A heartfelt blend of magical realism, friendship, and grief wrapped inside a time loop.

Goodreads | Destination Funeral

Release date: July 21, 2026

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

The Big Chill meets About Time in this laugh-out-loud funny and equally heartbreaking novel, following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral could bring them back together. Perfect for fans of The Wedding People and One Italian Summer.

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.

Review:

Time loops and grief are basically a guaranteed way to grab my attention, so this was one of my most anticipated reads. Add in magical realism—a genre I almost always enjoy—and I was excited to dive in. Paige Harbison’s previous novel was also a win for me, so my expectations were high.

The emotional heart of this story is what worked best for me. While the premise is clever and often funny, it’s really a novel about grief, found family, forgiveness, and the relationships that continue to shape us long after we’ve grown up. I loved watching this group slowly peel back years of hurt as they were forced to spend the same weekend together again and again. The magical realism felt natural rather than over the top, and there were several poignant moments that landed beautifully.

My only real complaint is the ending. A repetitive structure comes with the territory in a time loop story, so that never bothered me, but I felt like the actual resolution happened a little too quickly. After spending so much time building these relationships, especially between the sisters, I wanted a bit more space for the emotional payoff before everything wrapped up.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, heartfelt read that balances humor with genuine emotion. If you love stories that blend speculative elements with character driven explorations of grief and friendship, this is definitely worth picking up.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

• Time loop stories
• Magical realism with heart
• Found family
• Emotional friendship novels
• Stories about grief and healing
• Character driven contemporary fiction

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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