6 university friends meet up 29 years later for a wedding and reconnect. We learn their stories over the years and watch new relationships grow and fall apart. I really enjoyed this book. Well written and believable characters and situations. Highly recommended

This book felt like a deeply personal and poignant memoir that explores the universal milestones of life through her unique perspective as both a journalist and a registrar. There was honesty, tenderness, and keen observation, the book reflects on love, loss, and human connection. This book was touching, thought-provoking, and quietly powerful.

This is quite a difficult book to review for me. It was really well written and I did enjoy the way it moved between the characters however given the number of people involved I felt it jumped too quickly between, especially at the start. As to be expected I was more emotionally invested in some of the characters and stories than others. I would recommend the novel and once you get about a third of the way in the characters get easier to place. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

Six people meet at university - specifically at the funeral for a man/boy who was killed in a car accident just a few weeks into term. They spend the next few years inseparable, several of them share a house, and as is perhaps inevitable with young people away from home, there is a lot of secret hooking up, being in love with someone who's in love with someone else, etc, etc.

Fast forward twenty years. Zoe and Rob got pregnant while still at university, got married but subsequently divorced when their son Gabe was five years old. Rancour over, Rob is soon to be married for a second time to a wealthy architect, Rob is a teacher and Zoe is a midwife in Herne Bay, Kent.

Yas, the working class girl with a single mother is now an NHS surgeon.

Al, who was in love with Zoe at university was married, but his wife Estelle died, following which he gave up his job and started working at the family undertakers in Beckenham, Kent.

Indie, who was in love with Al at university, has created a successful coffee business, she is married to Xavier (not one of the university six), who was a successful chef until COVID, when his restaurant went bust.

Finally Rachel, who is married with two small boys. Her husband Mark runs a successful gym business.

Over the past twenty years the tight knit group have drifted apart, particularly after Estelle's funeral, but the invite to Rob's engagement party brings them all back together. In a year there will be a baby, a wedding, a death, a divorce, and other upheavals.

This is described as Four Weddings and a Funeral meets One Day and I can sort of see why, it's also a lot like Cold Feet. After a rocky start, the introductory chapter was quite turgid and I didn't have a clue about anyone, this quickly became a great read - I think it would be even better as a film or a TV series. Laura Barnett did a good job of keeping the characters separate (after the first chapter) which is not easy to do when there is a main cast of six plus spouses/children to remember.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Interestingly written to cover a friendship group of six people, spanning a number of decades from when they meet at University. Each character is given the space to develop and the author shows how they all intertwine to bring them to where they are now. Moving between past and present it is a very good read.

"Births, Deaths and Marriages" by Laura Barnett is a beautifully written, moving story that follows six university friends as they navigate life, love, and loss twenty years after first meeting.

We’re introduced to the group, two men and four women, as they first meet in a quite unconventional, way that sets the tone for their decades-long friendship. I really loved how the story moves back and forth between past and present, offering glimpses into the defining moments that shaped their lives and relationships. The shifting POVs in each chapter worked so well too, giving depth and insight into each character’s journey.

I’ll admit, I found the first few chapters a little slow and had a hard time keeping track of who was who and how they were all connected. But I’m so glad I stuck with it, as it ended up being such a rich, emotional read. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself rooting for each of them to find peace, love, and happiness in their own way.

This is a thoughtful and heartfelt exploration of friendship, the passage of time, love, grief and how we carry the people we love with us.

Six friends, four women and two men, meet up at university and form a tight knit group, there are liaisons in the group, there are romances and not a little jealousy but the friendships are firm.
As they leave to follow their respective careers, communication is somewhat sporadic but the underlying friendship and a touch of resentment stays.
Fast forward a few years and Rob is a divorced history teacher with failed relationships both male and female, Al's career has changed direction and he has followed his father into the funeral business, Rachel is married with two boisterous children and disagrees with her husband about parenting, Yas is a surgeon and a fiercely independent woman, Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur and Zoe is a divorced midwife with a son who is bound for university,
Their lives have been entwined from the start but when they meet up again at an engagement party, all the mixed up feelings from the past emerge.
This story is told from different points of view about the lives of these six friends over a period of two decades, there are unexpected birth, unexpected marriages and an unexpected death. This story has love and heartache in equal measure, I did enjoy it although I must admit that it was a bit slow at times.
Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC, this review is totally voluntary.

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.