Liza Day’s mother isn’t dead, but leave it to Darla Day to throw herself a funeral anyway. It’s the kind of attention grab Liza left behind to build a quiet life for herself and her rebellious teenage daughter, Avery. But between her students discovering her old daytime TV show—putting her teaching job at risk—and her mother’s unexpected funeral invitation, Liza’s life feels truly like a soap opera.

When Liza returns to her family’s historic Day Ranch for her mother’s premature farewell, she’s not sure what to expect. Darla’s always been known for eccentricities, both on- and off-screen. Thankfully, Liza has her siblings to help navigate Mom’s antics, which include everyone dressing as one of Darla’s many iconic film characters, a harem of white rabbits, and one surprise guest: Liza’s former costar and Avery’s father, Scotty.

The more time Liza and Avery spend on the ranch, the more Liza realizes that it might be time to trade in the scripted life she thought she wanted, for a leading role in the family she’s always needed.

This was a beautiful story about an imperfect family trying their best to love and support each other. I appreciated that the characters made realistic mistakes.

Thanks @netgalley and @aka.brooke.abrams for the chance to read The Night of a Thousand Darlas. It releases from Lake Union on January 21, 2025.

When Old Hollywood starlet Darla Day announces her funeral, it's the last thing her daughter Lizzy wants to deal with. It's just like her melodramatic mother to throw herself a party when Lizzy is in the middle of a crisis--losing her teaching job and fighting with her teenage daughter, Avery. But when the Day family convenes at historic Day Ranch, the reasons for this event get more complicated as three generations of Days collide.

This book is full of Brooke's signature witty, insightful writing. She does such an amazing job of creating loving, memorable characters, and it's also incredibly fun! You don't want to miss it.

“Night of a Thousand Darlas” is a funny and heartfelt novel written by Brooke Abrams. The story centers around three siblings who receive a mysterious invitation to attend their very famous mothers funeral…….except she is still very much alive. As the main character, along with her teenage daughter and two siblings prepare for this unconventional red carpet spectacle, we are immersed into their complex relationships and the history that binds this family together. The writing is elegant and thoughtful even when dealing with the difficult subject of dementia. This emotional story will have you laughing out loud and tearing up. It is a poignant reminder of how our own personal struggles affect the people we love the most. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sweet and funnier than I expected, Night of a Thousand Darlas gives us a multigenerational family story. A little Hollywood glam and a lot of family and romantic struggles, wrapped in likeable and loving characters.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
The telling of three generations of family which unfolds through the dramas of grandmother, mother and daughter with lovely messaging on what really matters most in life. An enjoyable, easy read with some romance thrown in for all the feels. A good read for the beach or a cold winter weekend.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC .

This was just ok to me . It was a multigenerational story with some romance thrown in which I think is the turn off for me . Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

3.5 stars rounded up to4! I really enjoyed Penelope in Retrograde, so was excited to see this sophomore debut! This was a multigenerational family drama, with a sprinkle of second chance romance. Although it explored some heavier themes, I still found it a really light and easy read and flew through it in two days. I do wish we could’ve explored more of the characters and their motivations, especially Darla.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was a precious story. From an aging starlet and grown-up child stars, to a funeral for someone who is still alive, this book is full of personality. While I would call this women’s fiction, i would also classify it as a family dramedy. There are so many quirky characters, a fun storyline, and a good amount of romance, it is a perfect palate-cleanser for a bad day.

I have to say that this book was better than expected.
My rating is 4,5⭐️ rounded up to 5 ⭐️.

We have the story of three generations of women with a side of second chance romance.
Darla is a former actress and she send invitations to her funeral, even if she is still alive.
The story is told from her youngest daughter Liza’s perspective. She is a single mother co-parenting her teenage daughter Avery. Liza and her ex met when they filmed a soap opera together. There are some chapters with flashbacks from that period.

I liked the writing a lot, the plot felt reali and the interactions between the siblings were funny.

The romance part was unexpected for me but I loved it, even if it was a bit in the background. I am a sucker for happy endings.

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publishing date is 21th January 2025.

I'll apologise to the author and to the publisher, but I didn't feel like finishing this book. I was not feeling it. By reading the synopsis I wanted drama, comic scenes, fun! But what I got more was romance. I wasn't in it for romance, so I felt pulled out of the story multiple times.
Maybe I'm not the proper audience for it?
Anyway, I might give it another go when the book is officially published and if there is the audiobook format available. I believe this is the kind of book that works better with me via audio.

Single mom Liza must come together with her family in this funny and heartwarming novel.

Liza is a single mom of a teenage daughter. She is also the daughter of a once famous actress and was a teenage actress herself. When she and her siblings receive an invitation to their not dead yet mother's funeral, hilarity and love ensue. Liza left home after having her daughter, leaving her mother, sister and brother behind. The funeral invitation requires her and her daughter to attend, and they leave for the once family home. Along with her siblings, mother, long term caretaker and the father of her child, secrets will be shared, laughter ignited and love accepted.

A wonderful novel about love, mistakes, secrets and most of all what it takes to be a family. A must read!

What a creative and quirky read!! Darla Day had me the moment she sent out her funeral invitations and she was still alive! The characters definitely had an edge and depth to their makeup and it made the read more interesting as each chapter went on! Family drama and entertainment are woven into this book with a fashion that is a poetic round and round grace all of its own accord! 💗

Bravo! ☕

Great book! I love books that go back in time and you meet generations back and this was perfect. Family drama and dynamics. It was a lovely read for sure. I hadn't read any books by Brooke Abrams before but will surely look for more now.

This was a good book! I liked following the 3 generations of women through life, and seeing all the family drama that comes with it! It was funny and entertaining. I thought the characters were all written well, and the pacing of the book was good and enjoyable. I like this author! The concept of the oldest woman inviting everyone to her funeral while she is still alive is wild.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

The story kicks off with grandmother and former soap star Darla Day sending out invitations to her own funeral, although she is still alive. The book has a likeable first-person narrator in her daughter Liza, a harassed teacher, for whom this comes out of the blue. The tone is smart and funny, and drew me in. I think the story would appeal to fans of Lindsey Kelk and Ashley Poston. It has a lot of charm and chutzpah.

There are many good lines, including: "I pick up a box of wine, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, and a lavender-scented face mask from Target. It's moments like this when I appreciate self-checkout."

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This was a strong story and I enjoyed the use of three generations of women. It worked well with what I was looking for and thought the setting was really well done. Brooke Abrams has a great way of telling the story and making characters that I cared about their journey. It was really well written and glad I was able to read this.

Night of a Thousand Darlas was a book with everything: humor, family drama and problems, teenage daughter, aging parent, and getting out of your own way to have the future you don't even know you need.

I loved the three siblings, LIza, her sister, and her brother, who were invited to their mom's funeral, when she isn't dead! Darla was once a A list celebrity, and Liza was part of a soap opera with her first love and the father of her daughter.

The characters were fun, but had depth, and I loved watching them evolve. Despite the turmoil, you could feel they really loved one another.

I loved this book, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

More romance than a multi-generational story. This book is funny and comfortable, like a hug.

Even though the title refers to Darla and her funeral while still being alive; the book is centred in Liza Day. The youngest daughter, mom of a teenager, co-parenting with her first (and only) love. Maybe is my own preference speaking, but I think this story would have greatly benefited from different characters' point of view, instead we only get Liza's account. Even though the book touches on heavy topics such as death, addictions, and child labour, the overall tone is light-hearted. This might mostly be due to Liza's propensity of making jokes when she feels vulnerable.

What I like was the readability of the story. Is easy, full of cliches which didn't bother me but instead added to the cuteness factor of the love story. I must admit I am not a big romance reader, I tend to read mystery novels, but I still enjoyed the romance and the background of the family dynamics. It does touch some heavy topics like seeing your parents age, unresolved childhood trauma, and the love-hurt dynamics that some families have. I would be lying if I said is a simple breezy book, but even in those times, it still felt comfortable as Liza has several people that love and support her.

What I didn't like is that I was left craving to know more of Darla from her own point of view and not through the eyes of others. This also happened with the other characters like Kat, Miles, Scotty and George. I wish the author would have gone deeper and not stay in the superficial level. In a way I started the book thinking I would read the story of a family and was left with the story of a romance. Which wasn't bad, but it was not what I expected or wanted by reading the book.

Trigger warnings include: death, addictions, child labour, and trying to conceive.

I would recommend the book to people that enjoy a cute love story and are slightly interested in family dynamics, specially one where the family head is a woman and not a man.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Night of a Thousand Darlas will be published on January 21st 2025. #NightofaThousandDarlas #NetGalley

This is a good read that gives the reader a bit of everything.

It has a fabulous main character in Liza, who really made me warm to her. All the characters added something to story.

The story itself is unusual and one that is quite unique. Darla organises her own funeral but she isn't dead. What happens next is funny with some weepy heartfelt moments and in the end Liza realises that family matters and if you have each you have everything.

This well written novel is brilliant. I am going to recommend it to my book club.. I think it's a read everyone will love.