A cozy fun romance between old rivals. A misunderstanding leads the duo to an eccentric writer (who steals the show) and a mystery to be solved. Dot's cats and maximalist decor add charm to this story! People are much more than their deeds, a life lesson from Dot.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish this book. It was long, very long and slow! Wes was probably my least favorite character. He has a lot of issues. I could relate to the characters at all. I love the cats! Best characters in the book.

If you like:
-Rivals to lovers
-cats
-Friendship and family

This book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley, Lily and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC!

Publication Date: May 6 2025
Rating: ✨✨

One mysterious mansion. Two rival journalists. Three weeks to chase the story—and maybe something more.

This book was a fun read! I loved the unique spin on an enemies-to-lovers trope. I also thought it was an interesting addition to add the complex family dynamics on top of everything. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher for an arc copy of this book!

It had a slow start, but it was a good story! Imagine reading an obit in a popular paper, only to realize it’s yours and you are very much not dead. Dot is an insufferable old lady who I believe is just in search of some company. The mystery in the mansion caught me by surprise. I love a good happy ending.

I adore Lily Chu’s other books and was delighted to get my hands on this one, but “Drop Dead” just didn’t hit the mark. In addition to sloppy writing and an uninteresting/meandering plot, the book was entirely too long. Slow pacing is the enemy of a mystery (which this book is *supposed* to be a romance with a mystery subplot). Overall, I would recommend every book by Lily Chu, except this one.

Good premise and I was really excited to read it since I enjoyed her books in the past. But I’m not sure it actually delivers as much as I was expecting. It’s way too long and not memorable unfortunately. It does have good characters and the storyline is really engaging but there’s something missing that I can’t say i actually enjoyed it in the end. That doesn’t mean some readers won’t enjoy it.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Drop Dead by Lily Chu had an intriguing premise—a grumpy obituary writer suddenly able to communicate with the ghost of a recently deceased influencer, and the two form an unlikely partnership to solve her murder. It promised a quirky mix of mystery, ghostly hijinks, and maybe a bit of heart. But while it delivered on charm and character chemistry, the mystery element felt more like a background feature than a driving force.

The setup had real potential: a prickly, career-stalled heroine trying to get her life together while juggling ghostly antics and a murder investigation? Sign me up. And there’s no doubt that the banter and emotional growth between the living and the dead were entertaining. But the story leaned heavily into the friendship and personal development arc, and the actual murder mystery—what brought these two characters together—often got lost in the shuffle.

I kept waiting for the suspense to ramp up, for the investigation to dig deeper into juicy secrets or unexpected twists. Instead, the mystery unfolded slowly and with little urgency. The clues felt more like casual breadcrumbs than a gripping whodunit, and by the time the pace picked up, I was more invested in the emotional arc than the resolution of the case.

That said, the narration in the audiobook version was excellent and gave the characters distinct voices that added a lot of personality. The writing style was witty, the ghostly concept was clever, and the themes of identity, ambition, and grief were handled with care.

If you're in the mood for a cozy, slightly spooky, character-driven story with a side of mystery and a sprinkle of sass, Drop Dead delivers. But if you're looking for a tightly plotted, twisty ghost murder mystery? This one might leave you wanting a bit more.

Two rival journalist, a mysterious story to uncover, and a unlikely romance! Nadine Barbault is a political columnist turned obituary writer who accidentally publishes the obituary for a famous author, Dot Voline, who is very much alive. Then there is Wesley Chen, journalist for a rival news outlet who is also ready to sink into the renewed interest in Dot and write a new story... only Nadine is determined to write one too. Now both Nadine and Wes have to wok together to unravel Dot's life because she refuses to be interviewed by them separately and will only answer their questions if they're together, yet as they spend more time together they're beginning to realize that maybe they might be falling for one another instead. This read more like a general fiction story than a romance , in fact this was the barest minimum romance, and calling it a romance is exaggerating. This story is very much more a out Nadine finding her own passion and about writing Dot's life, the romance is the last thing this book actually focuses on sadly. I was expecting a fun romance but I did not get the romance I was hoping for. This book really mislead me because I was expecting fun banter with a rival love interests and romance vibes, but its much more focused on the story and on the general fiction vibe (and that's totally cool if you're into that but I just am not).

Release Date: May 6, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca | Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

An enemies to lovers romance, the story of Nadine and Wes. They work at different publications but have been rivals since school. Now forced to work together to uncover secrets what will happen? A fun read, and some great characters

This was a quick, cute listen to the audiobook.
I did find myself zoning out a few times.
I felt like our MMC was a bit of a Momma's boy, and I wanted him to grow up and get some balls (to put it nicely...lol).
I like rivals-to-lovers vibes, and I got that from the plot.
Loved the female narrator, but had a hard time with the male narrator; he just didn't do it for me.
Dot's mansion was such a cute setting for the story and gave potential for a really fun story.
I do feel like the story gets better as you listen.
Overall, the plot was pretty well structured, but the pace was too slow in a lot of areas for me.
I did have a hard time connecting with the FMC, and I wasn't a fan of the MMC, but the characters were decently developed.
Not horrible, not the best.
If you get easily bored or have trouble connecting to characters, this is not the book for you.
However, if you don't mind a slower plot, you will probably be okay with this audiobook!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC for exchange of a review!
Happy Reading Friends!

“For the first time in his life, Wes understood how it was possible to love someone so much that home was no longer a where but a who.”

Honestly, I wanted to like this book but I felt like it was just WAY too long. The beginning of the book was a bit of a slog to get through. The second half of the book was redeeming and much more interesting to read. I loved the mystery aspect of the story which isn’t something I normally find in the romance books that I read. Nadine and Wesley are well paired together and I did love that there was no third-act breakup in the story, but I found the supporting characters to be just as interesting or more interesting in some cases.

Rating: 3/5
Spice: 1/5

"For the first time in his life, Wes understood how it was possible to love someone so much that home was no longer a where but a who."
3.5 ☆ (rounded up to 4☆)

Drop Dead follows journalists Nadine Barbault and Wes Chen, whom have been rivals ever since they tied on their first assignment in Introduction to Journalism. Currently the two work, for competing companies. When Nadine makes a mistake and prematurely runs author, Dot Voline's obituary, it causes both Nadine and Wes to be curious about the scandal revolving around Voline's breakout book, Thirty Pieces of Silver. The pair are then forced to work together on a story about Voline and with her actual death they try uncover her secrets.

The batter between Nadine and Wes really added to their competitive dynamic. The petty moments where they are competing at the start, with getting Dot Voline to talk them was funny and fun to read. Then seeing the shift in their relationship with them getting to know each other and opening up emotionally, was satisfying. I really liked their raw emotional talk in the diner, it's the moment in which the pair truly start to understand each other on a personal level especially when it comes to their frustrations and prejudices they face at work. Even when there is miscommunication between them, they simply talked it out and expressed their feelings, rather than dragging it out for the sake of drama. Bonus there was no third act breakup!

The cats in this book were so cute! I liked the way they would subtly help Wes and Nadine find clues.

The one downside of Drop Dead is the pacing. It starts off strong, but the book hits a lull after the beginning. It doesn't ever really pick up in pace. Additonally, the mystery aspect wasn't that engaging or interesting. It just felt a bit basic at times with them uncovering a political scandal. Another downside, is there are some predictable elements like the third act conflict.

Drop Dead did make me reflect more on the craft of obituary writing and its impact. Overall, it was a pretty light and casual romcom read. I didn't find it to be addicting, but it had its moments and I liked the relationship between Nadine and Wes. The ending was the highlight of the book, it was very cute and satisfying. It wrapped up the story well.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the ARC.

Drop Dead unfortunately was not for me. I think other readers have the potential to enjoy it for sure though. If you find the idea of the mystery interesting you’ll probably like this book, I just wasn’t absorbed in that aspect. For me, I wish there was more focus on the characters issues throughout the book instead of just towards the end. I also wish there was more focus on the chemistry between the two leads.

I was really disappointed with this book.

I found neither Wes or Nadine particularly interesting as individuals and they had almost no chemistry as a couple.

The most interesting character, by far, was Dot and she dies at the start of the book. I would much rather have spent more time with her. Even her house had more personality than our main couple.

It's a shame because there was a great opportunity for rivals to lovers here but it just didn't deliver.

Also the 'mystery ' they were trying to solve felt incredibly obvious to me.

Overall, there was just too much potential missed here and the characters just felt bland and boring to me.

Drop Dead was enjoyable and entertaining. I like the cozy mystery vibe mixed with romance, and I appreciate that the romance was fade-to-black. I liked the characters and the ending, but the book likely won’t stick with me long now that I’ve finished it.

I haven’t read any other Lily Chu books yet, but I’ve seen them around and I’d be interested to check them out when I’m in the mood for something cozy and fun.

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.