Though I disagree strongly with Ash's view on wind farms (i mean those are so cool,) I loved this book. I really enjoyed how this book had a clearly established romance and characters before we got into the grim reaper business. The side characters were interesting. Ash and Poppy were an adorable couple, full of swoon-worthy moments and touching realism about queerness, religion, and race. My only complaint with this book is that some things weren't tied completely up, i.e. what was Deborah up to/ her job. Overall, this book was a super cute, sad, ya sapphic book.

Afterlove is a heartbreaking novel about first loves, last chances, and what life and love look like after death.

Byrne has a wonderfully lyrical voice! This is the first novel I've read from her and it pulled me in immediately with the premise and prose. There is a cadence to her writing and tone that kept me hooked as I read about Ash and Poppy falling so deeply and quickly in love. I adored the way that Ash was set up as a character, but I really found myself falling just as hard for Poppy after seeing her through Ash's rose-colored glasses in the first half of the book.

The concept of this book is incredible: a first love and death too soon, but the writing for a teen audience really hindered this book. Choosing to make this young adult felt like it was chasing the high of other similar titles but it didn't feel like it handled new concepts well enough to make it stand out. I really loved the way that the Reapers had a world of their own that they lived in, from the shadowy descriptions of their appearance to the literal Greek mythology being true as Charon ferried souls, but I can't help but wish there was more explained to set the reapers apart from just being a plot device and flesh them out farther. I was also so terribly sad that we never got to see or hear about Ash's family and the response they had to her death. It felt like it was missing a pivotal part of her grief process and hindered my overall enjoyment of this book.

As I read the before section, I realized why we got essentially two novels split and then put together. I'll be honest, I desperately wished the chapters had taken turns going back and forth with before and after. I feel like it would have helped the slow pacing throughout the entire novel. We know Ash dies - why does the first half of the book build up to a point we know from the very first chapter? I feel like it robs the emotional impact to read all about Ash and Poppy's love without being able to see Ash's current struggles until the latter half of the novel. I also found myself annoyed when I realized that the prologue we get with Ash and Alice Anderson is the exact same writing in chapter eleven in "After" - I didn't need to reread this moment of Ash's first reaping, and I wish that instead the book had picked up with chapter twelve for the "After" section and cut out the entire ten chapters prior.

Overall, Afterlove was an incredibly premise that just missed the mark for me. I wanted to love this book for so many reasons, personal and otherwise, but it just didn't tell the story I hoped for. I do think Ash and Poppy's story is a great one, and I'm excited to pick up more of Byrne's writing in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

I love their love, and I love the way Tanya Byrne has written these two characters. You can really feel their connection as the story goes by!

The writing in AFTERLOVE by Tanya Byrne is strong and some of the descriptions are particularly lyrical. However, in all honesty, I won't be proactively bringing this to my high school writing students. If a student's project touches on similar themes or a use of the underworld, I'll definitely recommend AFTERLOVE.

- 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.

I gave this book a two star rating, this book wasn’t for me. It fell flat for me and it was hard to continue to choose to pick it back up.

Byrne’s Afterlove is a bittersweet story of first love and loss. It explores the possibilities of what happens when we die but love remains. The writing is lovely and flows so effortlessly. It made me wistful, recalling first love as Ash experienced it with Poppy. Byrne does a wonderful job presenting first love here--fast and exciting, a flurry of emotions. The transition into the second half is a heartbreaking one as Ash tries to adjust to the afterlife.

This new world is not overly complicated nor does it feel overwhelming. It’s familiar, but Byrne adds different rules to distinguish this afterlife to make it her own. As Ash tries to come to terms with her new status, she continues to pine away for Poppy with little thought about her family. It was disappointing that Ash spent so little time thinking of her family when they were an important part of her life.

I was drawn to Afterlove because of the paranormal element of the love story, how love could live on even in death. With its focus on Ash and Poppy’s love for each other, the book successfully delivers a tragic paranormal romance. Unfortunately, I could not help but feel bereft due to the lack of closure with Ash’s family. I recommend the book individuals who enjoy paranormal romances and those who like sapphic reads.

It's sad, but in the best way somehow. It's kind of a heavy read but incredibly hopeful and heart warming.

The concept of this book was so unique! I love lesbian grim reapers and the way this book tackles life and death.

Unfortunately, I think the romance in this book suffers from some insta-love. Somehow the first half of the book dragged, but also didn’t provide much to make me feel invested in the love story.

I also think this book reads quite young. I love YA novels, but the writing in this one was not for me. Had I read this as a teenager, I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more.

For that reason, I’m giving this 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4!

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully narrated. I fell in love with our main characters, Ash and Poppy. Both as a couple and as individuals. Their love story is so sweet and wholesome, I loved seeing it come together. It's a beautiful romance. The first part of the book was the best.

This book was beautiful. It had lyrical writing, an incredible and engaging plot, and characters that felt real and flawed. I think this book should be on everyone's TBR, and especially if you're on the hunt for some more sapphic longing representation, THIS needs to be your next read!

*3.5 stars rounded up
I have very mixed feelings on this book, but it's almost entirely due to the file type and the fact that I had to read it entirely on my phone. I'm a fanfiction girly, but it wasn't fun.
First up, our lovely characters. We basically have four main characters: Ash, Poppy, Esen, and Dev. Ash and Poppy are the MC and LI respectively, but I honestly liked Esen and Dev more. However, you really have a sense of them all. The book felt airy when it was just Ash and Poppy, but more as a vibe than a quality if that makes sense? I don't have much to say here as the focus was the romance and philosophy around it and the thing I had problems with was the plot.
Next as always, romance. This is insta-love, but there's a lot of development to it. However, I still just didn't feel very connected to Poppy and Ash? I liked them as a couple and didn't want them to be separated, but I also felt really disconnected from them throughout the whole book, especially compared to how easy it was to connect with Ash as a POV character. They make a good couple, but I was more immersed in Ash's journey after death than her relationship with Poppy.
Finally, our plot, worldbuilding, pacing, etc. This was where I took issue with some things. The plot itself was really interesting, but I hated the pacing. This book took me TEN DAYS. I'm a speedreader and it's a contemporary novel 400 pages long, and it took me ten days. Part of that is due to the fact that it was on my phone and I've been busy, but this still felt so off. In terms of Before and After, I felt like everything was relevant, but there was still too much Before. The buildup to Ash's death takes months, but Poppy dies literally two weeks later. It was so weird to me because I understand that part of it was their romance, but the pacing of it threw me off a lot. I still enjoyed the book, especially the second half, but it was strange.
Overall, I'd still recommend this book to fans of tragic romance and insta-love. The tropes weren't my usual thing (I'm truly just not an insta-love gal), but I liked everything except the timeline of it. This was both sad and enjoyable: the two things everyone on BookTok looks for.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group-- Laura Godwin Books, and author Tanya Byrne for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I was really excited about this book because the premise seemed intriguing, but unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I liked the idea of a teenage grim reaper, and I did enjoy the chapters where it went more into the "process" of Ash fulfilling her duties. However, the majority of the book was just on her relationship with Poppy instead of her struggles inside or outside of death. I did not feel the connection between them, which could have been because this is a YA book. It read more like an obsessive crush to me rather than actual "true love", making it hard for me to fully commit to the story. I wanted to see more of Ash's best friend and sister from home, as well as the other reapers. Each of these girls were set up to be interesting characters that unfortunately faded into the background when their only purpose ended up being there to support Ash's and Poppy's relationship. The ending felt a bit rushed and harried, and for me personally, there were just too many loose ends that were not explained in terms of the magical realism examples. Overall, this was a very creative idea that lacked the proper execution for this mid-20s lesbian reader.

I read this book when it was originally released, and I loved every minute of it. I think the concept of death and afterlife was establish and followed through with very well, I've seen a lot of books where the concept is executed poorly. Thank you for the arc!

This was a really unique book and while I really loved the romance in this book but it was really rough for me. This book is beautiful and the romance is great but the subject can make this hard to read. I found myself in tears at several places.
I would definitely recommend this book just be aware that it can be heavy. It's sweet and beautiful and will definitely make you feel all the feels.

Oh man did this book wreck me!

When I finished Afterlove I was going to give it 4 stars – it’s well-written, interesting, and I had few complaints.
…But everything changed when I read the author’s acknowledgements.

Not only is this book a solid queer YA romance, but this book is part of the author’s journey to heal from losing a loved one after a prolonged illness. This hit me in the feels and really resonates with me/my current lived experience.

Afterlove, to me, is like one of those lenticular images – you see one picture, but once you look at it from a different angle, it’s a completely different image. The first image is a cutesy queer YA love story. The second image is much more nuanced and profound, a story:

-of how once you lose someone, your life is divided into “before” and “after” the loss.
-about love in life, death, and beyond.
-that asks the question “How do you spend time together when you know the end is near?”
-that makes you realize heaven is more time with your loved ones (and since that’s the case, heaven truly is a place on Earth)
-with a clever title! Afterlife -> Afterlove

I highly recommend this book, especially if you’ve lost (or are losing) someone you love slowly. It will leave you feeling moved, seen, and hopeful.

This was such a unique book.

Ash Persaud meets and falls in love with Poppy and I loved reading about their romance and their relationship. I kind of forgot about the premise of the book until I was well into the book.

I loved Ash's family and her relationship with her sister. I kind of wish her family and friend were acknowledged in the “After” part a little bit more since they were talked about more during the "Before". I was curious to see how they were living life at that point.

I would’ve loved more about Esen and Dev and maybe even knowing more about their backgrounds. They were such interesting characters and I enjoyed their parts in the story.

This is a rounded-up 3.5 ⭐️ for me.

Got an eArc on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how atmospheric and beautiful the writing of this book was. I loved how beautiful the love story was, and really appreciated how this book had no third act conflict that swooped in to ruin this beautiful relationship. I did feel like this had a big build up to the main plot of the story and I wish that it was used for more of a slow burn build up to the main romance of this book rather than having it be very insta-lovey. This book definitely had more of an atmospheric and big picture type of plot rather than being action packed, which I was anticipating since it is a fantasy YA book, but I wasn't disappointed by how things played out. I wish more was explained of the ending, but other than that really enjoyed my time reading this book

DNF 8%

The writing is compelling and the premise of this is fascinating, but I don’t think I’m in the place to enjoy this. As much as I’m interested in this story of a reaper reconnecting with the living person she loved, this is hitting some uncomfortable brain spots for me. I think it has a lot of potential and I may try again when I’m in a different mental space, but right now this isn’t the book for me.

Unfortunately, this is another book where the synopsis had me hyped to read it, but it ultimately fell short.

The pacing in this book was definitely an issue. You read in the synopsis that Ash dies, her becoming a grim reaper is the point of the book, but it wasn't until almost the halfway point that that actually hit and the actual story could begin. And before that, while seeing her relationship with Poppy develop was fun and adorable, it was also insta-lovey because the author was trying to get to Ash's death (somewhat) quickly.

Ash finds Poppy and wants to protect her from dying, and we learn that Deborah, the person in charge of the reapers, knows a lot that the reapers don't about the afterlife, and she seems to be this all-knowing person. We establish that there would be serious consequences for Ash, and her reaper friends, if they're discovered to have told Poppy about reapers and that her death is coming. But ultimately, none of those punishments occur, and somehow Deborah never finds about Ash trying to prevent Poppy's death. If she was all-knowing, how did she not learn that? And if no consequences were going to occur, why was it a plot point to begin with? Why didn't they just support it, and make the book focus more on the romance?

All in all, I just wanted more. There was a setup for this to be a very complex and interesting world, but with the time jumps, even after Poppy's death, we learn almost nothing about it and are left with more questions than answers.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.