Births, Deaths and Marriages: The stunning novel about life, love and friendship from the Sunday Times bestselling author
Jun 2025 · Random House
4.0star
1 reviewreport
Ebook
368
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About this ebook
From the author of the Sunday Times Number One Bestseller, The Versions of Us. A novel about six lifelong friends and one unforgettable year.
‘Four Weddings and a Funeral meets One Day...I couldn't put it down.’ 5-star reader review
'I haven't read a book this delightful in a long time.' 5-star reader review
Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie. Six friends who were inseparable at university, who have all had their secret or not so secret passions for each other, their hopes and fears.
Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. Rob is a history teacher, with a string of broken relationships behind him. Yas is a surgeon and very much her own woman. Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur. Rachel is a stay at home mum with two children. Al, widowed young, is about to take over his father's funeral business.
When Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose?
BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES is an era-spanning, globe-trotting novel about love, friendship, and how to stay at least relatively sane in an ever crazier world. It’s about a group of friends growing older, the possibility of second chances, about kindness and joy. It’s about births, deaths, marriages... and everything in between.
________
PRAISE for BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES:
‘I loved Births, Deaths and Marriages. Laura’s ability to jump between so many different lives and to keep those strands alive in the reader’s mind reminded me of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors’ Georgina Moore
'Wonderful...beautifully written, superbly characterized and so truthful' Elizabeth Buchan
'A book to sink into... a nuanced, compelling and comforting read that reminds us about the power, support and importance of found family' Kate Sawyer
'A compelling tale about love and friendship in all its guises. Her exquisite line by line writing and astute character observations held me rapt' Lucy Clarke
READERS LOVE BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES:
'An emotional, heartfelt book about the joys and sorrows of life. It is about love in all its forms, the friendships that shape us, and the quiet moments that define who we become.'
'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.'
‘Wow! Just wow! A book for anyone who has loved, for anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, for anyone who has contemplated or been married, for every parent, indeed, for anyone who has lived.’
‘A hugely enjoyable novel which celebrates the durability of friendships that have weathered the storm of growing up.’
'Reminiscent of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Notting Hill'
'Immersive and thought-provoking . . . captures the nuances of human relationships—the tension, the tenderness, the misunderstandings, and the unbreakable bonds that endure despite time and distance.'
'With its perfect blend of humour, poignancy, and authenticity, this novel will resonate with anyone who's ever experienced the joys and challenges of close relationships.'
'Highly addictive and incredibly comforting. Exquisite storytelling written in a way that gives you all the feels from incredible sadness to raucous laughter. These are a bunch of friends I won’t forget in a hurry!'
‘Four Weddings and a Funeral meets One Day...I couldn't put it down.’ 5-star reader review
'I haven't read a book this delightful in a long time.' 5-star reader review
Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie. Six friends who were inseparable at university, who have all had their secret or not so secret passions for each other, their hopes and fears.
Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. Rob is a history teacher, with a string of broken relationships behind him. Yas is a surgeon and very much her own woman. Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur. Rachel is a stay at home mum with two children. Al, widowed young, is about to take over his father's funeral business.
When Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose?
BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES is an era-spanning, globe-trotting novel about love, friendship, and how to stay at least relatively sane in an ever crazier world. It’s about a group of friends growing older, the possibility of second chances, about kindness and joy. It’s about births, deaths, marriages... and everything in between.
________
PRAISE for BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES:
‘I loved Births, Deaths and Marriages. Laura’s ability to jump between so many different lives and to keep those strands alive in the reader’s mind reminded me of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors’ Georgina Moore
'Wonderful...beautifully written, superbly characterized and so truthful' Elizabeth Buchan
'A book to sink into... a nuanced, compelling and comforting read that reminds us about the power, support and importance of found family' Kate Sawyer
'A compelling tale about love and friendship in all its guises. Her exquisite line by line writing and astute character observations held me rapt' Lucy Clarke
READERS LOVE BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES:
'An emotional, heartfelt book about the joys and sorrows of life. It is about love in all its forms, the friendships that shape us, and the quiet moments that define who we become.'
'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.'
‘Wow! Just wow! A book for anyone who has loved, for anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, for anyone who has contemplated or been married, for every parent, indeed, for anyone who has lived.’
‘A hugely enjoyable novel which celebrates the durability of friendships that have weathered the storm of growing up.’
'Reminiscent of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Notting Hill'
'Immersive and thought-provoking . . . captures the nuances of human relationships—the tension, the tenderness, the misunderstandings, and the unbreakable bonds that endure despite time and distance.'
'With its perfect blend of humour, poignancy, and authenticity, this novel will resonate with anyone who's ever experienced the joys and challenges of close relationships.'
'Highly addictive and incredibly comforting. Exquisite storytelling written in a way that gives you all the feels from incredible sadness to raucous laughter. These are a bunch of friends I won’t forget in a hurry!'
Ratings and reviews
4.0
1 review
Alison Robinson
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June 19, 2025
This is described as Four Weddings and a Funeral meets One Day and I can sort of see why, it's also a lot like Cold Feet. After a rocky start, the introductory chapter was quite turgid and I didn't have a clue about anyone, this quickly became a great read - I think it would be even better as a film or a TV series. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
About the author
Laura Barnett is the author of four novels including the number one bestseller, The Versions of Us, Greatest Hits, Gifts and This Beating Heart. As an arts journalist and theatre critic, she has written regularly for the Guardian, Observer, the Daily Telegraph and Time Out London. Laura lives with her husband Andy, son Caleb and cat Eno in rural Kent.
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