Destination Funeral ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Destination Funeral by Paige Harbison


NetGalley About Summary

A fresh take on Groundhog Day meets the magical escapism of One Italian Summer in this heartfelt and hilarious novel following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral could bring them back together. This program is read by the author.

When Babe—the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers—dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.

Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again—along with the tensions, attractions, and unfinished business that once bound them together and broke them apart.

What should be a brief weekend of small talk quickly unravels when they wake up and discover...it’s Saturday. Again. And again. And again.

Trapped in a time loop with no end and no instructions, they’re forced to confront the betrayals, breakups, and buried truths that shattered them all those years ago. Because maybe, just maybe, an endless weekend is exactly what they all need to save their own lives.

Genre: New Adult, Women's Fiction
Goodreads added: Magical Realism, Romance, Fantasy

The How/Why: NetGalley FB Page. The title caught my attention. How cute is the cover without being cutsie?! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

 🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

 🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕

 🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖It's not necessary but I wouldn't be mad about it if it happened. 

 📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕Reviewers rave about The Other Side of Now so I've added it to my TBR. 

 💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Ǥriɇf & LoŞŞ, Childh00d Trɐumɐ
The title says funeral so I would think Ǥriɇf & LoŞŞ would be expected and not a TW. But what do I know?

 🌶 Spice? A little spicy

 🌪 Plot Twist? No

 👟 Pace? Great

 💻 Tidbits ~ Right from the start I knew this was going to be an absolute favorite. I was not wrong.

I love all the characters (even their cranky sides) and the townspeople and I want to move to Mercy Island. Well maybe just a summer cottage on the shore.

Babe dies and summons her two daughters and their two childhood best guy friends for the weekend. Agenda: Arrive Friday for the reading of the Will, Memorial Service Saturday, go home Sunday. They are to stay at Babe’s house and they aren’t allowed any electronics. Cell phones are confiscated. Sounds easy enough, even for Didion who hasn’t spoken to her younger sister Sammie, former boyfriend Austin, or good friend Matt in years. Only problem is, when they wake up Sunday morning it’s Saturday…Again. And Again. Just for the four of them. The sweet neighbor Gladys is on repeat with delivering a food basket and her condolences. Mr. Kelly stops by with his [same] catch of the day. Etc. Etc.

TBH I was worried it was going to be too Groundhog Day-ish, but it wasn’t. In GD he was on his own in the loop until he could figure out how to be a good human. In DF all four of them are starting over every Saturday together. They aren’t sure why or how and need to figure it out. It's starting to look like Babe conjured up a plan to force them to work through their broken relationships. 
♪♪You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave♪♪

With every new Saturday another layer of their past comes to light through flashbacks. 
Didion is always in defensive mode and may be voted most likely to be disliked by many readers. The more that was revealed about her Mother and their relationship, and being pushed away, and feeling the need to take care of her little sister, the more I could get into her head and said "no wonder she's put up a wall and pushes people away with her attitude".  

This story if full of real life heartbreak, grudges, and learning to forgive.
I think it really drives home the point that you don’t know what someone else is going through. 

Side Note: Didion was a chef. She found her Mom's recipes. She couldn't read Babe's handwriting but Matt could. He helped her by reading them to her. I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping for some recipes at the end! Especially the Tiramisu. IYKYK! 

🎧 Narrator: Paige Harbison. There is something about the author narrating their own book. She knows exactly how she wants it to sound. It’s like she's telling you a story being acted out in her mind.

🎧10.18 hours 🕮 352 pages

Not yet published. Expected 7-21-2026

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

 
29 and counting

Five Star Highlights
I did the highlights, Gemini AI did the background.




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