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Afterlove
When I bought Afterlove by Tanya Byrne, for some reason I thought it was a comic, which is why I bought it on Kindle. When I realised it was a text novel, I decided to give it a try anyway - and I'm glad I did, because it was a mostly really sweet love story between two teenage girls.
But you know from the start that one of them becomes a grim reaper at the age of sixteen - which makes all the friends-and-family, slice-of-life, first-love-euphoria stuff that follows the opening very sad and rather painful. Though I guess knowing what happens to Ash was maybe better than it coming out of the blue?
Anyway, I really loved the 'found family' of the reapers - the different personalities and relationship dynamics between them worked very well.
And the continuation of the love story between Ash and Poppy was very romantic.
I just felt the girls' families were rather short-changed in terms of how they (and their friends) would have been affected by what happened. I guess teenagers in love are likely only to think about themselves and the object of their affection - but it seemed a bit selfish and hollow to me.
Well-written and affecting, though - with really good reaper world-building.
But you know from the start that one of them becomes a grim reaper at the age of sixteen - which makes all the friends-and-family, slice-of-life, first-love-euphoria stuff that follows the opening very sad and rather painful. Though I guess knowing what happens to Ash was maybe better than it coming out of the blue?
Anyway, I really loved the 'found family' of the reapers - the different personalities and relationship dynamics between them worked very well.
And the continuation of the love story between Ash and Poppy was very romantic.
I just felt the girls' families were rather short-changed in terms of how they (and their friends) would have been affected by what happened. I guess teenagers in love are likely only to think about themselves and the object of their affection - but it seemed a bit selfish and hollow to me.
Well-written and affecting, though - with really good reaper world-building.