#casket case

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my mascots as amongi

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some doodles and wips im probably not gonna finish that i never posted really

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doodled a mascot for my twitch

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thinking some about Casket Case's design now that my artstyle has changed

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Book Review: Casket Case by Lauren Evans

Casket Case had an intriguing premise, what with a woman who runs a casket shop meeting and falling for a man who works for death.

Unfortunately, while I appreciated the emphasis on grief and nonlinear healing, I found it difficult to connect with the story for a couple different reasons. Firstly, Nora and Garrett's romance was unexciting and underdeveloped. They were together immediately, exchanged "I love you's" after only a couple dates, and then spent the majority of their time as a couple fighting, which was wearying and sucked all the joy out of seeing them together. Secondly, Nora was unlikable. Now, I'm all for unlikable characters so long as its done with nuance and purpose, but here, instead of her coming across as a person who was mourning the loss of her parents, she came across as temperamental. Hostile. Almost acting as if she were the only person in the world who had lost someone she loved to tragedy. She constantly snapped at Garrett, too. Her remarks pointed and borderline hurtful. That made it hard for me to root for them.

I'm sorry to say this one didn't jive with me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my review.

2/5 stars

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[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

In this warm-hearted debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there’s just one problem . . . he works for Death. “A charming, original love story about grief. I loved it.”—Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she’s found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.

There aren’t exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton’s ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions—as well as a date.

Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She’s not totally sure what “logistics” entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel, and urgent calls in the middle of the night.

When a few of Rabbittown’s residents suddenly pass away—a heart attack here, a car crash there—and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly . . . suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?

He’s a logistics coordinator for Death.

When Nora discovers the truth, she is unable to reconcile the wonderful man she knows with the unthinkably cruel job he loves. Will she ever be able to understand how he can do what he does, or will she have to lay her best chance at love to rest? Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death—literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined . . . but death might not be as scary as it seems.=

Review:

She's running her family's casket business but falling for a guy who is working for Death. Nora has unexpectedly found herself back home in her little town of Rabbittown... and working at her amily's casket business. Garrett Bishop seems like the perfect guy, he's sweet and has a good job... only he's hiding a secret and it's odd that his odd job behavior and the strange uptick in residents of the town passing away, has Nora's red flags up. What does he actually do and can she trust him with her heart? This was a small town romance that explores loss and dealing with death Unfortunately this one did not hit the mark for me, I really didn't care for the characters or the romance, despite how hard I wanted to like it. The premise made it seem like a book I would absolutely love but while reading it I just felt bored overall. Nora just didn't make all that much of an impression on me and I did not feel any chemistry at all between the two characters. The romance just didn't feel all that romantic and the story just felt "meh" for me unfortunately. If you do like small town romances that deal with grief and death, I'd say give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: September 10,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*