The Collected Regrets of Clover

December 1, 2022

When her grandfather dies alone while she is traveling, Clover commits herself to being a death doula, gently helping people through their last moments of life. But she has no life of her own until a client's final wishes send her cross-country in search of an old love story--and the courage to change. A 100,000-copy debut from Australian author Brammer.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2023
Clover Brooks is a death doula. She provides an empathetic and comforting presence as she guides her clients peacefully through the end of their lives. To honor each person, she compiles their last words into three journals: "Advice," "Confessions," and "Regrets." However, as comfortable as she feels with the dying, Clover has always felt awkward with everyone else and keeps others at arm's length. That changes when she takes on a new client, a new neighbor is determined to be friends, and a possible love interest arrives, and Clover has to confront whether she has learned anything from collecting those final words. While this heartwarming debut novel deals with death, it never becomes maudlin, instead focusing on what makes a life worth living. Readers who appreciate seeing quirky, isolated characters come into their own, such as in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman or The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, by Abbi Waxman, will find much to love in this moving novel.

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February 1, 2023

DEBUT "Regrets," "Advice," and "Confessions" are the labels on the journals that line Clover Brooks's bookshelves. At the end of each person's life, she writes down and files their final words accordingly. It's morbid but par for the course of a death doula. Having lost her parents at a very young age and witnessed firsthand the death of her kindergarten teacher, Clover grew up acutely aware of mortality and the vulnerability it brings to even the strongest people. Her dying clients constantly remind her of life's fleeting nature and the importance of living with purpose, yet she rarely leaves the safety of her apartment. When a handsome fellow keeps showing up at the death caf�s she frequents, Clover can't resist his plea for help with his dying grandmother. She soon ends up on a mission of self-discovery that changes everything. VERDICT Brammer's first novel is an interesting read, especially for those who are not familiar with the idea of a death doula. The plot seems predictable at first but takes a few unexpected turns that turn it into a satisfying experience.--Chelsie Harris

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2023
Clover Brooks has spent almost her whole life in the presence of death; maybe the time has come for her to live a little. When she was 5, Clover witnessed her kindergarten teacher's collapse, and then, when she was 6, her parents died in an accident while on vacation in China. Taken in by her maternal grandfather, she moved from Connecticut to New York City, where he raised her lovingly, if in some isolation. Now 36, she still lives in her grandfather's West Village apartment, though he's been dead for 13 years; works as a death doula; and counts as her only true friends her pets and her 87-year-old neighbor. Her work is emotionally challenging but rewarding; she holds the hands of the dying, then goes home to write down their last words in one of three journals: "Regrets," "Advice," or "Confessions." Despite the loneliness of her life, Clover isn't looking for a change, which is, naturally, when change finds her: first in the form of Sebastian, who asks her to spend time with his dying grandmother, and then in the form of Sylvie, who moves into the apartment downstairs. The grandmother, Claudia, turns out to be a spitfire: a former photojournalist, she left the love of her life behind when she married, and Clover, inspired by her energy and kindness, seeks closure to this tale, while also (maybe?) going on her first date ever with Sebastian and beginning a friendship with Sylvie. As she connects with others, she must also accept her lingering grief and guilt for her beloved grandfather's death. There are so many opportunities for clich� here, and Brammer adroitly sidesteps them all. This is a beautiful tale of a vulnerable, compassionate woman who finds that, in order to care for others, she must also let herself be cared for. Even that clich� feels moving, rather than saccharine, in Brammer's capable hands. Walks the edge of sentimentality with poignant success.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 28, 2023
The Collected Regrets of Clover is the heartwarming debut novel by Australian author and journalist Mikki Brammer. Set in New York, the book centres on Clover Brooks, a socially isolated ‘death doula’ in her mid-30s. Clover has spent much of her lifetime dealing with and learning about death. Experiencing her first death during kindergarten and the loss of both her parents while in the first grade, Clover moves to New York to live with her grandfather, who passes down much wisdom about life. Clover has great compassion and ends up working with the dying, shepherding her clients through their last days of life. In the process, she also documents their ‘Regrets’, ‘Advice’ and ‘Confessions’ in her notebooks—aside from her pets, these are the things Clover would save in a fire! The most common theme in the ‘Regrets’ notebook is not telling friends and family that you love them, but it would seem Clover may have lost her chance at love. That is until she meets Sylvie, the new girl who has just moved into the building, and Sebastian, a young man whose family doesn’t talk about death even though his grandmother is dying. For readers of Ella Baxter's New Animal, this is a promising debut from a talented writer. Brammer’s words seem to have flown effortlessly onto the page as she takes us through important life lessons about friendship, trust, compassion, finding the beauty and magic in life, and most importantly opening your heart to love.