Kirsty Greenwood
Quick Synopsis
A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up…
Publisher’s Synopsis
If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.
As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.
When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…
Book Review
The Love of My Afterlife is a paranormal romance about a sheltered woman, Delphie, who chokes on a microwave burger and finds herself in Evermore with a crazy woman who explains that she is Delphie’s afterlife therapist, Merritt. As Delphie tries to process her own death, another visitor arrives in Evermore and instantly connects with Delphie. The only problem is Delphie’s soulmate is there by mistake during a dental cleaning and must be sent back to earth. Delphie makes a bet with Merritt, who is a big romcom fan (and also a bit bored with her job), that she can find the man in real life and get him to kiss her by his own freewill within 10 days… or be sent back to Evermore.
After finishing the last page of The Love of My Afterlife, I immediately texted all my romance reading friends to tell them this book is “an absolute f*#$ing delight” and I cannot recommend it enough. In fact, I stayed up until 3 am to finish the book, work be damned.
The Love of My Afterlife is one of the cleverest books I have read in recent memory. Kirsty Greenwood created an afterlife world that is fun, cheeky, and inventive. (As someone who is not a Swiftie, I am willfully overlooking the clear reference.) Within 35 pages, readers are treated to the full world-building. As a someone who does not read much fantasy, I appreciated this quick and succinct immersion. It generated so much excitement that I had to pause reading to immediately explain it to those around me.
I do not want to dive into The Love of My Afterlife‘s plot and ruin anything for readers. So let me simply say that it is a novel packed with a ton of fun, and my face hurt from smiling while reading it. This story is more than your typical romance. Delphie undergoes great character growth, connects with those around her, and forms a found family of misfits all while going on a highly entertaining romp around London. In what feels like a love letter to readers, Greenwood also packs in nods to the romance novel zeitgeist, allusions to common romance tropes, and an overarching theme of living your life to its fullest.
The characters in The Love of My Afterlife are both lovable and memorable. Every character that plays a major part in the plot is well fleshed out and distinct. Together the secondary characters help Delphie to discover a love for life itself and all the joys that accompany building interpersonal connections.
Overall, The Love of My Afterlife is one of the sweetest, most life-affirming stories I have read in ages. As I described to my friends, I think this novel is an absolute delight that should not be missed. In today’s world, we all can use a warm hug of a book, which Greenwood keenly delivers.
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