Just before graduation, an apartment of students at Berkley is shocked when their roommate Alec overdoses. Gathering together, they make a pact that when they are in desperate need, they can each request a  living "funeral" - a gathering where they are reminded that life is still worthwhile. They've been there through Marielle's divorce, Naomi's parents' death, and Craig's art fraud conviction. But now Jordan's diagnosis has him and his husband facing a living funeral that might preceed an actual funeral.

I wanted to like The Celebrants more than I did. I liked the idea of the book - the examination of life's struggles and our need for deeper connections. Yet, the characters fell flat for me and the friendships didn't seem genuine. In Rowley's last book, The Guncle, I felt drawn to every single character but in The Celebrants, none of the characters evoked any emotion in me. The funeral format of the plot resulted in a lot of telling about the characters instead of showing details of their lives. In all, The Celebrants was a heartfelt story that missed the mark for me.