Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Morbidly Yours

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

17 reviews

lindsaymck's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A widowed Texan animation artist named Lark Thompson finds home again in an unexpected place - Galway, Ireland - and an even more unexpected person - Callum Flannelly. Her mortician next-door neighbor is a demisexual who is unfortunately having to consider a marriage of convenience to save his family’s business and legacy. Lark, all too eager to avoid anything morbid, finds herself inexplicably drawn to sweet, serious, sarcastic Callum and has to face the grief and guilt she carries from feeling as though she failed in her first marriage. She has sworn off love, but agrees to help Callum find his match. (Cue the “I’ll help you find THE ONE… oh, wait! IT’S ME” trope)!

Lark is a ray of sunshine in Callum’s shadowy world, but their mutual appreciation for their opposites attract dynamic was so special. Callum thinks that “At once, Lark was foreign and familiar. Comfort and challenge. A beautiful contradiction” who “splashed color into my monochrome existence.” Lark thinks his style is “a look between debonair and antiquated” and she quickly picks up on how “Callum’s reluctant smile was like lightning in a thunderstorm. Brief yet brilliant.” The initial descriptions of one another and the layered development of their friendship helped me see these characters so clearly and really brought them to life in my imagination.

Callum is the perfect socially awkward broody-boy whose self-deprecating humor and stammer made him so lovable. It’s easy to relate to him wanting a love connection (and suffering through the hellscape of online dating) and believing in the importance of an emotional and intellectual connection before the physical. Lark understands and respects his needs when she realizes that “intimacy with Callum would be precious and earned.” However, she helps him consider the magic in the mayhem of falling in love when it all seems hopeless for him…

“I wish I could skip to the part where I’m already happily married.”

“And miss all the moments that send the butterflies loose in your stomach? No way. First date, first kiss, first slow dance. The falling matters, too. Not just the ever after.”

Their back and forth banter was great and so many of the memories they made together stood out for being so adorable and fresh.

Lark’s drawing of Callum at the comedy club.
The photos at the cemetery where they joke about a new site called MournHub 💀😂
They both get face-painted to look like puffins at the Christmas Market (*coughcough* they mate for life)!
Callum buying Lark a rose in every color for all their different meanings.
The birthday outfits and skates Callum gets Lark 🛼🛼🏥
Callum’s chalk drawings and their screening of ‘The Magical Adventures of Havarti and Plague Rat’ 🐁🐀

The little friendly and romantic gestures definitely balanced the sparks coming off the page when things finally got physical! “We obviously have physical chemistry. Well, like… ‘Oops, we accidentally blew up the school science lab!’ chemistry.” Got that right! “Filthy and aflame with need, he was a man who knew what he wanted and how to ask for it.” The only thing hotter than that is the fact that she brought that side out in him after him not being able to speak in her presence at the beginning! Lark is the only person who has pushed him out of his comfort zone while making him feel completely safe and valued. I was oddly into their “graveyard smash” and *died* with all of his Irish dirty talk… yes, please 🔥. Not only has this man fallen first, he is as down BAD as they come thinking “I wanted more. Strings very much included. Tangled, woven, knotted strings.” They are the stuff of grumpy x sunshine, opposites-attract, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers dreams!

The side plots of Callum’s father trying to finagle the business away from him to sell it, Lark’s stressful situations with her shitty coworker, and Lark’s sister-in-law drama all take an appropriate backseat to the romance, but successfully keep the story moving and the characters growing as individuals, friends, and eventually lovers. What delicious irony that Lark “ended up close to a man whose very life revolved around death, from his career, to his family legacy, to his home itself” when she had initially escaped to Galway to avoid reminders of death. Galway just happened to be the perfect place Lark could grow to “honor her pain and find her joy” with Callum, who needed her joy to find his own.

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beebowbabe's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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mothmania's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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kataleen1989's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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thelewview's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A very cute read & I liked the delicate treatment of grief, as well as with things like a stutter. Extremely sensitively written book!

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shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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coraliep97's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a sweet and endearing story with diverse characters. It covers grief and navigating life after loss of a spouses, family, and friends. I really enjoyed reading and experiencing the growth of the two main characters. Towards the end, Lark'S inner monologuing and choices are a bit annoying but the closure is so very sweet.

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the_queer_bibliophile's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5/5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for giving me access to the eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I. Loved. This. Where to begin? First off, one of our main characters is a tall demisexual man who happens to be an undertaker. I fell in love with Callum from the very beginning. His dry humor and wit had me, and what kept me going was his heart. He had me in tears with some of the things he said to Lark. I also felt they represented demisexuality well, though I am not demisexual myself so take that with a grain of salt.

I could relate so much to Lark it was eerie. While I don't have her life experiences, I understood her mind and why she thought and did the things she did. I like that the author shows you the flaws of the characters as well, because it's unrealistic for them all to be perfect.

The author also did a fantastic job explaining grief in its complexities, and how grief of a loved one passing isn't the only grief that can be felt. This book helped me learn my own lessons in grief and understanding my own grief better.

Overall, I genuinely recommend this book to romantic dramedy lovers.

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wilybooklover's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

3.25

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