An entertaining read, I enjoyed how each isn’t perfect they all have their flaws, just like real life , I loved the second chance love , all the personal growth, just a fun read

The story of six friends who meet up after several years. Each has their own story, some intertwined with the others. The first part of the book is hard to keep up with all of the different characters and their individual stories. The second half cones together much better, so it is worth persisting

This is only the second novel I’ve read by the author and I’ll definitely be reading her back catalogue now.
Rachel , Zoe, Yas, Indie, Al and Rob, meet at university in the early 90s and the novel is primarily set two decades later as the group celebrate their 40th birthdays,
I absolutely loved this character driven novel which made me nostalgic for my own student days and I reflected on my relationships with friends from this time of my life. As the title suggests, there is a focus on births, deaths and marriages - the group meet at a funeral when they are students, Zoe is a midwife and Al a funeral director. The reader accompanies the characters on various emotional journeys that are sad, joyful and inspiring, I was particularly drawn to the characters of Zoe and Al but was rooting for them all.
This is a beautiful and immersive novel that I would highly recommend and feel bereft now I’ve finished it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I liked the premise of this book. Six university students meeting up again in their late thirties at the engagement party of one of them and what happens over the subsequent year.

Each chapter is written in the POV of one of them which I like, however, as the chapters had titles instead of names I was getting quite confused at times as to who it was about. This may have been easier for me if I was reading a physical book and was able flick back and forward.

Each character's story was relatable in some way and I definitely liked some of them more than others. Plenty of anguish, love, hope and heartbreak for them.

There were a lot of extended family members mentioned and I felt this was too much to process at times, which I felt took the enjoyment away from reading the book.

Great idea for a storyline but too many characters and story jumping about was overwhelming for me.

This story follows the lives of six friends who whilst at University has met at a wake, with births, deaths and marriages along the way. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses, with their lives not always following the paths that they hoped for.
This story wasn't really for me, flitting from one person's viewpoint to another, but this is a personal preference and others will enjoy the complexity over something more predictable. It is the kind of story that if I read it again in a different frame of mind I would proudly appreciate it more, so have scored it accordingly.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I loved the premise, but the execution fell short for me and I just couldn't get into it or care about the characters.

6 friends meet at a funeral at University of one of the boys there, and then go to the pub together and become friends. When they meet up years later at the engagement of one of the men, their lives have changed. With the different points of view you find out what is happening in their worlds, and what each thinks of the others.

A clever idea, but just wasn't for me. I was debating between 2 and 3 stars as I would have given it 2.5.

I'd really love to see this book as a TV show, because the density of details wold translate well to screen so it's easier to focus on dialogue and actions. There are a lot of characters to follow, as many other reviewers have said, so reading through the beginning is like sticking photos and pieces of string to a whiteboard trying to map all of the connections past and present. But you soon settle into it and sink into all of their lives. I love the concept of following a group of friends from university into adulthood, it's a change of relationship and dynamic that isn't explored nearly enough with this much scope!

This was far too complicated for me, there were so many characters and it took a very long time to get into it. I almost DNF several times but persevered and it was a good story. Unfortunately I can’t get over the start though so this book wasn’t for me!

I like the premise, and that in each chapter we get to look into how each of the five character's lives is going. Each character is flawed, making it a very realistic and relatable read for people about their age (late 30s ish). It has second chance love stories, lots of character development and personal growth. However, the writing is a bit dull, and I think I just found myself not really caring that much about the characters.

I think this one's going to be a real hit. Births, Deaths and Marriages is a joyous and moving read about loss and friendship perfect for Richard Curtis fans

Summer is for reading character driven books following friends. It took a good 20-30% to get into the book and really find out who is who but once I was past that point I couldn't put it down.
It felt like a 2000s ensemble film and I adored.

This book navigated the journey of friendship, aging, and the unpredictability of life in a beautiful way, capturing the complexities of love and loss throughout.

I really wanted to love this, the Four Weddings and a Funeral comparison had me SOLD, however I don’t think it quite worked.

There’s a lot going on and different characters and different relationships and it was just so hard to keep track of that it kept taking me out of the story.

This was pitched to me as if you love four weddings and a funeral you’ll love this book, and to some extend this is correct. I won’t lie to you, it took forever for me to get into this book and I nearly DNF’d it several times. I think it was because of the amount of information presented at the beginning of the book and trying to track the different relationships between all the characters. I also think that this would be a slightly easier read if it wasn’t on my kindle.

This books follows the lives of 6 friends who reunite following the engagement of one of them. Over the course of the year, there will be a birth, a marriage and a death. This book is very character driven rather than plot which was a different style of book than I am used to. It also references the COVID lockdown in the UK and how that impacted the different characters.

Overall, the concept was great, I just struggled with the execution.

Such a gorgeous book. Laura introduces us to her cast of 6 when they are 20, a tightly knit group of 2 boys and 4 girls - mostly with crushes on each other and little to worry about. We are then thrown 20 years ahead when the group meets again at an engagement party. Much has changed but some attractions and tensions quickly resurface. Over the next year all with face challenges, sorrow and joy.
It’s very hard to get invested in 6 separate characters but somehow we quickly get to know and understand this diverse group. This is a book that will make you laugh and cry, while willing on some relationships and feeling frustrated at others. I honestly didn’t want it to end.

Oh, I loved this story so much. A group of people, friends from their university days, navigating life from one decade to another, life, love, babies, death and marriage, a wonderful read

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me,I found the writing wasn’t as expected and found it a choppy confusing start with the characters etc and kept forgetting who was who and with who etc,apologies

I’ve loved Laura Barnett’s previous work, so I was very much looking forward to reading this. It follows a group of friends in their late thirties, who originally met at university. Their lives are entangled in some complicated ways and we get to know them all better over the course of a year. I loved getting to know the members of the group better, especially Zoe and Al, who are falling in love after never getting it together at university. There’s a very comforting vibe about this book, even as it tackles some really big themes. It reminded me of the work of David Nicholls.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, this is going onto my list of favourites for this year.

I have to be honest, I really wasn’t sure about this book at the start. There were so many characters - 6 university friends obviously, but then you had their partners, children, parents etc - and I was struggling to figure out who was who and what they did etc etc. However, I persevered and am glad I did. The book got better as it went along and I got far more invested in them all. Some twists and turns along the way, but overall, a good ending with things neatly wrapped up (as I like!).

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

This was an engaging novel with characters who largely felt convincing. I know other readers struggled to keep the characters straight but I found this well handled, as there wasn't too much jumping in time. On the whole, I really liked three of the characters and found the other three quite forgettable and unfortunately Rob - whose wellbeing is central to the story - felt really thin to me.