4.5 🌟
this was such a heartwarming read. i love a romance book that not only has a sweet romance with a lot of the tropes i like (fake dating, found family, grumpyxgrumpy), but also one that conveys such a beautiful message about life and this did just that.

i felt so many different emotions while reading. so many messages about life and community and finding your way were executed in such a comforting way. the romance was adorable, but what i really ate up was the found family that gets established and it made me so happy to read.

without giving too much away, this was a really great read for me and something that i think has great potential to be adapted.

thank you NetGalley, Berkeley and Kirsty Greenwood for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

I absolutely loved this book! It's a mix between The Good Place and a chick flick. I read this while we were on vacation in one afternoon of sitting out by the pool deck. I laughed, I cried, I loved the found family aspect in the book as well and all the sides characters are special and endearing in their own ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC! The Love of My Afterlife by Kristy Greenwood follows Delphi who after adolescent betrayal and trauma, has closed herself off from most close relationships with others. But faced with sudden death and a sad look back on her life, Delphi meets a wonderful, handsome man in the afterlife (Jonas), but quickly loses him when they discover his time isn't up. To make up for her rough luck in life (and the afterlife), Delphie is given the chance to go back and if she can get Jonas to kiss her of his own free will but she will only have 10 days back on earth to find him, woo him, and get that kiss. Upon her return to life, Delphie enlists the help of her neighbor (and enemy) and as they seek out Jonas, Delphie begins to realize that living (and forming bonds with others) might not be as bad as she feared. Quirky, sweet and fun with a great cast of supporting characters, The Love of My Afterlife is sure to win over the hearts of readers and have them rooting for Delphie!

This was so so good! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!

This story made me laugh and cry so much. Delphie was such a fun fmc to follow. I loved the change she went through and that what happened made her realize that she has to change something in her life to actually live it. Loved the side characters so much and the role they played in Delphies life.

I loved the addition of romance novel tropes and the mentioning of popular authors.
This was so so fun and I actually laughed out loud a couple times.

Cooper and Delphie were so good together and their banter was amazing!

I loved the little twists and maybe I should have but I didn’t see them coming. I also really enjoyed the message this portrayed and how this book got deep whilst still being fun and lighthearted.

Definitely a win for me because I found a new favorite 5 star book! Highly recommend!!

**This book will be published on 07/02/2024!**
I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

Delphie dies while eating a hamburger. A HAMBURGER? Yes. What a sad way to die, but the thing is nobody will probably even notice because she has isolated herself from people, besides her neighbor, Mr. Yoon. Delphie wakes up in the Afterlife, which creepily looks like a laundromat. After talking to Merritt, her Afterlife Therapist, a man shows up. Not just any man, but Delphie's soulmate. But Merritt sends him back to the living because he wasn't supposed to actually be dead. Delphie and Merrit end up striking a deal that allows Delphie the chance to find her soulmate, amongst the living. If she can find him and get him to kiss her within 10 days, she gets to stay alive. Will Delphie be able to find her soulmate, by only knowing his first name and his looks?

OMG what a cute book! This book had me laughing out LOUD on so many different occasions! The comedy in this was hilarious and I really enjoyed it. The story as a whole was super cute and an interesting concept. The author did a great job of wrapping things up with a nice bow to end the story. If you want a book with [almost] all the romance tropes and want a good laugh, then I think you'd really enjoy this one!

Such a sweet and funny book. I loved the cast of characters, and how Delphie gradually grew out of her shell and went for it making friends and going out of her comfort zone!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy via NetGalley!

For me, this was a slow start. But also just quirky enough to catch my interest and keep me turning pages. I am so glad that I did. When Delphie gets a second chance to find her soulmate (or she dies), life is flipped upside down. She is forced to engage in life and with people in ways that she never has before.

What I loved most is the surprises that the author pulled off. In rom coms, the cadence and pattern is usually so expected that we don't get truly unexpected moments. But I found myself surprised and delighted more than once. I loved watching growth in all the characters, but particularly in Delphie and in Cooper. The ending resolved well. The romance was so good. I am here for it.

What makes you belly over laughing?

For me it’s people farting or falling.

I know, I’m awful.

We’re supposed to ask if they are ok, or just politely walk away if someone farts but I mean come on man, I can’t do it. It’s hilarious.

If I fart or fall I promise, you can laugh.

Do you want to know what else had me bellied over laughing?

The Love of My Afterlife

I was late to the gate when it came to the Kirsty Greenwood, craze but once I got my hands on The Love of My Afterlife, and my fate was sealed…

(I also just binge read the entire backlog and hung on her every word)

Greenwood, instantly became auto buy...

If she writes it, I’ll read it.

This jazzy little number right here will have your heart swelling and giggling out loud.

I get it now, Kirsty Greenwood is “lit”.

Five Stars

Check out this teaser :

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…

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…

I enjoyed this reading this one and it ended up surprising me after I thought I had it all figured out. A feel-good story of self-discovery and second chances. Don't read too much about this one ahead of time!

Delphie dies and meets her Afterlife Therapist, Merritt. Merritt agrees to send Delphie back to Earth if she can track down her potential soul mate and kiss him within the next ten days. Otherwise, she has to die again for good and spend eternity helping Merritt test an afterlife dating app. This challenge helps Delphie open up and get out of her hermit-y life and live more in ten days than she has in her whole life.

This was a little corny at the start, but the sweet ending made me tear up a little bit. After an awkward start, the romance eventually gets more believable. I love a romance that’s about more than just the couple. This one includes a big quirky cast of side characters that fill Delphie’s second life and lead to a heartwarming ending. It plays with literally all the romance tropes in a way that's a little forced but ends up adding a lot of fun.

I just finished "The Love of My Afterlife" by Kirsty Greenwood, and honestly, it was a rollercoaster ride that I didn't know I needed! Imagine kicking the bucket because of a burger, and next thing you know, you're making deals in the afterlife to find your supposed soulmate back on Earth. Sounds crazy, right? But Delphie's journey from the afterlife to chasing down a guy she barely knows in London is as hilarious as it is heartwarming.

Delphie's quest isn't just about finding a guy; it's a deep dive into life itself, discovering love, friendship, and the kind of laughter that makes your belly hurt. The book's zany antics and Delphie's growth from a recluse to someone truly living her life, albeit on borrowed time, had me rooting for her from the get-go. It's quirky, packed with lovable characters, and honestly, it's the kind of feel-good book that leaves you with a silly grin and a lighter heart.

So if you're up for a wild ride with a dash of romance and a sprinkle of life lessons, "The Love of My Afterlife" might just be your next favorite read. I’m already waiting impatiently to see if Kirsty Greenwood can top this with her next book!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own,

Delphie is choking on a burger one minute and them she’s dead…but conscious in the afterlife.. After Delphie momentarily meets her soulmate, she makes a bargain with her romance book crazy “transition therapist” Merritt….let her go back to being alive, find and kiss her soulmate within 7 days and she will be able to live. If she doesn’t, she comes back to the afterlife and stays dead. Her zany efforts to find and kiss an unknown guy in London lead Delphie on a journey of self discovery, love and acceptance. This is an original and delightful story about love, loss and moving on.

Full of humor and romantic tropes, The Love of My Afterlife is a series of laugh-out-loud mishaps of to find The One.

While I found the premise a bit over the top—Delphie chokes to death and arrives in Evermore's waiting room where Merritt, in charge while her bosses are away, gives Delphie ten days back on Earth to find the man she just had a meet-cute with and get him to kiss her—I really enjoyed what happened in pursuit of that goal. It's pretty obvious where the story is going once Delphie's downstairs neighbor Cooper is introduced as a real-world romantic foil to the idea of Jonah, but watching Delphie hilariously struggle to locate Jonah mixed with her finally letting her guard down enough to make friends made for a great story.

However, Merritt is romance-obsessed, and Greenwood uses that as a license to name-drop multiple contemporary authors (which took me out of the story) and numerous romantic tropes (which simply highlighted what she herself was utilizing in the story). I also found the last 10% too cloying. I get that Delphie literally dying would probably make her grateful to be alive, but there was a way to write the last act while keeping the tempo and tone established by the majority of the novel. Instead, Greenwood made the whole thing feel like a Hallmark movie.

Woman chokes on a hamburger and dies only to meet her soulmate in heaven. When an error sends him back to Earth, she's given 10 days to find him again and get him to kiss her. Knowing only his first name, she embarks on a journey of self-awareness that she could have never predicted. A sweet, funny romantic comedy that I found hard to put down.

This was enjoyable and entertaining. I liked the story line very much. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

I did not love this story. I think the main reason is that I never liked the female MC. She was a bit too over the top for me. I have read other books with a female MC who was a real mess, but this was just too much for me. I liked the male MC a lot more, but I couldn't really get his motivation for wanting to be with her. I felt the supernatural element did not add a lot to the story either.
I would still recommend this with reservations to readers of romantic comedy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was just the type of rom-com I was looking for! I love Delphie! While it does cover some heavy topics it tends to balance out with humor and sarcasm from the characters, who they themselves are just as wonderful and loveable on their own. I feel like the lesson we can get from this book is don’t wait around to live your life, no better time than the present!

The Love of My Afterlife is a fun rom-com that will appeal to those who are fans of the genre. There's more to it, though. While the book is entertaining and funny, it also provides a very real opportunity for reflection and consideration of the nature of loneliness and isolation. It does so without being in any way preachy or depressing and that's a refreshing way to look at such topics. While I did tire of seeing a few too many uses of "jeez" and "noooo" in the book, these were minor annoyances and are likely solely on me as my problem and not the author's---perhaps a generational difference?

I will be recommending the book to readers who I know love rom-coms, but also to those who enjoy thought-provoking material. I loved that the book had a Heaven Can Wait feel to it as well as hints of TJ Klune with respect to loving people where they are and for who they are, not because you believe you can change them. I did figure out who Em was probably before the author intended, but that in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

I'm a big fan of any novel with afterlife elements and this one did not disappoint! The protagonist was hilariously awkward to the point that I found myself laughing out loud at several of her attempts at social interaction. She wasn't particularly relatable and it didn't always add up that so many of the characters wanted to be her friend despite her antisocial attitude, but I did appreciate her transformation throughout her journey. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the supporting characters and their zany antics. Although the ending wasn't entirely unpredictable, there was still a plot point or two I didn't see coming. I could absolutely see this being made into a sitcom and I would watch the heck out of it! I intend to read more from this author in the future.

I thought this was a clever premise, I loved the red herring of the man in the afterlife and the idea that life is what happens when you’re doing something else. I thought the afterlife portion was just charming and ironic enough without being too much and too pushy. The one thing that rang a little false was that before the accident the FMC was too alone, too uninvolved, too much of a loser. I get the point and what the author is trying to do, but she went overboard a bit. I wanted a main character who was sheltered and naive but not such a loser.