When a premature obituary leads to a real-life mystery, rival journalists Nadine and Wesley team up to uncover the secrets of a reclusive author—and maybe discover something unexpected about themselves in the process.

This mystery rom-com is so much fun! Nadine and Wesley are lovable, relatable characters with strong chemistry between them. It’s a hilarious and heartwarming read. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Whew, this was a rough one to get through. I’m honestly so disappointed—The Stand-In was such a fun and charming read that I had high hopes for Drop Dead. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t deliver. The characters felt flat and lacked any real substance, making it hard to connect with them or care about what happened. I kept hoping it would pick up, but it never really did.

This was an enjoyable romance with elements of comedy and mystery. Unfortunately, I felt like Dot was the most enjoyable part of the story. I wish there would have been more of her. I also really loved the cats. I did enjoy watching the relationship between Nadine and Wes grow throughout the story. The mystery felt secondary and I found that I didn’t care that much about it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

While the journalist and mysterious famous person formula is not original. The addition of all the fun little details regarding Wes and Nadine's family life, past feuds, relationship to Dots cats, and their demanding closeminded old white male bosses makes the story so cute and original. Ironically the mystery surrounding how they get together and uncovering dot's estate secrets about John Wilson was the least interesting part of the book to me. Although it did add some wild goose chase whimsy to the story as a whole and was an original plot point given the story. so all in all very fun and cute! i absolutely squealed over the proposal in the epilogue!


I have one large complaint, and it might be me. The beginning of the book states she's from New Orleans but later on Wes tells his mother that she needs to take the subway. New Orleans DOES not have subways. we have street cars and anyone from the south will call out this detail. It took me out of the book and aggravated me so much. I would ask kindly to please do better research on your choice of cities. makes sure they are authentically represented.

I adored this book. I loved that it is so unlike any romance plot I’ve read before yet it melded to many of my favourite tropes. This book managed to be comic and soft all the same time as it gives us a glimpse into the cut through world of publishing and also makes us think about the power of stories. How when we die we don’t get to be in control of the narrative but we can hope that those that knew us well can champion us. The romantic relationship in this being between two individuals with such a big history also made it great. I’d read more by Lily Chu in a heartbeat.

I read this last year and LOVED it. I loved all the silliness. I loved them being forced to live with each and I was dead set on rereading this eventually so why not request the arc and read it again. I still love these two and I love this story. It's such a feel good and fun experience.

I loved the story 💙 it was so cozy and cuute 💙🥹 I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers books 😭 so if you're into that too, then u should give it a try. Nadine and Wes are adorable 😭 and the epilogue was sooooo cuuuute 🥹💙🥹💙🥹 I'd definitely recommend it to my friends!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for an early copy of Drop Dead! 💖
I have had the Drop Dead audiobook on my Audible TBR for months and was so excited to get to read the book early! This book does have one of my favorite combinations: romance AND suspense/mystery! The main characters almost become detectives and (with forced proximity) have to live together to figure it all out! There are a lot of poignant moments that go alongside the personal and professional growth that occurs throughout the book! It almost feels like a coming of age story that occurs in the main characters 20s!
I did struggle a bit due to the fact that the pace of the book is a little slower than I prefer BUT there was a lot going on and it was very fun to unravel! I did in fact get goosebumps as the big moments were revealed and enjoyed the element of mystery.
I think this book is perfect for people who like romance books with mystery (maybe more a mystery book with a romance subplot), closed door romance, lots of growth in the main characters, and a lot of powerful sentiments!

This was such a fun read - which might be unexpected for a book about obits and more than a few deaths, but this book reminded me of the Westing Game and the relationship between Nadine and Wes is hilariously fun to follow. At times the book felt a bit heavy-handed and I felt like I was waiting for twists that didn't happen, but overall this was such a joy to read that I didn't really mind. I would say rather than there is one complex plot there seems to instead be multiple overlapping smaller plots which fun, but I did wish that the hunt in Dot's house was more involved and complicated than what it ended up being.
Because of the many subplots we learn a lot about Wes and Nadine and I appreciated seeing the growth in both of them throughout the story as they handled their various baggage and histories while also acting like adults and real people. The didn't handle everything well which was refreshing, but did the work to correct it when they realized they were wrong. This is really showcased in what could have been a third act breakup but was instead an argument that was not handled well, but eventually worked through like people who want to make a relationship work.
The writing is bright and had me laughing many times in a book that is really a fun delight to read. While not typically a fan of closed door romance, I will happily read more by Lily Chu in the future.

Drop Dead starts off with a colossal mistake, and I don’t use that term lightly. Our main character, Nadine, is an obituary writer who ends up accidentally reporting someone had died. However, the twist is that Miss Dot Voline is very much alive and well. From there, it becomes a whirlwind for Nadine. She ends up getting demoted and starts to question herself which is understandable.

To try to make things better, she goes to Dot’s house to try to apologize and ends up running into her former rival, Wesley. From there, it turns into a game in which the two try to gain Dot’s favor which at first seems unlikely. Eventually, Dot allows them to come inside and learn more about her. The only condition is that they can’t publish the story until after she’s dead.

In the midst of talking to her and trying to do their own research, Dot ends up dying and from there, it’s a race against time for the two to learn about Dot’s life and the secrets she’s been keeping. Unfortunately, her nephew wants to sell the house and they don’t have much time to look through Dot’s belongings and find what they need. Cue these two becoming unlikely roomates.

If Drop Dead sounds like it has a lot going on, it does. Regardless, Lily Chu makes you come to know and love these characters, especially Dot. Her death was such a huge part of the story, and it ends up affecting the main leads so deeply. The book is still hopeful as Nadine and Wes end up falling for each other. Chu talks so openly about death, and it feels so refreshing, as most books don’t even want to touch a topic like that.
For those who have read Chu before, you’ll know she gives some commentary on families, their relationships, and how it affects the main characters. At times, this was hard to read, but it showed why Wes and Nadine worked so well. They had so much to unpack, but they were motivated and wanted to do it together. While the romance wasn’t necessarily the central focus, it was a solid addition to the story.

Whether you’ve read Lily Chu’s books in the past or this is your first, you won’t be able to put it down. Her writing is so fun and easy to get into. Plus, these books are set in Canada, which feels like a rarity these days. Either way, Drop Dead feels like it’s going to be in many a beach bag this summer.

Lily Chu is enjoyable no matter what, and this book was no exception. I really liked how Nadine and Wes had a history and then had to work together again. At first it was hard for me to buy the romance, but then I really liked it. This book deals with parental relationships, loss, and so much more. Plus the cats in the book are amazing. This book also weirdly made me wanna read obituaries. A fantastic book!

This book was so cuteee!! I loved both of the characters and the story so muchh!

One of my favorite things in this book was the mystery and Dot herself. I loved how the story progressed and I was throughly enjoying the hunt through Dot's mansion. Just like Wes and Nadine, I fell in love with Dot and her charm.

The characters were so amazing and I their relationship was incredible. I love how you could tell how much they loved each other by the little things they did for one another. Nadine was such a strong character and I think she was very resilient with everything that was going on in her life. I also think that Wes was a charming and lovable character. I love how sensitive and caring he was.

Another thing that I appreciated a lot in this book was the fact that it had no third act break up or third act conflict. That was so refreshing to see since most of the books now include a third act conflict just so that the book can be longer.

Overall this book was amazing!! I would definitely recommend it as a lighthearted summer read!

Perfect cozy mystery romance.

I have been getting into cozy mysteries lately and this sounded fun (haunted house?!) so I gave it a try. I found this to be an enjoyable read.

It's a rivals to lovers romance which is one of my favorite tropes. I thought the trope was executed well. Their dynamic was entertaining and the romance developed nicely. I found this couple to be cute.

However, the hero is a big momma's boy which was off-putting at times.

The writing is easy to read and lighthearted. Easily read in a single sitting.

Drop Dead is a perfect beach read for cozy mystery lovers (or beginners like myself).

Rivals to lovers in a mysterious mansion? Yup, sign me up.

I love a professional competition, and this book does it really well. Our rivals - Nadine and Wes - are both journalists chasing a hot story. Both are good at their jobs, but neither will acknowledge they might be able to learn something from the other. The subject of their story, Dot, is a fun character and her life reads like a novel (haha). While being forced to work together, Nadine and Wes learn a lot about themselves, and about each other.

I really enjoyed this book.

Lily Chu offers a lot of fun with an elaborate concept. The setup took me a minute to get through, but then the characters got a chance to shine.

Drop Dead by Lily Chu follows Nadine Barbault, an obituary editor at the Herald and Wes Chen, a writer at a rival news company, the Spear. When they first met in school, it didn’t take long for them to become rivals vying for the best positions and the best scoops. Nadine and Wes both decide to look into a years old scandal, leading to them spending more time together than they have in years. Their rivalry weakens while the tension rises, leading to a stay in a star writer’s house uncovering the mystery she left them.

Frankly I sped through this book without taking many notes, but here are my personal thoughts: I absolutely love the description of the death desk, it is right up my alley with the cheesy hearse and skull paraphernalia. I absolutely hated Tyler and Wes’s mother, very well written annoying characters. I loved seeing them unravel the mystery of Dot Voline using all of her eccentric clues she left behind. The last chapter is one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read. I think my favorite part was the addition of the cats, all four of them.

This book is perfect for people who want a bit of unique mystery, and a banter-filled romance without descriptive intimate scenes. Thank you so very much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read this e-arc.

This was such a fun book!!! A plot twist in the middle. Adventure and great description!! I loved both main characters, but Dot was my favorite. You never knew where the story was taking you but it all turned out in the end! A fun wild ride with twists and turns everywhere plus a little love story thrown in there too! Would highly recommend! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Alot of twists and turns and plots in this enemies to lovers romcom read! It is a bit of a longer book, so bunker down and prepare to keep your mind switched on otherwise you may lose your way like I did a few times 😊

If you're looking for a light hearted, but touching on a few deeper subjects, type of romcom, this one is for you!

This is more like a 3.5, but Lily Chu's work keeps scratches a specific itch for me, so I'm rounding up. I really liked Nadine and I was super interested in her growth and how her viewpoint changed. I did mostly like Wes, but there were a few too many times where I went "For real, Wes?" at some of his bone headed actions. He loved those cats though and I'm not totally immune to a man who loves cats. Nadine and Wes' relationship was sweet and I'm happy that they worked through problems mostly as they came instead of stuff being book length misunderstandings.

The mystery is kind of where this book isn't the best. Ultimately, it's kind of vague in how they were going about using the information. Like I'm not sure they had the best evidence they thought they did if this was real life. The middle of the mystery while they were searching the house dragged a little and the ending was a bit too quick and neatly wrapped up.

With this, I am caught up on Lily Chu books and I can't wait for The Library of Flowers.