#AmReading

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The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
Published by St. Martin's Press on May 9, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own, for readers of The Midnight Library.

What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life?

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.

Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.

I knew from the very beginning that this book was going to be a hit for me. Clover was such a compelling character. Once I was introduced to this woman who provided companionship and comfort to those nearing their death, I wanted to know more about her. No doubt, Clover had a big heart, but for all the ways she embraced death, she was failing to embrace life.

Clover had her reasons for why she shut her heart to others. As if the short time with her parents wasn't bad enough, the bits of her past where she put herself out there with friends and romantic partners helped me understand the whys. I was terribly disappointed in the people who Clover had allowed into her heart, and her recollections hit close to home. I cried for both myself and Clover. Her hurt and loneliness was captured so well by Brammer, and I felt it in my bones.  But, not to fear, dear readers. This book took the turns I was hoping for.

Clover had collected people's last words which she categorized as regrets, advice, and confessions. She honored those who passed by trying to atone for their confession or fulfill one of their regrets, but it wasn't until she agreed to be Claudia's companion that she began to expand her world, push beyond her comfort zone, confront her past, and begin seeing possibilities for herself. 

Overall: A touching and uplifting story which I have zero regrets reading.

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On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen
Published by Berkley Books on May 23, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

A book editor spends one last summer on Fire Island in this sparkling and surprising new novel from the author of A Shoe Story .

As a book editor, Julia Morse lived and breathed stories. Whether with her pen to a manuscript or curled up with a book while at her beloved Fire Island cottage, her imagination alight with a good tale, she could anticipate practically any ending. The ending she’d never imagined was her own.

To be fair, no one expects to die at thirty-seven. So when the unthinkable happens to Julia, rather than following the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, she chooses to spend one last summer near those she loves most.

As she follows her adoring, novelist husband Ben to their—unexpectedly full—home on Fire Island, she discovers the ripple affect her life has had on the trajectory of so her baseball loving, young-at-heart neighbor who believes it’s best not to go it alone, two bright-eyed teenagers eager to become adults, and her best friend who must shake off heartbreak for a new chance at love.

With poignant comedy and insight, On Fire Island is an ode to the stories all around us and to the brightest types of loves…for the people closest to you and the places that shape you.

If you could choose, where would you want to spend those first moments after your death? Julia chose to stay earthbound in a place of great significance to her - Fire Island. There she was able to observe her loved ones, realize the impact she made on their lives, and reflect on the life she lived. 

From the very beginning, I knew I was going to throw all the stars at this book. Obviously, there were moments where I sobbed. I mean, this was a story being told by a 37-year-old woman who died of cancer and was observing those important people in her life as they lived their first summer without her. So, yes, some sad parts, but Rosen injected this story with so much warmth and humor, and there were even moments of pure joy. 

I loved the way I got to meet all the residents of the island and felt as though I was pulled into this cozy little community. Ben's summer felt the hardest to me. He lost his wife and was struggling with his grief. But he surprisingly found comfort on the island with a cantankerous neighbor, Shep, who unexpectedly walked along side him as he grieved. In fact, they were grieving together, as Shep had recently lost his wife of fifty years. The unlikely friendship, which also included their teen neighbor, was definitely one of the highlights for me, as was learning Julia and Ben's love story.

Overall: A beautiful story of love and loss which pulled at my heartstrings.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

Where would you want to
spend your last summer?
Let us know in the comments!