I flipping loved this book!

You have Delphie who just died from choking on a microwave hamburger. When she dies she goes to this placed called Evermore. She meets her Afterlife therapist and some hot guy that she feels a spark with. Turns out he is not really dead. Just close. So back to earth he goes.
Her Therapist lovvvves romance and decides to bend the rules and give Delphie ten days to find that guy and get him to kiss her.

The things is Delphie hates being around people. She only interacts with her neighbor Mr. Yoon but he does not talk...so there is that.

This book was fun then the damned thing even made me cry. I wasn't expecting much so I was sooooo pleasantly surprised to find it! (You know how it is when you pick up a book you expect nothing but fluff)

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Words can’t begin to describe how much I loved this-one of those “stay up half the night just to finish it” books.
After a very embarrassing way to die, Delphie wakes up in an afterlife waiting room, where she finds an immediate spark with another new arrival…her soulmate…only to realize he was there temporarily. She’s offered a deal to return to earth and have another chance at life, but with a catch: she must find that same soulmate who will have no memory of them meeting, and within 10 days get him to kiss her of his own free will, otherwise it’s back to the afterlife. But for what had been a sad, lonely life before, this second chance also gives her the opportunity to realize just what an incredible community is in her corner and life doesn’t have to be so lonely.
I laughed, cried, and couldn’t stop smiling. Such a cute story with some big twists. I was drawn in by the immediate humor (choking on a microwave burger?!) and as it progressed, I just couldn’t put the book down until the end, invested in every character from Delphie and Cooper to Mr Yoon and Deli Dan. This was my first of Greenwood’s books and I can’t wait to read her others now.
Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I've just hit the opposite of a reading slump. In the past month of the 26 books I have read, I rated 11 as five stars. This is an amazing lucky streak of books that I absolutely love and will want to recommend over and over again.

Delphine lives, or lived, a lonely existence. But she really wasn't ready to die. Especially not dressed as she was, choking on a hamburger bun, in her apartment, only in her twenties and still a virgin. She's met by an afterlife therapist and through an extraordinary turn of events is given 10 days back on earth. If she can convince her "soulmate" Jonah to kiss her, she can remain on earth. Only thing all she knows his first name and that he lives in London.

Searching for Jonah leaves Delphine open to new experiences, asking for help and returning favors. Along the way she amasses the quintessential found family. This book will make you laugh and squeeze your heart at the same time.

I read Kirsty Greenwood's The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance years ago and loved it! When I saw this on Netgalley I knew I had to read it, I am loving all of these contemporary paranormal ghosty romances like Dead Romantics! This isn't actually a ghost romance, Delphie dies but then is pretty much immediately brought back to earth for a second chance at life if she can convince her soulmate to kiss her of his own free will in 7 days! Delphie is a loner who's only friend is her little, old, mute neighbor, Mr. Yoon. Her “AfterLife therapist” Merritt was such a frigging hoot and when she sends her back to life, the parts I enjoyed most were Delphie learning to open up and creating a found family type of group which was so sweet! I don't wanna spoil the romanctical parts of the story because they took my off guard in the best way possible. I was delighted by our hero and he truly brought out the best in Delphie and helped her expand her point of view! The ending is surprising and beautiful, 10/10 recommend!!

Delphie Bookham is a 27-year-old woman who's never had a romantic relationship or the *perks* that come with one. After years of bullying in high school and basically being abandoned by her parents, she’s sworn off getting close to others, apart from her elderly neighbor Mr. Yoon. Unfortunately, this means she’s alone when a bite of burger gets stuck in her throat!

Next thing she knows, she finds herself in Evermore where she’s greeted by an outgoing, ambitious, romance-loving Afterlife Therapist named Merritt who’s getting a little bored upstairs. When Merritt notices sparks fly between Delphie and another incoming “Dead” named Jonah who gets whisked back to earth because it’s not his time yet, she decides to have some fun. She’ll bend a rule to allow Sophie to return to her life IF she can find Jonah and get him to kiss her within ten days. If not, Delphie gets a one-way ticket back to Evermore!

Can Delphie find her soulmate Jonah and get that kiss in time?

It’s a delightful premise and the beginning hooked me right away, but it’s the unexpected story AFTER Delphie gets sent back that truly won my heart!

This is a love story about LOVE STORIES! The frequent nods to familiar authors and books, the meta references to popular romance tropes, the heartwarming threads of found family and magical realism, and the overarching theme of living the life you’ve been given to its fullest ALL make for one of the sweetest, most life-affirming stories I’ve read this year. I went into the story thinking I knew where it was going, but I was so wrong and I couldn’t be happier that I was!

Delphie’s journey isn’t just about finding love and pursuing her ‘happily ever after’, it’s also about discovering her love for life itself and all the joys that come with letting people in. Yes, I wanted to shake her for a good half or so of the book and tell her to stop being so darn grumpy, but she wasn’t that way without reason, and seeing her evolution as a character was worth the patience.

If you enjoy a funny, heartwarming enemies to lovers story with a brilliant cast of side characters, great chemistry, a satisfying story arc and a decent amount of emotional depth involving grief, bullying, loneliness, caring for the elderly, and setting healthy boundaries, this is well worth a look! I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from Kirsty Greenwood!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romcom, Paranormal Romance, Magical Realism
Spice Level: Pretty hot
Language: Pretty bad (as in a lot of swearing)

This is the book for you if, you love:

- found family
- fake dating
- love triangle
- forced proximity
- one bed
- enemies to lovers
- love after death
- irreverent take on the afterlife
- god-like deals for love (reminds me of the impossible situation of The Little Mermaid, Disney version with Ursula)

This is a breezy book; a beach read. I was really looking for a sweet romance without swearing, and this book didn't work out for that reason. I think other romance readers will love it when looking for a light-hearted read.

Happy reading!

Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance @netgalley #berkleypartner #berkleybooks !!

@kirsty_greenwood is a new-to-me author and again I feel as if I’ve been hiding under a rock for having missed her previous books. This book was the contemporary romance plus a bit of the spooky that I was looking for - a romp, if you will, featuring a grumpy girl protagonist falling for her brooding, snarky, curly haired neighbor.

Delphie is a 27 year old recluse by choice. She’s got an absentee mother, was horrifically bullied at school by an ex-best friend, and does not want to let anybody in except for her 86-year-old neighbor Mr. Yoon, who she cares for (she’s a secret softie, of course). Her colleagues at the pharmacy where she’s a pharmacist are afraid of her because she’s a stone cold bitch. Forget about Cooper, the hot Lothario downstairs with his noise and endless parade of women, she *hates* him (you know where I’m going with this, right?) Anyway, Delphie dies when she chokes on a piece of microwaved bodega beef burger (idk what the stores are called in London, my bad).

She meets her afterlife therapist, Merritt, an extrovert to the extreme, and Merritt an obsession with romance novels. When Jonah T appears in the afterlife because he’s too high on dental drugs, he and Delphie have a moment. As a result, Merritt and Delphie strike up a side contract where Delphie can remain alive if she can get Jonah to kiss her in 10 days or less.

Back to her body Delphie goes, but she’s such a recluse that it’s going to be a Herculean task to meet Jonah. She doesn’t have much help — maybe Cooper can prove himself to be useful for once?

Mad Shenanigans ensue as Delphie realizes there’s a whole life out there waiting for her, and as she chases after the elusive and seemingly perfect Jonah, I really wanted Cooper to win.

This book is really great, and I really don’t want to spoil the end for you guys, but needless to say it’s wacky, it’s a little deus ex machina, but aren’t the best stories when the win comes out of nowhere when you think it’s lost? Anyway, throw this on your TBR, you don’t wanna miss it, I promise.

In the best way, this was not what I expected. Magical and delightfully charming, it's a story that embraces its weirdness from page one. I enjoyed it so much!

After her sudden death, Delphie unexpectedly finds her soulmate in the afterlife. Guided by her hilarious, exuberant Afterlife Therapist, Merritt, Delphie is granted a chance to return to Earth and find Jonah within ten days.

I absolutely adored Delphie. A little lonely with a pure heart, I loved seeing her mission lead to something even greater. Her compassion for those around her (especially Mr. Yoon) was so touching. The romance was great, too! Predictable in its detour, but very much welcomed. And that's all I will say.

Underneath the quirkiness is a really heartwarming story about finding your people and embracing the joys of life. If you're a fan of "The Good Place", I think you'll enjoy this one!

Delphie, Mr. Yoon, Cooper, and everyone else made this book. It's a character led story, if that makes sense? Delphie's quirkiness and solitary self branching out was fun to watch. Cooper coming back to himself had me trying to figure out what would happen next. Mr. Yoon was a lovely old man that I just adored. Merritt was the fun spin, the afterlife therapist that cracked me up.

Delphie dies choking on a hamburger at home. She ends up in a waiting room, with an enthusiastic afterlife therapist named Merrin. When she has a moment with a very good-looking guy who ends up being whipped back to his life, she convinces Merrin to send her back too, on the proviso that she finds the guy – who she only knows as Jonah T – and gets him to voluntarily kiss her within 10 days.
And so begins Delphie’s mission to track down her soulmate and keep herself alive.
Delphie makes for a highly entertaining narrator – she’s a bit of a reclusive who was bullied by her former best friend and has never dated. Her main social contact is caring for the elderly, mute Mr Yoon and fielding complaints about packages being delivered to the wrong address from her caustic neighbour Cooper.
Witty, with all the right feels, it's without doubt one of the best books of 2024. Long live the rom-com.

4 ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Kirsty just blessed me with one of the best rom-coms of the year. This book has RANGE. I laughed. I cried (a lot). I swooned.

Starting off, the whole concept of meeting the love of your life after death & all of the drama that ensues afterwords is…. spectacular. Such an amazing storyline just from that idea alone. But coupled with Kirsty’s humor and ability to write a heart wrenching and real love story, this novel is next level.

The characters in this story are just so REAL and relatable, especially as someone who has a little bit of social anxiety herself. Kirsty talks about the struggle of navigating both romantic and platonic relationships without dragging the rest of the story down or it feeling out of place. In fact, she highlights SO MANY real fears about death and feeling alive and what that means as a young adult in todays society.

The writing & pacing of this novel is perfect. I laughed out loud so many times while reading it. It also goes by so, so fast. I read it in about 7 hours (one sitting, it was that good).

But let’s be real the reason we are here is because we want to know about the romance. WONDERFUL. BEAUTIFUL. EVERY GREAT ADJECTIVE I CAN THINK OF, I WANT TO THROW AT THIS BOOK. Whatever you think is going to happen in this book, just know you’re in for something 10x better.

Pro tip: imagine the MMC as young Bradley Cooper & you’re golden xoxoxo.

Delphie leads a simple life and keeps to herself. She works at the local pharmacy, shops at the local stores, and then heads home, never leaving her neighborhood. In her apartment building she's enemies with the man downstairs who has a different woman over every night, but she takes care of the elderly man on her floor, making sure he has groceries and companionship. Then it happens - age 27 - she chokes and lands at the waiting room of heaven where she meets Merritt, her crossing-over assistant with an over-the-top personality. A few moments later there is another arrival and Delphie experiences a connection in heaven like she's never felt on earth. But her new crush is gone in a heartbeat, headed back to the living world... is it too late for Delphie? Using a loophole, Merritt, biggest romance fan in both the land of the living and the dead, give Delphie 10 days to find the man and kiss him - if she does, she gets to keep living. If not, she's doomed with death. There is every romance trope rolled into this laugh out loud story of self-discovery and falling in love. So good.

I have a lot of luck with quirky romances that don’t really fit into a specific genre. When I read the blurb for The Love of My Afterlife, I thought that it seemed like something that would be right up my alley.

This book starts out when Delphie chokes on a burger and wakes up to find herself in a processing center for the afterlife. There she meets Merritt, her afterlife therapist in Evermore. The two couldn’t be more different and Delphie can’t believe this is who is supposed to help her find her way after death. Then suddenly a man appears in the processing center, and there is an instant connection–but he’s not really supposed to be there, so he’s sent back. Merritt gives her a chance to find this man, who is one of her soulmates, by sending her back and giving her ten days to find him and elicit a kiss.

This was a sweet romance. I would compare it to the Dead Romantics, but without the heart wrenching grief subplot and more of a found family aspect. Delphie is a lonely figure. Her only friend an elderly neighbor, Mr. Yoon, but she likes it that way. She doesn’t venture too far from her hometown, and she doesn’t often veer off her normal schedule. But now she has ten days to find the mystery man she met in the afterlife, with only a first name and last initial to go by, which means stepping out of her comfort zone and asking for help.

Yes, this is a romance, but it’s also centered around Delphie breaking out of the shell she’s built for herself, forming friendships and getting to know herself and her community. The romance is quiet but features quite a few beloved romance tropes that are sure to make readers happy- enemies to lovers, only one bed, and fake relationship to name a few.

As Delphie goes on her quest, she manages to acquire a huge group of friends, and find love. The ending is a bit unexpected, but I quite enjoyed it. That’s all I’m going to say about that. I don’t really want to spoil the plot as the journey is well worth going in blind.

All in all, an enjoyable read. I’m kind of hoping to read Merritt’s story in the near future.

Grade- B

Content warnings- death of a sibling, parental estrangement, bullying

Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to read this early via NetGalley!

I feel mostly neutral about this title--nothing about it really stood out to me in a good way. Our main character, Delphie, was just like ... mean. Her entire thing was being a a loner who doesn't need or want friends and she was so unpleasant to most of the characters that she encountered, so I can't fathom why any of them were so insistent on pursuing a friendship with her. I understand having trauma and being avoidant because of it, but it's not a pass to be rude to everyone you come in contact with.

The trope-ification of romance books makes me a little crazy, so I already probably wasn't an ideal candidate to read and review this since it leans heavily on tropes within the story. They're focal to the plot. Because of that I'm confident that a ton of people will LOVE this book! This is another title that I think will be aged by the amount of references in it--to music, movies, whatever. The little shoutouts to fellow romance authors is fun but don't personally think that'll hold up super well.

Overall fine, but not for me ultimately. Others seem to love it though so I'm sure that's a me problem!

Who doesn’t love a lil’ magical realism in their romances??

Delphie is a recluse who finds herself choking to death on a microwavable burger. When she meets her soulmate in the afterlife, she gets sent back to the world of the living to find him in ten days.

This is the perfect set up, Delphie is an absolute joy. She’s resolute, endearing and so genuine. Not to mention all the side characters are so lovably quirky. I actually found myself laughing out loud while reading this book! There’s so much heart, and you can’t help but root for the romance. It’s about choosing happiness and choosing yourself. Loved it!

So glad I picked this up! Your summer TBR needs this book!!

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood is a confident and hilarious story that captivated me from start to finish. I was completely engrossed in the book, losing track of time as I delved into its pages. I have no regrets about spending an entire day immersed in this entertaining and engaging tale.

The Love of My Afterlife was such a fun read! I enjoyed the afterlife plotline and Greenwood's humor. Delphie was a sincere and hilarious FMC. I found her character development arc satisfying to read. I thought Delphie was a great match for Cooper. I liked how Delphie and Cooper's relationship progressed. It was cute watching their "hatred" turn into something more. Cooper was satisfactory book boyfriend. I liked that he had some depth to him. I adored the way Greenwood used the romance tropes. I thought the cast of side characters were charming and important to the storyline. Greenwood did a great job with the found family trope. The ending tied everything up nicely. Overall, this was a great rom-com! Thank you to Berkley for the ARC.

This was a bit too cute for my taste. But more importantly, I’m not sure why anyone would want to help or befriend Delphie considering what a giant asshole she was. She really needed some boundaries.

This was a fun and delightful read full of lovely characters and a slow burn romance that hit all of the right feelings at the right time. I did have a few minor issues with the story, but they certainly didn’t interfere with my overall impression of the book. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I won’t hesitate to give her another chance.

Delphie is a very relatable character. She is a loner and an introvert, totally afraid to get close to anyone. She was horribly tormented and bullied in high school, which scarred her and made her not want to form any kind of relationship with anyone. She thought she was fine with this, until she died. Her death and meet cute were hilarious and set up the rest of the story perfectly. What follows is Delphie finding herself making friends and having the time of her life in just 10 days. Delphie just blooms in this book and it was a lot of fun to watch. She was a bit annoying at times, and totally clueless about social interactions, but I could overlook most of these foibles because she had such a good heart.

There is a cast of characters that support Delphie in her quest to meet her soul mate. They all become her friends and I really enjoyed all of them. Mr. Yoon is her elderly neighbor that she takes care of. I loved their relationship and how Delphie was worried about what would happen to him when she died. Aled, the librarian, and Frida the dog walker, were perhaps my favorite of her new friends. They both just totally took Delphie for who she was and were happy and willing to be her friend. Cooper, her downstairs neighbor, was also a great character. I loved watching their relationship grow and I loved how willing Cooper was to help her find her soulmate.

The story was a very quick read and one that I found hard to put down. This was a well thought out plot that used so many of the usual romcom tropes that I found myself laughing a lot throughout the story. Some of the antics that Delphie got up to in order to meet Mr. Right were unfortunately a bit over the top which was a little annoying. There were also a few times where I felt like Delphie was being extremely childish and naive and making horrible decisions. I also thought that the resolution of the bullying in high school, could have been handled a bit better. But overall it was a good story that I found myself enjoying and had a hard time putting down.

This was a very enjoyable romance that I would recommend, especially if you are looking for a light vacation read. It will make you smile and you will rejoice as Delphie comes out of her shell and learns about the importance of having connections with others.

The Love of My Afterlife begins with our main character, Delphie who is enjoying lunch in her apartment. Since she lives alone, she starts choking and dies. Yes, she dies within the first few chapters of the book. She goes up to the equivalent of a waiting room for those who died and ends up, meeting the love of her life.

The only catch is that Jonah isn’t dead but Delphie is. Delphie ends up begging her angel to send her back so she can get a chance at true love. Of course, the angel reads romance and loves love so she agrees. Delphie has 10 days to meet up with Jonah, convince him they’re soulmates and get a kiss from him.

While the idea seems farfetched, Delphie goes along with it. She’s aided by the help of some unlikely allies in the form of her neighbors and coworkers. In particular, she ends up befriending her neighbor: Cooper. It’s truly a race against the clock for Delphie to find her true love and save herself. Along the way though, Delphie starts to realize that maybe things aren’t as they seem.

Since I went into this book, not knowing much, I don’t want to tell you anymore. All in all, The Love of My Afterlife ended up surprising me in the best way. This book was an absolute delight while also being slightly morbid and downright bonkers at times. Either way, I can see readers loving and enjoying this one as a summer read or even, close to Halloween as it does have a magical realism twist to it.

Whether you’re new to Kristy Greenwood’s books or not, this is one heck of an introduction and I can’t wait to see what Greenwood does next.