Lovely read following the lives of 6 friends who met at a funeral as students. Now, as adults births, weddings, deaths and everything else life can throw are documented over 4 parts - like 4 seasons.
A read which I found hard to put down.
Highly recommend

This very much follows the format of four weddings and a funeral, with as the title suggests a huge focus on the cycle of life. A group of friends form a strong connection at university, with confusing romantic entanglements. Then they seem to go their separate ways, some keeping in touch, others not. So far this is fairly run of the mill. To add to the theme, two of the women are working for the NHS, a midwife and a surgeon, and one as a funeral director. Separations, marriage unhappy or otherwise, bereavements- it’s all part of life’s big plan, and this is panning out to be quite predictable. Having said that it did keep me reading, and I felt invested in at least one or two of their lives, which have a habit(like the film 4weddings) of getting back together at life and death moments. There are some interesting stories, and on the whole it kept me involved, and I liked the writing which was clear and free of pretension.

Summary:
Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie. Six friends who were inseparable at university, who have all had their secret or not so secret passions for each other, their own hopes and fears.

Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. When Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose?

Review:
I've read a few reviews from other readers and feel they've been entirely unfair!
This is a very British book - reminiscent of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Notting Hill... if you picture a older Hugh Grant movie, this is very much the same vibe.
There were many complicated feelings, with a very intertwined history so it did take me a little while to figure out which character had a relationship with which other characters in their university days and how they had ended up in the present.
Each personality is captured really well. It's interesting to see how each character grows - and those falling back into old habits. There is certainly a character for everyone to relate to, encouraging you to reflect on your own journey through adulthood.
The events of the book take place over the span of a year, and each event feels natural and expected (in a good way!). There are at a period in their lives when you would anticipate weddings, births, funerals, children heading off to university or starting school.
As is expected, there are a great deal of references to loss and grief which may hit too close to home for some, but I feel these are done in a very thoughtful way. It's also set in the present day so there are also references to COVID and the lockdown experience in the UK from the perspectives of a teacher, a midwife, surgeon, funeral director and small business owners (all areas which were greatly affected by this both during and after the lockdown).
Overall, I liked it. I would recommend it to friends or family, but perhaps only those who would enjoy that Hugh Grant style of romantic comedy. The British humour is very light and would probably go unnoticed by some, too.
I would rate it at 3.5 but have rounded up to 4 stars.

Very pleased with this read. Some great characters. Would definitely recommend to other readers. Will look out for more from this author

I enjoyed Births, Deaths and Marriages, but I have to admit—it felt a little overcrowded. The story follows six university friends, now in their forties, as they navigate the next big milestones in life.

With so many perspectives, it sometimes felt like too much. The constant POV shifts made it hard to stay fully invested in any one character’s journey. To be honest, at least two of them could have been cut without changing the core of the story. Instead of deepening the emotional weight, the sheer number of voices diluted it, making it harder to connect with any one arc in a meaningful way.

Plus, while the characters are realistic, I just didn’t find most of them particularly likable. Some had their moments, but overall, I struggled to root for them.

That said, the book still has a lot of strengths—it’s an honest look at aging friendships, past regrets, and the unpredictability of life. If you enjoy ensemble casts and reflective storytelling, it’s worth a read. But for me, fewer characters and a little more warmth would have made it even better.

What a fantastic book by Laura Barnett.....I absolutely loved it.

It follows the intertwined stories of 6 fiends who all met at university.
They are brought together by a wedding which is being organised. As they come together, they remember old memories while making some new ones. Their stories start to intertwine again as they decide to keep contact and move forward, remaining friends.
But have they changed or are they still dealing with the same old problems. Broken marriages...and new ones, deaths and births through some real challenges at the group. Have they become older and wiser to deal with them or are they fundamentally the same as they were when they were together all those years ago?

Definitely a thought provoking book about the choices we make.

Of friendship, love, and the ever-changing nature of relationships. Following six university friends—Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas, and Indie—over a year, the book captures the complexities of growing older, rekindling old connections, and navigating the unpredictability of life.

When Rob’s engagement party reunites the group, old emotions surface. Passions reignite, long-held resentments re-emerge, and life-altering events unfold. Over the next twelve months, there will be a birth, a marriage, and a death, but the question remains—whose? Through multiple perspectives, Barnett expertly weaves a story that is as much about the small, everyday moments as it is about the big milestones that shape us.

One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its characterisation. Each of the six friends is drawn with such authenticity that their struggles, desires, and choices feel instantly relatable. From Rob, the history teacher with a trail of failed relationships, to Yas, the fiercely independent surgeon, and Al, the widower stepping into his father’s funeral business, every character is distinct and memorable. Their differing personalities and experiences create a dynamic, engaging read that will resonate with anyone who has ever navigated the complexities of friendship over time.

Barnett’s writing is immersive and thought-provoking, effortlessly shifting between past and present, between nostalgia and the realities of adulthood. She captures the nuances of human relationships—the tension, the tenderness, the misunderstandings, and the unbreakable bonds that endure despite time and distance.

Births, Deaths and Marriages is an emotional, heartfelt book about the joys and sorrows of life. It is about love in all its forms, the friendships that shape us, and the quiet moments that define who we become. With its richly drawn characters and relatable themes, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys thoughtful, character-driven fiction.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Whilst I did enjoy this, it too me a bit too long to get into it and for a while I was very confused with the different perspectives. I would have found it useful to have the character names under each chapter title as sometimes it wasn’t clear right away whose POV we’d moved to.

Sadly it's a no from me as I found this book overly complex with too many characters.

I kept with it hoping that it would become easier to follow but unfortunately this did not happen

The book spans 25 years of the lives of a group of university friends as they experience births, marriages, deaths and everything in-between. On the whole I found the book enjoyable and some of the characters, in particular Zoe and Al, really drew me in. At times I wished there were slightly few main characters in order to focus the book a little more but that is a small gripe.

I wasn’t sure about this to begin with partly because of the number of characters, most of which were not particularly pleasant at the beginning but as I read on they became more relatable and I found myself warming to them. The book starts with the six main characters at university to give the reader a bit of background but then moves on to the present were they have all got on with their lives. Zoe, who married Rob but is now divorced, is a midwife and has a son. Al has been married and is widowed and is about to take over his father’s funeral business. Indie runs a coffee business and is married to Xavi but has reached a crossroads in her marriage as he has decided he would like children while she is focused on running and expanding her business. Yas is a surgeon and has been seeing a married man. Her mother has also been ill with cancer so she is juggling her life with various problems. Rachel is a stay at home mum who is struggling looking after small children while her husband is about to drop a bombshell on their lives. They have all been out of touch to some extent until Rob sends them all an invite to his engagement party. Each of the six of them have their own set of problems and to some extent are facing a crossroads in their lives. The characters were well developed as the story progresses and although all very different with different lives they still manage to support one another. I have not read any other books by this author but this book held by interest and will look out for other books by her. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

I found following the storyline very difficult due to the number of characters and the way it jumped around. I really had to make myself read it.

I thought this book was nice - which may seem like a pretty mundane description, but it was a fairly mundane book. If you’re looking for something plot driven, this isn’t it. This is incredibly character heavy and I don’t know if it was really for me, as someone who usually reads plot heavy fantasy books.

It wasn’t heavy reading and was quite refreshing in that sense, with all of the characters being well rounded, and their relationships being written with great detail and attention, but I just don’t think it was entirely my thing.

I really enjoyed Laura Barnett's previous books and was keen to read her latest. The book spans 25 years of the lives of a group of university friends as they experience births, marriages, deaths and everything in-between. On the whole I found the book enjoyable and some of the characters, in particular Zoe and Al, really drew me in. At times I wished there were slightly few main characters in order to focus the book a little more but that is a small gripe. If you enjoyed her previous books, you will enjoy this.

Honestly, I couldn’t really get into this. The story follows six university friends—Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas, and Indie—over the course of a year, exploring their friendships, relationships, and life changes.

The multiple perspectives were meant to add depth, but I struggled to connect with the characters. Despite it covering big life events, I never felt fully immersed in the narrative.

While the book explores love, friendship, and personal growth, which are themes I enjoy reading about, it just didn’t hook me.

This book allows us to meet 6 friends; Al, Zoe, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie, who found each other after a tragic event during their first year of university and who's friendship has maintained over 20 years of trials & major life events.

The story starts off during their university days, when we get to see their young, carefree personalities, but soon transfers into modern day - where we see the toll that adult life has taken on the group and the struggles they are currently going through (both individually and intertwined).

It is described as a Four Weddings and a Funeral for the new generation and I can definitely see the similarities, but I would've LOVED to have seen more about their university days in the book, and a deeper storyline around them growing up and experiencing some of these life events firsthand, rather than just mentioned as a flashback or a memory.

Personally, I didn't connect fully to any of the characters, but I think that was mainly down to the narrative that switched from person to person so often, rather than the characters themselves. The ever-switching narrative sometimes was hard to keep up with, and left me going backwards and forwards trying to figure out who we were referring to at that time.

If you love a multiple POV, friendship & realistic life events kind of novel, this is definitely one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for this ARC.

This book did make me think back to my university friendships and how the people you were inseparable from at the time can then come and go in our life and you're not sure exactly why it happens. The tragedies that should bring us together can often drive us apart as seen here along with the relationships which were and which were wished for at the time.

Made me want to get in touch with people and find out how their life is going.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for this ARC.

This book is about a group of six friends. Rob, Al, Zoe, Rachel, Yas and Indie meet at university and loosely stay in touch until they all meet again 20 years later for a succession of events spanning a year - parties, funerals and weddings within the group. The six are very different but realistic characters who are everything from single, married, divorced and widowed, have relationship and job problems and different attitudes towards children.

The kaleidoscope of human experience is explored well but the multi POV writing style takes some getting used to as we're hopping from one person to the next, often with matter of fact descriptions of their actions or feelings. There is a lot going on and staying on top of who is who and in love with who is not always easy. Maybe fewer characters would have worked better so we could have concentrated more on their lives and motivations instead of just getting write-ups of "Zoe did this and then Al said this".

The whole thing is a bit too literary for me and I have to confess that I found a lot too mundane and boring. There is no real storyline, just vignettes that don't always join together well. The complex and relatable characters all have their faults but I can't say I disliked anyone, except maybe Xavier. Read if you like character-driven stories about friendship, love and loss.

In this book six friends, all quite different, come together again after many years having taken their lives in many different directions but there is a clear bond still there and they begin to reconnect. For many of them the book covers a period of change that requires them to step back and look at the choices that they have made in their lives. The characters are very human in that we meet them complete with flaws as well as endearing qualities which some have more of than others!

There is definitely someone for everyone to relate to and whilst you might lament their choices - older and younger ones - you cannot help but care about them. This book covers all those landmark occasions in life when we are at our most raw and you will be cheering this crew on whilst also sometimes wanting to sit them down for a Mum-style chat!

This was a very cleverly written book, I found myself drawn into the characters quickly and although working out the complexities of their relationships and who liked who was tricky to start with, I felt I got to know each member of the "friend"ship group in no time. I think we can all identify with fading University friendship groups and seeing them find each other again was interesting. The individual story lines were varied and felt authentic and appropriate for their age and stage. It's quite hard to describe what the book is about apart from to say that it is a very real description of life in your 40s with each member of the group facing their own battles and decisions, coming together to celebrate those milestones we enjoy and those we hope won't come too quickly. Clever and enjoyable- thank you!