Book Review: Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

‘Morbidly Yours’ by Ivy Fairbanks has the main love interest work as an undertaker and there is literally nothing else I needed to know because I was sold. But the fact that it’s both sweet and spicy while leading you through a whole range of emotions… It was just chefs kiss - a very strong debut.

If this isn’t already storming through Booktok, it really should be.

It’s currently available on Kindle Unlimited, but it’s only £2.38 to purchase on Kindle. Here’s the summary:

“Falling for the wrong person?

Bury your feelings.

Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner and a movie. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business and carry on their legacy under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene.

Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than live next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband.

When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance.

But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more trepidation he feels for Lark’s imminent return to the states.

If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.”

As per, please check out the content warnings available on The StoryGraph page here.

I smashed through this is just a couple of days. In the beginning it uses the grumpy-sunshine trope to great effect, but character development is so brilliantly done that both Lark and Callum quickly become much more than a worn-out trope. They’ve got depth and grounding, both coming from a place of grief, but from very different perspectives.

Having Callum run an undertakers was such a clever move. It makes conversations about death, loss, grief much more easier to access, and this becomes important for both of them.

The whole cast of characters is really strong. I enjoyed the different nuances each one had to offer. And yes, you could argue that some characters are only there to further the development of Lark or Callum, but hey, that’s storytelling innit? I didn’t feel like any of the characters were wasted or throwaway as each had enough going on in their own lives to give them independent lives outside of the main narrative.

Also, as a proud Disney adult, and a big fan of animated film, I thought it was fantastic to have Lark on an animation career path, and it was also really affirming to have her in such a senior role too.

I was glad to see the author comment on issues such as own voices and cultural authenticity while Lark, as an American, is leading the charge on a film that is very Irish in its concept. There was some diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in the supporting cast, which I enjoyed. I would have liked a bit more body diversity, but overall I thought the author did a good job.

Did I swoon? Did I ever.

The romance in this is both simple and complex. It’s got layers. It’s vulnerable and messy and yet so clear.

I really enjoyed it. It’s light enough that you can trip along through it with no trouble, but it’s got enough to hook you around the heart and squeeze a little bit. It won’t devastate you but it will give you plenty of feels.

Cleverly written, with heart and gravity. It’s a good ‘un and I’m really interested to know what the author might do next.

I gave ‘Morbidly Yours’ 4 stars on Goodreads and I’m going to be recommending it to whoever will listen.

Written by Sarah