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bookcaptivated's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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, Homophobia, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Classism
solaria's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
It's a case of liked the concept, didn't like the execution.
The first act was good although I wish it built up a little more tension as it somewhat felt like the first act and second act were apart of two different books.
The second act was very messy. It was paced poorly and very rushed. It felt like the author realised she didn't have enough pages to tell the story she wanted to so a lot got cut or blended together. The new characters that were introduced felt really basic as a result, they didn't get enough room to develop properly. I wanted to know so much more about them. I also hated how short the chapters were in the second act and how many breaks there were in most of these chapters. It just broke up the story for no reason when I felt it didn't need to.
Spoilers ahead
Look, I know Ash fell in love with Poppy but I wish the author talked about how much she missed her family and friends more. I mean, she had been living with her family for her whole life and been friends with Adara for her entire school experience - and yet we only really get one liners about how she misses them. We get paragraphs about how much she misses Poppy which was nice but she only met Poppy a few months ago. I liked Poppy but still, a little more depth to Ashana would've been nice.
The first act was good although I wish it built up a little more tension as it somewhat felt like the first act and second act were apart of two different books.
The second act was very messy. It was paced poorly and very rushed. It felt like the author realised she didn't have enough pages to tell the story she wanted to so a lot got cut or blended together. The new characters that were introduced felt really basic as a result, they didn't get enough room to develop properly. I wanted to know so much more about them. I also hated how short the chapters were in the second act and how many breaks there were in most of these chapters. It just broke up the story for no reason when I felt it didn't need to.
Spoilers ahead
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content
rainbowpridepin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content and Suicide
kaitlyng's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, and Lesbophobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.75
Thanks to Macmillan Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- AFTERLOVE is, somehow, the Kill Your Gays book I didn't know I needed.
- Ash and Poppy's love story burns fast and bright, and knowing from the first page that Ash was going to die makes it both worse and better.
- I kind of wish this was an adult novel instead of YA so the world and logistics of the reaper system could have been rounded out more. However, the intensity of teenage feelings was perfect for this short and painfully sweet story.
- AFTERLOVE is, somehow, the Kill Your Gays book I didn't know I needed.
- Ash and Poppy's love story burns fast and bright, and knowing from the first page that Ash was going to die makes it both worse and better.
- I kind of wish this was an adult novel instead of YA so the world and logistics of the reaper system could have been rounded out more. However, the intensity of teenage feelings was perfect for this short and painfully sweet story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
ellewg's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Grief, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
magdalena0325's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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
5.0
Dieses Buch… *me, dying bc of a fangirl-attack*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Outing
Minor: Sexual content
foreverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was so sad but also really amazing!
Afterlove is a love story about young teens Ashana Persaud and Poppy Morgan. When the two meet during a chance field trip, they feel sparks fly. A whirlwind romance sweeps them both off their feet. But on New Years Eve, tragedy strikes and Ash is killed. But Ash isn't gone, she's joined a group a reapers who escort the newly deceased to the afterlife. Ash begrudgingly does her job, but she can't forget Poppy, she has to find her.
This book fucking broke my heart. We know going into this book that Ash is going to die. Even though, I was compelled to love these characters. I love seeing Ash meet and fall for Poppy. I loved everything about their relationship. I was destroyed when we finally get to NYE.
The After section was just as compelling. I was so curious to see what would happen to Ash, how the reapers worked and if she'd find Poppy again. I loved these characters so much. The ending was equally sad as the rest of this, but no other ending would've fit for this book. Make sure you read the author's note too because it made everything even MORE emotional. I definitely want to read Byrne's other work after this.
Rep: Indo-Guyanese British lesbian female MC, white British lesbian female love interest, BIPOC hijabi cishet female side character, Indo-Guyanese parents, Indo-Guyanese British female side character, BIPOC female side characters.
CWs: Underage alcohol consumption, child death, death, grief. Moderate: Car accident, drug abuse/death by overdose of minor character, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, outing, sexual content, suicide of minor character, racism, xenophobia.
Afterlove is a love story about young teens Ashana Persaud and Poppy Morgan. When the two meet during a chance field trip, they feel sparks fly. A whirlwind romance sweeps them both off their feet. But on New Years Eve, tragedy strikes and Ash is killed. But Ash isn't gone, she's joined a group a reapers who escort the newly deceased to the afterlife. Ash begrudgingly does her job, but she can't forget Poppy, she has to find her.
This book fucking broke my heart. We know going into this book that Ash is going to die. Even though, I was compelled to love these characters. I love seeing Ash meet and fall for Poppy. I loved everything about their relationship. I was destroyed when we finally get to NYE.
The After section was just as compelling. I was so curious to see what would happen to Ash, how the reapers worked and if she'd find Poppy again. I loved these characters so much. The ending was equally sad as the rest of this, but no other ending would've fit for this book. Make sure you read the author's note too because it made everything even MORE emotional. I definitely want to read Byrne's other work after this.
Rep: Indo-Guyanese British lesbian female MC, white British lesbian female love interest, BIPOC hijabi cishet female side character, Indo-Guyanese parents, Indo-Guyanese British female side character, BIPOC female side characters.
CWs: Underage alcohol consumption, child death, death, grief. Moderate: Car accident, drug abuse/death by overdose of minor character, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, outing, sexual content, suicide of minor character, racism, xenophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Outing
alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Cursing, Racism, Vomit, Car accident, and Alcohol
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
3.25
While I was moved by some of the beautifully devastating sentiments in this novel, the plot didn’t feel as gripping as I imagined it would, and I feel conflicted writing this review. On the one hand, I think there are some issues involving structure and character development. On the other hand, knowing what the author set out to do, I think she accomplished her vision for this piece of work.
Although the premise is paranormal, the content is definitely more contemporary, and the pacing just seems off. The first half of the book is dedicated to the progression of Ash & Poppy’s short yet substantial relationship. The second half ruminates on Ash’s life as a reaper, but not many things of real importance happen, so the remainder of the story feels underwhelming. Also, some of Ash’s reactions feel pretty nonsensical. Even if dying and becoming a grim reaper is a just excuse for disorientation, none of the tension seems to hold much weight. Having a character freak everyone out cause apparently there’s some looming threat that never actually comes to pass or get explored in the slightest… that’s way too obvious a fabrication, in my opinion. As for the characters, Ash is the only one I cared about because she’s the only one I really got to know. The other reapers, Ash’s friend Adara, and even Poppy to be honest, all seem like they're just there for the sake of Ash’s story. But it's still an affecting tale, though.
Every time I read an own voices story about someone from another background, I am reminded of the common ground people of many cultures share. Although I am not Guyanese, I could very much relate to the difference between how people perceive Ash because of her heritage and the person she really is because of it. Some of her family interactions were also achingly familiar to me, but I found much more amusement in reading about the lighter clashes than dealing with them in real life 😹 While Afterlove is in part a cute story about first love, it also touches upon the struggles of teens coming out to parents they expect won’t love and embrace them for them, and feeling used by people they just want to love. Furthermore, it focuses on the experience of losing the ones you love in stages. Because of my own relationship with loss and grief, certain parts sat heavy on my chest. But it was the author’s Acknowledgments that actually made me cry, and I would beg you to read it if you pick up this book. Maybe even read it first…
Although the premise is paranormal, the content is definitely more contemporary, and the pacing just seems off. The first half of the book is dedicated to the progression of Ash & Poppy’s short yet substantial relationship. The second half ruminates on Ash’s life as a reaper, but not many things of real importance happen, so the remainder of the story feels underwhelming. Also, some of Ash’s reactions feel pretty nonsensical. Even if dying and becoming a grim reaper is a just excuse for disorientation, none of the tension seems to hold much weight. Having a character freak everyone out cause apparently there’s some looming threat that never actually comes to pass or get explored in the slightest… that’s way too obvious a fabrication, in my opinion. As for the characters, Ash is the only one I cared about because she’s the only one I really got to know. The other reapers, Ash’s friend Adara, and even Poppy to be honest, all seem like they're just there for the sake of Ash’s story. But it's still an affecting tale, though.
Every time I read an own voices story about someone from another background, I am reminded of the common ground people of many cultures share. Although I am not Guyanese, I could very much relate to the difference between how people perceive Ash because of her heritage and the person she really is because of it. Some of her family interactions were also achingly familiar to me, but I found much more amusement in reading about the lighter clashes than dealing with them in real life 😹 While Afterlove is in part a cute story about first love, it also touches upon the struggles of teens coming out to parents they expect won’t love and embrace them for them, and feeling used by people they just want to love. Furthermore, it focuses on the experience of losing the ones you love in stages. Because of my own relationship with loss and grief, certain parts sat heavy on my chest. But it was the author’s Acknowledgments that actually made me cry, and I would beg you to read it if you pick up this book. Maybe even read it first…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail