The Collected Regrets of Clover

This review is meant for me though I'm aware that others will be privy to my words.

I can't believe I had never heard of “The Collected Regrets of Clover” before this conversation I had with Caitlyn. She was excited to recommend this novel to me as she thought I'd really enjoy because it was about a death doula (I hate spoilers so that was all I needed to hear). She was reading it when her grandpa died and said that it made her think of how I would be a great death doula.

I LOVED Mikki Brammer's writing. What a debut novel. I mainly read nonfiction because I'm not much a of an “I read to escape person”; I want to explore life at depth. These types of novels are pretty perfect though. They are my version of a light read. It was predictable to me, but that was okay. I look forward to watching the movie—this has the makings of a Deadly NYC RomCom.

She finally gets a best friend and a good boyfriend and she leaves for 3 months??? 2 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️!

This one was different. Not my normal read but I enjoyed it

I absolutely adored this relaxing, yet deeply emotional book about a lonely death doula trying to learn how to live a fuller life. Though the book is completely unrushed in its storytelling, it reads easily and quickly. It explores heavy, thought-provoking topics, yet leaves the reader feeling light and hopeful in the end.

Clover Brooks has experienced much death in her 36 years of life, both in her personal life and as a death doula. Clover spends time with dying individuals so that they are not alone as their life expires. After each job ends, Clover records the last words of her clients as either regrets, confessions, or advice and tries to honor them through fulfilling some of their regrets or living by their advice. The problem for Clover is that she is not very good at living. She is a loner who spends her days watching romcoms in the apartment that is still cluttered with her dead grandfather's belongings.

My favorite part of this book is the relationship Clover has with her grandfather and her elderly neighbor, Leo. I actually wish the book were a bit longer and spent more time with these characters. Clover's grandfather is a quiet, serious man with insightful commentary to share about life. I loved every scene he was in. Leo is full of life and obviously cares deeply for Clover. He pushes her to leave the comfort of her small life in order to find joy. Each of these men impacts Clover's life in a positive manner.

The book's exploration of death and grief is done well. Clover's grief over not being present when her grandfather dies leads her to her chosen occupation of death doula. She isolates herself and withdraws into the apartment that is filled with his things. The author is sympathetic to Clover's grief but also reveals its negative impacts. She explores why people get so entrenched in their grief and comes to the conclusion that “Grief is just love looking for a place to settle.” This leads to the takeaway that there is nothing wrong with holding on to grief, but the story also shows that life must still be lived and joy can still be found.

To sum it up, I felt something while reading this book. It touched me. Though all aspects of the story are not perfect (I didn't care for the romance aspects), it was an extremely enjoyable and calming reading experience and therefore earns a 5 star rating from me.

I adored this story. Clover is a death doula. I had never heard of a death doula, but it completely makes sense. There are many people who don't have anyone to be near them as they die, and some who do have family nearby don't get the peace they need by having them around. I would think the person at the end of their journey would think it's nice to talk to an outsider, or even have the outsider talk to them.
Clover hears the last wishes and regrets of the persons she assists. To mentally unwind from each one, she documents their wishes & regrets. By writing these down, it gives her some peace.
Clover is a loner and realizes that she has some regrets of her own and needs to change her life so she doesn't have these regrets when she ends her own journey.
I also enjoyed the discussion between the author and the narrator at the end of the audiobook.
This book is emotional and powerful. I would recommend it to everyone I know.

Came across this book exactly when I needed to. It's been a while since I've gotten so attached to a main character and her story.

Sometimes a book tugs at your heartstrings just the right way, which means you spend a good chunk of the book having either an existential crisis or feeling intense emotional pain (in the best way possible). This is a wonderful story about life, death, and regret. I cannot recommend this highly enough. One of my favorite reads this year!

Clover, a death doula, prefers the company of the dying to the living. She struggles with relationships, platonic and romantic. She is suspicious and reluctant about small talk and other niceties. Yet in situations that would make most feel stomach churning dread, at a loss for words, or overwhelming fear, she is calm, sensitive, and adept. She has an inner strength and flexibility to meet people where they are. She knows how not to look away from someone's pain.Outside of work, Clover leads a quiet life with few personal connections. The problem is that Clover is not simply alone, she is also lonely. But after living the way she has for over a decade, living any other way feels alien and intimidating. The things she yearns for most have also become sources of shame and insecurity. I love Clover.In a tale about how the people who leave and enter our lives can suddenly shift everything, with a discerning late bloomer at the center who is never condescended to, Brammer weaves together a compelling debut. She also manages to, praise be, avoid telling a story that becomes too coincidental or sentimental. She lets Clover take her time. This called to mind different moments in past favorites like [b:Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine 31434883 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493724347l/31434883.SY75.jpg 47327681], [b:Convenience Store Woman 36739755 Convenience Store Woman Sayaka Murata https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680105376l/36739755.SX50.jpg 51852264], and even [b:The Flatshare 41393171 The Flatshare Beth O'Leary https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627750351l/41393171.SY75.jpg 58189559]. Jennifer Pickens, the audiobook narrator, was fantastic. All in all, this was a sweet (though not preachy) book about how much death teaches us about life. I want to hear [a:Caitlin Doughty 7802044 Caitlin Doughty https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1586002535p2/7802044.jpg]'s thoughts on it.

I never hear of a Death Doula and I love that this is a thing. As a HHA I feel like we need to talk more about death. I will be looking into a death doula. And I had a lot of death in the pass few months. Clover has been faced with death several times in her young life but the death of her grandfather is the one that rocked her world. 

I flew through this book. I thought it was going to take me ages because I tend to put off reading books that make me sad, but I think this book dealt with grief so well. I will admit I was upset for the first 75% of this book because I was not a fan of Sebastian at all and could not accept him for Clover. Hugo was beautiful. I wish he had made an appearance earlier, but I know this is more classified as Contemporary than Romance. lol. Claudia and Leo and Grandpa and Sylvie. I loved all of them. I loved Clover's notebooks and the way she kept a separate one for the three distinct utterances made by her clients. As a sentimental hoarder, I related to Clover a lot in her need to keep Grandpa's things. This was a beautiful read.

4.5. Great plot, nice flow and wonderfully written. Comes with great life advice.

TWs: death/loss of a parent and family, terminal illness, grief

4.5 rounded up; A beautiful story about Clover, a death doula, who is there for those who are about to pass so they are not alone. However, outside of her job, she juggles different internal struggles and her own feelings. How do we live life to the fullest?

Nice. Mildly twee.

I did not expect to love this book nearly as much as I did. Initially, the lighthearted nature of the characters and dialogue made it seem like it would be a fun, comfortable read all the way through. However, I believe you'd be hard pressed to make it through this story without reflecting on your own experiences with grief & the big choices you've made regarding how to live life. Somehow Mikki Brammer's writing actually welcomed this reflection entirely without fear and instead with open (& comforting) arms.

I felt deeply connected to the main character because she was so clearly...human... I also appreciated that no part of this book felt like it was trying too hard to be convincing or epic in it's attempts to elicit an emotional response from the reader; yet, here I am drying tears well after turning the last page. Highly recommend.

It was so good. I was honestly so sure I was going to despise Clover throughout the book but the way she begins to interact with the other characters (most of which I LOVE with some strong female leads) is so cute and you really start to feel for her as she begins to navigate the world and learn how her loss and rejections made her fearful of getting close to others and that's why she's like that in the beginning of the book
I know so many people who can find comfort in this book and I feel like it highlights so many important things when it comes to death, love, and regrets — I love love loved it so much and I'm going to keep it in my heart for a long time.