I swoon! This was one of the most original and clever romcoms I’ve read in forever and I couldn’t put it down. Imagine being alone in your apartment when you choke on a fast food burger 🍔 and die - with no friends in the world or anyone who would even find you for days? Only to go to the after life and meet your SOUL MATE who wasn’t actually dead and came back to earth.

And then being given the chance to find him and kiss him in order to have a chance to return to life? Who wouldn’t go for that?

This one has every single romance trope you can imagine in it plus the added element of found family. I enthusiastically give it all the stars.

The Good Place Meets the Little Mermaid!

I went into this book with ZERO knowledge of what it was about and I’m so happy about that! This book was fun and different. I thought I knew where the story was going and it went the completely other direction in the best way possible.

The Love of My Afterlife was an absolute delight! 💫 From the first chapter, this quirky, magical, and charming book had me hooked.

Daphne's wild journey begins after she chokes on a microwave hamburger and gets a chance to return to Earth to find her dream man. If she can get him to kiss her within 10 days, she can stay! 💋🕒

The story is filled with wonderfully fun characters: an overeager librarian, an elderly neighbor, an annoyingly cute neighbor, co-workers, new friends and of course her afterlife therapist who set her on this quest.

This story was so fun from start to finish, with a fun romance packed with all the best tropes! 💕✨

Whimsical, Heartwarming, Romantic

Delphie dies a stupid, regrettable death, and wakes up in a laundromat. Her afterlife therapist greets her and then gives her the most depressing version of "This is Your Life," scrolling through all her moments of being bullied, alone, ignored... and then a handsome stranger arrives. They have a Moment, but then he goes back to Earth where he belonged, since he only had a near-death experience, and that's all. Delphie learns that he's one of her five soul mates on Earth, and what terrible luck that she only caught his first name. Her therapist decides to send Delphie on a mission, to find and kiss her soul mate, but she's only got ten days... What follows is Delphie learning more about herself after death than she ever did while she was alive, and finding a group of amazing people around her that she gets to call friends... A long as she doesn't die again.

What a fun and sweet book. You can totally see the romance of it all from a mile away, and it's so well written, it develops exactly right for them. But more than just the romance, Delphie gets to finally start experiencing things in her life that she just hadn't bothered to do before. And she finds the parts of herself that she's let fall to the wayside as she settled into the grind of life, bringing a joy back to herself that had been missing. I love that she finds people for herself that are willing and able to become the new friends she needed.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

This was super cute! Initially it wasn’t what I expected but I ended up liking it a lot and saw where it was going. But there were still a few fun surprises. A fun, sweet read with a romance but also found family!

Delphie is a young woman with so much life to live when she suddenly chokes on a microwave burger and dies. She wakes up in the afterlife wearing her most embarrassing pair of pajamas and meets the love of her life, only he isn’t actually dead and goes back to the real world. She’s given 10 days back with the living and can stay there if she tracks down this man and gets him to kiss her. But her time in the real world doesn’t go as planned.

Okay, hear me out, this premise is bonkers, but this story was so much fun. I loved how this story was all about finding love in surprising places and living life to the fullest. The side characters stole the show and were a highlight of this quirky story. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I went along for the ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. This unique story needs to be on your radar.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

this was so beautiful. it was heartbreaking, hopeful, funny, hot, and everything I could have wanted in a book.

delphie’s story was such a delight. her transformation from lone wolf to a loving community gal was everything. seeing her light up made me so incredibly happy, and seeing her develop such a loving relationship with [redacted] made me so giddy. the banter, tension, and a race against the clock made this such an impeccable story.

magical realism romances stay being that girl!!!!

As I read this witty novel, I kept thinking: this one is going to go over big with readers who love:

1. Second Chance at love tropes.
2. Misunderstandings
3. Star-Crossed Lovers
4. Love Triangles
5. Discussions of the above tropes by the main character as she tries to untangle her messed-up life, and
6. The usual "Impossible Obstacles" to overcome and Herculean hurdles to literally leap while on the path to true love.

I haven't been able to read a romance genre novel for more than a year now, but the second chance at life and love premise of this novel highly intrigued me (as per the blurb: the heroine dies and is sent back to the earthly realm, and then finds herself in a race against merciless time to find her true soulmate!)

Highly recommended! (To say more would be to create too many spoilers, so take my advice and just read this often hilarious romp!)

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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. The premise and implementation of this one are so entertaining as is the London setting, and the shoutouts to other romance authors and novels added to my enjoyment. For fans of stories with a little magical realism and a clever plot.

3.5 Stars

Delphie Bookham thought her life couldn’t get any worse when she died choking on a microwaved hamburger. But when she’s given a second chance in the afterlife - find her soulmate and get him to kiss her within ten days - Delphie finds herself back on Earth and being tested like never before. From unplanned social interactions, befriending her coworkers, and becoming more than friends with her stoic, grumpy downstairs neighbor, Delphie will have to make the ultimate decision before her ten days are up: accept the love she’s found, or give it all up for the love she’s supposed to find.

I thought The Love of My After Life was a cute contemporary romance that had just enough fantasy/paranormal vibes to keep it unique. The whole plot ended up being a solid read for me; while not being anything I’d likely pick up for a reread, Delphie and Cooper were definitely entertaining and I loved to see the growth that our FMC went through, even as she knew her time was counting down.

Delphie was definitely a loner. She spent her adolescence being bullied, and has spent her adult years being ignored or forgotten about by everyone, including her own mother. I felt for Delphie; her second chance was enough to send any introvert to an early grave (again). However, no matter what Delphie was up to, she still fell a bit flat for me. Even the moments that should have been the big, life-altering realizations came off a bit lackluster. As a character, Delphie was more two-dimensional, heavily relying on her coworkers and neighbors to keep her story interesting.

The Love of My After Life had an interesting premise and a colorful cast of supporting characters. I enjoyed Delphie’s journey and her character arc without really enjoying the character herself. The shenanigans she got up to, as well as the characters she grew closer to along the way, kept this story light and entertaining and helped make up for where the character development fell short.

3.5 - 4 Stars

This was cute, charming, and fun, with a delightful premise. Although entirely predictable, that’s not necessarily the worst thing in a romance book. I enjoyed the concept SO much - it was perhaps the most unique part of the book. The secondary characters, although lovable, were kind of a mad libs of quirky, offbeat secondary characters, so they didn’t feel entirely new. The romance was charming, and the final twists weren’t entirely unexpected. I had a good time with this though, and read it in two sittings. I definitely plan to read more from Greenwood!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of The Love of my Afterlife. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This made my heart so happy. I read this one in a day.

This one was a true love story. Kirsty is a genius!
I adored how she gave a shoutout to many of the great romance authors and tropes. All the characters are genuine and I am still thinking about them today.

Delphie is given a second chance at life with one caveat. She must find her soulmate and he must kiss her willingly. Obstacles rear up with increasing frequency and with her (new) future in doubt, Delphie has to make some important decisions.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and to kirsty greenwood for the advanced reader copy of "the love of my afterlife". when i first saw this book, i saw it being marketed as for fans of "the good place", and that is definitely what drew me in. unfortunately, what made me give the book a lower rating is the lack of character development and the rushed plot. i really did feel for delphie though-- greenwood did a stellar job at describing her emotions on such a profound level. while the quirky writing and atmosphere may not be for everyone, it is definitely worth a shot.

I love and hate that she is finally living her life after she got a second chance. A very short strings attached second chance. Really love the chemistry with her and her neighbor. The humor is so good and love the hilarious antics.
It is so fun as she tries to fulfill her end of the deal but just keeps ending up with her neighbor the handsome author.
But in the end that twist and then all that followed. I was not expecting that.
Definitely enjoyed the happily ever after and second chance at life. Also her second chance and adventures merged parts of her life starting new friendships and romances in her wake. So that's always a fun outcome.

Thank you berkleyromance for the gifted copy

It's been a while since I read a book that made me belly laugh.

Love of My Afterlife had me clenching my stomach from laugh induced cramps. There were so many scenes where I vividly pictured the main character Delphie attempting to navigate her time sensitive mission and I just lost it. There is a scene involving poetry reading... once you get to it, you'll know what I'm talking about. Absolutely hilarious.

Apart from the humor, this book had a unique concept that I had a lot of fun with. It allowed for comedic antics and unexpected turns that kept me entertained all the way through. I'm honestly sad that I don't have more pages to read.

I really liked reading about Delphie finding her way into a new walk of life that didn't involve hiding herself from the world. She found strength in herself that she didn't have before her first brush with death and it was loads of fun watching her become the person she was meant to be.

My one critique is that I wish we had more page time with Delphie and her love interest. There could have been more development there that would have made this a 5 star read.

Despite that one thing, I love love loved this book and highly recommend it!

4/5

A recently deceased woman meets "the one" in the afterlife waiting room only to find out he shouldn't be there.

If you enjoy shows like The Good Place, this one is for you! I was so intrigued by the concept of this book - talk about a unique meet cute!. Meeting in the afterlife waiting room! Unfortunately for Delphie, it's not as simple as happily ever afterlife when the man of her dreams is sent back to the land of the living. Luckily, she convinces her spirit therapist to give her a second chance at love and life. If she can find this man and get him to kiss her, of his own accord, in ten days time... she will have everything she wants - a second chance at life and love.

I absolutely LOVED Delphie's journey. She was such a closed off person initially and my heart grew right along with hers as she stepped outside of her emotional walls to form friendships and let people into her life. It was easy to see that she was so guarded due to the relationship (or lack there of) she had with her mother. So it was especially gratifying to see her surround herself with people that loved her, valued her and wanted to be there for her.

This book made my heart happy. It just felt like a big ol' hug and put a smile on my face. It dealt with big topics like death, grief, family, friendship and love in such a heartwarming and often funny way that it never felt heavy. Highly recommend!

Magical realism is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I typically read at least a couple every year -- and they usually surprise me (in a good way)! I really loved how this story begins. The whole concept was super fun and very unique!

Some of Delphie's decisions while she's chasing after her soulmate drove me crazy -- and I was expecting to be more in love with the main characters' romantic connection. However, I actually found myself more interested in the side plots. I really loved the found family, and the plot twist really got me! This was such a fun book and definitely worth the read.

A little late to the party with this feedback but I had SO much fun with this novel.

I pretty much couldn’t stop reading once I picked it up. Only work got in the way, and then I stayed up till like 11pm one night binging it.

I cried!! This one made me SO emotional. I loved watching Delphie realize how much she needed a community and how much she missed out on. Her character development was some of the best I’ve seen in a while!!

The romance was surprising but in a good way. Based on the synopsis I genuinely thought that’s where I the plot was going to go, but I was pleasantly fooled! Even with that plot twist at the end I did NOT see that coming. Absolutely baffled I did not pick up on that.

Either way, this was one of the goofiest romantic comedies that I have ever read and it was…god it was laughable. Every time Delphie’s plans went wrong and the most batshit crazy shit happened to her…it was so entertaining.

Pick this one up if you need a good laugh or a good cry!

This was everything. It had me giggling in the beginning, swooning throughout, and nearly crying by the end. This was one of the best character developments in a romance book that I have read in a long time. At times I found Delphie to be unlikeable but I was rooting for her so hard and having her grow into herself the way she does was truly wonderful. For me the star of the show was Merritt and her story was so freakin special too (IYKYK). Oh and sweet Mr. Yoon, what a treasure. This story wasn’t what I expected but I loved truly every single moment. This is magical realism romance done right and so freakin well. A prickly loner type as the star of a romance isn’t what I would normally expect for the main character but man, did it make the story hit extra hard.

Thank you Berkley for the e-arc

5/5 stars

Thank you Berkley Pub for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Delphie just had the most embarrassing moment of her life... good thing it was the last moment of her life, too. After choking to her death on a microwavable burger, she's shocked to wake up in heaven's waiting room and even more shocked to be staring into the eyes of a man that is certainty her soulmate. When a romance-obsessed afterlife therapist offers Delphie the chance to return to Earth to find this man and, possibly, stay alive, she takes it. With only 10 days to find her soulmate in a city of millions, Delphie has to approach her second chance at life completely differently than she did her first.

I LOVED this book. Magical realism + romance is a perfect combination in my mind, and this book is the reason why!! There is something so beautiful and, dare I say, ~magical~ about a little bit of cosmic intervention in romance. Delphie was an amazing character to follow along; she was flawed and real and raw at times and so relatable. There were certainly some very, very cringe moments in her search for Jonah, but that just made her even more real.

I can't quite explain it but this book healed something in me. As a person generally scared of death, this brought levity to the concept and added a delightful twist that, despite being fictional, made the reality feel so much less scary. Love is around us in so many ways that we become immune to or blind to, just like Delphie, and watching her notice all of this love around her throughout the book was a beautiful experience.

I truly loved this book. The romance was believable and sexy. Each character brought something important to the table and watching Delphie's character develop was so satisfying. Her hijinks were entertaining and there were moments in this book that held so much beauty and warmth, I cried. Honestly, no notes.