Drop Dead had a fun premise and some unique twists, but overall it was a mixed read for me. Lily Chu blends rom-com charm with a supernatural angle, which kept things interesting, but I didn’t fully connect with the characters or the emotional stakes.

There were moments of clever dialogue and a few surprises I didn’t see coming, but the pacing felt uneven, and some parts of the story dragged a bit. I also found myself wanting more depth from the main character and her relationships—especially given the paranormal elements at play.

That said, it’s a creative and entertaining read that might appeal more to fans of light speculative fiction or those looking for something a little different in the rom-com genre.

I read this courtesy Sourcebooks and NetGalley. This was an unexpected delight. It’s a romcom with serious themes and more! Nadine is an obituary editor who makes a mistake in jumping the gun and running reclusive author Dot Voline’s obit while she’s alive—and it’s an embarrassing situation for both Nadine and her newspaper. But there’s an upside—sort of—to the kerfuffle: there’s a scandal attached to the author’s first book, something that’s never been brought out into the open. Intrigued, Nadine goes to apologize to Voline, only to run into her old college frenemy and rival, Wesley, who works for a rival newspaper and after the answers to the same story. Dot Voline won’t talk to them at first, but changes her mind, only to actually die. Nadine and Wes are told, however, that they will be allowed free rein of the massive, quirky mansion for three weeks to see if they can find their answer, but only if they work together. This charming story is more than a simple romance in that it combines enemies-to-lovers, family issues (with both Nadine and Wes), a mystery to be solved, and careers in trouble. Well worth the read and reread.
#DropDead #NetGalley

I've been reading this one slowly so as to savor each morsel. Such an intriguing book through every step of the plot. Loved the characters, the details of the setting, all of it!

3/5 Stars
Content:
One mysterious mansion. Two rival journalists. Three weeks to uncover the story—and love—of a lifetime.
Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn't mind being called "Lady Death." It suits the ice queen persona she's cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn't hesitate to run the obituary…only to discover that Dot is very much alive.
Nadine's screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy—she's been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal. Intrigued, Wes goes to the source to learn more—only to discover Nadine had the exact same idea…and the infuriating woman isn't willing to respect dibs. Typical.
At first, Dot refuses to speak to either of the squabbling pair, but then they receive an unusual request—work together, and Dot will share everything. The offer seems too good to be true…and of course, it is: in a bitter twist of irony, Dot dies for real before she can finish recounting her story. Not all is lost, however. The estate's executor allows Wes and Nadine access to Dot's sprawling wonderland of a mansion for three weeks to find their answer. That's three weeks of working together…three weeks of endless sweltering in tight spaces…three weeks of learning there could be something more between them than a desire to win at any cost.
And maybe, just maybe, under the rubble of all those could-have-beens they'll uncover more than the secret of Dot Voline's long-ago scandal—and Lady Death will finally embrace what she's wanted from life all along.

Review:
I liked the premiss of the book. When I started reading it, it was quit slow and I think its just a little to long. I think this book would be better if you listen to the audiobook especially with a male and female narrator.

The Good: The Cover! (Omg the cover) It is so good. I also really liked that it tackled real world issues
- burn out, family expectations, safety - in a really well done way. I loved Dot, she was the linchpin of the story and very likable. The ending made me happy.

The Less Good: I felt like the pacing was off, with a slow moving start and an ending that went quickly. I wasn't super invested in the love story. I was more invested in the mystery, who's ending was medium satisfying.

Three and a half stars.

Nadine Barbault and Wes Chen were on the same journalism course at college, always rivals for everything, but somewhere along the way the competitiveness turned bad.

Nadine works for the Toronto Herald, she was on the politics desk until a reader objected to some of her articles, sent her abusive and violent messages and crowned it all by turning up at her apartment. After that, although the paper was (sort of) supportive, she moved to the recently vacated role of Obituaries Editor until one night, in her eagerness to be the first paper to publish the news, she ran the obituary of Dot Voline, a world-famous author, only to later discover the news of her death was, as they say, greatly exaggerated.

Wes works for the Spear, an online newspaper. He really wants to be on the Investigations desk, but after a six month internship he was transferred to the Sunday supplement style desk. His transfer may be because the online newspaper is losing money and his writing gets the most attention. When glorying in Nadine's error, he notices a comment online which references a past scandal involving Dot and decides to follow up in person with the elusive author. Nadine has seen the same comment (before the obituary was removed from the website) and has the same idea.

Although Dot initially refuses to speak to either of them, they eventually win her over - but she will only tell her story to the two of them together - they are going to have to collaborate to break the story. Week after week they visit her OTT mansion, getting ever closer to discovering what the scandal was about, but when Dot dies unexpectedly it seems the story might die with her, until her heir offers them three weeks to search for evidence/clues.

Of course, as they search the mansion the enforced proximity forces the two of them to look beyond their rivalry and discover they have more in common than they thought. But when they uncover a decades old scandal will they fight to break the story?

After a slow start this was a fun read, sweet, funny, full of cats, secret basements, and hidden rooms.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Lily Chu delivers another engaging romantic comedy with Drop Dead, blending humor, mystery, and heart in a fresh take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. One of the standout aspects of the novel is the strong character development—each protagonist feels fully realized, with distinct voices and believable emotional growth. The dual POV format worked beautifully, allowing readers to see both sides of the evolving romance, which made the tension and eventual connection all the more satisfying. The pacing kept things moving without feeling rushed, making it an easy book to fall into and hard to put down.


That said, the subplot involving Dot didn’t quite land for me. While the premise was intriguing, it was hard to feel emotionally invested in her story. Her lack of involvement in the unfolding mystery took away some of the context that may have made this plot line more interesting and relevant. I found myself more interested in the main characters’ journey than the unraveling of Dot’s past.

Thank you netgalley and sourcebooks casablanca for the ARC!

Really liked the premise and main character in an interesting job, but couldn't get into the writing style.

very cute book. I really enjoyed the rivals to lovers, and Dot was such a fun mystery to unravel! I loved the details in Dot's house and how everything was an adventure

I really wanted to love this book. It was more of a reader preference, but I was getting frustrated that they were still at enemy status when I was past the 40% mark. It didn't feel like they grew in their story arc to start falling in love, it just felt like they were available to hook up and then started to not hate each other.

The writing is strong though and the mystery element was fun. If you aren't bothered by enemies to lovers, then this might be a fun one for you!

I did like it enough that I will check out any following books for Lily Chu!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

"Drop Dead" is an interesting premise. Two competing journalists are given the opportunity to interview an eccentric, elderly author who has secrets to tell about corruption and abuse of power in the Canadian government. Unfortunately, the author dies before she reveals the facts, but she offers them the chance to continue researching while living in and exploring her home, all the while searching for clues.

This book is enemies to (closed door) lovers. Both of our main characters deal with workplace/career anxiety and "Mommy" issues. While the story line was interesting and I enjoyed the ending most of all, I did find the story to be a bit uneven. Your mileage may vary.

My thanks to #NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.
#DropDead

It sounded so perfect for me, and yet it was such a big let down, the plot dragged leaving the solution underwhelming and drawn out and unsatisfying.

I honestly could not get into this book. It felt like it was all filler and no plot plus I didn't see much of the murder mystery it was supposed to be. Not a book for me.

I wasn't having a good time. If I wasn't reading for a readathon, I'd have DNF'd. I had to rewind and reread multiple times because I cared so little, I kept zoning out. I don't care about the plot. I don't care about the romance. I don't care about the 'mystery.' I just didn't care.

This was such a lovely read. I think that the premise was really interesting, and the characters were unique enough to hold up the premise. I loved the romance, and found the setting to be intoxicating. I so need to read more from Lily Chu because this was so fun. The premise is similar to another new release, but this stands out to me in a different way, as it was just so special. Loved the funky house, the cats, and the rivals to lovers. I also really enjoy books where the characters stand on their own, and that happened here. I liked the two of them together don't get me wrong, but I also just liked Wes and Nadine as they were throughout the book.

DROP DEAD REVIEW
RATING: 4
GENRE: Fiction, Romance

Drop Dead is Chu’s latest romance with a hint of mystery. I really enjoyed this book. The two MCs are journalist rivals and accidentally stumbled onto a scandal. The two embark on a hunt of the secret that famed author Dot Voline is keeping. During this period, the two begin to get to know each other outside of their rivalry.

This was a light read with hints of mystery and I enjoyed reading it. There was a lot of depth to the characters as both characters work through difficult family dynamics prevalent in Asian households. I enjoy a good enemy to lovers troupe and Chu definitely hits the nail with this one.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The cover of this book is so cute! I love that all of Dot's cats get featured on the front cover. I enjoy a good enemies to lovers and this book fit that category easily. Wesley and and Nadine are rival journalists and I thought Nadine being an obituary writer was such a unique idea. The two basically are fighting over who gets to interview a famous author that the world doesn't know much about. I enjoyed the banter between the two of them and I thought it was funny when they kept bringing gifts to bribe Dot just to be continuously turned down until they agreed to work together.

I did enjoy Wesley and Nadine exploring through Dot's house and trying to uncover all of the clues that were left. With that being said, I felt like I didn't really care for Dot's secrets and wish it would have went away from the political aspects. While I do think the person needed to be exposed for what they did, I wish it was a little bit more exciting. I enjoyed watching Wes and Nadine become closer regardless of their past history. Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Lily Chu for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

Absolutely loved this book! The characters and the writing were both pleasant and i will definitely be recommending this to people

I actually got an advanced copy of the book, not the audiobook. I now realize that it is unusual for an audible original to come out in book form.
I have read several books lately that are set in the Chinese community in Toronto, and it really makes me want to visit. I just happen to be in Vancouver, British Columbia for the next few days, so the whole Canada vibe was fun.
I enjoyed the romance and the mystery and with 95% read I really didn't know how the book would end, but all the parts were wrapped up quite satisfactorily.
Nadine and Wes had been quite competitive in journalism school, and they each had a crush on each other but never acknowledged it.
Ten years later, they are thrown together when a famous writer tasks them with solving a mystery. This was a fun read that also encompasses some serious issues.
Nadine received death threats after she wrote an article, and it took away some of her confidence. She was moved from the political beat to the obits, which she actually enjoyed.
Meanwhile, Wes took on the responsibility of taking care of his mother, who used guilt on him, and it was a weight on his shoulders.
Working with Nadine to solve a mystery changed him in many ways. The ending was satisfying in so many ways.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review. I will read more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I actually love everything I've ever read by Lily Chu and was interested in her doing a cozy mystery type story so this was a pretty anticipated release for me this year but I was disappointed. It took me 9 days to even get through the first 40% when I typically finish a book within a few days (often one if I'm really enjoying it). Once the book reached 40%, my interest did increase but not by enough and it still took a few days to finish it. I almost DNF'd it so many times during my read and I'm not entirely sure it was a good idea to continue reading. I didn't care enough about the characters, I cared minimally about the mystery, etc.

I gave it 3 stars because I think the major issue was that the book just wasn't for me, and that's fine. As with the rest of the author's work, the book is well written and the characters don't fall completely flat, I just wasn't really into them and didn't care enough about their romance. I do think the book could've been much shorter and accomplished the same thing, and perhaps then I would have enjoyed it more. I'm pretty sad I didn't enjoy this book but I'll definitely continue to read Lily Chu's work in the future, this one just wasn't for me!