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

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.

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.

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).