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craftysnailtail's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A wholesome book about death. Some parts were a bit sad, as you'd expect, but it's not a depressing read.
I love the uniqueness of a main character who's a death doula, and Clover wasn't at all what I expected someone in that profession to be like. This book made me reflect on my own relationships and potential life regrets, as I think was the point. But it didn't feel preachy- just incredibly human.
Several books I've read recently felt far too drawn out, but this one was perfect and really held my attention. If a slightly emotional, but still lighthearted read about someone who surrounds themselves with death learning how to truly live sounds like your cup of tea, then I'd highly recommend it!
I love the uniqueness of a main character who's a death doula, and Clover wasn't at all what I expected someone in that profession to be like. This book made me reflect on my own relationships and potential life regrets, as I think was the point. But it didn't feel preachy- just incredibly human.
Several books I've read recently felt far too drawn out, but this one was perfect and really held my attention. If a slightly emotional, but still lighthearted read about someone who surrounds themselves with death learning how to truly live sounds like your cup of tea, then I'd highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny and Medical content
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Abandonment
fancyjess_party's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
vj_thompson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A thought provoking book that asks two questions. “Are you currently doing what makes you happy,” and, “What is it that you most regret?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexism
kitausu's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyed this one! At times I found Clover to be a bit unlikeable but by the end I was really rooting for him. Definitely an emotional read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
michaelion's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
a somber comfort like when an empty feeling is so cold its actually warm and the world makes sense in the emptiness like floating with no tether but you're not worried about falling or drowning or anything really it's just lovely in a way that there is beauty in the sad nothingness of existence. very, to borrow from everything everywhere all at once, nothing matters but i choose to love anyway. and in that choice to love, i choose to love the sadness too.this book would've ruined me when i was 12.
also at one point clover describes having moths in her stomach and not butterflies and i think that's such an excellent detail. there's creative layers to that genius writing.i had to take points off for leo dying though! i knew it was gonna happen but i didn't want it to!
also at one point clover describes having moths in her stomach and not butterflies and i think that's such an excellent detail. there's creative layers to that genius writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Stalking, and Abandonment
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
stepnic's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Abandonment
bandysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
5.0
The Collected Regrets Of Clover was a book that I was hearing a lot of buzz about coming into May 2023. I saw lots of predictions that it would be featured by Book of The Month (which it was) and generally a lot of good feedback. I'm here to add to the chorus.
This book centers around Clover, a socially isolated woman who works as a Death Doula. As someone who is chronically stoic around death, I found Clover to be a refreshing character. She isn't overly emotional or full of flat platitudes about the next chapter in life. Instead, she is a real person focused on providing real comfort to people as they live out their last days. I also really found myself relating to her in a social sense. While I am not quite as isolated as she is in the start of the book, the segments of this book relating to her childhood and not understanding why people don't like her really hit home in a deep way. I'm sure most people relate to those moments to some degree as we all experience rejection in life.
As someone who is not at all a romance reader, I was a bit nervous when this book started to verge into the romance territory, especially the love at first sight trope. There was no need to worry though, as the romance was tastefully done and only a minor part of a much larger picture.
The main portion of the plot revolves around wish resolution for a dying client and while I did at times find myself a bit worried that it would delve into cliches, the book thankfully avoided most major tropes. Clover isn't magical and able to fix every wound. She doesn't snap her fingers and cause a dysfunctional family to start behaving in a more functional way. She just provides comfort and safety for the people who allow her to and I really liked that.
All in all, if you like contemporary fiction with a very relatable character, a sprinkle of romance and a lot of meaning, I think you'll enjoy this book.
The audiobook narration was well done. I found the narrator's voice to fit the story she was telling. She read very smoothly and was easy to understand.
* Thank you to Netgalley, Mikki Brammer, and St. Martin's Press for the Audio-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.
This book centers around Clover, a socially isolated woman who works as a Death Doula. As someone who is chronically stoic around death, I found Clover to be a refreshing character. She isn't overly emotional or full of flat platitudes about the next chapter in life. Instead, she is a real person focused on providing real comfort to people as they live out their last days. I also really found myself relating to her in a social sense. While I am not quite as isolated as she is in the start of the book, the segments of this book relating to her childhood and not understanding why people don't like her really hit home in a deep way. I'm sure most people relate to those moments to some degree as we all experience rejection in life.
As someone who is not at all a romance reader, I was a bit nervous when this book started to verge into the romance territory, especially the love at first sight trope. There was no need to worry though, as the romance was tastefully done and only a minor part of a much larger picture.
The main portion of the plot revolves around wish resolution for a dying client and while I did at times find myself a bit worried that it would delve into cliches, the book thankfully avoided most major tropes. Clover isn't magical and able to fix every wound. She doesn't snap her fingers and cause a dysfunctional family to start behaving in a more functional way. She just provides comfort and safety for the people who allow her to and I really liked that.
All in all, if you like contemporary fiction with a very relatable character, a sprinkle of romance and a lot of meaning, I think you'll enjoy this book.
The audiobook narration was well done. I found the narrator's voice to fit the story she was telling. She read very smoothly and was easy to understand.
* Thank you to Netgalley, Mikki Brammer, and St. Martin's Press for the Audio-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Title: The Collected Regrets of Clover
Author: Mikki Brammer
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: May 9, 2023
I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies of this book from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Distinctive • Endearing • Thoughtful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.
Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story—and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After reading the synopsis and learning Clover was a death doula, I knew The Collected Regrets of Clover was going to be a book for me. Books with open and compassionate dialogue around death and dying are a niche genre I gravitate towards because of my own personal experience with grief.
The Collected Regrets of Clover, Mikki Brammer's debut novel, is such a slow-paced, unique and enlightening novel. Clover is an incredibly relatable and introverted main character, as the story progresses her personal connection to and obsession with death is slowly revealed, which I thought was fascinating. It allowed me to reflect on what it would be like to have the immense privilege of being privy to people's last words.
One of my absolute favourite parts of the book was how Clover's Grandpa used the analogy of matches to explain life and death. Some matches fail to light, some burn out too soon, and some burn all the way down. It touches on how so many factors beyond our control can impact how a match burns. This analogy seemed so spot on and absolutely beautiful.
Despite loving so much about this novel, the reason it doesn't quite meet my 5-star criteria is because my attention did wane slightly around the 60% mark. There was so much building and unraveling on Clover's story that took time, but for me something shifted in the second half that didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. The audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Pickens was very well done. It helped add a layer of emotion to my reading experience, and also helped me getting through that lull.
At the end of the day, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a book tackling the topic of death. Yet it does so in such a gentle way that it becomes so much more. It's a book about living, a book about time, a book about ageing. It's filled with so much inspiration of reflective moments. It's an uplifting read demonstrating how discomfort is a natural part of life, and a reminder to celebrate life because we just never know when our match will burn out.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a hug in book form
• fans of unlikely friendships
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Being denied the chance to say goodbye to a loved one left stubborn emotional scars."
"I don't think it's weird at all. Death is a natural part of life. In fact, it's the only thing in life that we can really count on."
"People who were complete strangers to me less than a year ago had forever shifted the trajectory of my life. The fact that all of us were entangled - that everyone on the planet somehow shaped the course of one another's lives, often without realizing it - felt like almost too much for me to comprehend.
But perhaps that's the point. Do we actually need to understand the world and all its patterns?
You can find meaning in anything if you look hard enough, if you want to believe that everything happens for a reason. But if we completely understood one another, if every event made sense, none of us would ever learn or grow. Our days might be pleasant, but prosaic.
So maybe we just need to appreciate that many aspects of life - and the people we love - will always be a mystery. Because without mystery, there is no magic.
And instead of constantly asking ourselves the question of why we're here, maybe we should be savoring a simpler truth: We are here"
Author: Mikki Brammer
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: May 9, 2023
I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies of this book from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Distinctive • Endearing • Thoughtful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.
Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story—and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After reading the synopsis and learning Clover was a death doula, I knew The Collected Regrets of Clover was going to be a book for me. Books with open and compassionate dialogue around death and dying are a niche genre I gravitate towards because of my own personal experience with grief.
The Collected Regrets of Clover, Mikki Brammer's debut novel, is such a slow-paced, unique and enlightening novel. Clover is an incredibly relatable and introverted main character, as the story progresses her personal connection to and obsession with death is slowly revealed, which I thought was fascinating. It allowed me to reflect on what it would be like to have the immense privilege of being privy to people's last words.
One of my absolute favourite parts of the book was how Clover's Grandpa used the analogy of matches to explain life and death. Some matches fail to light, some burn out too soon, and some burn all the way down. It touches on how so many factors beyond our control can impact how a match burns. This analogy seemed so spot on and absolutely beautiful.
Despite loving so much about this novel, the reason it doesn't quite meet my 5-star criteria is because my attention did wane slightly around the 60% mark. There was so much building and unraveling on Clover's story that took time, but for me something shifted in the second half that didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. The audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Pickens was very well done. It helped add a layer of emotion to my reading experience, and also helped me getting through that lull.
At the end of the day, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a book tackling the topic of death. Yet it does so in such a gentle way that it becomes so much more. It's a book about living, a book about time, a book about ageing. It's filled with so much inspiration of reflective moments. It's an uplifting read demonstrating how discomfort is a natural part of life, and a reminder to celebrate life because we just never know when our match will burn out.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a hug in book form
• fans of unlikely friendships
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Being denied the chance to say goodbye to a loved one left stubborn emotional scars."
"I don't think it's weird at all. Death is a natural part of life. In fact, it's the only thing in life that we can really count on."
"People who were complete strangers to me less than a year ago had forever shifted the trajectory of my life. The fact that all of us were entangled - that everyone on the planet somehow shaped the course of one another's lives, often without realizing it - felt like almost too much for me to comprehend.
But perhaps that's the point. Do we actually need to understand the world and all its patterns?
You can find meaning in anything if you look hard enough, if you want to believe that everything happens for a reason. But if we completely understood one another, if every event made sense, none of us would ever learn or grow. Our days might be pleasant, but prosaic.
So maybe we just need to appreciate that many aspects of life - and the people we love - will always be a mystery. Because without mystery, there is no magic.
And instead of constantly asking ourselves the question of why we're here, maybe we should be savoring a simpler truth: We are here"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical content, Car accident, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Sexism
drraytay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Violence, Medical content, and Abandonment