In a Nutshell Reviews

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The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski
Published by Avon on March 12, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together in this uplifting novel for readers of The Chicken Sisters.

Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the “funeral ladies,” she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed—it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can’t fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days. Iris, Esther’s whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community.

As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she’s found the missing piece of her puzzle. Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he’s been looking for.

It doesn’t seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness—things might just turn out okay. Includes Recipes

I am going to start by saying that this was not what I was expecting. I was thinking this would be a fun and light multigenerational story, and it started out that way, but then it moved into some heavy territory with death, PTSD, and mass shootings. That was unexpected, and probably what kept this from being a five-star read for me. With that said, I did truly enjoy a majority of The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County.

Right from the start, I adored Esther. She was that type of salt-of-the-earth person who I could not resist. She believed in being kind, working hard, and giving back. That came in handy when Esther found herself in a terrible situation. Now she was in need, and it was wonderful the way everyone in the community rallied to help her.

If I had to pick some of the standout elements in this book, the community focus would make my list. This was one of those precious small towns where everyone knows everyone else's business and will be there to lend a hand when needed. They repay kindness with more kindness and never forget those who helped them in their time of need.

I also adored the family focus. Esther, her daughter, and her granddaughters were quite close. Their love for their family shined, over and over again in this story, and the bonds they shared were something to be jealous of. There was also a strong found family vibe that warmed my heart. It was lovely the way the town embraced Cooper and his family and were there for them in their time of need.

I will admit, I came for a story about midwestern old ladies, and oh, how I loved those ladies. The story ended up a bit heavier than I had anticipated, but in the end, this was a very hopeful tale about love, loss, family, friendship, and healing which touched my heart.

*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Published by Knopf on January 30, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

From the New York Times best-selling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About a story of heartbreak and friendship and how to survive both

Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.

Now he is. . .

Without a home

Waiting for his stand-up career to take off

Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking

Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story…

In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.

This was one of those funny stories about something that isn't really funny. Andy was a 35-year old hardly working comedian who was reeling from a breakup. His girlfriend, Jen, ended their four year relationship, and Andy was stuck on why.

The story took me through Andy's lows as he mourned not having Jen in his life while putting a spotlight on all those related parts of ones life that are affected by a breakup. There was tons of humor infused in all these situations, but anyone who has experienced a breakup will recognize the pain running underneath it all.

As Andy obsessed over his failed relationship, he also eventually moved forward. He started making progress on himself and his life. I was rather pleased with his growth and a lot of the aha! moments he had. I was delighted with him and this tale, and THEN! Alderton did something I loved.

I have previously mentioned that Andy was on some search to find out what went wrong, why Jen broke up with him. He may never know, but I do! The bulk of this book was told via Andy's perspective, but the final chapter belonged to Jen. I was ecstatic to get her point of view and get to see their relationship through her eyes. I won't lie, I was sobbing by the end of it. I hate seeing love die and the demise of a relationship will always cause me pain, but I found some solace in seeing both Jen and Andy forward, but on separate trajectories with their lives.

There I was, crying on my kindle, but also wondering what would happen next. Both Andy and Jen had these life changing plans. But, it was early 2020 and people were talking about a "killer virus" which I know from experience changed everyone's plans that year. I can't help but wonder how the pandemic would have altered their lives and those plans.

Overall, this was a thoughtful and often humorous look at relationships,  both romantic and platonic which I greatly enjoyed.

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