Delphie Bookham died at the age of 27, choking on a microwave hamburger. Who will miss her? No one really. Maybe Mr Yoon, her elderly upstairs neighbour whom she checks on every day to make sure he hasn’t burnt his flat down by leaving the stove on but other than that? 

Literally a virgin who can’t drive, Delphie’s life was dull and lonely. When she arrives at Evermore, the Afterlife facility, she realises there’s nothing much to look back on fondly really. But in death? Well, things kick off to a roaring start when she literally runs into a new “dead arrival” who happens to be her soulmate. Although when it turns out there was an admin error and he’s promptly sent back to earth, Delphie is desperate to know what life might have been like if she’d only been able to meet this handsome stranger. 

So Delphie’s been given a second chance. She has just 10 days to find this mystery man and get him to kiss her of his own free will. If she’s successful? She gets to live. If not? Well… she’ll be sent straight back to Evermore and that will be that.

Let the manhunt begin!

* * * * * * * *

Ok I loved this.

So much so I actually devoured the whole thing in a day. I do not do that for just any book!!

The Love of my Afterlife took me completely by surprise. I had no idea what to expect and the story just kept taking unexpected twists and turns that kept me on my toes — incredibly refreshing for a romance novel in which they are so often very formulaic and (comfortably) predictable. But this story was so much more than just a romance.

Not only were the MMC and MFC compelling and engaging, but there was a surprisingly large cast of characters who were all unique, loveable and wonderfully charming. Each had their own magic to bring and added meaningful layers to the story.

Kirsty Greenwood is actually kind of extraordinary. It’s not easy to create even two well-developed characters, let alone as many as exist in TLOMA. The dialogue was engaging and fun, every character had a distinct personality and tone of voice and I could practically *see* and hear them as I read.

I can completely imagine this book being adapted into a movie or Netflix series. It was so vivid and evocative, you can tell that Kirsty Greenwood is a fan of musical theatre because it almost felt like a “company” of characters and musical scenes.

The only thing I would have liked to see more of what a little exploration and closure around Delphie’s relationship with her mother. It felt like the one loose end that was rushed to tie at the end of the novel, and I didn’t really feel that it was properly explored or explained, given the increasing tension and build up that the story was building to. It was a bit disappointing, hence four stars instead of five.

But! Overall, I loved this book. It was fun, lighthearted and surprising. 

I would absolutely recommend it and can’t wait to read more from Greenwood.

Thank you to Penguin Books New Zealand for the ARC!