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heatherjchin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Dementia, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, and Stalking
acorn192k's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
lydiamcleod's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Completely readable and at some points sweet but also a bit slow and dull. I found it to be a bit too contrived throughout. A lot of people didn’t like the romance parts but those were actually a highlight for me although/maybe bc they felt like a different book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Biphobia
fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I had a really horribly difficult day at work - the kind that makes me need to have a really good cry. I give this book a five because it gave me a good reason to let myself cry. I don’t know what a diffident experience I would’ve had with this book on another day, but because I read it today and because I had the day I did, I give it a five.
I would love to see the actual journal Clover kept as a separate book.
The only thing that bothered me was she was so clear on the ethics of sharing her deceased clients’ secrets, but she no qualms about blabbing about her living clients’ secrets. However, it would’ve been a very different story without this blabbing.
The best characters were the elderly - Claudia, Bessie, Leo, and grandpa. I didn’t love any of the other characters. Oh wait. I did really like Hugo. I think I would like them more if I spent more time with them - like in a sequel.
I would love to see the actual journal Clover kept as a separate book.
The only thing that bothered me was she was so clear on the ethics of sharing her deceased clients’ secrets, but she no qualms about blabbing about her living clients’ secrets. However, it would’ve been a very different story without this blabbing.
The best characters were the elderly - Claudia, Bessie, Leo, and grandpa. I didn’t love any of the other characters. Oh wait. I did really like Hugo. I think I would like them more if I spent more time with them - like in a sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
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
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexism and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol
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
laurenalysse's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Sexism
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
amhud1030'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
4.5
I loved the characters in this book, except for Sebastian. He was very annoying and pushy to me however, that made the characters diverse.
This book definitely had me thinking and reflecting, made me cry, and I walked away, loving the characters, rooting for Clover, and feeling happy with the way that book ended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Sexism, Medical content, and Car accident