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a_sleepy_berry's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was going to give it 4.5 stars because the plot at the beginning was kind of slow but I was so captivated by the plot twists and storyline that I can forgive it for being slower at the beginning. I can't wait to be able to reread this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Murder
williamabookworm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Suicide
readingqueerly's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I cannot begin to describe how I flew through this book. Paging were practically turning themselves. It's not like the story was particularly fast paced or it was dialogue heavy which reads faster. The writing style is just so smooth and easy it took no effort to glide through this whole book.
The story itself helps enormously of course. The way this book is structured both practically and plot-wise makes for a very interesting and compelling read. It very much feels like two books in one. The first part being the cute, fun, and sweet romcom, but the second being the hope crushing and heart wrenching existential dread part. It's easy to feel so much hope for them, but when that sad ending seems to be nearing it just made me want to read faster and make sure there was a life for them together beyond death (spoiler not spoiler I guess? It's literally in the blurb tho).
I really do recommend it if you're looking for a mildly spooky but mainly emotion filled book for this spooky period.
The story itself helps enormously of course. The way this book is structured both practically and plot-wise makes for a very interesting and compelling read. It very much feels like two books in one. The first part being the cute, fun, and sweet romcom, but the second being the hope crushing and heart wrenching existential dread part. It's easy to feel so much hope for them, but when that sad ending seems to be nearing it just made me want to read faster and make sure there was a life for them together beyond death (spoiler not spoiler I guess? It's literally in the blurb tho).
I really do recommend it if you're looking for a mildly spooky but mainly emotion filled book for this spooky period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Murder
cosmicwillow's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i enjoyed this! it was well-written and a very interesting premise. however, i did find it to be missing something. maybe lacking in lore or just ash’s life outside of poppy after she dies but idk. i also think it’s odd for ash to call esen and dev her family but have them all still act so similarly to the way they did in the week after she died. i think that might also be what i felt was missing. but overall, this was a sweet romance and i really liked it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Cancer
awkwardimagination's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Much better than I expected it to be. Ihad so many thoughts while reading this, but now I know nothing. A lot of the character decisions pissed me off, just bc I hate when people are vague. I kinda really wish this wasn't a romance and we got to see Ash be a Grim Reaper for longer; I wish this was just a slice of life/coming of age sorta fantasy book I mean, I think that would've been fun to read.
I had quite a few issues with it actually, characters being vague is only part of it, but I did still enjoy this book.
I had quite a few issues with it actually, characters being vague is only part of it, but I did still enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
aexileigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Grief, Car accident, and Murder
pey333's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Car accident
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Racism and Murder
dazzle_spider_reader_1212's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
friendofdorothea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Car accident, and Murder
mxdegroot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was such a unique read, I simultaneously have so much and absolutely nothing to say. The premise of the story was unique and mysterious and risky. There is a lot that could have gone wrong with this story in its development, especially to the end, and it didn't. Byrne knew exactly what she was doing and where she was going.
Byrne's writing style is distinctive in many ways, all of them positive; we follow the main character, Ash, a teenager, in a first person perspective, and it reads exactly like that.
Generally, I am not the biggest fan of love at first sight stories, but the way Ash and Poppy's relationship developed compensated for that. Ashana has a crush on Poppy from the start, but both the characters and Byrne let it develop naturally so that it doesn't feel forced, something I unfortunately see a lot in (especially YA) books where the story developes around a relationship.
As the story went on, especially from the point that Poppy recognized Ash and it was confirmed that this meant that this meant that she would die , I got quite scared that the story was going to have big plot twist in which Ash could come back to life or Poppy could avoid her fate or was a special case that could see reapers and live . Luckily, this didn't happen and the ending was exactly what I hoped it to be; Ash and Poppy had the chance to say goodbye to each other and the small plot twist/reveal that, on New Years Eve, Ash could possibly get the chance to go with Charon to the afterlife was perfect and just what the story needed.
Something that I feel that needs to be mentioned is the character development of Ashana's mother. She was raised to have a negative opinion against homosexuality and, even when Ash comes out as a lesbian, she finds it hard to accept it, staying mostly (uncomfortably) silent. A few months later, however, when Ash tells her about her relationship with Poppy, we see that she has put effort into changing her views and accepting Ash as she is, and is even willing to help her introduce Poppy to her father and sister . I found this little sidestory beautiful and had to shed a bit of light on it, as I almost never see anyone talk about it in their reviews.
Did this story have a lot of character development in the sense of the characters making mistakes and growing as they learn from them? No. Because it was not necessary. The story is about first (true) love, grief, acceptance, closure and goodbyes. The book is meant to be a cute read that will still leave you in tears when you finish it and that, it did perfectly.
If you are a lover of cute, useless lesbians, books you will need some time to recover from once you've finished it, and/or magic realism? Afterlove is definitely a book you should pick up.
To close off, the clear foreshadowing to Ash dying (which was possible because it is the main event of the book)? Ouch. /pos.
Rep: lesbian MC, MCOC, South-American MC, muslim character.
January 25th, 2023 - February 2nd, 2023.
Byrne's writing style is distinctive in many ways, all of them positive; we follow the main character, Ash, a teenager, in a first person perspective, and it reads exactly like that.
Generally, I am not the biggest fan of love at first sight stories, but the way Ash and Poppy's relationship developed compensated for that.
As the story went on, especially from the point that
Something that I feel that needs to be mentioned is the character development of Ashana's mother. She was raised to have a negative opinion against homosexuality and, even when Ash comes out as a lesbian, she finds it hard to accept it, staying mostly (uncomfortably) silent. A few months later, however, when
Did this story have a lot of character development in the sense of the characters making mistakes and growing as they learn from them? No. Because it was not necessary. The story is about first (true) love, grief, acceptance, closure and goodbyes. The book is meant to be a cute read that will still leave you in tears when you finish it and that, it did perfectly.
If you are a lover of cute, useless lesbians, books you will need some time to recover from once you've finished it, and/or magic realism? Afterlove is definitely a book you should pick up.
To close off, the clear foreshadowing to Ash dying (which was possible because it is the main event of the book)? Ouch. /pos.
Rep: lesbian MC, MCOC, South-American MC, muslim character.
January 25th, 2023 - February 2nd, 2023.
"Maybe we'll burn bright for a few weeks then collapse in on ourselves, but Mr. Moreno says that's how galaxies are made anyways." - Before, chapter 5.
"[...] as we head under the bridge, I know that I'd follow her to the edge of the fucking world." - Before, hapter 6.
"I feel like I've loved you for a really long time, but it still isn't enough." - After, chapter 27.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Body horror, Suicide, and Murder