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.

Tale of six friends from their time at University thrown together by chance twenty odd years ago through to the present day, based around London and Kent.
Rob, Indie, Yas, Rachel, Zoe and Al, all from different backgrounds yet sharing their lives over the years.
The basic storylines are great, the characters interesting familiar and believable with their dynamics and issues over the years.
The writing for me was hard to follow especially at the beginning, it took me a while to get used to the scattered telling of the tale, quickly flickering from one of the friends to the next which made it hard to keep up with who was where and doing what. At times it felt rather like a staccato effect and almost musical in rhythm.
The story holds your attention and is well worth persevering through the recognisable and familiar situations and scenarios. Yes at times predictable but there were a couple of surprises.
Enjoyable and a somewhat different read. Familiar and yet a little alien too.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early read. I’m still not totally sure………

A group of people, who have just started university, get to know one another better in the aftermath of a funeral of one of the other students. They meet up again years later when one of them is having an engagement party after his previous marriage has ended in divorce. This is a well drawn picture of the six friends, their partners and families. I felt as though I had come to know each one of them and became totally invested in their lives.
A particularly good read.

The plot of Births, Deaths & Marriages centers on the reunion of six old college pals who have been separated for decades. Naturally, the reunion soon turns chaotic, with secrets and emotional baggage being tossed about like confetti at a party with a regret theme. There will be a lot of drama, deceit, and "Wait, what did they just do?" moments because we get to see their life from a variety of angles over the course of a year.

The narrative was incisive and unexpectedly captivating. It was actually rather simple to follow, despite my initial concern that juggling six characters would keep me bouncing back and forth like a bewildered detective with a corkboard. It felt more like listening in on a group chat with too much history and not enough chill because each individual had a unique voice.

I’m a sucker for character-driven stories, and this one delivered. Juggling six main characters could’ve easily turned into a literary circus act, but it was surprisingly graceful. Sure, some characters were more likable than others, but that’s kind of the charm — it’s like assembling a brunch group where not everyone RSVPs for the same reasons, and one person always forgets their wallet.

It took a little patience to remember the dynamics of this group of people who originally met as university students.at the funeral of an acquaintance Peter Kennedy.
Attractions and friendships wavered, but as the group edged towards their forties, Rob’s second marriage instigated a regrouping and catch up of what they had achieved or moved onto.
This tale of youth to maturity with all its consequences is played out with excellent characterisation and feeling.
Love to see this as a drama or film.

I really struggled to get into this novel. From the premise I was eager to read it, but just found it disappointing as it didn’t grab me. I’m sure others will love this book but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.

This book is exactly about what it says on the cover. Six university friends reconnect and rediscover their friendship. Story was ok. I liked some characters more than others which I guess is true in all friendship groups

Loved the quirky title of this one. Laura has penned an excellent, well planned book with lovely characters and an intriguing storyline.

✉️ Births, Deaths and Marriages ✉️
⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

This contemporary saga follows six lifelong friends who were once inseparable at university but have since drifted apart. Each of them has their own struggles, careers, and relationships, but when Rob's engagement party reunites them, old passions, feelings and tensions resurface. Over the course of a year, the novel explores love, friendship, and second chances, with one birth, one marriage, and one death among the group.

If you loved four weddings and a funeral like any normal person you need to run and grab this book on release day. This book is set over the course of a year and has multiple POVs which I found really engaging and easy to read. There was so much heart warming humour and love in this book and it was a testament to those friendships that stand the test of time. If you want a fun, slice of life, cosy, chick flick vibe read this is for you.

Births, Deaths and Marriages follows the lives of six friends who meet at university and become inseparable. Interestingly they actually meet at the funeral of a fellow student who was tragically killed in the fourth week of their first term.
What I loved about this book were the many layers of friendship between the group. Even though they all didn’t meet up regularly they were still in touch and all meet up when invited to celebrate the engagement of Rob to his older partner, Gesualdo. Relationships between the group are complicated even more so as Zoe and Rob were married and have an 18 year old son. Al has always carried a torch for Zoe and now they are older and wiser could there be the chance for a deeper relationship? The other main characters are Yas, a senior hospital consultant, Indie, who is an entrepreneur in the coffee business and Rachel who is at home with two children.
Yes, it was difficult to get all the characters and their families into your mind at the start. It was, however, well worth the effort as this novel has a real depth to it. Every character is so interesting and forms a vital part to the story. It’s just my sort of book. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advanced reading copy in return for an honest review.

Twenty years after first meeting at university in London, six old friends — Yas, Rachel, Zoe, Rob, Indie, and Al — find themselves brought back into closer contact in the lead-up to Rob’s wedding. Once inseparable during their student days, they’ve drifted slightly, caught up in the chaos of careers, families, and the expectations they had for adult life. Over the course of a single year, marked by three major life events, old bonds are tested, secrets surface, and each character is forced to reckon with where life has taken them — and how far it is from where they thought they’d be.

Laura Barnett has created a novel that is deeply human and strikingly familiar, particularly for readers in their thirties and forties. The characters feel like people you might know — or even be. They are messy, flawed, sometimes selfish, but always believable. While their lives look polished on the outside, beneath the surface lies a web of unspoken regrets, unmet ambitions, and unresolved tensions.

What makes the novel shine is the emotional texture Barnett brings to each chapter. With humour and heartbreak in equal measure, she captures the quiet milestones of adulthood — not the dramatic “firsts” of youth, but the slow realisations, difficult compromises, and deepening relationships that shape who we become over time.

Al stood out to me as the most compelling character: thoughtful, grounded, and striving to do meaningful work in a world that doesn’t always reward it. Others felt more frustrating — self-centred or emotionally opaque — but even this felt true to life. Not everyone grows in the same way or at the same pace, and Barnett doesn’t shy away from showing that.

At times, the novel reminded me of One Day by David Nicholls or Four Weddings and a Funeral — not just because of the weddings and reunions, but because of the emotional connection you feel with the characters. You may not always like them, but you’ll care about what happens to them. And if you’ve ever looked around at your own life and wondered how you got here — how you got so far from the plans you once made — this novel will strike a chord.

Poignant, funny, and sharply observed, Births, Deaths and Marriages is a moving exploration of friendship, time, and the inevitability of change. For millennials staring down middle age, it’s both a comfort and a wake-up call.

A well written book with interesting rounded characters. We get to know them at university and then we get to see them again some 20 years on. Not an edge if the seat sort of a story but an easy, fulfilling read about family, friendship and life

Quite enjoyable, although I found the writing style a bit off putting. It's a good story, with some interesting characters who have a lot of history together,

This is the story of six university friends, Rob, Zoe, Indie, Rachel, Yas and Al, who were inseparable during their university years but whilst they’ve kept in touch since, some more than others within the group, they have gone their separate ways. That is until they are brought together once more following an invitation to Rob’s engagement party.

No character within the group is perfect. They have all done things they regret, had failed or are having failing relationships, had battled grief or illness just to mention some of the things they’ve gone through. This book is about life after all and as the party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next year, there will be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose?

For me the best way to describe this book is “busy”. I don’t know if it was just because I had the digital and not the hard copy version but I really struggled with the amount of names. And I don’t mean the six main characters: there are so many names mentioned on every page right from the beginning and I didn’t know which name / relationship was important and which wasn’t and whether I would need to remember it. I ended up creating a little list of names and how the additional names connected to the main characters. Once I’d got into the story, it was fine but it was quite overwhelming at the start.

I have to say I battled through this book. I am not sure if it was the initial amount of info that meant I struggled to get into it or that I enjoyed books I was reading alongside it a lot more but this was not a book I wanted to pick up if that makes sense. However, I can totally see why someone might enjoy it and it is a shame as I like the concept and I am usually a lover of character driven stories. I am glad I persevered as I wanted to see how it all worked out for the characters but I did just skim read towards the end I’m afraid.