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.

#netgalley
#gallerybooks
#mybookishlife
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen

*Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

While on her way to a tinder hook-up, Brittany Lynn crashes her mom’s minivan and then wakes up in a hospital with other souls waiting to cross over. There she meets a fellow not so nice soul, Edie. While in the process of crossing over, Edie jumps into Brittany’s shimmering portal leaving Brittany with the only option of taking over Edie’s life back on earth.

This is the first book I’ve read from Rachel Gibson and I really enjoyed it! I’ve been in a long book slump and this helped me be more motivated. I was finding myself not being able to put this down at times. I have not personally read anything similar to this plot line so it immediately grabbed my attention. As someone who normally devours romance novels, I was happy to see that there was a small romantic storyline in this one that isn’t introduced until later in the book but was still satisfying.

I also enjoyed how every few chapters we got to see what was happening to the real Edie after she attempted to grab Brittany’s spot. I have always enjoyed reading books that delve into the different theories of what happens after you die and this one did not disappoint. I felt like the ending wasn’t anything crazy or unexpected but gave me the closure I needed.

Definitely recommend checking this one out! Available April 19, 2022!

I enjoyed the premise of the book. Brittany was such a great character, and she was likable from the start despite her faults. I liked the body switching and how Brittany adapted to the change.. I do appreciate how the author covers some tough topics with a sense of dark humor. I felt that the ending was rushed and unfinished.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

When Brittany rolls her Mama's van on the way to meet a Tinder date, she knows her number is up. While waiting for her chance to advance to the next place, a self important socialite named Edie, shoves her way into Brittany's spot and gets taken instead. Brittany gets a second chance at life, but she has to live the rest of it in Edie's body.

This book was really interesting, and it definitely gave me some things to think about. On the surface, Edie's life is pretty perfect, she is gorgeous and rich and can pretty much do anything she wants. This book wasn't my cup of tea though. I wasn't able to seperate myself from the subject matter enough for the book to be fun, and instead kept focusing on just how uncomfortable the entire premise made me.

I thought the book was well written and entertaining, but I just couldn't get past the awkwardness of another person living someone else's life for the rest of time.

Thanks to Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ok this was a fresh and super fun read, I loved the body swap angle and found it to be so charming. Brittany herself makes the story so fun, her personality is larger than life and her southern wit was hilarious. Some of her little catch phrases and Texas sayings had me dying. Despite the themes of death and the afterlife this one wasn’t all that sad, it was surprisingly uplifting and hopeful in the end. While it was light on the romance side of things there was still plenty to enjoy as it blended quite a few genres and had such a magical feel.

I DNF’d this book at 25%. I really didn’t care for this book. The timeline jumps months after the main character wakes from her coma in her new body, clumsly done. The book is also very slow moving and takes a while to get to anything. And, the novel had too much church talk for my liking.

2.5 stars
Hmmmm so this is very over the top. I liked the premise, but the accents and attitudes of the characters threw me off.

I also didn’t feel there was any closure or real resolution at the end…

I think overall I was just expecting something a bit different.

This delves into some dark and serious topics with humor and wit. Brittany our heroine dies and is stuck in the i between when she had to make a choice between a new life and body or eternal confusion. As she navigates this new life, she thought she would have all the answers now that she’s seen death but learns there’s much more to know. I had some issues with how body image was tackled here, I wish Brittany and Edie could have spoken more about being stuck in different bodies. However, I ended up loving both of their spirits. There’s some romance elements but this was really more of an intriguing plot about life’s big questions. Mixed in with some Texas hospitality and rich lifestyles that were pretty funny. I enjoyed the story and unexpectedly loved both characters.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I was anxious to see where it was going and how it would end. Imagine being in a body that doesn't fit who you are, stuck in a life that isn't yours and doesn't feel right. How do you cope with it and make a way and a life for yourself. In Drop Dead Gorgeous we meet and follow Brittany Lynn Snider who is a bigger than life itself Texas girl who died on her way to a Tinder date and by a series of events at the hospital and interaction with another spirit there she comes back to life in the body of a wealthy socialite from Michigan, Edie. As Brittany struggles to live in Edie's body and life she's also coming to terms with losing her life and family. This book made me think about how we tend to have big plans for our lives and when things don't go as we want or expect we are forced to reevaluate what is right for us and how we proceed. I'd definitely recommend this light hearted but heartfelt read.

No.

This book is written for virgins, or 12 year olds, or Christian girls or something.

Not for 40 something year old women who tend to read horror.

PASS.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I just can't imagine that St. Peter would make this kind of mistake and I'm pretty sure if he had been guarding the Pearly Gates this would not have happened. I was all in for the first 20% of the book. Unique Plot - Check; Interesting Character - Check; Humorous - Check. Then it all went downhill really, really fast and I found myself wondering how Brittany could be so stubborn and stupid as to not realize what a gift she was given. Fortunately, the last 20% was really good, but the middle? Totally forgettable. If you liked "How Lulu Lost Her Mind" you will probably like this one. For me, I'll stick with reading her old stuff from now on. Chick-Lit is just not my thing.

Brittany Lynn Snider worked a minimum wage job; she is overweight and has terrible taste in men. In short - she's a loser, but a loser who loves her momma, Texas, Country Music, God and Baby Jesus very much. She has a smash up, a mix up and ends up having her passage to heaven stolen from her by Edie Chatsworth-Jones, a suicidal heiress. But as compensation she is given the amazing body of Edie who stole her trip to heaven. All Brittany has to do is pretend to be Edie by faking amnesia. Oh, and living with the mess of a life Edie left behind, which was Brittany's biggest problem. The rich really are different and everyone was very leery of Edie; she wasn't a nice person. Brittany just wanted the money and a one-way ticket back to Texas and her old life. It took her way to long to wise up to the new rules her new life came with. Oh, things didn't work out for Edie quite as she planned either. 3 1/2-Stars

Rachel Gibson is just one of those authors that I love no matter what she writes. Romance or Women's fiction. I adore her writing style. She knows exactly how to craft a wonderful book. This book has such a great premise and the author fully delivered. It was entertaining, funny and I loved the fact that it was all crazy fiction. I needed a book that was completely different from real life. Brittany had great character growth with a solid ending. I highly recommend. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

This felt like something I would like, but it didn't grab me. I ended up not finishing this title. I really think that others will enjoy it though.

I hate to say that this book missed the mark for me. I didn’t like any of the characters. The story was slow and never really drew me in.

Hilarious and heart warming, this book is a must read and devour in one sitting. Well written with amazing characters. Highly recommend

This was a cute fluffy book. When Brittany Lynn leaves church, she is on her way to meet an online date, but doesn't make it. She ends up in the hospital and a coma. However, she never makes it to the light. Another woman stole her spot. Brittany is given the option to return to earth in another person's body.

It was an interesting read, but hard hearing it from a personal perspective of losing someone recently.

Drop Dead Gorgeous by Rachel Gibson
#nineteenthbookof2022 #arc

CW: so much discussion about suicide attempts, car accident, purgatory, mental illness, adultery, fat shaming

Brittany is in a coma and due to some shenanigans, her soul ends up in another woman’s body. Chaos ensues.

That’s a very simplified summary. Okay, Brittany is in a coma and another woman in the soul purgatory holding area steals her dedicated conveyer belt to the afterlife. Yes, really. Brittany takes the other woman’s body and life, using fake amnesia as her excuse for why she doesn’t know anything (including how to shower—come on now!) and there’s a whole redemption arc, blah, blah.

I really didn’t care for this book. I didn’t care for Brittany as a person before her coma, and had a hard time caring about her journey in her new body and life. The story is mostly told from her perspective but there are a few chapters here and there told from the other woman’s POV. The timeline jumps months after she wakes from her coma in her new body, and I think more attention should have been paid to that period. The book is also very slow moving and takes a while to get to anything. The love interest was flat and one dimensional. It might have been a better story without him.

Unfortunately, the author uses derogatory words and slurs in both characters’ perspectives and Brittany has outdated ideas about gender. Her Texas accent and down home expressions were grating to me. I’m glad there was a slight redemption arc because otherwise there would be no point, but it frankly wasn’t enough to save this one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the advance copy. (Pub date 4/19/22)

#dropdeadgorgeous #rachelgibson

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
1.5/5 stars
What drew me into this book was that it begins with the main character dying. However, the story was very slow and I was struggling to like the characters' pretty boring personalities. I had to stop reading halfway through when it just got too boring and the characters began to annoy me too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing the ARC.

This book was kind of a miss for me. I was intrigued by the premise, and that was what prompted me to request this book. However, I just wish there was a bit more to the story.

The pacing was slow - I felt like it dragged in a lot of places. I didn't particularly care for Brittany, as she grated on my nerves. And Edie was a constant presence that never really made sense. The romance was also pretty one note.

I'm sure some people will like this book, but I couldn't get into it the way I wanted.

Britney Lynn Snider is a good old Texas gal who is off to meet her Tinder date when she gets into a fatal car crash. While she is in a coma, she is waiting is Heaven’s waiting room, the Limbo Lounge. When her time finally comes, mean girl Edie jumps the line and takes Britney’s path to heaven. The souls running the lounge give her the option of living, but in socialite Edie’s body. There were quite a few laughs in the book, but the back and forth between the Limbo Lounge, where Edie is sent back to as punishment, and Edie’s family dealing with “amnesiac Britney/Edie took a long time to muddle through. There is a romance, but it felt like an afterthought. This was an enjoyable book, but ultimately left me unsatisfied without the ending. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.