The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

 4/5 stars

Clover Brooks is a lonely 36-year old woman with a strange career and a penchant for pushing people away. Since the death of her kindergarten teacher and then not too long afterwards, her parents, death had always seemed to find its way to Clover and not only that, but she also found it fascinating. However, things begin to change for Clover when she’s pushed out of her comfort zone by a good-willed and loud but also dying client. After a long road trip to find closure for her client, Clover is forced to come to the realization that maybe she is not living life to her fullest and if she doesn’t want to have regrets in life, like many of her past clients did, things have to change for the 36 year old and maybe for the better. 

A much needed reprieve from my historical fiction romances and mysteries, The Collected Regrets of Clover is an emotionally charged book about death and coming to terms with dying that on more than one occasion brought tears to my eyes. I found myself relating with Clover, her loneliness, and just how common it is to get caught up with caring for others but never truly yourself or your wants. Friends with only her elderly neighbor, Leo, Clover is forced out of her comfort zone on multiple occasions in the book that help her realize that maybe it’s time for her to branch out of her comfort zone and maybe for the better. Nearly all of the characters in the book forced Clover out of her shell more than once, either for the good or the bad, which resulted in an immense amount of character growth in a short period of time. 

I found the book to be beautiful and the message about grief and coming to death on your own terms to be beautiful. The book was very engaging in my opinion and also a great quick read, I scarcely wanted to put it down and couldn’t wait to read/listen to more when I wasn’t consuming it. 

I want to thank the author Mikki Brammer, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the digital audiobook copy of this novel for review. The book will be released on May 9th, 2023 and all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.