Katie Bayerl’s What Comes After transports readers to Paradise Gate, a quirky and unsettling afterlife where sixteen-year-old Mari has ninety days to unravel the mystery of her untimely death and confront her fraught relationship with her mother, Faye. Darkly humorous and thought-provoking, the novel delves into themes of forgiveness, grief, and the complexities of family bonds. Younger readers, especially those who have experienced strained parental relationships, may find Mari’s journey particularly relatable.

At its heart, the story is one of self-discovery and healing. Mari is a resilient and compelling protagonist, determined to make peace with her past. Through her perspective, Bayerl masterfully explores the tension between love and resentment, capturing the raw emotions of a mother-daughter relationship marked by both deep wounds and unbreakable ties.

The world of Paradise Gate is richly imagined, offering a satirical take on purgatory with its grief scarves, vibe trackers, and cryptic lessons on ascension. These clever details add levity to the novel’s heavier themes, though the pacing occasionally lags, particularly after the revelation of Mari’s death. Still, the intrigue of Paradise Gate and Mari’s rebellious spirit keep the story engaging.

Fans of The Good Place will appreciate the novel’s blend of dark comedy and heartfelt introspection. While the plot could be tighter, What Comes After is a unique and reflective take on the afterlife, weaving humor, mystery, and emotion into a captivating exploration of unfinished business, second chances, and the enduring pull of family.

When thinking about life after death, most consider heaven, hell, or purgatory. For Mari, it's purgatory, but she lands in an unlikely place that resembles a competitive reality show. This is definitely not "The Lovely Bones." Bayerl gives voice to Mari, a sassy, cynical, almost-17-year-old now living in a state of confusion alongside her also-dead mother. They, along with other non-believers, have arrived in Last Chance Purgatory—a place where things can be made right. Or can they? She's in Paradise Gate, where her tasks seem closer to mundane dullness than anything else. And then there's Jethro—attractive, boyfriend-worthy, and a total bad boy. What's a girl to do? This rollicking romp will answer readers' need for lightness during times of grief and confusion. Intended for the YA audience, anyone looking for a laugh will love "What Comes After."

Recommended for book clubs, YA audiences, and all who enjoy a good read.

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from NetGalley and Penguin in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.

it's definitely for fans of the good place, because the setting is very similar. mari is an interesting protag, but the story overaall feels a bit flat. 3 stars. tysm for the arc.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wanted to like this novel much more than I did. I did connect with Mari and Faye right away, but the story itself was a lot to follow, and repetitive. I feel like the premise was good, but some things were over explained while other things were glossed over.

I requested this book because it reminded me of Heaven Looks A Lot Like A Mall, which is a book I recently reread as an adult a few years ago. Upon a reread I felt it was lacking and pretty forgettable. I think this book is in the same vein but there’s a little bit more meat to the story. However it did not need to be over 400 pages

I love when YA novels tackle serious subject like this one because it gives the reader a bit of a lighter entrance into what could be a very dark subject. I was very interested in the blurb of this book and I found the plot to be very interesting and unlike a lot of books that I have been reading lately so it was a nice change of pace for me. When our main character Marni dies before she can move forward she is told that she must finish her business, and make amends with her mother as well as figure out how she died. Like a lot of people were saying I was also getting "a good place" vibe from this story however that was not an unpleasant experience because I loved that show. I liked how we as a reader we left trying to figure out everything along with our main character. I loved our main character Marnie and I found her very well written. I loved how we got to see her struggle in what should have been a perfect world. Not only was she super realistic but I also enjoyed her sarcastic attitude it really painted the picture of her as a believable angsty teenage girl. This was a quick read however it was still super captivating. What I didn't like to much about this book however was there wasn't too much character development. I found a lot of them to be a bit two dimensional and dry at times, and the story took a while before I really felt immersed in it. Great concept and characters however not the best delivery, however I'm sure I'm not the target demographic for this story.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

As a girl who had watched The Good Place way more many times than healthy (gimme any episode and i can quote it) when I saw “For fans of The Good Place” I knew I had to read it and What Comes Next did not disappoint! Mari had me on the edge of my seat and every twist took me out! I couldn’t put it down! Incredible world building and characters that you can’t help but love. A fun and engaging story!

Mari is cynical and stuck in the afterlife trying to figure out how she died and make peace with her mother. I think that this book has a lot of potential that was just confused by the rules of the "afterlife". It felt like rules popped up or bent or changed based on what was convenient to the story which made everything confusing to follow. Sometimes it felt like a ton was happening and then there were long stretches where nothing was happening. The backstory with her mom felt really repetitive and didn't really give the entire emotional arc a chance to get off the ground before throwing in a non-relevant romance.

While this was a super interesting concept it just didn't feel like it was fully conceived. I think that this book does do some good with the talk surrounding healthy boundaries and the importance of self-reflection but overall just wasn't fully developed.

DNF at 9%.

I got the arc for this but unfortunately it’s suuuuuuper boring? The concept of the afterlife in this is that all religious people get to go to their respective religious places but the people who aren’t religious are stuck in a limbo area that 3 random souls developed into a “Good Place” like area where they gain points to rank up to get to a better afterlife.

It’s boring. 😑 And I don’t like that it shifts to “before” sections but the one we already got was even MORE boring than the After. No thank you. 🙂‍↔️

This was a unique read. Our protagonist is snarky, sarcastic and honest. She gives an authenticity to the novel.
As we explore what comes after, we are forced to think about our own beliefs and ideas of what that looks like. And for the target audience I think this is a clever way to do that.

A good read slow to start

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this review copy and the opportunity !

I loved how original this book was. I read a lot, and usually the books tend to blend together, but this one stuck out. I liked the characters and how they were developed, and I loved how this book was humorous, even with the darker overall subject matter. I would definitely recommend this to other people.

What Comes follows 16-year-old Mari in Paradise Gate, an afterlife where the dead work through unfinished business. The concept reminiscent of The Good Place focus on Mari’s rocky relationship with her mom. It’s an interesting story, though it doesn’t always stay on track.

The pacing felt uneven, especially after Mari’s death is revealed, and the romantic subplot didn’t feel necessary. Even so, the characters felt real, and Mari’s sarcastic humor kept things fun. It’s not perfect, but it’s worth checking out if you like stories about the afterlife with a mix of emotion and comedy.
Thank you netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Nancy Paulsen Books for this e-arc.

I enjoyed this book. It took me a little bit to get into the story, but I found myself very engaged in the second half. I liked the way the internal arcs developed, especially Mari’s growth. I really felt for her and her mom’s relationship. I liked what happened in the end and the way all the character’s stories wrapped up.

I really couldn’t connect with this story, but if you are a YA reader who loves the show “The Good Place”. I recommend checking it out. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the E-ARC.

In this darkly comical, heartfelt novel, a cynical sixteen-year-old girl has only ninety days to remember how she died and finally make peace with her mother to escape spending eternity adrift in a vast nothingness. For fans of Adam Silvera and The Good Place.

No one could be more disappointed about Mari’s sudden death than Mari, herself. And if she ever thought about the afterlife, she certainly didn’t think it would be a suburban enclave called Paradise Gate or that the biggest problem to plague her in life would follow her into the great beyond: her recently deceased mother, Faye. But that is exactly who greets her when Mari opens her eyes in the In Between—where the newly dead with no religious affiliation come to work out the unfinished business of their lives so they can ascend to whatever’s next.

Mari realizes quickly Faye is her unfinished business and in order to ascend and join her loving grandparents, she’ll have to make peace with and forgive her dysfunctional mother for being no mother at all But there’s too much to forgive: never holding down a steady job, never having a stable home, Mari having to constantly change schools and in the end, Faye choosing her criminal boyfriend over Mari.

It's a lot to sort through, but Mari tries to keep her eye on the ball—attending classes at the Center like Youga and sending grief scarves sailing in Expressive Arts to move her vibe tracker from an angry unsettled red to an ascend-worthy green—all the while trying to remember how she died and deal with Faye, who, of course, is in danger of being kicked out of Paradise Gate altogether. But then Mari discovers in addition to mother drama, there’s even friend drama and boy drama to be found in the afterlife and none are good for her vibes. Even worse is the suspicion that Paradise Gate isn’t at all what it purports to be...and revolution may be afoot.

Loved it. Will recommend to others

This is very very similar to The Good Place, I love the idea but I feel it could have tried to be a little more original. However I liked the dark but comedic tone and I liked the main character

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Group for this ARC What Comes Next by Katie Bayerl.
Story starts with Mari who finds herself dead and in an afterlife simulator. The other definitely watched The Good Place and took a lot out of there. Basically the dead people have to earn points to get to eternal bliss….Mari and her mother Faye are both there navigating their strained relationship. There is skepticism regarding the point system and the accessions. This book for me dragged on far to king and was a tough finish. Just seemed like a Temu version of The Good Place.

Welcome to Paradise Gate, this is where Mari, who is dead, wakes up at.
To ascend though she must earn points and to do so, she has to go to classes and maintain status quo. It’s also where she meets her mother, who died a couple months before her.
I felt the story had a good idea but, I just couldn’t follow it or the plot. I will say the book does deal with morality and mother-daughter relationships in a very heart warming way but, it just wasn’t for me.