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beate251's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an ARC.
This story uses all the romance tropes liberally - let's see how many you can count! Normally I'm not a fan of tropes but the author uses them so cleverly and deliberately to further a story, that it's a delight.
Delphie is a young woman who seems to have given up on life and on her painting. She goes to work and she checks in on her elderly neighbour, but that's about all she does. One day, she chokes on her microwaved burger and finds herself in a white room resembling a launderette where a cheerful woman named Merritt tells her she's her afterlife therapist. Before she can quite grasp that she is dead, another person arrives - a beautiful man who she feels drawn to in a case of insta-love. Before he can tell her his full name he is pulled back to Earth as he was only unconscious from dental sedation. Merritt allows her to return to Earth for a second chance and creates a contract that if she finds Jonah within ten days and gets him to kiss her, she can stay alive.
Enter Cooper, her grumpy neighbour, whom she hates but harangues to help her with finding Jonah (Enemies to... That's the one). The two spend more and more time together as a consequence of fake dating and forced proximity tropes. We even get the having to share a bed and love triangle scenarios, as Delphie is still hellbent on finding Jonah and getting in ever more strange situations to do so, ranging from a live drawing class to a dance event to gatecrashing a posh charity ball. The more she forces herself to do, the more friends she makes, and she even confronts her childhood bully. We also find out why Cooper is so grumpy - five years ago his twin sister died and he hasn't been able to write books since.
But such is the persuasiveness of Merritt that I was also fully fixated on finding Delphie's soulmate who most definitely is not Cooper!
This book is everything. It is chock full with quirky, lovable characters, it is extremely funny and very emotional. There were twists at the end I didn't see coming and which made me cry - that hasn't happened in a while. I read this in one sitting. You will have a ball - solid five stars.
This is my first Kirsty Greenwood book, but it won't be my last!
"... being alive is about experiencing the full gamut of emotions. If you’re not feeling pushed and pulled and scared and delighted instead of just safe, then you’re not doing it right."
This story uses all the romance tropes liberally - let's see how many you can count! Normally I'm not a fan of tropes but the author uses them so cleverly and deliberately to further a story, that it's a delight.
Delphie is a young woman who seems to have given up on life and on her painting. She goes to work and she checks in on her elderly neighbour, but that's about all she does. One day, she chokes on her microwaved burger and finds herself in a white room resembling a launderette where a cheerful woman named Merritt tells her she's her afterlife therapist. Before she can quite grasp that she is dead, another person arrives - a beautiful man who she feels drawn to in a case of insta-love. Before he can tell her his full name he is pulled back to Earth as he was only unconscious from dental sedation. Merritt allows her to return to Earth for a second chance and creates a contract that if she finds Jonah within ten days and gets him to kiss her, she can stay alive.
Enter Cooper, her grumpy neighbour, whom she hates but harangues to help her with finding Jonah (Enemies to... That's the one). The two spend more and more time together as a consequence of fake dating and forced proximity tropes. We even get the having to share a bed and love triangle scenarios, as Delphie is still hellbent on finding Jonah and getting in ever more strange situations to do so, ranging from a live drawing class to a dance event to gatecrashing a posh charity ball. The more she forces herself to do, the more friends she makes, and she even confronts her childhood bully. We also find out why Cooper is so grumpy - five years ago his twin sister died and he hasn't been able to write books since.
But such is the persuasiveness of Merritt that I was also fully fixated on finding Delphie's soulmate who most definitely is not Cooper!
This book is everything. It is chock full with quirky, lovable characters, it is extremely funny and very emotional. There were twists at the end I didn't see coming and which made me cry - that hasn't happened in a while. I read this in one sitting. You will have a ball - solid five stars.
This is my first Kirsty Greenwood book, but it won't be my last!
"... being alive is about experiencing the full gamut of emotions. If you’re not feeling pushed and pulled and scared and delighted instead of just safe, then you’re not doing it right."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Death, Grief, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
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