3.5 Stars

Brittany Lynn Snider is just a small town girl from Texas who loves her Momma and her uncomplicated life. That is, until she crashes the family minivan, and Brittany faces an untimely end to her earthly existence. Enter in one Edith Randolph Chatsworth-Jones, unfriendly, unhappy, and set to steal Brittany’s afterlife…

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Drop Dead Gorgeous was a singularly unique and entertaining read. Brittany’s life as she knows it may be completely altered, but when this simple, small town Texas girl suddenly finds herself in the body of a hard-to-love, Michigan socialite, finding her way is guaranteed to be no simple feat…

This was a really cute read with an enjoyable plot and complicated characters. Brittany clings to the life that she lost, and the people she loved so dearly in it, but to navigate her way through her new life, the new and improved Edie refuses to be anything but herself…

This book falls under the Women’s Fiction genre, it had some light romance with a very hunky Oliver Hunt, but anything juicy between them is kept behind closed doors.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

I could not finish this book. It was incredibly confusing, all over the place in terms of plot and characters, and it felt very juvenile and immature. I made it about 20% through and as much as I would've liked to see it through, it was aggravating.

I tried. I promise I tried, but I could not get past the southern accent and Christian thoughts. DNF

This book gave me such strong Drop Dead Diva vibes!! Twenty-five year old Texan, Brittany crashes her mom's car while texting her latest hookup guy only to wake up in a hospital and find herself trapped in a limbo waiting area with a stuck up Michigan socialite, Edie. A twist of fate has them switching places with the catch that Brittany can return to Earth so long as she inhabits Edie's old life. This was a heartfelt story, big on laughs and light on believability. If you go into this with few expectations it's worth a few entertaining hours. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

This is my first novel by this author and I was not disappointed. I found this concept refreshing. Has the switched and bait been done before? Yes, but I felt like the characters made this fun!
Brittany a small town church going community member just wants to break from her mothers expectations and have fun. After she accepts a Tinder date and her life goes terribly wrong she’s desperate. After crashing her mothers minivan she finds herself lifeless in a hospital bed picking between the pearly gates or the deep beyond.
Edie a rich socialite takes her chance and steals Brittany’s spot on Earth. What could go wrong?

DNF - i could not get into this book even though i really wanted to. it just wasn’t the one for me unfortunately

A fun read from beginning to end. Brittany Lynn Snider should not have rushed off to meet HotGuyNate for a tinder date. She should not have been using her phone while driving, which led to her accident. Waiting in the “lounge” for the portal to open and take her heaven, her ticket is snatched from her hand and she is shoved to the side by wealthy Edith “Edie” Randolph Chatsworth-Jones. When Edie doesn’t return (as she should have…an error on someone’s part), Brittany is offered to assume the life, on earth, that Edie left behind. Edie was thinner, extremely wealthy, but not well liked by, well by anyone. The real Edie is not so lucky as she gets stuck in the “lounge” greeting the newly dead. Brittany, now Edie, adjusts to her new life by faking amnesia, but still hopes to return to her family in Texas. The dialog is witty and the interactions with her new family are often comical. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Y’all. Just bless. This book is HILARIOUS. In a what is even happening here, over the top, out of this world ridiculously fun way. Brittany Lynn Snider is a 25 year old country music + Dr. Pepper loving beautician with blue hair, big boobs and and even bigger heart who suffers a tragic accident on her way to hook up with a Tinder date. She’s thrust into the afterlife where a wealthy skinny bitchy blonde socialite named Edie steals her portal to heaven. Brittany is offered a second chance at life on Earth- the only catch being she must live in Edie’s body. Brittany struggles to reconcile both their pasts while creating a new life for herself- all with her signature charm, heart and sass.

If you’re in the mood for a light hearted romp, pick this one up! Don’t take yourself too seriously and you’re in for a good time.

Thank you Gallery Books and Netgalley.

This was super different from all of the other Rachel Gibson books I have read in the past, but the writing was even more inventive. While I didn't relate to Britney, I could appreciate her struggles. She was so sheltered and it was so great to see her find out who she really was. I enjoyed the self exploration and I got a few laughs as well. 3.5 Stars
Thank you to Gallery, Rachel Gibson and Netgalley for an early copy.

Three and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭒

Drop Dead Gorgeous by Rachel Gibson is a story about a woman who has to switch bodies with another woman who took her place in heaven. It’s light and easy to read, with a pleasant and satisfying ending.

Brittany Lynn Snider crashes her mother’s minivan on her way to a tinder date and ends up in a coma in the hospital. While there she finds herself in a form of a waiting room, filled with souls who are either waiting to wake from a coma or head up to heaven. While in the “waiting room” she meets Edie, a rich young socialite, who tries to trick Brittany into swapping places. When Brittany’s body eventually gives up and she dies, instead of going to heaven, Edie jumps into her spot and goes to heaven instead of Brittany. Now, she can’t go to heaven, so her choice is to stay in the Limbo Lounge or take Edie’s place in the world as Edie’s body is getting better. Can Brittney survive in a different body in a completely different world than what she was used to?

I did enjoy this book overall. It started fast, and I was getting into it, and then it dragged for a bit while Brittney was in the Limbo Lounge. I knew she was going to trade places with Edie, but it took forever until Brittney started to live her new life. Once she moved in with Edie’s parents, the book picked up and I enjoyed it a bit more.

The humor was good at times, but also over the top and a bit cheesy at times. I got a bit tired of Brittany’s Texas slang and sayings after a while. Also, there is a religious element in the book, which I don’t mind usually. But, I thought it was portrayed as silly and somewhat simplistic. The “limbo lounge” where people wait to go to heaven was full of mostly silly characters that were somewhat stereotypical and not very interesting.
However, once Brittney started over in Edie’s world, the book was much more interesting and I enjoyed Brittney’s character growth as she tried to navigate the world of the rich and famous!

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

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Two wildly different women swap bodies after Edie steals Brittany’s path to heaven leaving Brittany no options other to become Edie and have a second chance at living. The first problem is, she cannot tell anyone. The second problem is Brittany Lynn is a country girl from Texas, Edie is a rich socialite. Brittany feigns amnesia and begins living as Edie.

Honestly, the premise sounded cute but Brittany’s over the top, Texan country, god fearing, church girl was so over the top that it was rather grating for me. I also felt like she didn’t even try to fit into Edie’s life even a little bit. And Edie was painted as this horrible human that literally no one liked and I really wanted some redemption for her. Just a bit lackluster in execution for me as I didn’t really end up liking any of the main characters that much.

The writing style was great and it was a pretty quick read. I will have to give some of the author’s other work a try.

Brittany is on her way to meet a tinder date when she crashes her mom’s minivan. Next thing she knows, she’s no longer in her body, but instead watching her body as she goes through surgery. She soon finds out she’s in literal  limbo, with a few others whose bodies are also in the hospital. But in the ultimate twist, when it is Brittany’s time to go to heaven, the bully of the Limbo Lounge steals her spot. This gives Brittany a 2nd chance at life, but not her life - she has to take over Edie’s body and live Edie’s life. 

Someone needs to tell me to read the synopsis before I read a book - I’m not a fan of paranormal books (unless it’s October) yet I somehow keep picking them up. That being said, I was drawn to the bright cover of this one and had no idea what it was about. While this wasn’t the story for me, I do believe it is a story those who do enjoy ghosts in their books will enjoy.

Outside of the ghosty part, I did enjoy Brittany’s journey of learning who she is at her core (without the things and people she thought made her who she was). This book has a very unique premise and all the feel-good vibes. Plus, who doesn’t love a mean girl getting what she deserves. 

Thanks to SMP Romance for the advanced copy.

Brittany Lynn Snider of Marfa, TX is on her way to meet up with a Tinder date when she crashes her mother's minivan. When she wakes up, she's in the Limbo Lounge at the hospital, the place where coma patience go who are between life and death. While awaiting her fate, Brittany meets Edie, a patient who attempted suicide. Edie, a wealthy socialite who never treated people very well during her time on earth is worried about earning her place in Heaven. When Brittany's time comes to die, Edie bypasses her to steal her path to heaven and the only option Brittany has is to give up her place and live a new life on earth as Edie.

This book follows Brittany's new life--one that couldn't be more different than her previous one. All the while, she must come to terms with losing her family and never being able to achieve some of her old dreams.

I enjoyed this book. It was a cute, fast read. I did find that not much happened in the book. I kept waiting for something big to happen, or for the characters to exhibit more growth but I didn't find that happening until the last ten percent of the book. I also felt sort of unattached to the characters--you never really get to know any of them in any kind of meaningful way. Overall, I still found the book fun to read but I probably won't reread it.

The premise of this book is fascinating and I really wanted to love it. But I just really didn’t.

I actually quite enjoy the idea behind this book. Brittany Lynn Snider is a good Christian girl who likes to occasionally sin by hooking up with hot men from Tinder. But on the way to a Tinder date, Brittany gets into a major car accident and ends up dead. Well, kind of. While in the in-between Limbo Lounge between life and death, she meets a woman named Edie. Edie is a nasty bully with a very specific goal: to steal someone’s spot in heaven. And Brittany is her perfect opportunity. When Edie steals Brittany’s sparkly pathway up to heaven, Brittany is faced with a choice - she can wait with the other sometimes prickly characters in the Limbo Lounge until Edie’s body dies and generates her own pathway, or she can take over Edie’s life. So she takes over Edie’s rich socialite life.

My first issue with this book is the pacing. The synopsis seems to suggest that Brittany spends the majority of the book in Edie’s life, trying to adjust and get to know the people who she is going to spend her time with. But her time in the Limbo Lounge seemed to drag on endlessly, and I was already about halfway through the book before she even was offered the choice of taking over Edie’s life. From there, I never felt like any storylines in Edie’s life were fully fleshed out. Sure, there was a romance, but we never really got to know him and I didn’t feel like they had much chemistry. The whole second half of the book seemed rushed, so I didn’t find myself able to get invested in anything that was happening.

I also didn’t like almost any of the characters in this book. Edie was, of course, nasty, but I didn’t like Brittany much better than her. She weaponised her insecurities and seemed to constantly be trying to justify taking advantage of the people around her. All of the side characters were either annoying or unmemorable, and they were never fleshed out enough to make me care about them.

There’s really not much else to say. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I just didn’t care. By the last twenty percent or so I just wanted it to end. This is a book that I was excited about and would have read whether or not I’d gotten access to it via NetGalley, but I was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Gallery Books for sending me this book for review!

Thanks to Gallery for an advanced copy of Drop Dead Gorgeous. I loved Rachel Gibson's past books so I was looking forward to her newest romance!

Unfortunately, this was a bust for me. It was just too different from the synopsis and I couldn't get into the story.

Brittany Lynn Snider’s life came to a screeching halt—literally—one Sunday afternoon. Brittany was a hair stylist in Marfa, Texas, working along side her mother, who taught her how to tease that Texas hair and glue it down (up?) with Aqua Net. She was 25, and insecure about her weight, but she wanted to find love. She had made a Tinder date with HotGuyNate, and she had driven her mother’s minivan to El Paso to meet him. But at the last minute, he’d backed out, saying that his wife had found out. Brittany had been so angry and shocked to find out he was married that she was about to tell him off, but she lost control of the van.

The next thing Brittany remembered is waking up in the hospital. She stood at the end of the bed, watching as doctors and nurses tried to fix her body. That’s when the concierge showed up, a guy in loud golf pants who explained what happened to her next. While her body was in the El Paso hospital, she could be in the room or she could relax in the Limbo Lounge, until she came out of her coma, died, or was moved to a different facility. It took Brittany some time to understand what was going on (it always does), but she learned the rhythm.

There were others in the Limbo Lounge too, including an intense blonde woman named Edie who hangs around Brittany and asks a lot of questions. Brittany was thinking it would be her time soon to go to heaven, since she’d already made it to the sparkly path twice before getting pulled back, and the doctors were telling her parents it wouldn’t be long. But the next time that space opened over Brittany’s head, pulling her up, Edie pulls Brittany back down. This happens a couple of times before Edie finally makes it past Brittany, taking her spot on the sparkly path to heaven.

As Brittany finds out, that almost never happens. It only happened then because of a huge disaster that had happened on the other side of the globe, sending thousands to the heavenly bottleneck all at once. So now Brittany has a choice—she can stay there at the hospital and work like the concierge does, or she can become Edie, who is still in a coma at the hospital. But while she will remember some of her previous life, she can’t tell anyone, or she will break her contract.

Brittany chooses to become Edie, but she secretly decides that she will still find a way back to Marfa, Texas. She will find a way to open the hair salon with her mother, as she had always dreamed.

But what Brittany didn’t know before she agreed to the switch is why Edie was in the hospital. She didn’t know how hard Edie’s parents would fight to get their daughter back to good health. She didn’t know what it was that Edie had been running from, and she didn’t know how incredibly rich Edie’s family was. When Brittany wakes up as Edie, she has to figure out how to be Edie on the outside while still being Brittany on the inside, and on top of that, she has to deal with the mess Edie left behind.

While Brittany learns to maneuver her new life, she finds herself learning about the world outside of Texas. She makes mistakes, but she also makes new friends. But when she tries to go back to Texas to make her old dreams come true with her new resources, she finds that everything there has changed. Her family has moved on, and she no longer belongs there. Will she give up, or will Brittany find new opportunities to express who she’s becoming?

Drop Dead Gorgeous is a little bit wacky but overall a sweet story about finding yourself under extreme circumstances. Author Rachel Gibson uses her trademark humor and creativity to tell the story of a Texan with an outsized personality swapping places with a wealthy socialite. Told with heart and with soul, this story is a roller coaster of emotions, taking readers up and down and back up and back down, through life and death and the comfort of a small dog.

I was caught off guard by this book. I was ready for the humor and for a little romance, but I was surprised by how much I got caught up in Brittany’s emotions as she tried to find herself in her new reality. This is a character who experiences such amazing growth. There are many setbacks, but she continues to fight to find her place in her new life. And alongside her story is the story of what happens to Edie when she climbs her way into heaven, because of course, there are consequences for her as well. Drop Dead Gorgeous is a truly unique story, but it’s a fun story, and I finished it feeling inspiration and joy.

Egalleys for Drop Dead Gorgeous were provided by Gallery Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc ! This book was funny ! I love Texan women they are so extra 😂this book did not disappoint. It took me a while to get into the story but overall I liked it !

Drop Dead Gorgeous has such an interesting premise, and I've loved some of Rachel Gibson's past books, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. Brittany Lynn Snider gets into a car accident on her way to a Tinder date and winds up in limbo between her real life and the after life. Someone else winds up stealing her chance for the afterlife, so she takes over that girl's life instead. Complicated much? Rachel Gibson is an incredibly talented author, and there were parts of this story that were really funny and interesting, but parts of it were a little awkward. Drop Dead Gorgeous definitely gives you things to think on, but I had a difficult time with the overall premise and the romance felt like an afterthought to the story.

This is a Freaky Friday book where two people change lives. The difference is that one soul changes places with a living person leaving the other as a soul with no body. It’s not my choice and Edie/Brittany (the soul in the body) is not happy. It’s a funny book as Edie/Brittany must pretend to have lost her memory. Brittany is from Texas and Edie is from Michigan and they could not have had different backgrounds. Edie is high society and Brittany’s southern sayings and bigger than life attitude do not match. I really enjoyed this book and laughed at many of the scenes.

Well, hello gorgeous! This was not what I had thought it was going to be at all. I was expecting a romcom, but I got something so surprising.

I just finished such a funny and heartfelt book about life, death, and the after. Here’s a quick sum: Brittany and Edie are in the El Paso Limbo Lounge, a place for spirits to wait until their physical bodies either live or die. Edie lives, but Brittany dies and at the last moment Edie’s spirit steals Brittany’s road to Heaven leaving Brittany to take Edie’s life.

This Freaky Friday/Trading Places like story is really great. I’ll never go to a hospital again without wondering who is hanging out there in the Limbo Lounge.

Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I really loved it.

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