Reviews tagging 'Death'

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

180 reviews

hello_ned's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I really needed to read another sapphic romance book, and this has really satisfied me. I read this in about 2 days. Laughed, squeeled, kicked my feet, curled into a ball and shed a single tear.

4.25 as I have some qualms, but overall a very enjoyable read.

The bads
  • The "after" felt quite underdeveloped for me.
    after she dies,
    the book pools into a puddle. It's not as central to the story as it proposes itself to be. The "rules" of the world seem a little half-baked and empty. It was a lukewarm ending, as if it was a happy "good" ending, but also unsatisfying. Which maybe is the point. But if we are going down the path of closure, I would have wanted more
    romantic poppy-Ash time.
  • I definitely understand why she can't seek out her family, but they're not even mentioned much in the After. 
  • The Reaper characters were also underdeveloped. I found it hard to differentiate them, and didn't care much for them either.
    after Poppy dies, which was a little shocking and confusing,
    nothing else happens. Its just an 11 month time skip. I kind of wish there was more about the acceptance and the other characters.

The loves
  • Byrne has such a wonderful, beautiful way of describing emotions. She can pinpoint exactly how something feels, which is really special, especially for me- a queer immigrant. I often felt this really fuzzy feeling in my chest, thinking "yes! That's exactly how I feel, it's finally been put into words!" Even things I dont exactly relate to, I can really feel them. 
  • This is a very diverse book, lovingly written in the perspective of a brown person. I love how Ash talks about her home, and their smells, and the sentimental jangles of her mum's bracelets as she claps roti. It feels like a warm, long hug.
  • I loved the intensity of their relationship. The fire of someone's first sapphic romance. How everything feels new, and bright, and cosy, and scary, and how everything is theirs, and how there's so much hope. 
  • I feel a part of their family. The dialogue is so natural, their characteristics so thoughful and distinctive. Which is why the 'After' was a bit disappointing in contrast.
  • The end, where she
    goes to sit outside her flat, looks up at the window and sees the silhouette of her mum, and feels like her mum knows that she's okay,
    made me cry so hard. 

I'd say I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, the second half a little less so. This book has a lot of love and meaning, and I enjoyed the acknowledgements at the end. 
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poisonviolet's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

WOW!
I am so unsteady writing this. This book felt like the warmest hug from a long-lost friend. I cried, squealed, jumped up and down, and cried some more. I am so deeply in love with these characters and comforted by the author's brilliant and beautiful words. I will likely never recover from this one... so many tears have stained these pages. Long story short, read this book but be prepared for tears and an existential crisis.

The aches hanging heavy in my chest after reading this are inspired to write stories that make readers feel just like this.

THANK YOU TANYA BYRNE, YOU ARE A GENIUS
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dontreadthelastpage_13's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i absolutely loved this book !! ash and poppy were so loveable and it was so well written. i cried a total of two times, which means that i thoroughly enjoyed it ! 
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readingtempeh's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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riven_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was recommended to me by my local bookseller and I absolutely loved it! I finished it in only a few hours because I couldn’t put it down.

Afterlove is a bittersweet tale that highlights queer relationships and explores cultures in a beautiful way.

Will definitely read again
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alexayres47's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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

2.5

Really enjoyed the first half, a rare fun and believable YA romance. The second half really lost me. Basically Dead Like Me (remember that show? That was a fun show) except with overly convoluted Death rules, bad psychology and a plot that was just random things happening to people until the book ended. The ending was quite nice. 
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hazzardfreak02's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It starts off slowly, I couldn't get into it at first. But I kept listening because the first chapter had hooked me so I wanted to learn more. Eventually it gets better, but I do wish the ending was definitive instead of leaving it up to the reader to decide what they think happens to the main character. 
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mandies121's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Heartbreaking. I sobbed while reading this but will also recommend to everyone. 
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hannahsteinberg's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

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queensbookshelf_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

This was one book that made tears well up in my eyes and gave me all the feels! I enjoyed the love story between Ashana & Poppy and loved that they experienced such a great love at a young age. 

I gave this book 4 stars because of how it ended we went through this whole Journey of Ash dying and the journey of her and poppy crossing paths while Ash is still dead. Only to not get fully happy ending with them being together in the end. It literally is a cliff hanger and if you know me I hate cliff hangers! 
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