One of my favorite young adult books, If I Stay, was written by Gayle Forman and this new story reminded me of that book. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books and Quill Tree Books for providing the eBook in exchange for my review.

The story begins with Amber riding her bike home from school. She thinks it's just an ordinary day. Everything that takes place after is, essentially, a story of loss, grief, acceptance and a bit of a mystery thrown in.

The chapters alternate between Amber, her mother, father, sister, boyfriend and others who were in some way impacted by Amber's life or death. While Amber's chapters are in the present, the other chapters alternate between the past and present. 

I was a bit frustrated with the chapters from people who were not friends or family. I didn't understand why we needed to know about them. But, by the end of this story some of these were the basis for the bit of mystery surrounding Amber's death by a hit and run driver. 
This story takes us through how Amber's parents' marriage became undone after she died, and also how her sister Melissa managed to keep Amber alive in her own way. I loved Melissa's chapters and how happy she was to see Amber.

For Amber's friends, there are some characters I wish we'd had more from - Dina and her mother Peggy. And there are some I wish we'd had less from - Casey.  I legitimately could not stand Casey by the end of the story. The boyfriend, Calvin, was just enough, but I was so mad at Amber's dad and how unfair he was to Calvin. I was glad Amber's family realized they had failed to support him while he was also grieving. 

I had so many questions as I read. I kept wondering how this was going to end. There was no way Amber was completely back, right? What if she disappeared?  How would the family move on?  Why didn't Calvin go to college? Where was Aunt Pauline? I worried how Amber's return would affect Melissa's life. 

I liked how the outside characters end up entwined in Amber's family by the end of the story.  This had a good result for Aunt Pauline.  This was heartbreaking when we find out who the hit and run driver was, why they drove away after the accident and was never found. 

The interactions between Dina and Amber affected me the most.  I was suspicious when Dina showed up to see Amber.  And even more so, when she went with Amber to find Calvin.  I suspected Dina was also dead when they were riding together on Amber's bike. The entire scene was very poignant. Their final conversation felt like their reunion was a way for Amber to apologize for the unforgivable thing she'd done to end their friendship.

Overall, this is a story about how grief and loss affect people differently. There were plenty of tears as I became emotionally invested in After Life. Especially once I realized that those who genuinely grieved Amber were the only ones who actually saw her.  This was a great read.

This book was a big tear jerker. I dont usually read books that get me sad but this one took my heart! If you ever lost someone in your life, this book will move you.

I absolutely loved this story. Gayle Forman is a go-to author, and this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed the different POVs and seeing how all the stories were somehow individual but also interconnected.

I struggled a little bit getting hooked on this book, I had to put it down for a few days and then go back to it. Forman did a great job with handling a touchy subject, the death of a child/sibling, and once I got past my initial struggle, I really enjoyed the book. Death is always such a difficult topic to tackle and Forman did it with grace and authenticity. I will definitely be purchasing this for my HS library.

Thank you #NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Book for allowing me to read an advanced copy of After Life written by Gayle Forman. #AfterLife

On a normal day just like any other Amber rides home on her bike and notices that no one is home, but something seems off everything seems cold in the house. Come to find out Amber is dead and has been dead for at least seven years. The strangest thing is that she can see her family, and they can see her. Her mom screams in disbelief, Melissa her younger sister acts like everything is normal. Amber now that she knows she is “living” is desperate to find her love of her life, Calvin. But, Calvin and the rest of the world do not believe that she is back. Shifting gears Amber decides to focus on her family and more importantly her sister. Her eighteenth birthday is about to happen and this time this birthday she will not ruin it with her death. To find out more about Amber’s story and other’s read After Life today.

Forman crafts a grippingly beautiful story about grief, death, and how even after death the memories of someone never fades away. #AfterLife

An interesting exploration of grief, the after life (especially of those left behind to mourn and grieve), and moving on. Gayle Forman knows how to build believable teen characters with their flaws, their complexities, their heart. The intrigue and mystery of what exactly happened on that fateful day propelled the narrative and allowed for the successful use of multiple points of view. I wasn't sure how it would all come together, but I was equal parts surprised and satisfied at the end.

I have yet to read a Gayle Forman book that disappoints. She has a way of putting words and ideas together in a way that is poetic. This book is a gem that takes on death and how it effects oneself and those around us.

I am a huge fan of Gayle Forman's work and this book does not disappoint. A portrait of family and friends grieving over the loss of their daughter, sister and friend. Grieving can take so many forms and is different for everyone. A great insight into grief and the way if affects those who love. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another hit from Gayle Forman! I tore through After Life in one sitting. The character development is excellent and the plot moves at just the right pace. The switching POV keeps the pace fresh and interesting. This novel raises lots of important questions about life, love, and grief and I kept coming back to my thoughts on these topics for days after I finished reading. An interesting and engaging story!

Losing a child. It's the nightmare that no parent wants to consider. Please, please, let nothing happen to my child. PLEASE.

But it does happen, and the grief, the loss, must be beyond imagining. How do we keep that child in our lives, in our hearts, active and alive even in loss? Can we control how we grieve and bear that loss?

Gayle Forman explores this topic, as well as loss through the prism of other relationships, both immediate and tangential.

These questions were front and center as I tore through After Life in two day's time. Occasionally brought to tears, I read with interest to see what would happen, how people and events might intersect, etc. I appreciated the Afterword and the author's own insights therein.

Four stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC of After Life in exchange for an honest review.

It could just be that I’m feeling a bit more sad today than usual but this book had me in tears at the end. Foolishly I believed that Amber was truly back from the dead. Perhaps it’s simply something I wish could be true. All I know is I was hooked in the story, in the sadness, in the hope, the regrets, in the message. With several months to go before the year ends, I can’t say for certain but this book is a clear contender for my favorite book of the year.

I cannot articulate how beautiful this story is and how much I needed it and how many of my students are going to love it. I’ve been a Gayle Forman fan since “If I Stay” and it’s always one of my go-to’s for patrons. “After Life” will be added to that list. The way the words weave through grief are both beautiful yet tragic. A waterproof mascara and Kleenex warning needs to be issued with this book. Readers will want a hot cup of tea as they shift between friends, family, first love and glimpses into what it’s like when the world keeps moving even after ours has stopped.

This book is about life after death and how someone's life and passing can affect those left behind. Seven years after she died, Amber Crane comes home like any other day. Only after her mom sees her and starts screaming does Amber realize something is wrong. Through the unfolding of events in this book, we explore how grief and the passing of someone can affect a person, whether they were close to that person or not.

This book is a great example of what the author is good at. We follow different people throughout the book and, though it can be a little confusing at times, the author pulls it all together beautifully in the end. Gayle Forman hit it out of the park once again and I would highly recommend it to everyone, especially anyone who has experienced grief. This book is in the young adult genre and is a quick read, but doesn't read too young. It's heartwrenching, complex, and makes you think afterward.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderfully written. After Life challenges thoughts and feelings about grief. This is raw and very emotional, but absolutely phenomenal.

Wow. Very powerful. It was a super easy read which I loved, and packed a powerful and emotional punch. I thought the ending was going to be completely different and I was surprised to discover I was completely wrong lol. And because I was so wrong, what I took from it was completely different from what I anticipated. I enjoyed the multiple povs and how everything came together. Really made me think about life, death, memories, and how I want to conduct myself as a human while I’m here. The imprint I want to leave.

It's been a very long while since I gave a book 5 stars, because normally I like books well enough but it takes a lot to get me to say I loved a book. This one was borderline for most of the read, but what tipped the scale was the fact that I actually got a little teary eyed towards the end of the story. Sure, there was also a bit of too convenient, but if I'm moved to feel something that strongly, then I will say it's worth bumping up when I'm on the fence.

This is a bit different from Forman's other works, in that it is not really focused on any romance. But it's still in the same style and still deals with a teen coming to terms with who she was and who she wants to be. Just that she's doing it from a place after her death.

The story moves well. The back and forth from POVs give some hints as to what is to come, and also what happened in the past. There were a lot of different narrators, and it took me a bit to get into that, but it worked overall and you didn't feel like anyone was not developing as a character because of the flip flops.

I genuinely enjoyed all aspects of Amber's story. And I truly felt for those around her and for her of course. There is a bit of a mystery in the pages, but nothing disturbing. Just a story about a girl who was, for all intents and purposes, a pretty normal girl who died early but under pretty normal circumstances.

If you like Foreman's style and are looking to step away from the traditional teen romance for something with a bit more of a fiction flare, then this is it.

this book was really nice, and it was a interesting take on how grief manifests for different people.

When I saw this book on NetGalley I was very intrigued since I’ve read quite a few books by Gayle Forman. The description fascinated me since I’ve always been curious on what happens in the after life. I loved this book, it’s very real and raw and something different from what I’ve read before. This book is about Amber Crane who passes away after getting hit by a car on her way home from school. It talks about what happened to her family and how grief impacted them in different ways. For some people Amber and her presence stayed with them close by, for others they shut down her memory to avoid the pain, and for others who didn’t know Amber very well find meaning in her death. For anyone who has lost a loved one or even if you haven’t I would highly recommend this book! 5 star rating for me! Thank You NetGalley, Harper Collin’s Children Books, and Gayle Forman for an early copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review! Publishing date of January 14, 2025.

After Life is the story of a Amber who returns home after being killed in a bike accident 7 years earlier. She finds her family and friends very different than when she left - broken and still grieving. The way Forman told the story using different timelines allows readers to understand how grief impacts each person differently. At the risk of sounding morbid, I think this book is intriguing because at some point most of us have wondered, what will happen to the people I care about if I die?

I absolutely love this author and everything she writes. This book....I devoured like all of her others. Thank you so much for the ARC!