Nothing about this was quite as I expected, but it turned out to be just my cup of tea: a very contemporary love story with just a twist (albeit quite a large twist) of the paranormal. Beautifully written with great characters, and I loved the Brighton setting.

This book destroyed every emotion I have and then put it back together again. The love, the relationships, the ups and downs - sheer perfection!

THIS BOOK. WOAH.

Afterlove is split into two parts; before and after. The before section explores Ash and Poppy's relationship, from their first meeting up until the night Ash tragically dies. And what a beautiful relationship it is. These two girls have an instant connection and it was easy to fall in love with and root for their relationship despite already knowing how it would end due to the synopsis of this book. I wasn't expecting to get so much backstory (the part described in the synopsis doesn't start until about 150 pages in) but I am so glad we did. In previous books I've read dealing with grief, such as History Is All You Left Me and Who I Was with Her we learn about the deceased character and their relationship in hindsight, after they've already died. But it definitely helped to be able to see Ash and Poppy's relationship as it was forming, and that made the tragedy hit so much harder.

Even though I knew it was coming, Ash's death still hit me really hard. But it also allowed us to move onto the next stage of the story, where she becomes a reaper to help guide souls to the afterlife, even though she's still mourning the loss of her own life. To help her in this journey we meet her fellow reapers, Dev and Esen, and I love them both so much. They're total opposites, with Dev being a sweet little ball of sunshine, and Esen providing a much more snarky, serious view of things, but they work so well together and the bond between the three of them is something that I really enjoyed.

Another thing that I absolutely adored is that both Ash and Poppy are lesbians and they! actually! use! the! word! lesbian!! It really means a lot to see the word being used more often in books, even though many books still skirt around using it.

This book ripped my heart out in the best way, I genuinely don't think a book has made me ugly cry so much before. It hit all the right emotional notes and I highly, highly recommend it. The only criticism I can think of is that there are quite a lot of Harry Potter references, but as I read an ARC I'm hoping that these won't be included in the final copy in light of JK Rowling's transphobia.

When Ash and Poppy fall they have lots of plans for the future, but these are cruelly crushed when Ash is killed on her way home on New Year’s Eve. As the last person to die that year, she becomes a reaper with the job of escorting those who have just died to the afterlife. As she is beginning to settle into her new role, everything changes when she see Poppy again. A touching, page-turner of a love story.

A sweet read about love and death through the eyes of teenagers.

This book feels like two stories. One a sapphic love story of two girls from different backgrounds falling hard and fast for each other. The other, a paranormal story of teenage reapers, helping the souls of other teenagers who die suddenly pass on to wherever they go next.

Both of these stories have great concepts, but I felt like we didn't get enough of either. After a hint in the prologue, it took almost half the book to get to the paranormal element of the story that was hinted at, and the pacing felt off. I was left wanting to know so much more about this hidden world of the reapers.

Recommended for fans of contemporary romance. There is still much to enjoy from this heartwarming story.

'Afterlove' by Tanya Byrne has the most interesting premise - it is a shame that the execution is muddled into something less enjoyable than it could be. For the first 40% of the book, we follow Ash and Poppy as they fall in love. Don't get me wrong, it is a heartwarming and sweet romance but I was waiting for the more supernatural storyline to start.

This is definitely a book of two vastly different halves with the sudden shift. In the second half, Ash is tragically killed and becomes one of Brighton's reapers. There are some intriguing moments in the second half of the book, particularly regarding the rules of the afterlife and reaping. I also thought the character of Essen was a nuanced character - I appreciated her growth and how she is always honest with Ash (especially when Ash is making ridiculous decisions!).

Unfortunately, the supernatural stages of the book felt rushed. It was a good premise and sweet storyline but the uneven pacing meant the potential of the idea was left unrealised. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can a book be both heart warming and heart breaking? If so, that’s what Byrne ha created here. Part sapphic love story, part afterlife fantasy, the plot follows Ash after she dies in an accident and becomes a reaper, as she tries to connect with her living girlfriend, Poppy, one more time. This was sweet and funny and poignant. A lovely book.

THE LESBIAN LOVE STORY YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO READ…

I can’t begin to explain how beautifully brilliant and unique this book by Tanya Byrne is. I really struggled to put the book down; I was captured within the story after that very first page!

There was more to this book than the description makes out; it is about Ash becoming a Reaper but it is also about the life she led, the death she has to deal with and everything in between. I wished this book could have been even longer because I would have loved to have delved into more parts of Ash and even Poppy’s life and afterlife.

I was honestly so blown away by the novel and wish I could re read it again for the first time because it was such a unique book full of emotion, fun and loving plots, with heartbreak and grief. I did shed a couple of tears. You don’t know sometimes what you’ve got until it’s gone and this book really brings that home!
’ You don’t need to be better than anyone else, you just need to be better than who you used to be’

This book was so beautiful and so pure.

There was something so compelling and pure about the relationship between Ash and Poppy and it was so clear that they were destined to be together no matter what. Byrne's characters are individual and equally well developed. I love the setting of the novel being in Brighton and them visiting London as I love reading books set in England as it's home to me. I loved the interpretation of the grim reapers and the way that they fit into the narrative, I adored how we were able to see two sides to Poppy and Ash's love story as well. I loved Esen, she was so real and relatable.

This book was such a quick read, I didn't want to put it down until I knew the end. I'm so glad I found and read this book but I wish the ending had been more clear but then at the same time I don't think it needed to be, it was perfect.

Though totally not the target audience, I enjoyed this book and would have loved it as a teenager.

It's a queer love story with a fantastical edge and I really enjoyed it!

*thank you to NetGalley for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review*

Afterlove is the story of Ash and Poppy and so powerful is their love for each other that it can transcend everything, even death!

I have mixed feelings about this book.

Ash and Poppy were likeable characters who Byrne depicts authentically with gorgeous, small details which helped to bring them to life. However, there were aspects of them that were opaque and I felt that some of the events they shared needed to be explored in more depth as sometimes I felt it made them seem a little shallow. For example, their family lives are explored in certain parts of the book but it felt to me like they were ignored when it was convenient for the author.

Their relationship was at times beautifully depicted, yet I also felt it had a tinge of Romeo and Juliet to it where it felt a little bit too all-consuming, too tragic and didn't reflect the other parts of who Ash and Poppy really were. I think love stories that constrict the meaning of a person's life to this one relationship can feel a little unrealistic and over-simplistic. I would have preferred to have the complexity of the grief the characters must have felt for the the loss of life explored more broadly than just how it related to the love of each other.

It was obvious that Byrne had a lot to say about grief and loss in this book and this was handled well, exploring their pain with tenderness and the emptiness loss leaves with hope. However, whilst the device of Ash becoming a grim reaper was novel I felt it left me a little dry and, along with the conclusion of the novel it did not adequately cover the depths of loss or what it can feel like to be left alone when someone dies.

I'm sure that there are many readers who will enjoy this YA book both for its exploration of teenage lesbian romance and for the way it grapples with grief and loss. Overall, I found the book enjoyable and engaging, but with a few flaws which led to the plot not quite melding with the themes it was trying to explore.

Dark, terrifying, and yet wonderfully romantic! Have never read anything like it before, wonderful book!

I've had Afterlove on my #NetGalley shelf forever & yet it still isn't publishing until July...couldn't resist it any longer though @tanyabyrne, & don't regret it. I'll be honest, romance usually leaves me cold, but Ash & Poppy were 🥰. & what a journey! #UKYA #LGBTQ https://t.co/FKyIVscYBa

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder Children’s Books for this wonderful ARC. My
favourite LGBT YA book of the past two years. The Henna Wars meet Scythe!

When I started reading this book I wasn’t completely sure I was going to like it because
the story is about two sixteen year-olds experiencing their first love, which for me is an
experience long in the past. However, I was completely wrong! This book by Tanya
Byrne is written with absolute honesty and I saw myself immediately immersed in this
story, devouring the book in barely a week, something that hadn’t happened in a long
time.

In spite of what the synopsis says, I believe this book isn’t mostly about Ash becoming
a reaper. For me this book is about how life and death are only some of the stops in a
long journey. And most of all, love is what drives this book. This youthful drama will
show you the streets of Brighton through Ash Persaud’s eyes, experiencing life, death
and the first love with her. Also learning that death really happens the moment you stop
remembering all the love you have in your life.

There are many remarkable things about this book. Like I mentioned, the author speaks
from her truth and in spite of the characters youthful age, their actions and
conversations are completely believable and sincere. The author has been able to
perfectly reflect the sincerity of her words in the pages of this fiction novel, and that is
one of the reasons I couldn’t stop reading from the very first moment I laid eyes on
Byrne’s words.

On the other hand, this book is comprised of a cast of diverse characters. Not only Ash,
who is part of a strict Indo-Guyanese family, but also many other characters from
different religious backgrounds and races, which makes this portrait of Brighton feel
even more real and closer to the reality of the city. The secondary characters are well
constructed and placed inside this story, making Ash and Poppy’s relationship stand out
as the central piece of this novel.

My favourite character is Esen, one of the reapers who accompany Ash. Despite of the
author not giving us as many details about this girl, I felt like I knew her from the very
first moment she appears. She’s a tough, funny and sarcastic girl, who tries to lead her
new life by pushing away all memories of her old life. Her development is something
worth mentioning too, because in just a few pages, this character who in the beginning
was perceived as annoying by both the reader and Ash, later on becomes an essential
part of the story. Esen watches Ash’s love story from afar, but she also intervenes when
she’s needed, a truly reliable and loyal friend. She’s the only one of the reapers who
makes us understand more clearly the tough reality these girls are living when they have
to leave everything behind and still wander through the places they used to call home
but now being complete strangers; not the normal girls they used to be but reapers
leading souls to Charon’s boat.

Another thing I loved about this book is how Ash’s sexuality is portrayed. It was one
the things that kept me hooked to this book, the sixteen year-old version of me that still
exists somewhere within, felt understood and represented in these words. As I
mentioned before, the author speaks from her undeniable truth, making this book feel
real and honest. Ash is a queer sixteen year-old girl who lives in one of the most
inclusive cities in the UK: Brighton. However, the reality is that when you’re a queer

teenager, finding a date, no matter where that is, it is still a nightmare. And when you
finally have one, most of the times it doesn’t go as expected. We can see through Ash’s
thoughts how her heart has been broken many times in spite of her age and how she
thinks she will never find love. It is never easy to admit who you are and accept
yourself as you are but it is even harder if you’re not what society expects you to be.
Regardless of all that, Ash finds Poppy, the person that takes her breath away and
makes her heart beat faster. The one who shows her that despite of all the obstacles she
has found in her path, in the end she can be happy next to the person she loves.
The only things that I didn’t love about this book were the rhythm and the structure.
There are too many interesting details in the second half of the book that don’t get
enough attention. Charon’s appearance, how the reapers become different people and
the consequences they would have to face if someone recognized them, are only some
of them. Everything related to being a reaper is like a sweet that you savour for too
short a time. I do think these ideas are properly explained and developed, but I would
have liked to know even more about them. And about the secondary characters like
Esen, Dev and Deborah. I would have really liked to learn more about their previous
lives as well.

I can’t help but think that if I had read this book as a teenager, when my problems
seemed never-ending, perhaps my life would have been different. The representation of
a healthy relationship between two teenage girls is something that I missed, but I’m glad
that many other teenagers will now be able to read this story and feel heard. They will
be able to hold onto this book when things are difficult for them. This is the main reason
I have felt this book so close to my heart and why I would recommend it to everyone
who has experienced growing up as a queer teenager.

We all deserve stories that make us feel seen and understood. Tanya Byrne’s story
makes us think about the meaning of life and she does that with a queer couple and a
diverse character ensemble as the voices of this story. What else could we ask for?
This book with make you forget the outside world for just a few hours and you won’t be
able to stop smiling at this beautiful and endless love story.

This was equal parts delightful and heart-breaking. Afterlove is an emotional ride and a unique tale of love and loss. I found myself quickly enthralled and couldn’t put this book down. Tanya Byrne’s writing is really lovely, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of reading it. And the way the atmosphere is captured through the writing is pure excellence. This is not one to miss!

Rating: 5 Stars!

In this sapphic YA romance, we follow Ash Persaud, a 16 year old Indo-Guyanese girl who dies and becomes a reaper, but she is desperate to see her first love, Poppy Morgan, again. In the “before,” we see how Ash and Poppy’s relationship grows, and the magical way in which Poppy is described from Ash’s perspective almost makes me as a reader fall in love with her too. This sometimes felt like Poppy was the main character, as I feel like we knew more about her than Ash. It would’ve been nice to have a bit more information about Ash, however I completely understand that the intention is for us to see the tight bond between the two and the intensity of Ash’s feelings for Poppy - which was definitely achieved.

Byrne’s writing is so vivid and refreshing - beautiful world-building and the characters are so alive, they feel like they’re stepping right off the page. There is something I wanted more of, however I recognise this was likely a deliberate creative decision. I would’ve liked some exploration of how Ash’s family was coping after her death. We get to know how their family dynamic works while she is alive, but they almost disappear when she dies, and her only focus seems to be Poppy. By not including this, it puts us on a level with Ash, who also doesn’t know how her family are doing following the news. In regard to this, the lack of closure is effective - however it is also frustrating and surprising that there isn’t much thought towards her family. I also would’ve appreciated an epilogue to see what actually happens at the end - however if there is a sequel to explore this (please, Tanya Byrne - there’s definitely another story in there!), I will definitely be snapping it up!

I found it quite hard to read at times, thinking deeply about my own mortality, but aspects of this book are actually very comforting and hopeful, despite the potentially triggering content. Although this is a story about love, it’s also a story about family. Ash’s family are clearly incredibly important to her, and the family she finds in the other reapers is a beautiful alternative in the afterlife for her.

Despite a couple of niggles, this is definitely one of my top books I’ve read this year, and I’m going to be buying a physical copy when it is released. I haven’t read a book that makes me feel that much in such a long time!

I read a lot of teen and YA fiction and thought this looked really interesting. I have spoken eith my students about the lack of F/F protagonists in teen fiction. Most of the LGBTQ+ books are M/M so I was interested to read this and it was set in the UK - also in its favour.

Sadly, I was not impressed. THe story was slow and I felt often bogged down in the geographical details of Brighton, this added little to the story unless you know the town well.

I was really enjoying the book until the midway point when Ash dies and then I found the world building too weak. I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief and I didn't build a good relationship with the characters.

Overall I found this very disappointing.

AFTERLOVE is a beautiful, sad story full of joy and hope.

Byrne’s writing is fantastic. The 350+ pages fly in quickly and you really get the sense the author has felt the grief and loss she’s writing about.

The characters are bright and likeable, but I felt there were a couple I would have like to know a bit more about (the reapers’ mentor and the reapers), or to have seen again in the second part of the book (Ash’s family and her best-friend, Adara).

I enjoyed the romance between Ash and Poppy. At times it felt a little ‘too-much-too-fast’ and a little overly cute but, within the context of the story, it worked really well. You really get a sense of how young the girls are, like real teenagers, and how whirlwind, all-consuming first love can be. It makes what’s coming all the more poignant.

I was a little surprised by the pacing/ balance of action in AFTERLOVE.

From the summary and just the general idea of the story, I expected Ash to become a reaper relatively early on. Instead, the first 40% of the book is set previous to the accident and follows Ash and Poppy’s developing relationship. The story of the two girls is very much the focus of the story, far more so than the supernatural aspects, and in many ways, this feels more like YA Contemporary. Although the balance of the story surprised me (and the difference with the summary might be off-putting for some readers) I think this was for the best. While the reaper world-building is interesting, having spend so much time with Ash before the accident, you really get the trauma of having it all ripped away so suddenly.

A touching YA romance, that looks at queerness, race and grief.

A warm and wistful book about death.
Afterlove is a book of two halves. In the first, we watch Ash and Poppy's newly founded relationship bloom into something bright and beautiful. The two girls make each other braver and the electricity of finding the freedom to be themselves runs through the early chapters like a fault line. The scene where Ash finds the courage to tell her religious, overprotective mother that she has a girlfriend and discovers the world doesn't end is particularly lovely.
In the second half of the book, the relationship is cut off at the stem as Ash dies in an accident on New Year's Eve. There's a touch of Dead Like Me as she's inducted into a small household of teenage girl Grim Reapers, recruited to help guide the souls of the newly dead onward to wherever they may go, but for Ash the strange new afterlife is tempered by never being able to see Poppy again. Until she does.
In Afterlove, death is an inevitability but not necessarily an ending, and while the tragedy of losing someone so young is ever present, so too is the strength Ash and Poppy find in each other and their hope for more.
A diverse, deeply romantic, heartbreaker of a book. Tanya Byrne's writing is poetic and powerful.

A really sweet queer YA novel about death, family and relationships.

The premise is like nothing I’d ever read - what would happen if you died, became a reaper and then found out you could still see your girlfriend (but only because she might die)?

Kind of like Dead like Me, but gay. Would recommend!

With thanks to Hodder and NetGalley.