Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the review copy of this novel. This is billed as a Four Weddings & a Funeral for the new generation and I can understand that label, but in some ways I think it does it a disservice. The novel has a real depth of understanding of the wreck that we can all be in our late thirties trying to assess the choices of the past and how to move forward into our next decade and beyond. The story is structured in a manner that reflects in some ways how fragmented and panicked our thoughts can be by where we are at that time and possibly wondering how we got there. The structure isn’t straightforward; it reflects and reverts to the past and is shared by six viewpoints that at times are very brief before they shift again. But it’s beautifully done. It’s a fine crafting that slowly becomes apparent as the story unfolds and as you come to understand the flaws and merits of each character.

Six people, who at university had been a group of good friends, four of whom shared a house together, are now at different kinds of cross roads in their lives and are drawn together by one of them hosting an engagement party to celebrate his nuptials to an older man. One of the group, Yas, a brilliant, sharp tongued consultant surgeon from a working class background has reached her goal that she’s worked hard to achieve, but now she finds she’s pregnant from a one night stand. She’s never really thought she would have children or marry, but suddenly she finds herself in turmoil. Zoe, a divorcee and midwife, is facing her son Gabe leaving the home to attend university and for the first time since her surprise pregnancy in university she will be on her own. Handsome teacher Rob, the ex husband and father to Gabe is engaged to an older man who adores him and yet Rob is panicking, just as he’d done so many other times in his life. Indie, a coffee entrepreneur is considering taking her business, Mother Bean, to the next level in America, is stunned when her husband of ten years declares that he wants children, something she’s said from the beginning was something she would never consider. And Rachel, a wife and mother to two boys under five is feels likes she’s drowning under the weight of motherhood and her husband’s failing business. Al, a partner in his father’s funeral business, is waiting for his father to retire and his chance to implement his vision of the business though his personal life is halted by his grief from his wife who’d died suddenly ten years before. All six of them meet up at this engagement party, the former tangled crushes and relationships still hanging on in various ways, and find that this meeting acts as a catalyst in different ways to make decisions and understand how their life has progressed. In the months following the party the shift is cataclysmic, cathartic or moves them beyond the point they all felt stuck in before the party.

Cleverly crafted and filled with deep rich characters this is a story that will resonate for many who have experienced those feelings in their thirties or any time of life. At the very least it’s a story about our deep selves that can be doubt filled and questioning no matter what time of life we’re in. Very good read.

From the moment I saw the title I was invested in this book, and who wouldn't be with the title? This a charming, delightful and somewhat relatable book about six friends who met at university and carries on twenty years later. The writing is beautiful and keeps you want to keep turning the pages.

Thank you for the ARC and I can't wait to read the next book by this author.

I enjoyed this story of six former uni friends, their relationships and how they navigate life’s challenges over the course of a year. The characters come from a variety of backgrounds and have different attitudes to life, which made it believable. The characterisation is excellent. If you’re interested in people and what makes them tick, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

A really enjoyable story from beginning to end taking you through the challenges within a friendship group and how that stands the test of time.

Initially you are bombarded with so many characters that it takes you a little time to remember who is who. Once you have all the characters clear in your mind an enjoyable read follows.

Birth, Deaths and Marriages is a good easy read that is similar to that of the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral or any of those movies/tv shows that follow a bunch of university friends.

Some characters seem to have more of a story line than others, so there were some characters that I didn't really know/care for that well. But really, there is nothing that new in this novel and you will probably feel like you've read something similar before. All that aside, I did enjoy it and read it pretty quickly, there was enough going on to hold my attention.

In the space of 12 months there will be a birth, marriage and death among the friends, told from multiple perspectives, the story follows a group of 6 old university friends. We are told how they meet in the early 2000’s and the story continues 20 years later.

It took a few chapters to get to know who was who, it was a very easy read a bit of a slow burn at times.

I liked that it had stories of births and deaths interlaced with the story. All in all a very relatable read that I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I haven't read a book this delightful in a long time. Unlike many novels, this one isn't driven by a complex plot, instead focusing on the beauty of relationships and friendships. The story reunites six university friends as they gather to celebrate Rob and Ges's engagement. As they reconnect, old bonds are strengthened, and new ones are formed.

Initially, I struggled to keep track of the characters and their connections, but once I got acquainted, I was hooked. The novel's character-driven narrative reminded me of a modern-day "Four Weddings and a Funeral," which proved apt as the story unfolded.

The characters' diverse personalities and relationships were expertly crafted, making the story feel incredibly real and relatable. Each character was so well-developed that readers will undoubtedly find someone to identify with.

This heartwarming tale explores the intricacies of life, love, loss, and friendship through the years. With its perfect blend of humor, poignancy, and authenticity, this novel will resonate with anyone who's ever experienced the joys and challenges of close relationships.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Random House UK, and Transworld Publishers for the advance copy.

This book follows six friends who met at university. As the years have passed some members of the group have stayed more in touch than others, but we see them reunite to celebrate the engagement of one of their group.

My first thought when I started reading this book was how there were a lot of characters that are frequently switched between. I thought I would struggle to get my head around who was who and who was connected to who, however as it progressed this became far more clear.

This was a very light hearted and easy read, so if that’s the kind of book you enjoy then I would certainly recommend. For me personally, I prefer a more intense read with some dramatic twists going on. Despite this, I did still enjoy it. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

Relatable, funny, moving and hopeful. Births, Deaths and Marriages is a fantastic read that reminded me of Cold Feet and deals with the themes of feeling unsure in your life, grief and moving forward beautifully. A huge thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

I really enjoyed this book and I felt a lot for the characters. However, the jumping timelines and perspectives had me a little lost at times and meant it took me a lot longer than usual to get through. Despite this I loved the characters.

This book follows six friends from university whose remain interconnected by underlying secrets and passions. It’s quite the slow burn and a little disjointed in places, however an interesting read. The characters are all interesting and relatable and the storyline believable. If you want plot twists this isn’t the book for you but if you enjoy strong characterisation and realism you’ll love it!

Six friends reunite at a funeral and try to rekindle their friendships. Have to admit struggled with the storyline, as it skipped in and out of each of the six friends. However, once you piece together each of the characters and their interaction with each other, it turned out an enjoyable read

I thought this book sounded really interesting when I requested it, and to the most part it was. The love running through the pages was beautiful. My only criticism (not that it is really that) I found things a bit confusing to start with which may be more my problem than the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the arc of births deaths & marriage the book follows 6 friends going though each of life’s it was a bit confusing who’s married to who and fell flat and disjointed at times of reading it and wished at the heading each chapter had the person name on to know who it was talking about took me ages to figure it out it took me ages to read it I have realised these type of books isn’t for me I tried three times with another books the same writing style nothing to do the author overall it was good but feel if you loved the characterisation and you can relate you would 100% enjoy it

Six young people meet at the funeral of a fellow student. This novel charts the highs and lows of their friendships in the years to come.

This novel didn't really grab me. I found myself not really able to care about the characters as I read through the book. I also disliked the number of gratuitous 'F' words that were littered through the text. There were some decent twists through the course of the story, which I did enjoy, but overall I don't think that it is a book that is going to remain with me.

This was a lovely easy feel good read that spans a group of friends from uni. Some unexpected moments and beautifully written.

An interesting walk through the lives of six friends from university. Each has their foibles and particular story - and felt realistic and authentic. However it was a little meandering and sometimes disjointed. Each narrative worked but it wasn’t a seamless joining. Good range of characters and situations.

Although the title makes sense it’s a bit flat. It reminds me of ‘4 weddings and a funeral’ in terms of life stages but without the comedy.

For me it fell a little flat, although i enjoyed reading it, I couldn’t get excited about the characters or really that bothered how it all turned out.

Overall 3.5* got me thinking about my time at uni and what happened to some of the people I went to uni with!!

3 ⭐

ARC review

I did enjoy this story, but I did feel myself skimming pages ago times.

The storyline is exciting but I would have loved the chapters broken down into either characters or time frames just to give me an idea where we were in the story.

I did find myself trying to work out who's POV I was in at what point again and wish we would have had more chapters from the characters from their university days.

This was a bit of a slow burn for me, and it took me a while to get into it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I liked the disparate lives and inherent messiness of relationships that stem from all being in the same place at the same time, rather than drawn to each other more organically as many individual friendships are.