in exchange for an honest review...

This was a fun read and loving the different kind if characters that I haven't read before.

The Irish setting was absolutely gorgeous, Galway is on my list of places to visit.

TROPES

💕slow burn
💕grumpy x sunshine
💕small town
💕friends to lovers
💕friends with benefits
💕pet noise named Harriet Houdini

⚠️TW - Death of spouse (off page), death of friend (off page) ⚠️

💕WHAT I LIKED💕

I loved the friendships, not just between Cal x Lark. I adored Meave x Lark's friendship, I was so upset by her passing.

Lark x Cal's dates were so romantic and adventurous.


❌️WHAT I DISLIKED❌️

Lark was very much back and fourth with what she was feeling and what she wanted. I understand her reluctance and wanting to keep her vow to Reese.

I honestly thought this would be a marriage of convenience.

REVIEW
cw: mentions of bullying, bereavement, death, grief, misogyny
Painfully shy Undertaker Callum Flannelly has a dilemma. In order to inherit his family's business, he must marry before he turns 35. He meets his new neighbour, Lark Thompson through a mix-up with a parcel. Lark has temporarily moved to Galway from Texas after the death of her husband. The last thing she wants is to start another relationship and open herself up to another potential loss. But as their friendship grows, she realises she doesn't want to help him find a wife. She just wants him.

This was a pretty cute romance. Callum was such a sweetheart. My heart broke for him on so many occasions, especially when he referred to how others had treated him throughout his childhood and adolescence. I loved how Lark immediately treated him with respect and understanding, particularly when he struggled with his speech impediment and when he spoke about his experiences with trying to date as a demisexual man. But I also loved their banter, especially Lark's terrible puns. Callum's birthday surprise for Lark was both hilarious and so adorably awkward. The aftermath was swoon-worthy, and I loved the Gaeilge lesson. Their chemistry was palpable, and I ADORED Calum's admissions in Irish. As I've said before, I love an MMC who is utterly gone for the FMC, and Callum was so patient with Lark.
I liked Lark, and her animation storyline was really interesting. I really felt for her when she spoke of her guilt and grief over Reese, her late husband. I enjoyed the slow-burn development of Lark and Callum's relationship and LOVED their more vulnerable moments together. The intimacy made me swoon. I'm not fond of third-act breakups, but it made some sense here (even though I hated that Lark avoided Callum). Still, I appreciated that Lark finally addressed her grief and guilt. The resolution to Callum's business issue was particularly satisfying, and I ADORED the snippet of Havarti & Plague Rat that we got. It sounded so adorable. Seán was the classic entitled, toxic office idiot, and I'm so glad he eventually got his comeuppance.
I loved Maeve. She had the best advice and I loved her sense of humour. The song she inadvertently made Callum sing was PERFECT, and I snorted laughing. I also liked Rory and Anvi, Lark's work friends, and enjoyed the little bits of Lark's cousin, Cielo, so I was excited about her connection with a certain Irishman near the end. Deirdre was fun, and Saoirse was SO sweet. I loved her little scheme. I truly hope she gets her own HEA, as she was such a good friend to Callum.
The final half-dozen chapters were utterly perfect and left me with a big stupid grin. I look forward to reading more from the author.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥.5


*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*


Favourite Quotes:

Lark was a counterbalance to the somber mood of Willow Haven. I craved her light like a houseplant languishing in a dark corner.

"I saw your skull, Callum, I saw . . . more of you than I ever imagined today.”
“I thought the unitard would fit. The eBay listing said ‘large.’” He smirked.

When it came to Lark, want and love were one and the same. Whispering it to her in Irish made the confession safe.

If I could, I’d engrave the shape of his lips onto my heart, so there would be no chance of ever forgetting their softness.

“Who are you, and what have you done with Callum Flannelly?”
“Lark, I’m more myself with you than anywhere else.”

“Grá mo chroí. Mo chuisle mo chroí.”

A funny and sweet story set in beautiful Galway. Fun and relatable, with a wild plot that keeps you laughing to yourself as you read. Callum was charmingly awkward, and Lark a beautiful ray of sunshine hiding a big grief. Beautiful and poignant!

Morbidly Yours follows our protagonist Lark who has moved to Galway to escape her upsetting past. Stumbling across a mortuary and her next door neighbour Callum. The pair are quick friends, who both navigate grief, family problems and confidence issues while pretending to not fall in love with each other.

This was a nice twist on the meet cute romance, with a definitively darker side with the mortician jokes and dark humour. At times there was a disparage between these numerous points and more serious notes that could have had a more seamless transition.

I also found some of the characters fairly two dimensional.

It was a fun story, with enough twists and turns but ultimately nothing to write home about.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eArc of Morbidly Yours!

I had such a fun time getting to know Callum and Lark in this book! I really enjoyed seeing a romance story about people in their thirties because that isn't something you see very often and it is very refreshing when you find it.

I loved the way that the characters in this book bonded and how their relationship started as becoming friends and then developing feelings for each other, as I think it adds a lot of depth to the relationship and makes the end of the story so much more rewarding when you get to see them find happiness and peace together.

It is safe to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what else the author writes and I will definitely be first in line to read it!

As soon as I saw this book I wanted to read it! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for allowing me to read this book before publication on Aug 22, 2024.
Lark dealing with her grief and trying to get a break away from Texas and everything that reminded her of her late husband moved across the world to Ireland. She moved next door to a Funeral Parlour and the gorgeous Mortician, Callum the introverted, shy, Irish hunk with a stammer. They both hit it off and Lark helps bring him out of his shell trying to help him find a wife, all the while falling for him herself! Hot steamy tension between the two as Callum also falls for her, Lark doesn't want to remarry after the passing of her first husband. Brilliant writing a 5* for me recommend anyone to give it a read.

morbidly yours was funny cute and heartwarming in the way it dealt with grief and the mental toll it takes.

lark and callum ―୨୧⋆ ˚ i really loved seeing lark and callum finally get to a point in their relationship where they both acknowledged the love they needed form one another but it took AWHILE .. it felt like a slow burn without the tense moments that i would expect and enjoy form a slow burn instead it felt like their attraction was instalove but they took ages to get together.

plot ―୨୧⋆ ˚i actually really enjoyed seeing the professional life of both lark and callum as it brought lot of depth to the story and added multiple conflicts that kept me interested throughout. i thoughts these parts of the book were very well written as usually this falsa very flat for me but i lived the different jobs both lark and callum had to the norm in a romcom.

overall i thought this book was sweet and fun to read but not without its flaws . however i am hoping to see cielo and aidan as a couple in a future book !

Oh my goodness, I love this book. Sweet and spicy and somehow wonderfully wholesome despite the dirty talk - Morbidly Yours is the romcom of the summer.
Forced proximity, a potential marriage of convenience, opposites attract, and a fantastic meet cute. Morbidly Yours has all the ingredients for a fantastic romcom. Cute, plucky Texan arrives in Ireland on a nine month visa and meets a stoic, shy, mountain of a mortician. As soon as I saw the cover I knew I wanted to read this and as soon as I read the premise I knew that it was much more of a need than a want.
I’m not overhyping this book when I say you should preorder this yesterday. It’s fantastic. Well written and well researched - I fell in love with the characters and their sunshine x introvert dynamic almost immediately. It’s just such a fun read and the spicy level is perfect (every scene adds to the plot rather than just being plonked into the narrative for the sake of spice).

A big thanks to @netgalley and Ivy Fairbanks for sending me this really great ARC.

I came for the cover (because lets be honest, its cute) and stayed for the stammer yes you read correctly, I said stammer!! Not only is Callum Irish, shy, awkward, introverted and uninterested in most women, but he also has the cutest damn stammer you ever d d did hear!!!

b b Best believe that Callum might be quite on the streets but get this man between the sheets and his dirty Irish mouth finds its voice!

"I dragged it down her torso until I was kneeling on the floor at the foot of her bed, assuming a position of worship. Which was exactly what I planned to do."

Morbidly Yours is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy emotional and hopeful romance stories with a touch of humor, particularly those who appreciate nerdy and shy MMCs, friends-to-lovers, men with Irish accents and friends with benefits. If you are looking for a heartwarming tale of self-discovery and second chances at love then this book is for you

"Tell me if you want to stop."
"Touch me before I lose my mind."

"Féintruailligh," I countered, in the Irish l'd taught her a few minutes ago. "Touch yourself."

There were some parts I could have done without, particularly the detail to which dead bodies are removed of bodily fluids, I did not need to know the mortuary process quite so thoroughly, equally so, I did not need to know the cartoon creation business quite so thoroughly either.

That being said, I really enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Callum and Lark are adorable together, but their miscommunication was outstandingly frustrating (in a good way, for the story!). Each step forward for their relationship was met with another step back and some of these felt purely incidental for extending the page count.

Overall I really loved watching their romance and feelings grow, and their banter was off the charts and kept me laughing all the way through.

Lark’s own development was particularly enjoyable to read, I definitely saw something of myself in her where was was a people pleaser but needed to find her own confidence - I loved that this was part of the story of her and Callum’s relationship with him helping her take that step.

So cute and very heartfelt story... the jokes and pun are perfect for anyone with a little bit of a dark twisted sense of humor and they are all done so tastefully .. Well done this book is defiantly worth a read

Thanks to the publishers for the digital arc through NetGalley in return for an honest review. My friend had recommended this when she'd seen It somewhere, then I saw it on NetGalley and was drawn in by the cover, title and was completely sold by the blurb. It was a bit slow going for me in the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck to it as the love between Lark and Callum is so wholesome (and saucy!!).

I loved Callum's character, like you don't expect someone in the funeral industry to be nervous and shy yet, create such meaningful experiences for grieving families. It works so well though and helps play into the miscommunication trope throughout the book.

I love how juxtaposed the characters are, it emphasizes further into the narrative how they bring out the best in each other. I feel like the dual POV's are balanced. Although I think I prefer Callum's POV for the steamy scenes, he seems so attentive and focused on Lark, those scenes show great chemistry. How she's brought him out of his shell, he feels connected and reassured by her so he wants to go further (the demisexual thing).

The book shows grief in many different lights too. It works well in conjunction with the miscommunication trope, as Lark loves him but her grief complicates it, how Callum wants to honour his granda but doesn't want a sham marriage, Maeve's grief over her wife she wished she'd had more time with.

I think the ending was just right (without giving too much away), if it had ended the way you think it does from the beginning I don't think it would have left me with that same warm, fuzzy feeling. It means neither MC has to compromise on their principles. And I felt the movie premiere chapter was rather cathartic, it helps Lark close that door and help her move forward.

The author really wrote Sean well too. Like sometimes you'll get a character who's there to cause problems, grief, jealous etc, but I truly wanted violence to Shaun. He is a true depiction of a self righteous, entitled man; I was not fooled by his family picture on his desk, not when he used his own family for leverage to progress the career ladder.

If you like a slow-burn, kind of spicy but cosy romcom, that's emotional and a little morbid in places then you should pick this up. There's miscommunication, opposites attracting (and they're seemingly blind to it!), and commitment issues; they tie together to make a book that would work great for British Summer time (aka rain and cosy reading time lol)

Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read Morbidly Yours as an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was instantly intrigued by Morbidly Yours due to the captivating description and the stunning book cover. There were certain aspects of this book that I enjoyed, I found Callum to be relatable in some aspects and I thought he had a good personality, not that I can say the same for the FMC.

However, the personality of Callum alone was not enough to get me through this book. I DNF at 40%, I felt myself constantly checking how much progress I had made as I was hoping it would end but ultimately that end never came for me due to how much this plot dragged on.

I find that when I enjoy a book I can finish it in less than a day and yet when it came to Morbidly Yours, I only got to 40% after 24 days. I am personally not a fan of the writing style and the tropes were not what I hoped them to be, they felt like they were thrown in just for the sake of it.

3.75 stars

When Lark, a lively animator from the US, escapes to Ireland to try and leave a past full of grief behind, she discover she has moved in next to a funeral home. When a package is wrongly delivered to her door step, she intends to deliver it to her new neighbour. This is where Lark meets Callum. The quiet funeral home owner, who she find is in quite a dilemma himself, as he must marry before his 35th birthday in order to inherit the family business.

I found this book to be a sweet romance, with slow burn and friends to lovers. It’s a cosy read, that’s filled with romantic tensions. I also appreciated how there were some more serious topics touched upon, such as grief, and the weaving of emotional depth into this romance pleasantly surprised me. I do think the slow burn could slightly start to get repetitive at times, but overall, I liked how the romantic chemistry was built up. I would definitely read the next book by this author.