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Casket Case
In this warm-hearted debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family's casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there's just one problem . . . he works for Death.
Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she's found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.
There aren't exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton's ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions--as well as a date.
Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He's thoughtful, he's kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She's not totally sure what "logistics" entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel, and urgent calls in the middle of the night.
When a few of Rabbittown's residents suddenly pass away--a heart attack here, a car crash there--and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly . . . suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?
He's a logistics coordinator for Death.
When Nora discovers the truth, she is unable to reconcile the wonderful man she knows with the unthinkably cruel job he loves. Will she ever be able to understand how he can do what he does, or will she have to lay her best chance at love to rest?
Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death--literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined . . . but death might not be as scary as it seems.
Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she's found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.
There aren't exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton's ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions--as well as a date.
Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He's thoughtful, he's kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She's not totally sure what "logistics" entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel, and urgent calls in the middle of the night.
When a few of Rabbittown's residents suddenly pass away--a heart attack here, a car crash there--and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly . . . suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?
He's a logistics coordinator for Death.
When Nora discovers the truth, she is unable to reconcile the wonderful man she knows with the unthinkably cruel job he loves. Will she ever be able to understand how he can do what he does, or will she have to lay her best chance at love to rest?
Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death--literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined . . . but death might not be as scary as it seems.
398 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2024
157 people are currently reading
30871 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 894 reviews
November 5, 2024
Okay, I have to admit, this is one of the strangest concepts I've come across lately. The author's creative mind intrigued me, and the morbid eeriness of this plotline—a strange love story between a woman who inherits a casket business from her late family and a charming man who works for Death in logistics services—piqued my interest. However, there were two things that didn't sit quite right with me: the pacing of the book and the instant, underdeveloped romance between the main characters.
The pacing was unusually slow, while the intimacy between Nora and Garrett escalated too quickly. They started dating after their second encounter, and just a few chapters later, they were declaring their love. Then, out of nowhere, we find ourselves in a love triangle, which made me question whether Nora fell for the first potential guy nearby simply because she lived in a small town with limited dating options. I also had doubts about Garrett's attraction to Nora. Did he think, 'Okay, I work for Death and she sells caskets for dead people, so we're a match made in heaven'? Because I didn't understand what intrigued him enough to ask her out on a date after only a brief encounter where he asked for directions. There weren't enough indications that it was love at first sight, so I didn't buy into the rushed romance storyline.
What I enjoyed most about this book was how it handled grief without sugarcoating it, taking a realistic approach instead. I found it difficult to connect with Nora, even though I understood her reluctance to let go of the memories of her family while trying to function amidst her grief. However, her dialogue came across as a little hostile and temperamental, and she seemed overly depressed. When reading her parts, I couldn't decide whether to give her a hug and reassure her that everything would eventually be okay, or shake her shoulders to snap some sense into her.
Overall, I appreciated the paranormal concept of the book and its unique, realistic approach to death, as well as the portrayal of close-knit small-town life. However, I didn't enjoy the romantic aspects, and I didn't particularly like the heroine. Therefore, I've decided to give it a solid three stars. Nevertheless, I'm still curious to read the author's upcoming works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
The pacing was unusually slow, while the intimacy between Nora and Garrett escalated too quickly. They started dating after their second encounter, and just a few chapters later, they were declaring their love. Then, out of nowhere, we find ourselves in a love triangle, which made me question whether Nora fell for the first potential guy nearby simply because she lived in a small town with limited dating options. I also had doubts about Garrett's attraction to Nora. Did he think, 'Okay, I work for Death and she sells caskets for dead people, so we're a match made in heaven'? Because I didn't understand what intrigued him enough to ask her out on a date after only a brief encounter where he asked for directions. There weren't enough indications that it was love at first sight, so I didn't buy into the rushed romance storyline.
What I enjoyed most about this book was how it handled grief without sugarcoating it, taking a realistic approach instead. I found it difficult to connect with Nora, even though I understood her reluctance to let go of the memories of her family while trying to function amidst her grief. However, her dialogue came across as a little hostile and temperamental, and she seemed overly depressed. When reading her parts, I couldn't decide whether to give her a hug and reassure her that everything would eventually be okay, or shake her shoulders to snap some sense into her.
Overall, I appreciated the paranormal concept of the book and its unique, realistic approach to death, as well as the portrayal of close-knit small-town life. However, I didn't enjoy the romantic aspects, and I didn't particularly like the heroine. Therefore, I've decided to give it a solid three stars. Nevertheless, I'm still curious to read the author's upcoming works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
August 31, 2024
1.5 🌟
nora thought that she got away from the small town she grew up in, finally living in a big city with a real job. her life is fantastic until her parents die unexpectedly in a car accident. after the funeral, nora ends up taking over the family casket business. her days start to blur together, spending every day surrounded by death only to come home to a bottle of wine and tv reruns. nora thinks her life is stagnant until one day, a handsome man comes in asking for directions. the only problem? the man works for death.
the premise of this book was so promising, but the execution was honestly terrible. this is what i imagine would be the product of two monotone voiced people being forced into a relationship together. i truly didn’t know that it was possible for there to be instalove between two people who literally have zero chemistry whatsoever.
i literally do not have anything else but complaints left to share and i don’t want to put anyone else through the torture of this book. 🥲
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Lauren Evans and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻
nora thought that she got away from the small town she grew up in, finally living in a big city with a real job. her life is fantastic until her parents die unexpectedly in a car accident. after the funeral, nora ends up taking over the family casket business. her days start to blur together, spending every day surrounded by death only to come home to a bottle of wine and tv reruns. nora thinks her life is stagnant until one day, a handsome man comes in asking for directions. the only problem? the man works for death.
the premise of this book was so promising, but the execution was honestly terrible. this is what i imagine would be the product of two monotone voiced people being forced into a relationship together. i truly didn’t know that it was possible for there to be instalove between two people who literally have zero chemistry whatsoever.
i literally do not have anything else but complaints left to share and i don’t want to put anyone else through the torture of this book. 🥲
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Lauren Evans and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻
September 30, 2024
2�
Genre ~ contemporary women’s fiction
Setting ~ Alabama
Publication date ~ September 10, 2024
Est Page Count ~ 396 (18 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 16 minutes
Narrator ~ Sean Patrick Hopkins, Bailey Carr
POV ~ dual 3rd, present tense
Featuring ~ debut, multiple timelines, small town, insta~love, slow burn, no steamage
Nora (30) & Garrett meet when he interrupts her General Hospital watching to ask for directions. Then he’s back soon after asking her to go out on a date. Soon after that they're declaring their love.
Nora was super frustrating and annoyed me to no end. She’s back and forth and all over the place. Listen I feel bad for her, of course I do, she lost her parents to an auto accident only a year ago. Now she’s taken over their casket business and lives in their house. She gives off a younger vibe and I never really warmed up to her.
Fun fact:
“Caskets have a hinge on the side. Coffins are the old wooden things where vampires sleep. The ones you see at Halloween.�
Garrett works for Death and Nora has a tough time accepting that. Which is odd since it’s inevitable and would help her business. She drinks a good bit too much to pass the time while she hems and haws over it. I thought he should just run for the hills and never look back.
Then they’ve broken up and she starts hanging out with Johnny, owner of the local funeral home and someone she’s interacted with frequently due to their common field of business. I didn’t like this part of the story that brought in unnecessary conflict.
Although the premise was very interesting and the tone somber as expected, this one didn’t really work for me. I did love the title, the cover and Nora’s relationship with her grandpa. The last chapter was expected and I thought that was well done. Also, I enjoyed her speech that she was really nervous to give.
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
Connect with me � ~ ~
Genre ~ contemporary women’s fiction
Setting ~ Alabama
Publication date ~ September 10, 2024
Est Page Count ~ 396 (18 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 16 minutes
Narrator ~ Sean Patrick Hopkins, Bailey Carr
POV ~ dual 3rd, present tense
Featuring ~ debut, multiple timelines, small town, insta~love, slow burn, no steamage
Nora (30) & Garrett meet when he interrupts her General Hospital watching to ask for directions. Then he’s back soon after asking her to go out on a date. Soon after that they're declaring their love.
Nora was super frustrating and annoyed me to no end. She’s back and forth and all over the place. Listen I feel bad for her, of course I do, she lost her parents to an auto accident only a year ago. Now she’s taken over their casket business and lives in their house. She gives off a younger vibe and I never really warmed up to her.
Fun fact:
“Caskets have a hinge on the side. Coffins are the old wooden things where vampires sleep. The ones you see at Halloween.�
Garrett works for Death and Nora has a tough time accepting that. Which is odd since it’s inevitable and would help her business. She drinks a good bit too much to pass the time while she hems and haws over it. I thought he should just run for the hills and never look back.
Then they’ve broken up and she starts hanging out with Johnny, owner of the local funeral home and someone she’s interacted with frequently due to their common field of business. I didn’t like this part of the story that brought in unnecessary conflict.
Although the premise was very interesting and the tone somber as expected, this one didn’t really work for me. I did love the title, the cover and Nora’s relationship with her grandpa. The last chapter was expected and I thought that was well done. Also, I enjoyed her speech that she was really nervous to give.
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
Connect with me � ~ ~
May 6, 2024
I guess I was hoping it would be less morbid? Which is partly my bad, the summary was pretty clear. I had really good experiences with similar books—The Dead Romantics, Love of My Afterlife, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy—so I was intrigued and wanted more!! This book differed in a few key ways from those though, and it made me realize just why I loved them (and didn’t love this one).
In The Dead Romantics, most of the dead people were ghosts which I highly preferred, as they seemed a bit further removed from death. In Love of My Afterlife, the afterlife was romanticized and I LOVED how it made me feel. There was even a (secondary) romance happening IN the afterlife. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was morbid, yes, but it never lost the romance even amidst the ZOMBIES!
Casket Case, however, was alive humans actively dying with no reassuring afterlife talk (it was out of his "jurisdiction�). So everyone—including me—was just sad and confused. The book claims that the dying people get closure from people like the hero, but that’s still leaving a LOT of unclosed wounds!! The poor families!!! Having a solid knowledge of the afterlife would’ve at least made it all feel less morbid, like give me proof that grandpa gets to reunite with his wife, etc!!!
I also had issues with the stiff dialogue, clunky writing, and instalove romance. The writing was all tell and no show. Not to mention, the romance as a whole was wildly paced: sex by 25%, “I love yous� by 35%; breakup by 60%, kissing another man at 70% because it's suddenly a love triangle, getting back together at 95%. At the end, she was separated from the hero for so long and wasn’t even really thinking about him, and he didn’t even have an arc at all. So much so that I was actively rooting for the wrong side of the love triangle??? That guy at least had chemistry with her and a personality!!
Overall, it was not the right book for me and definitely not the right time. I’ve recently experienced some personal loss, and this book was just too morbid for the moment. The morbidity wasn’t necessarily the book’s fault (it’s clearly stated in the summary), but I still wasn’t a fan of the execution. The concept, however, was still intriguing and I liked the Death details…more than the romance, which is where the book fully fell apart for me.
⭐️.75/5 .5🌶�/5
CWs: Death of a sibling (past; recounted) (cancer), fatal car crashes (multiple; past and current), heart failure, death of a grandparent (current), death of parents (past; recounted)
I received an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
In The Dead Romantics, most of the dead people were ghosts which I highly preferred, as they seemed a bit further removed from death. In Love of My Afterlife, the afterlife was romanticized and I LOVED how it made me feel. There was even a (secondary) romance happening IN the afterlife. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was morbid, yes, but it never lost the romance even amidst the ZOMBIES!
Casket Case, however, was alive humans actively dying with no reassuring afterlife talk (it was out of his "jurisdiction�). So everyone—including me—was just sad and confused. The book claims that the dying people get closure from people like the hero, but that’s still leaving a LOT of unclosed wounds!! The poor families!!! Having a solid knowledge of the afterlife would’ve at least made it all feel less morbid, like give me proof that grandpa gets to reunite with his wife, etc!!!
I also had issues with the stiff dialogue, clunky writing, and instalove romance. The writing was all tell and no show. Not to mention, the romance as a whole was wildly paced: sex by 25%, “I love yous� by 35%; breakup by 60%, kissing another man at 70% because it's suddenly a love triangle, getting back together at 95%. At the end, she was separated from the hero for so long and wasn’t even really thinking about him, and he didn’t even have an arc at all. So much so that I was actively rooting for the wrong side of the love triangle??? That guy at least had chemistry with her and a personality!!
Overall, it was not the right book for me and definitely not the right time. I’ve recently experienced some personal loss, and this book was just too morbid for the moment. The morbidity wasn’t necessarily the book’s fault (it’s clearly stated in the summary), but I still wasn’t a fan of the execution. The concept, however, was still intriguing and I liked the Death details…more than the romance, which is where the book fully fell apart for me.
⭐️.75/5 .5🌶�/5
CWs: Death of a sibling (past; recounted) (cancer), fatal car crashes (multiple; past and current), heart failure, death of a grandparent (current), death of parents (past; recounted)
I received an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
June 13, 2024
I really tried with this book. I thought it had a unique premise. The plot and writing were very basic and choppy. The side characters were very basic and you don't really even establish a connection with them or the story. The FMC and MMC both felt like robots just going through the motions. The relationship was like extra insta love. The writing does not show their connection or dynamic... they meet, go on a couple dates where they don't really show the connection and then all of a sudden in love and then having fights to create drama after 3 dates. The FMC says she needs him to leave and she needs space anytime she has a conflicting thought. I just can't ...
September 4, 2024
I don’t have words for this book. I am Nora. Nora is me.
My great-great-grandparents started a funeral home in our incredibly small town in south Louisiana. My great grandfather was named William (Billy) and my grandfather was William (Tommy). My grandparents opened their funeral home location the same year as the casket company opened. My grandmother makes a banana pudding for every funeral. My grandfather passed a few years ago, but he reminds me so much of Nora’s grandfather. I had a favorite casket as a 6 year old, and I helped fold programs and scan in photos for the slideshows over the summer. I went with my grandparents to the Funeral Directors Convention in the summer. I even went to Birmingham last summer and ate at the trendy Mexican restaurant and had a conversation about the plantain nachos!
Seriously if you sub out Alabama for LSU, I felt like I was reading about my life. And ironically enough, I even married an Alabama fan. Yes, this book is morbid. Yes, there are jokes that most people who did not grow up around a funeral home will not appreciate. But this book felt like sitting around my grandmother’s dinner table talking with my uncle about who died that week and my grandfather making a joke about being “the last one to let you down� or “dying to do business with us� and I loved it.
Simply put, this book felt like home, and it really might be one of my favorites of the year!
Thank you to the author + Netgalley for the ARC
My great-great-grandparents started a funeral home in our incredibly small town in south Louisiana. My great grandfather was named William (Billy) and my grandfather was William (Tommy). My grandparents opened their funeral home location the same year as the casket company opened. My grandmother makes a banana pudding for every funeral. My grandfather passed a few years ago, but he reminds me so much of Nora’s grandfather. I had a favorite casket as a 6 year old, and I helped fold programs and scan in photos for the slideshows over the summer. I went with my grandparents to the Funeral Directors Convention in the summer. I even went to Birmingham last summer and ate at the trendy Mexican restaurant and had a conversation about the plantain nachos!
Seriously if you sub out Alabama for LSU, I felt like I was reading about my life. And ironically enough, I even married an Alabama fan. Yes, this book is morbid. Yes, there are jokes that most people who did not grow up around a funeral home will not appreciate. But this book felt like sitting around my grandmother’s dinner table talking with my uncle about who died that week and my grandfather making a joke about being “the last one to let you down� or “dying to do business with us� and I loved it.
Simply put, this book felt like home, and it really might be one of my favorites of the year!
Thank you to the author + Netgalley for the ARC
August 26, 2024
Casket Case has a pretty wild concept, and I must admit I was drawn in by the blurb and thought it might be something interesting/different. In this story, our FMC Nora works at a family-inherited casket store. She has a run in with a seemingly perfect stranger, Garrett, and they quickly develop feelings. From there, she finds that he works for Death himself, and has to come to terms with this seemingly perfect man not being quite so perfect after all, and figure out how she will handle that. It definitely did deliver on the "different" aspect I was hoping for, but sadly it just wasn't for me.
The pacing of this story was very odd and didn't really mesh well with my personal taste. It was extremely insta-love, and I did not even kind of understand why they were so into each other so quickly, besides the fact that Nora was lonely and he was the only one there, and that's not exactly a great foundation for a relationship that I'm meant to root for. Once the couple is together, the entire rest of the story until the resolution is pretty much just a back and forth of our MMC being like "should I tell her I work for Death?" and then our FMC being like "Am I okay with the fact that he works for Death?" Back and forth, back and forth, on and on, for 400 pages. The indecisiveness was so frustrating to read from both of their POVs, and went on for entirely too long. To be honest, this could've been a novella and I would've liked it way more because it wouldn't have been so repetitive for so long.
The characters were really surface level in my personal opinion. I can tell that there was depth attempted to be given to the characters, especially Nora regarding her parents' passing, but unfortunately that was never really gone into that much, and her having dead parents and being lonely doesn't really give me enough and isn't just a fast-pass to character development. None of the side characters were discernable from one another at all--I truly couldn't tell you the first thing about any of them, they may as well have not been there. This story was dual POV, but there was not really a difference in tone in the way Nora and Garrett's chapters were told, and at that point I didn't really feel like it needed to be dual POV at all.
This was also written in third-person, and I feel like it made far more sense for this to be first-person POV (although this one may just be personal preference, as I almost always prefer first-person romances) so that we could've gotten more of the characters' inner monologue and it not felt like a weird, over-sharing narrator that we don't know. It just felt out of place.
The writing in general was very choppy and didn't flow to me. It was repeatedly extremely short sentences, with no to minor details, and quickly moving on. It felt like the book equivalent of when you ask people questions and they give you a short yes or no answer with no elaboration and you're like ... okay and?? The dialogue felt very stiff/unrealistic as well, and I think largely for this reason, Garrett gave me the ick right from the start.
Overall, sad to say I didn't love this one. 1.75 stars rounded up.
Thanks so much to Random House Publishing | Ballentine | Dell and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The pacing of this story was very odd and didn't really mesh well with my personal taste. It was extremely insta-love, and I did not even kind of understand why they were so into each other so quickly, besides the fact that Nora was lonely and he was the only one there, and that's not exactly a great foundation for a relationship that I'm meant to root for. Once the couple is together, the entire rest of the story until the resolution is pretty much just a back and forth of our MMC being like "should I tell her I work for Death?" and then our FMC being like "Am I okay with the fact that he works for Death?" Back and forth, back and forth, on and on, for 400 pages. The indecisiveness was so frustrating to read from both of their POVs, and went on for entirely too long. To be honest, this could've been a novella and I would've liked it way more because it wouldn't have been so repetitive for so long.
The characters were really surface level in my personal opinion. I can tell that there was depth attempted to be given to the characters, especially Nora regarding her parents' passing, but unfortunately that was never really gone into that much, and her having dead parents and being lonely doesn't really give me enough and isn't just a fast-pass to character development. None of the side characters were discernable from one another at all--I truly couldn't tell you the first thing about any of them, they may as well have not been there. This story was dual POV, but there was not really a difference in tone in the way Nora and Garrett's chapters were told, and at that point I didn't really feel like it needed to be dual POV at all.
This was also written in third-person, and I feel like it made far more sense for this to be first-person POV (although this one may just be personal preference, as I almost always prefer first-person romances) so that we could've gotten more of the characters' inner monologue and it not felt like a weird, over-sharing narrator that we don't know. It just felt out of place.
The writing in general was very choppy and didn't flow to me. It was repeatedly extremely short sentences, with no to minor details, and quickly moving on. It felt like the book equivalent of when you ask people questions and they give you a short yes or no answer with no elaboration and you're like ... okay and?? The dialogue felt very stiff/unrealistic as well, and I think largely for this reason, Garrett gave me the ick right from the start.
Overall, sad to say I didn't love this one. 1.75 stars rounded up.
Thanks so much to Random House Publishing | Ballentine | Dell and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
April 15, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the arc!
DNF @ 70%, skimmed the rest
I couldn't get into this book from the beginning, and I hate dnfing arcs, but I just could not finish it. I didn't like the main characters, and there was absolutely no chemistry between them; their relationship was very unbelievable, and their dialogue was extremely stiff, which is my main issue with the book. I didn't like how quickly the relationship between the two main characters moved either; they were together after knowing each other for like half a week? The premise is really interesting, but it just wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Honestly, the idea for the book drew me in so quickly; it's such a cool and weird idea for a book, and I can definitely see how other people will like it, but it just wasn't for me. I did, however, like the small-town setting and the side characters, as well as Nora and her grandfather's relationship :)
DNF @ 70%, skimmed the rest
I couldn't get into this book from the beginning, and I hate dnfing arcs, but I just could not finish it. I didn't like the main characters, and there was absolutely no chemistry between them; their relationship was very unbelievable, and their dialogue was extremely stiff, which is my main issue with the book. I didn't like how quickly the relationship between the two main characters moved either; they were together after knowing each other for like half a week? The premise is really interesting, but it just wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Honestly, the idea for the book drew me in so quickly; it's such a cool and weird idea for a book, and I can definitely see how other people will like it, but it just wasn't for me. I did, however, like the small-town setting and the side characters, as well as Nora and her grandfather's relationship :)
October 9, 2024
This is such a sweet story. Learning to live with grief is hard for everyone and caring for others going through loss is beautifully written within this southern small town romcom.
# Casket Case
# 10/8/2024 ~ 10/9/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0
# Casket Case
# 10/8/2024 ~ 10/9/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0
February 26, 2025
I really wanted to like this book! I was so excited when I read the blurb for this book, but it just ended up falling flat for me. I feel like the main characters fell in love really quickly. It felt odd when they broke up about half through the book, then she started talking to another guy for like 20% of the book. On top of that, she just decides she doesn't care about any of the stuff she and the main guy broke up over and they get back together anyways.
This book also feels like it had a lot of extra or unnecessary information in it. When they were getting ice cream, I don't feel like I needed to know every ice cream that the ice cream parlor had. I don't know this book may have just needed a little bit more editing. I really love the idea of having a casket sales person fall in love with someone who works for death. This book just felt a little off the mark.
This book was a little bit of a letdown for me, but don't let that stop you from picking it up if it sounds interesting to you!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book also feels like it had a lot of extra or unnecessary information in it. When they were getting ice cream, I don't feel like I needed to know every ice cream that the ice cream parlor had. I don't know this book may have just needed a little bit more editing. I really love the idea of having a casket sales person fall in love with someone who works for death. This book just felt a little off the mark.
This book was a little bit of a letdown for me, but don't let that stop you from picking it up if it sounds interesting to you!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read
September 30, 2024DNF @ 9% - my interest is deader than a doorknob
Read
September 23, 2024DNF
Read
October 5, 2024DNF at 30%
September 7, 2024
Garrett, I am putting you out on the curb for trash pick up. Nora, you can go in recycling. The number of times that I got the ick...
June 23, 2024
1.5 stars (rounded up).
The longer I read "Casket Case" by Lauren Evans, the more annoyed I got. This book had *so* much going for it with its unique premise and the interesting conversation it could have had surrounding the (exploitative) death industry at large. Unfortunately, Evans *does not* capitalize on this at any point, instead opting to write a disjointed and pedestrian insta-lovey meet-cute with no real bones or substance. I really, *really* disliked Nora, the main female character. I am all for flawed female leads, but Nora is, frankly, the worst. Anyone who has had the displeasure of losing someone can tell you that grief is a fickle b***h. There is no timeline for grief, but Nora frequently acts like she is the only one who has ever lost a loved one, as if she's the only one who has had their entire life upended and altered by death, as if she's the only one who has had their dreams and hopes for the future dashed because of loss, like she's the only one grieving the loss of her parents. Nora is such an annoying person. She is a whiny, privileged pushover. She acts like a toddler throughout the book, especially in the ~60% range. She asks Garrett (the main male character) to give her space at one point after a bad fight (there are *several*), then freaks out after he does it! She basically sits by the phone waiting for him to call her MULTIPLE TIMES throughout the book instead of just calling him herself!!! Someone even asks her, "is it the 1950s?," which is what I thought! And then, she has the audacity to get mad at him when he gives her the space she asked, nay, BEGGED for!! Mixed messages much?! Also, I'm fairly certain she is an alcoholic. She uses and seemingly abuses alcohol on multiple occasions to cope with Garrett leaving, or having a bad day, or whatever other drama is going on in her life. I say this not to shame her, but it's fairly obvious to me that she is an alcoholic and copes with her substance abuse issues. It felt out of place to mention it so many times and not call it what it was. Garrett, on the other hand, seems like the perfect guy, but he's harboring a secret *~so big*~ that you can see it coming a mile away. Garrett has no personality whatsoever, apart from being obsessed with Nora. Once they start dating (which is suspect, very quick, and VERY convenient), they say "I love you" on their second or third date. No joke! It is wholly unbelievable, which makes the romance between them feel silly and disconnected. There is no tension, no angst, no pining... they just see each other and instantly fall in love. My least fav! There are also way too many references to religion, God, praying, and church, which felt like an intentionally "good" juxtaposition to offset the "bad" that Nora and Garrett do by working around and with death. To me, it felt forced and unnecessary, and it threw me out of the story every single time religion was brought up. I did not like this book. I love the idea of a macabre love story focusing on caskets, death, and dying, but this isn't what I hoped it would be, not by a long shot. I do not recommend this one at all.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Evans, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
The longer I read "Casket Case" by Lauren Evans, the more annoyed I got. This book had *so* much going for it with its unique premise and the interesting conversation it could have had surrounding the (exploitative) death industry at large. Unfortunately, Evans *does not* capitalize on this at any point, instead opting to write a disjointed and pedestrian insta-lovey meet-cute with no real bones or substance. I really, *really* disliked Nora, the main female character. I am all for flawed female leads, but Nora is, frankly, the worst. Anyone who has had the displeasure of losing someone can tell you that grief is a fickle b***h. There is no timeline for grief, but Nora frequently acts like she is the only one who has ever lost a loved one, as if she's the only one who has had their entire life upended and altered by death, as if she's the only one who has had their dreams and hopes for the future dashed because of loss, like she's the only one grieving the loss of her parents. Nora is such an annoying person. She is a whiny, privileged pushover. She acts like a toddler throughout the book, especially in the ~60% range. She asks Garrett (the main male character) to give her space at one point after a bad fight (there are *several*), then freaks out after he does it! She basically sits by the phone waiting for him to call her MULTIPLE TIMES throughout the book instead of just calling him herself!!! Someone even asks her, "is it the 1950s?," which is what I thought! And then, she has the audacity to get mad at him when he gives her the space she asked, nay, BEGGED for!! Mixed messages much?! Also, I'm fairly certain she is an alcoholic. She uses and seemingly abuses alcohol on multiple occasions to cope with Garrett leaving, or having a bad day, or whatever other drama is going on in her life. I say this not to shame her, but it's fairly obvious to me that she is an alcoholic and copes with her substance abuse issues. It felt out of place to mention it so many times and not call it what it was. Garrett, on the other hand, seems like the perfect guy, but he's harboring a secret *~so big*~ that you can see it coming a mile away. Garrett has no personality whatsoever, apart from being obsessed with Nora. Once they start dating (which is suspect, very quick, and VERY convenient), they say "I love you" on their second or third date. No joke! It is wholly unbelievable, which makes the romance between them feel silly and disconnected. There is no tension, no angst, no pining... they just see each other and instantly fall in love. My least fav! There are also way too many references to religion, God, praying, and church, which felt like an intentionally "good" juxtaposition to offset the "bad" that Nora and Garrett do by working around and with death. To me, it felt forced and unnecessary, and it threw me out of the story every single time religion was brought up. I did not like this book. I love the idea of a macabre love story focusing on caskets, death, and dying, but this isn't what I hoped it would be, not by a long shot. I do not recommend this one at all.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Evans, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
December 12, 2024
This was wonderful!
The random meet cute, the slow development of their feels and the 100% reasonable reasons to disagree on life choices.
Nora & Garrett was a delight to get to know and watch fall in love.
I really hope Lauren Evans has more stories in her brain because I will read them!
The random meet cute, the slow development of their feels and the 100% reasonable reasons to disagree on life choices.
Nora & Garrett was a delight to get to know and watch fall in love.
I really hope Lauren Evans has more stories in her brain because I will read them!
January 31, 2025
oh no� another DNF this week?! Am I falling into a slump?! I wanted to love this book so much but it was so slow. I tried the audiobook and that did not help either.
if you decide to read this, I hope you love it more than I did.
if you decide to read this, I hope you love it more than I did.
Read
October 6, 2024I received an eARC from Random House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting concept on death and dying, this book is billed as a romantic comedy, but it is anything but. The writing is overly wordy with cheesy phrasing, and the female love interest, Nora, spends 90% of the book creating unnecessary drama with her love interest, Garett, who appears to have zero chemistry. Many characters are introduced at the beginning without making it clear who they are, and it is difficult to understand their importance, especially in an opening scene. It turns out only one, her grandpa, has a significant role. Also, we have an entire scene from the coffee shop owner's POV and nothing else from that character. Church is mentioned multiple times, but Nora doesn’t actually seem to be religious. I have no problem with religion in romance and know there is a market, but the sex shaming is unnecessary, and it would have been nice to have the character discuss her faith, especially given the main subject of this book was death, to add depth rather than all these vague references to God and prayers.
The writing is just too descriptive, with nonsense details that don’t add to the narrative. This is an advanced copy, but it felt rough and needed more editing. I wish details were flushed out, the structure less clunky, and the conversations choppy and I wish there were less side characters. Everything was wordy. For example, instead of saying they went to the park, it says they put on their shoes. They open the door. They stepped outside. I feel like all of these things are implied. This is how half the action in the book proceeds.
The conversations are awkward and do not flow. Their breakup felt destined to happen from the start, and then there was that strange situation with another man, and then they were back together. It just did not work for me. I did not buy their relationship. Then there is forced drama and what should be an everyday domestic situation. They are both either immature or horrible at communicating. There is no chemistry because she makes everything an argument then they are in love? Her insecurities are exhausting as a reader. She Needs grief counseling and appears overly depressed, which missed the opportunity to deal with her mental health. Also, The alcohol use felt excessive, and even as someone who has a healthy relationship with alcohol, I was uncomfortable.
His job is cool. The author explains it well, making it a unique concept that is the highlight of the book. I am glad the epilogue brought things full circle.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend this book. I am actually not going to post it on my social media because it feels cruel, but this is the first book I have felt strongly enough to avoid posting on anything but GoodReads.
An interesting concept on death and dying, this book is billed as a romantic comedy, but it is anything but. The writing is overly wordy with cheesy phrasing, and the female love interest, Nora, spends 90% of the book creating unnecessary drama with her love interest, Garett, who appears to have zero chemistry. Many characters are introduced at the beginning without making it clear who they are, and it is difficult to understand their importance, especially in an opening scene. It turns out only one, her grandpa, has a significant role. Also, we have an entire scene from the coffee shop owner's POV and nothing else from that character. Church is mentioned multiple times, but Nora doesn’t actually seem to be religious. I have no problem with religion in romance and know there is a market, but the sex shaming is unnecessary, and it would have been nice to have the character discuss her faith, especially given the main subject of this book was death, to add depth rather than all these vague references to God and prayers.
The writing is just too descriptive, with nonsense details that don’t add to the narrative. This is an advanced copy, but it felt rough and needed more editing. I wish details were flushed out, the structure less clunky, and the conversations choppy and I wish there were less side characters. Everything was wordy. For example, instead of saying they went to the park, it says they put on their shoes. They open the door. They stepped outside. I feel like all of these things are implied. This is how half the action in the book proceeds.
The conversations are awkward and do not flow. Their breakup felt destined to happen from the start, and then there was that strange situation with another man, and then they were back together. It just did not work for me. I did not buy their relationship. Then there is forced drama and what should be an everyday domestic situation. They are both either immature or horrible at communicating. There is no chemistry because she makes everything an argument then they are in love? Her insecurities are exhausting as a reader. She Needs grief counseling and appears overly depressed, which missed the opportunity to deal with her mental health. Also, The alcohol use felt excessive, and even as someone who has a healthy relationship with alcohol, I was uncomfortable.
His job is cool. The author explains it well, making it a unique concept that is the highlight of the book. I am glad the epilogue brought things full circle.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend this book. I am actually not going to post it on my social media because it feels cruel, but this is the first book I have felt strongly enough to avoid posting on anything but GoodReads.
January 16, 2025
3.5 stars. Really enjoyed the story but is it bad that I forgot all about Garrett when she spent time with Johnny? I really wanted them together in the end.. oops.
February 5, 2025
Ugh. Disappointed by this one. Instalove. Heroine who can't accept death but runs a funeral home??? Hero is just a normal dude who works for death but isn't actually death himself lol.
July 7, 2024
Nora can't believe she is working at her families casket store. When she meets a stranger, she has no idea that he will change her life i many ways. An enjoyable read.
January 5, 2025
I loved the concept of by and thought it was such a fresh idea for a rom-com! Nora takes over her family’s casket business in small town Alabama after they unexpectedly pass away, and she doesn’t necessarily want to be there. I loved seeing how her feelings changed throughout the book and there is a large emphasis on grief and how we handle it. Also, Garrett’s job! I have no idea how Evans thought up making the MMC a logistics coordinator for death, but it was such an interesting element and one that I basically found out along with Nora since I couldn’t remember the synopsis. 😂
I ended up listening to Casket Case on audio, and I really enjoyed Sean Patrick Hopkins & Bailey Carr’s narration for Garrett and Nora. HOWEVER, I think it ended up confusing me because I could never understand why the timelines jumped around so much. Looking at the book, it makes sense now, so I might recommend reading with the eyes for this one. For as unique as this book was, I don’t think the execution was there for me. I didn’t find myself falling in love with the characters, and I didn’t find anything funny in what is being marketed as a rom-com. I would have loved some humor mixed in to make it a little less heavy and to better suit the romance itself. All in all, a bit of a meh debut for me, but I would definitely recommend it to the right person!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I ended up listening to Casket Case on audio, and I really enjoyed Sean Patrick Hopkins & Bailey Carr’s narration for Garrett and Nora. HOWEVER, I think it ended up confusing me because I could never understand why the timelines jumped around so much. Looking at the book, it makes sense now, so I might recommend reading with the eyes for this one. For as unique as this book was, I don’t think the execution was there for me. I didn’t find myself falling in love with the characters, and I didn’t find anything funny in what is being marketed as a rom-com. I would have loved some humor mixed in to make it a little less heavy and to better suit the romance itself. All in all, a bit of a meh debut for me, but I would definitely recommend it to the right person!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
August 16, 2024
Casket Case is the story of Nora, a woman that inherits her family's casket store after her parents pass away. One day, mysterious Garrett walks in looking for directions and changes Nora's path.
I wanted to like this SO BADLY. I loved Dead Romantics and I was hoping for the same sort of vibe, since the description was comparable. Unfortunately, this didn't have the same vibes. In fact, I'd go as far as to call it a bit depressing. The romance felt really rushed and the pacing was weird. I'm not mad I finished it, just a little disappointed in it overall.
The inconsistency in chapter length also made reading this kind of annoying. Some chapters are a single page, some are six, then some are like twenty five pages out of nowhere. I'm not expecting every chapter to be the same length but this was like riding a rollercoaster. There were also some odd little inconsistencies that took me out of the story. At one point she is having dinner with her grandfather on Tuesday, she talks to her friend the "next day" and states that Friday is the following day. Is there no Wednesday in this town? Then later, she says no to wine at a restaurant, then on the next page she is taking a sip of wine with dinner. These might not seem like major issues, but they can take a reader out of the story really quickly.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars because it was still better than The Pairing.
I wanted to like this SO BADLY. I loved Dead Romantics and I was hoping for the same sort of vibe, since the description was comparable. Unfortunately, this didn't have the same vibes. In fact, I'd go as far as to call it a bit depressing. The romance felt really rushed and the pacing was weird. I'm not mad I finished it, just a little disappointed in it overall.
The inconsistency in chapter length also made reading this kind of annoying. Some chapters are a single page, some are six, then some are like twenty five pages out of nowhere. I'm not expecting every chapter to be the same length but this was like riding a rollercoaster. There were also some odd little inconsistencies that took me out of the story. At one point she is having dinner with her grandfather on Tuesday, she talks to her friend the "next day" and states that Friday is the following day. Is there no Wednesday in this town? Then later, she says no to wine at a restaurant, then on the next page she is taking a sip of wine with dinner. These might not seem like major issues, but they can take a reader out of the story really quickly.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars because it was still better than The Pairing.
March 7, 2025
An I love you within the first 100 pages?? No thanks�
For such an interesting concept i don’t understand how the author wrote such terrible main characters
For such an interesting concept i don’t understand how the author wrote such terrible main characters
July 7, 2024
3.5⭐️ rounding up. This book was such a fun read, and it really sucked me in from the jump. The voice is that unique dry humor that always reminds me of Gaiman, Pratchett, Adams, and 90s Hugh Grant romcoms. The romance was insta love, but honestly Nora and Garrett were so gosh darn cute I didn’t even mind. A super fun concept with a fleshed out world. I even read it with my eyeballs instead of listening to the audiobook, which is saying something about its ability to keep my attention tbh
I will say that I wouldn’t count this as a romance novel/romcom. It’s much more about grief and growing up. Family and hometowns and acceptance. The main couple break up around the halfway point and don’t get back together until the last chapter, with only a handful of short interactions in the meantime. This 60-80% kind of dragged, particularly as Garrett and Nora’s conversations/arguments started to feel repetitive. It felt sometimes like the breakup was the climax of a really tight novella and most of the second half of the book existed to make it long enough to be a novel. But that’s only if you’re going into this expecting the romance to be at the forefront. It took some mental readjusting, but I got there and still enjoyed it overall.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will say that I wouldn’t count this as a romance novel/romcom. It’s much more about grief and growing up. Family and hometowns and acceptance. The main couple break up around the halfway point and don’t get back together until the last chapter, with only a handful of short interactions in the meantime. This 60-80% kind of dragged, particularly as Garrett and Nora’s conversations/arguments started to feel repetitive. It felt sometimes like the breakup was the climax of a really tight novella and most of the second half of the book existed to make it long enough to be a novel. But that’s only if you’re going into this expecting the romance to be at the forefront. It took some mental readjusting, but I got there and still enjoyed it overall.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2024
*3.5 Stars*
I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. This was an interesting love story between a woman who inherits a casket business after her parents pass away and a man who works for death. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two but sometimes found Nora to be a little annoying and destructive when it came to Nora and Garrett's relationship. However, I did enjoy Garrett as a main character and loved reading the different timelines on how he got into the business of Death. I will admit the ending did make me cry as it took me by surprise but felt like it was beautifully done. Overall, Casket Case is a solid debut rom-com, and I will be interested to see what other books Lauren Evans writes in the future.
Casket Case comes out September 10th.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Casket Case. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. This was an interesting love story between a woman who inherits a casket business after her parents pass away and a man who works for death. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two but sometimes found Nora to be a little annoying and destructive when it came to Nora and Garrett's relationship. However, I did enjoy Garrett as a main character and loved reading the different timelines on how he got into the business of Death. I will admit the ending did make me cry as it took me by surprise but felt like it was beautifully done. Overall, Casket Case is a solid debut rom-com, and I will be interested to see what other books Lauren Evans writes in the future.
Casket Case comes out September 10th.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Casket Case. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 9, 2024
I had super high hopes for this book, however, I was really disappointed. The book is very slow and you have to get to 60% until it really gets good or any detail is given. Most of the content before that isn't useful to the storyline.
April 14, 2024
2/5 ⭐️
Spiciness: 1/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this ARC ebook.
This book follows Nora, a woman who started working in her family’s casket store, falling in love with Garrett, who works for death. One of my favorite elements of this book is how death and grief is handled, as well as how comforting having someone with you to explain what is happening when dying is. I think that it also well describes what grieving can look like.
My favorite character in this book was Johnny, and I found him to be hilarious. I actually laughed a couple times during his scenes.
I think that my biggest piece of feedback would be that I struggled to see the chemistry between Garrett and Nora. The dialog felt stiff, and I don’t think I really was able to fully appreciate their romance. I also do not think I liked Garrett as much as I hoped I would. I would also say that I tend to opt for books with a clearer plot, and more thorough character development. Overall, I do not think that this book is for me, but I do hope that those interested do enjoy it!
Spiciness: 1/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this ARC ebook.
This book follows Nora, a woman who started working in her family’s casket store, falling in love with Garrett, who works for death. One of my favorite elements of this book is how death and grief is handled, as well as how comforting having someone with you to explain what is happening when dying is. I think that it also well describes what grieving can look like.
My favorite character in this book was Johnny, and I found him to be hilarious. I actually laughed a couple times during his scenes.
I think that my biggest piece of feedback would be that I struggled to see the chemistry between Garrett and Nora. The dialog felt stiff, and I don’t think I really was able to fully appreciate their romance. I also do not think I liked Garrett as much as I hoped I would. I would also say that I tend to opt for books with a clearer plot, and more thorough character development. Overall, I do not think that this book is for me, but I do hope that those interested do enjoy it!
September 11, 2024
This was marketed as a warm hearted romcom with darker themes such as the main character working in her family’s casket business who falls in love with a man who works for Death.
This could have been such a fun concept but I feel it was executed poorly. I was so excited to read this and it started out fun but within the first few chapters, I was dreading finishing it. I had read that it had insta-love and I was ready to support it, sometimes people fall in love quickly! But these characters were both insufferable. The female was overly clingy and worried that a grown man was only trying to be with her because bad things had happened to her? What sense does that make? Then he says he loved her before he even knew what she’d been through. After a handful of dates where she picked the most bizarre arguments I’ve ever read every single time. Not to mention he was taking digs at her constantly in what I think was an attempt at banter. At one point she kisses him and when he tries to take it further she declines and he says “Fine. We’ll do it your way.� That is not ok. He made fun of her, picked at what she liked to eat, and I did not enjoy this reading experience at all.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Lauren Evans, and Random House Publishing for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on September 10th.
This could have been such a fun concept but I feel it was executed poorly. I was so excited to read this and it started out fun but within the first few chapters, I was dreading finishing it. I had read that it had insta-love and I was ready to support it, sometimes people fall in love quickly! But these characters were both insufferable. The female was overly clingy and worried that a grown man was only trying to be with her because bad things had happened to her? What sense does that make? Then he says he loved her before he even knew what she’d been through. After a handful of dates where she picked the most bizarre arguments I’ve ever read every single time. Not to mention he was taking digs at her constantly in what I think was an attempt at banter. At one point she kisses him and when he tries to take it further she declines and he says “Fine. We’ll do it your way.� That is not ok. He made fun of her, picked at what she liked to eat, and I did not enjoy this reading experience at all.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Lauren Evans, and Random House Publishing for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on September 10th.
November 20, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I will start by saying the premise of this book is quite the HOOK, and it immediately grabbed my interest when I casually found it on Netgalley. A romance between a casket store owner and an emissary of death sounded exactly up my alley. Another element I appreciated was the representation of grief as a nonlinear process in a non-romanticized way. Both of our characters have known grief and handle it differently, which is ultimately a good reflection of how it is for most of us.
Ultimately, while I can see the author's talent, I feel like this needed an editor that focused better on the elements of pacing that are not working. A romance novel with an insta-love trope can work, but not in the way it was done here. They get together very soon and fall for each other without us really seeing those big moments that could make them realize that. And then another romantic interest is introduced making it even messier.
Pacing in a romance novel is essential, but so is the development of a romantic build-up that feels rewarding to the readers. This case, because it was too fast and without major events, felt incredibly unrewarding which made me lose interest in the book quite fast. Not even the dialogues could make it more enjoyable since they were very slice-of-life and not funny or fundamental for plot development.
I do think that Lauren Evans could have a great career ahead because her writing skills are strong and so are her ideas, but she needs a better understanding of story arc structures (especially in romance) and an editor who is unafraid of asking for big plot structure changes.
I will start by saying the premise of this book is quite the HOOK, and it immediately grabbed my interest when I casually found it on Netgalley. A romance between a casket store owner and an emissary of death sounded exactly up my alley. Another element I appreciated was the representation of grief as a nonlinear process in a non-romanticized way. Both of our characters have known grief and handle it differently, which is ultimately a good reflection of how it is for most of us.
Ultimately, while I can see the author's talent, I feel like this needed an editor that focused better on the elements of pacing that are not working. A romance novel with an insta-love trope can work, but not in the way it was done here. They get together very soon and fall for each other without us really seeing those big moments that could make them realize that. And then another romantic interest is introduced making it even messier.
Pacing in a romance novel is essential, but so is the development of a romantic build-up that feels rewarding to the readers. This case, because it was too fast and without major events, felt incredibly unrewarding which made me lose interest in the book quite fast. Not even the dialogues could make it more enjoyable since they were very slice-of-life and not funny or fundamental for plot development.
I do think that Lauren Evans could have a great career ahead because her writing skills are strong and so are her ideas, but she needs a better understanding of story arc structures (especially in romance) and an editor who is unafraid of asking for big plot structure changes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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