LGBT

Afterlove

Afterlove

  • Downloads：4667
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-25 08:51:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tanya Byrne
  • ISBN：1444955950
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

THE LESBIAN LOVE STORY YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO READ。

Ash Persaud is about to become a reaper in the afterlife， but she is determined to see her first love Poppy Morgan again， the only thing that separates them is death。

Car headlights。

The last thing Ash hears is the snap of breaking glass as the windscreen hits her and breaks into a million pieces like stars。

But she made it， she's still here。 Or is she？

This New Year's Eve， Ash is gets an RSVP from the afterlife she can't decline: to join a clan of fierce girl reapers who take the souls of the city's dead to await their fate。

But Ash can't forget her first love， Poppy， and she will do anything to see her again。。。 even if it means they only get a few more days together。 Dead or alive。。。


NOT EVEN DEATH CAN TEAR THEM APART。

Download

Reviews

Esmė ，

Tanya Byrne sees your ‘bury your gays’ trope and raises you a ‘lesbian grim reaper’。In all seriousness， this was a beautiful and sad book。 If I had one complaint it would be that I would have liked the world of the reapers to be as fleshed out as Ash’s ‘before’ life， but I get that the reapers were a tool in which to explore her relationship with Poppy and not the other way around。 It’s a heavy read， but one that is well worth it。

Kristhel ，

It reminded me how it felt to be 16 again and for that I'm eternally grateful。 It reminded me how it felt to be 16 again and for that I'm eternally grateful。 。。。more

Adam Webling ，

This was very unique and I loved the twist on a teen romance。 It makes you think about each moment you have and making the most of the time you have with those you love。 I want to know more about the world， but liked the romance it focused on。

L T ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Like？ The first half of the book had me hooked and I was straight （not really） up sobbing with some of the passages about Ash and Poppy’s relationship。 It was twee， adorable— and then the grim reaper plot just kind of。 Happened。 That’s the only way I can describe how it unfolded。 It just happened。All of a sudden， this quirky adorable romance becomes a rushed attempt at exploring our relationship with， well， life and it’s fragility。 Here one minute， could be gone the next— all very They Both Die Like？ The first half of the book had me hooked and I was straight （not really） up sobbing with some of the passages about Ash and Poppy’s relationship。 It was twee， adorable— and then the grim reaper plot just kind of。 Happened。 That’s the only way I can describe how it unfolded。 It just happened。All of a sudden， this quirky adorable romance becomes a rushed attempt at exploring our relationship with， well， life and it’s fragility。 Here one minute， could be gone the next— all very They Both Die At The End but make it British Lesbians。 However， the story is just a bit blunt。 In need of a big polish， more plot development— the holes in this one are big enough to drive a whole truck through， like seriously what is the system of grim reapers？ Are they all girls？ What is with the ‘oh we didn’t tell you at the start but after a year you can leave！’ shoehorned in to round up some hurried ending？ I’ll talk about the ending more but if you’re going to play around with a semblance of a paranormal system in your book， I personally prefer it when it’s a bit more thought through with some solid concepts and a bit more— sadly， unique。I mean， when I originally saw this I was like ‘oh dope a lesbian romance Dead Like Me！ perfect！’ But I didn’t realise that most of the nuances of the reapers are just taken directly from my favourite Bryan Fuller series… Like， the ‘transition’ the reapers go through so people don’t recognise them in public？ Literally almost exactly the same。 Oh， the reapers get their deaths on a little post-it with the name？ Yep。 And all of the reapers are quirky （which I did love） and say the darnedest twee bits like ‘oh！ I’m from the kiddie cancer department！’ with no holding back to drive home on just quirky they are？ You guessed it。 They even throw a party in a dead persons house， like how the reapers in dead like me sleep in dead people’s apartments， etc。 It’s just frustrating especially when the show is such a little hidden gem。 This could be a total coincidence but like， it annoys me so I have to mention it in case anyone else likes this show and is intrigued by this book for the same reason。The actual characters themselves， too？ Eh。 I loved Ash， loved her family， and her relationship with Poppy。 Loved Poppy， loved her relationship with the world and how they spoke with one another。 It felt very real， all the dialogue was fun and reminds me of how I spoke at 16。 Super tasty and validating for that reason。 But， the reapers？ Forgettable。 I got most of them mixed up with one another。 Also， in the second half of the book Poppy became an absolute manic pixie dream girl （they can exist in wlw books， and they DO）， and all her dialogue became so insufferable。 I really struggled with the mini golf scene so bad。I think all my investment in these characters completely dissipated by the time the book winded down。 When the actual ending happened I didn’t cry， despite the author’s best attempts to make that a thing。 It was written like a tear jerker， but kept constantly backtracking it’s messages and metaphors to a point where I got exhausted reading it。 Ash makes a point for two pages on how important it is to tell people we love them， enjoy our interests and take risks！ But then refuses to go for a night swim with Poppy because she’s scared （I know she was scared FOR Poppy， but it didn’t read this way until the author literally wrote that in）。 Representation is important， especially with the lesbophobic culture of booktok/booktube often reading white cis mlm books but actively refusing to read wlw， too。 AND， not all representation has to be the greatest book on earth to earn its spot ✨ on the grand high council of lgbt+ books。 I would actively recommend this to readers perhaps a little younger （and less jaded）。 It’s good representation， has a diverse cast of characters and explores messages and culture in a mostly appropriate manner （despite the crass kiddie cancer thing）。 It’s not a /bad/ book。 It’s not a great book， either。 It sits on the middle。 It either should have been another 500 pages， to properly invest us in the reapers， adequately show us their system-thing， and come up with an ending that doesn’t feel horribly cliche。 Or， it should have been about 300， and axed that fucking golf scene as well as every time Ash has the exact same conversation over and over with the reapers AND every time Poppy drinks an oat milk latte。 We get it， she’s vegan and gay— we all drink oat milk lattes but like drink some water for a change。 Overall， I think two stars for a personal vibe on the book is fair。 It’s just not for me。 It’s a tad repetitive。 If you like to switch your brain off and have a nice， wholesome romance （which is nice to see for a wlw teen book！） yeah go for it， you’ll probably enjoy it。 I definitely would appreciate this book more if I read it after something quite heavy。 But， I am cynical and need my girl gang grim reapers with a bit of spice and grit instead of the industry plant disney original ‘punk’ aesthetic than they were sporting in here。 It deserves a lot of love and I’m sad I couldn’t give it more despite having had this book on pre-order since the start of May。 Definitely， give it a try and support the author！ We need more diverse wlw stories， where the homophobia isn’t the main aspect of the story— and this is how we make that happen。 So， if u don’t mind， I’m going to rewatch dead like me， swap out my milk alternatives and hastily pass on this book to someone who is going to appreciate it。 。。。more

Helen Precious ，

Afterlove explores the huge themes of first love and death。 Really a book of two halves， Byrne follows the life of Ash as she unexpectedly meets the love of her life on a school field trip。 Written with a YA audience in mind， Afterlove is funny， touching and realistic in tone set against the vibrant background of Brighton & Hove。 As a lesbian of Guyanese heritage Ash has a lot to contend with， hiding her true self from her father and extended family。 Poppy on the other hand is her opposite; conf Afterlove explores the huge themes of first love and death。 Really a book of two halves， Byrne follows the life of Ash as she unexpectedly meets the love of her life on a school field trip。 Written with a YA audience in mind， Afterlove is funny， touching and realistic in tone set against the vibrant background of Brighton & Hove。 As a lesbian of Guyanese heritage Ash has a lot to contend with， hiding her true self from her father and extended family。 Poppy on the other hand is her opposite; confident privileged and 'out'。 As their relationships blossoms a decision on New Year's Eve will cause a chain reaction of events with disastrous consequences。 。。。more

Lucy ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。I was intrigued by the concept of this book， and it was definitely enjoyable。 The idea of grim reapers living in a vaguely alternate reality right next to our own is interesting， and the LGBTQ+ aspect was also really good。 Poppy did seem a little manic-pixie-dream-girl but Ash was fully rounded， and its discussion of death was good。 I just would have preferred a little more world-building and explanation。

Payal ，

Well， this was a book about a dead lesbian that I actually volunteered to read， so that's something。 However， it was somewhat disappointing， and felt like there were too many gaps in the story。 First， I'm not a fan of instalove， and after a while Ash and Poppy's romance was cloying。 Second， after her death， it didn't seem like Ash actually cared about anyone she loved—not her family， not her best friend， not her girlfriend—even though we are told later that she did miss them。 The story went from Well， this was a book about a dead lesbian that I actually volunteered to read， so that's something。 However， it was somewhat disappointing， and felt like there were too many gaps in the story。 First， I'm not a fan of instalove， and after a while Ash and Poppy's romance was cloying。 Second， after her death， it didn't seem like Ash actually cared about anyone she loved—not her family， not her best friend， not her girlfriend—even though we are told later that she did miss them。 The story went from Ash's life being so rich with all the people she loved to them being wiped out of existence。 Third， the ending was far from satisfying。 SPOILER。。。 SKIP TO NEXT PARA: ####There was no real resolution about what happened to Ash， to Poppy。 We already knew that nobody knows where Charon takes dead souls， so the ending felt a little pointless。####SPOILER OVER（Review copy from NetGalley） 。。。more

Helen ，

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much to Netgalley as always for sending this to me！This book follows Ash， who’s in the flush of new love with her girlfriend Poppy。 Ash thinks she’s found her soulmate and her happily ever after – until a tragic accident on New Years Eve leaves Ash dead at the stroke of midnight， and the timing of her death dooms her to become a reaper， guiding the souls of the dead to their final resting places while I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much to Netgalley as always for sending this to me！This book follows Ash， who’s in the flush of new love with her girlfriend Poppy。 Ash thinks she’s found her soulmate and her happily ever after – until a tragic accident on New Years Eve leaves Ash dead at the stroke of midnight， and the timing of her death dooms her to become a reaper， guiding the souls of the dead to their final resting places while unable to follow in their wake。 Ash is trapped， incapable of moving on – and incapable of letting go of the love of her life。The characters here are compelling and well-written。 Ash and Poppy are very sweet and likeable; Essen， one of the other reapers， was a total knockout， and reminded me of Esther from the Giant Days series。 This was the main thing that carried me through the story。However， I personally felt that the rest of the book was fairly weak。 Firstly， I found it to be poorly paced in terms of the plot， which was very uneven and seemed to take forever to deliver on its promised premise。 For the first forty percent of the book， we’re getting to know our main character and her love interest， building the emotional attachment that makes Ash’s death meaningful to the reader。 I understand why it was constructed this way， but the result was that I felt bored as it seemed to take forever to get to the point of the book， aka the death and the grim reaper plotline。 For me， it would have worked better if this had been dual timeline， switching back and forth between the present， with Ash dead， and the past， giving us insight into the things she left behind。 I felt that the more standard chronological structure didn’t really work here and it made the initial events of the book drag on forever， to the point that I almost DNF’d the book before Ash had even died。 In addition to this， the ‘worldbuilding，’ for want of a better term， struck me as pretty weak。 The explanations of how reaping worked， why they were there， and everything surrounding that aspect of the plot was very surface-level， and while not everything supernatural requires an explanation， I feel like the author never really fully engaged with that aspect of the premise， leaving me dissatisfied with the vagueness of it all。 Finally， the ending did not at all deliver what I had wanted from this book。 I was anticipating something along the lines of The Lovely Bones， where the character learns to let go of the past and move on， and her family subsequently get their own closure。 If anything， the opposite was true here， and it felt pretty dissatisfying and a little trite too。 I appreciate what the author was trying to do here， but I honestly found this book to be pretty disappointing and finishing it was a struggle。 It wasn’t poorly written in terms of the writing style， but I found it a frustrating read and I never really got invested。 2。5/5 stars。 。。。more

Charlotte ，

Full review will be in my July wrap up on books and bargains YouTube channel 😁

Michelle DeFields-Gambrel ，

I'm interested and getting this from a book box in August （I think）， but I'm concerned because there are so many errors in the description of the book here on Grammarly - I hope that's not indicative of the book itself！ I'm interested and getting this from a book box in August （I think）， but I'm concerned because there are so many errors in the description of the book here on Grammarly - I hope that's not indicative of the book itself！ 。。。more

Catrina ，

FL August

Charvi ，

This is honestly so perfect。 It really is the lesbian story to die for。 Afterlove introduces us to two beautiful protagonists， Ash and Poppy。 Ash is tired of just kissing girls in the dark or having casual relationships where girls are too afraid to be out in the open。 She wants a real relationship but she’s also tired of putting her heart on the line and getting it broken。 Enter Poppy， this free spirit who takes Ash on the ride of her life。 I absolutely stan Ash and Poppy。 They both make such a This is honestly so perfect。 It really is the lesbian story to die for。 Afterlove introduces us to two beautiful protagonists， Ash and Poppy。 Ash is tired of just kissing girls in the dark or having casual relationships where girls are too afraid to be out in the open。 She wants a real relationship but she’s also tired of putting her heart on the line and getting it broken。 Enter Poppy， this free spirit who takes Ash on the ride of her life。 I absolutely stan Ash and Poppy。 They both make such an adorable couple and I absolutely couldn’t stop reading about them。 I had a huge smile on my face as I watched the two of them fall in love in the most wholesome love story ever。 It was so refreshing to see two lesbians having a happy love story and I loved every bit of it。I also really loved Ash’s family and how desi it was。 The family dynamics felt extremely relatable and homely and I especially loved reading about Ash’s little sister who always has her head buried in the book。 I was so absorbed in the book I almost forgot what the plot was。 Halfway through the book we embark on Ash’s journey as a grim reaper and it’s absolutely devastating and heartbreaking and good lord I cried buckets of tears over this book。But at the same time we get some really quirky and well-written side characters like Esen and Dev who are there to guide Ash through this journey。 But of course Ash refuses to let go of Poppy and it’s really interesting to see how the two struggle to stay together。 I just find this book to be very beautifully written。 It’s about hope， love， family and grief and so much more。Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley 。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。 。。。more

Ab ，

This book was sweet， tragic， heart wrenching， and heartbreaking， and I really enjoyed it！ It felt like "Annie On My Mind" by Nancy Garden meets the tv series "Dead Like Me，" with some interesting post-death concepts about people becoming reapers and getting "assignments" by Post-It （I'm pretty sure this is directly from "Dead Like Me"）， with the tragedy of being separated from someone you've just exchanged "I Love You's" with， and some exploration of class differences and privilege of being born This book was sweet， tragic， heart wrenching， and heartbreaking， and I really enjoyed it！ It felt like "Annie On My Mind" by Nancy Garden meets the tv series "Dead Like Me，" with some interesting post-death concepts about people becoming reapers and getting "assignments" by Post-It （I'm pretty sure this is directly from "Dead Like Me"）， with the tragedy of being separated from someone you've just exchanged "I Love You's" with， and some exploration of class differences and privilege of being born a rich white girl （Poppy） vs。 Ash's Guyanese family living in Brighton， UK。 Extremely readable， quick， and pulls on the heartstrings。 Definitely give it a read for a nice， sort of sad， queer YA romance。 。。。more

Sabrina ，

All that time she wasted being too careful or too polite or too scared， when， in the end， nothing is as scary as watching your whole life narrow to a single moment that's about to pass， whether you're ready for it to or not。 [Quotes from ARC， subject to change in final edition] 3。8 stars Content warnings （highlight to see）: （view spoiler）[alcohol; death; grief; Harry Potter references; homophobia; loss of a loved one; references to racist microaggressions; sex/sexual references; vehicular a All that time she wasted being too careful or too polite or too scared， when， in the end， nothing is as scary as watching your whole life narrow to a single moment that's about to pass， whether you're ready for it to or not。 [Quotes from ARC， subject to change in final edition] 3。8 stars Content warnings （highlight to see）: （view spoiler）[alcohol; death; grief; Harry Potter references; homophobia; loss of a loved one; references to racist microaggressions; sex/sexual references; vehicular accident （hide spoiler）] 'Afterlove' is a very original blend of contemporary and paranormal fantasy - with such an intriguing synopsis and stunningly sapphic cover this was one of my most anticipated 2021 reads！ （On that note I wonder if my slightly deflated feeling post-reading is more to do with my hype for this book rather than the book itself。） Interestingly， the plot went very differently to what I'd expected from the synopsis！ To me the essence of it leaned much more towards contemporary than fantasy。 The plot pacing was a little slow initially but once Ash becomes a reaper it picks up。 There's a pivotal scene that I can't specify because it's spoilery， but it was utterly epic - so tense， emotional yet somehow hilarious at times。 The way the grim reapers work was fascinating， especially with that twist on what happens next， and while it was frustrating that they seem just as clueless about the afterlife as us regular mortals are， it does feel quite realistic。 That said， I'd love to know more about Deborah （who's sort of like the reapers' regional manager， sends them details on where/who to reap etc。） and Ash's fellow reaper Esen。 I think the lighter touch on fantasy world-building works fine here though， as the focus is more on Ash and how her relationships change after death。 The vividly depicted real-world setting of Brighton grounds the story well too。 Walking along the shoreline of a blue sea on a blue-skied day My favourite parts of 'Afterlove' were its family relationships， both with Ash's family and her found family with the reapers and her best friend in life， Adara。 I absolutely loved the dynamic Ash had with her parents and younger sister， it made me laugh out loud yet broke my heart too。 I also really liked how different social issues are pointed out through Ash's interactions with and memories of her immediate and extended family， such as colorism and racism towards non-white healthcare workers （Ash and her family are British Indo-Guyanese）。 This addressing of social issues was a running theme in the book， whether subtly touched upon （such as Poppy's dad feeling threatened by her mother's success） or obviously highlighted， for example lesbophobia and Ash being devalued by straight or closeted girls。 I am the first and last and nothing inbetween。 The mad one。 The wild one。 The one who sees things that aren't there。I am to be unloaded on， to be bled on and cried all over。 I am the one they experiment with。 The one they can let go with because I'll never tell。 I am the one they have saved in their phone as Alfie or Harry or Luke。 The keeper of secrets and soother of guilt。 But I am never the one。I am not to be loved。 Not out loud， anyway。 Ash's character felt so real， flaws and all， and I wish I could have connected to Poppy a bit more。 I did like her though！ Her backstory was compelling and one of my first thoughts post-Ash's death was about how she was doing。 The romance was a tad insta-love， probably because it's a bit tell-heavy， but I think conceptually it was also quite beautiful in its giddy fervour， an eternal undying rush that will never fade。 It's funny because I always thought [Poppy] was the one who was left behind， but it was me， wasn't it？ She gets to move on， to laugh and go out with her friends。 Drift on and on， unfazed， unaltered， unaware that I'm still here。 Holding an hourglass， time slipping away Sometimes I could really feel the emotion of their love and sometimes I was a bit more detached。 I was the same about Ash's monologues - they were often absolutely amazing but at other points would take me out of the story。 I don't know about you but I love reading Author's Notes/Acknowledgements （and the dedications too）。 They remind me of how these stories come from real people。 I found the Acknowledements here so emotional and they give an extra layer of perspective on 'Afterlove'， so if/when you pick up this book I'd definitely encourage reading that part too！ Overall there's a lot to love about this book and if you like reading about family bonds， first love， fantasy elements in contemporary stories， and F/F romance， I'd definitely recommend this！ Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for an ARC for an honest review。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more

Holly ，

（I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。）My thoughts on this are mixed。 Overall， I felt that the book was pretty good。 The writing was solid， the characters were well-developed and compelling， and the plot offered something different than a typical YA contemporary romance。 I was also intrigued throughout and couldn’t put the book down。However， after I finished this book， I felt so sad and hopeless， and consequently my enjoyment of the story was pretty low。 I （I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。）My thoughts on this are mixed。 Overall， I felt that the book was pretty good。 The writing was solid， the characters were well-developed and compelling， and the plot offered something different than a typical YA contemporary romance。 I was also intrigued throughout and couldn’t put the book down。However， after I finished this book， I felt so sad and hopeless， and consequently my enjoyment of the story was pretty low。 I haven’t read many books that focus on grief before， and while I knew this would be a tragic read， it hit me a lot harder than I expected， and ultimately it wasn’t really my thing。 I also found some of the romance a little cringe-worthy and the pacing definitely felt a little all over the place as well。 Despite that， my lack of enjoyment was definitely a me problem， and not the book。 I would still recommend it as I think a lot of people， especially those looking for a contemporary with a twist， would absolutely love this。 Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[ death， death of a loved one， bullying， racism and colourism， phobia of open water and panic attack， homophobia， car accident， absent parents， mention of stabbing， mention of suicide， mention of drug overdose， mention of drowning， mention of falling from a great height （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

tappkalina ，

Can this come out like today？

Hayley ，

I don’t really know how I feel about this， tbh。 I really enjoyed the first 40% and then… I don’t know， I didn’t really mesh with the rest？ Like， it was an interesting a unique story， but maybe just not for me。 I really enjoyed the first half of the book， with Ash and Poppy falling in love， cute banter， But I feel like knowing the twist from the blurb， of Ash dying and turning into a grim reaper， kind of ruined it for me。 I definitely would have enjoyed this more if I went into it without knowing I don’t really know how I feel about this， tbh。 I really enjoyed the first 40% and then… I don’t know， I didn’t really mesh with the rest？ Like， it was an interesting a unique story， but maybe just not for me。 I really enjoyed the first half of the book， with Ash and Poppy falling in love， cute banter， But I feel like knowing the twist from the blurb， of Ash dying and turning into a grim reaper， kind of ruined it for me。 I definitely would have enjoyed this more if I went into it without knowing that。 Plus， the whole "join a clan of fierce girl reapers" didn't really feature that much， to be honest。 I would have loved to see more of Dev and Esen， they were fierce， and they were kind of just background characters。 I wanted to see more of the actual "fierce girl reapers" doing their jobs and how they "lived" their afterlives。 Also， the barrage of HP references really didn't sit right with me。 Just seems completely unnecessary。 All in all， a really unique concept， but I feel like the second half could have been expanded upon more。 Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette for the eARC。 。。。more

Alice Duggan ，

This was such a great read。 I absolutely loved it。 Reading it whilst grieving probably wasn't my greatest move， because I absolutely bawled at points。 However， it was such a great concept and built so well。 I would love to hear more about some of the characters and their history。 This was such a great read。 I absolutely loved it。 Reading it whilst grieving probably wasn't my greatest move， because I absolutely bawled at points。 However， it was such a great concept and built so well。 I would love to hear more about some of the characters and their history。 。。。more

Amanda ☕ Steeping Stories ☕ ，

sweet hell this speaks to my gothic gay soul

Emma ，

This book was a beautiful lesbian love story。 I did my usual， requested it on Netgalley and didn’t really read the blurb that well。 I then didn’t really put two and two together with the title。 So reading that first chapter， and figuring out what was going to happen to Ash， I found it heartbreaking to read the ‘before’ chapters。 They were so full of love and happiness。 Poppy and Ash had the perfect “meet cute” and love story。 This book was filled with equal parts of love， joy and heartbreak！ Byr This book was a beautiful lesbian love story。 I did my usual， requested it on Netgalley and didn’t really read the blurb that well。 I then didn’t really put two and two together with the title。 So reading that first chapter， and figuring out what was going to happen to Ash， I found it heartbreaking to read the ‘before’ chapters。 They were so full of love and happiness。 Poppy and Ash had the perfect “meet cute” and love story。 This book was filled with equal parts of love， joy and heartbreak！ Byrne’s writing style is simple， easy to read and just beautiful。 I just couldn’t put it down and was completely addicted to Ash and Poppy！ This must be added to your TBR like now。 It’s pitched as “the lesbian love story you’ve been dying to read” and it really is。 。。。more

Sophie ，

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。‘Afterlove’ by Tanya Byrne really was ‘the lesbian love story [I’ve] been dying to read’。 What initially drew me in to this story was not only the fact that it was a lesbian story， but the premise of the main character becoming a reaper in the afterlife – this really piqued my interest and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read such a story。I wasn’t expecting so much backstory before Ash inevitably became a reaper， Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。‘Afterlove’ by Tanya Byrne really was ‘the lesbian love story [I’ve] been dying to read’。 What initially drew me in to this story was not only the fact that it was a lesbian story， but the premise of the main character becoming a reaper in the afterlife – this really piqued my interest and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read such a story。I wasn’t expecting so much backstory before Ash inevitably became a reaper， but I’m so glad that there was。 The ‘before’ portion of the story follows Ash with her family and most noticeably her new-found romance with Poppy Morgan。 The romance between these two is one that I think can accurately represent teenagers in love。 I loved reading about them and was constantly intrigued。Then， Ash gets into an accident， inevitably leading her to become a reaper。 We are introduced to a new cast of characters here （the other reapers） and I quickly fell in love with them。 This part of the book would definitely appeal to those who enjoy reading about the ‘found family trope’ as I think this is what we see here。Overall， Byrne writing style is beautiful in ‘Afterlove’ and makes the reader grow attached to each of the characters， and manages to keep constant intrigue with the plot。 I gave this book 5/5 because of these reasons – I just couldn’t put the book down！ 。。。more

Triston ，

Huge thanks to @panmacmillansakids @panmacmillansa for send me an Advanced Readers Copy of this title！！TW: Death， Grief， Mention of Suicide and Drug OverdoseWould you want to be a Grim Reaper？Afterlove is a a beautiful philosophical tale that confronts one of the human races biggest fears death。 What happens after we die？ Where do we go？ What about those we leave behind？ It's a tough topic to confront and Tanya Byrne explores in the same way all of us do， with uncertainty and a vague hope。 But a Huge thanks to @panmacmillansakids @panmacmillansa for send me an Advanced Readers Copy of this title！！TW: Death， Grief， Mention of Suicide and Drug OverdoseWould you want to be a Grim Reaper？Afterlove is a a beautiful philosophical tale that confronts one of the human races biggest fears death。 What happens after we die？ Where do we go？ What about those we leave behind？ It's a tough topic to confront and Tanya Byrne explores in the same way all of us do， with uncertainty and a vague hope。 But at its core Afterlove is a love story between two girls， and how their love succeeds tragedy and even death。 The pacing of the novel is interesting， it at times feel slow， but simultaneously fast paced too。 I did not want to stop reading about Ash and Poppy and Esen and Dev。 The characters are memorable and I immediately fell in love with them。 I absolutely adored the imagery and use of symbolism throughout the story。 Ash has a fear of open water， and as we know the ocean is notorious for its unknown depth and uncertainty， much like death。 Thus when Ash becomes a Reaper leading souls to climb onto the boat with Charon solidifies this metaphor even more。 Further the main love interest Poppy， named after a flower that symbolises death。 The scene where Poppy tells people about Cognitive Dissonance （this Psych student， loved that scene）。 I can go on， but I loved it so much！ This book left me in tears， it was beautifully told and explored death in a very human way！ It further explored grief very well too， and I think all of us who has lost someone will resonate with that deeply。I'd highly reccomend this to fans of They Both Die At The End。Yes it will make you cry， and leave you with a vague bittersweet feeling inside， but trust me it's worth it！！ This is one of the best books I've read this year and I am grateful to have been apart of it！ 。。。more

Kate （GirlReading） ，

Heartbreaking， heartfelt， wonderfully written and incredibly unique， I couldn't put it down。 Heartbreaking， heartfelt， wonderfully written and incredibly unique， I couldn't put it down。 。。。more

Trisha ，

Long， involved， blending afterlife with contemporary。 Peak lesbian cover。

Zoe ，

This book had a really interesting premise。 Afterlove follows Ash as she quickly falls in love with Poppy， then has to leave her behind as she embarks on a new journey becoming a reaper in the afterlife。 One thing I would say is that the synopsis is quite misleading， it emphasis parts of the story that aren’t as relevant and I had a different idea of what the book was going to be based on the synopsis， which is why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped。 This book is split into two parts and the This book had a really interesting premise。 Afterlove follows Ash as she quickly falls in love with Poppy， then has to leave her behind as she embarks on a new journey becoming a reaper in the afterlife。 One thing I would say is that the synopsis is quite misleading， it emphasis parts of the story that aren’t as relevant and I had a different idea of what the book was going to be based on the synopsis， which is why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped。 This book is split into two parts and they are very different - the first focuses on Ash and Poppy’s love story and we get to see Ash fall in love for the first time， whilst the second half focuses on her afterlife。 All of the characters were very unique and I loved reading about them， however I wish we could have learnt more about Poppy and her relationship with her parents as I felt there was more to explore with her， and I wish some of the side characters had been focused on more。 The thing that made me want to read this book was the idea of Poppy becoming a grim reaper， but it turned out there was more an emphasis on the love story， so I wish there had been more exploration of the afterlife。 Overall， I enjoyed this book， I liked the romance and the plot and the diversity， but it wasn’t what I hoped it would be and so I was a little disappointed and I definitely think there should be a different synopsis。 。 。。。more

kelly James ，

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc of Afterlove in exchange for a honest review。The cover was the first thing I noticed about this book。 The cover is stunning， I love the pinks and purples， they go so well together。This book is a YA LGBTQ novel about two female 16 years olds that fall in love。That love also last forever even in death。 I love the idea that this book has a seaside setting， as I don't read many books with that setting。 I love Brighton and the beach。 Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc of Afterlove in exchange for a honest review。The cover was the first thing I noticed about this book。 The cover is stunning， I love the pinks and purples， they go so well together。This book is a YA LGBTQ novel about two female 16 years olds that fall in love。That love also last forever even in death。 I love the idea that this book has a seaside setting， as I don't read many books with that setting。 I love Brighton and the beach。 。。。more

vee ，

i need this book and i need it now

Kate （Feathered Turtle Press） ，

uk/aus release date

Kitty Reads ，

full review coming soon but oh my god i’m just trying to not cry in class rn after finishing this

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Afterlove

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Afterlove&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Afterlove&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0