The Love of My After Life | By Kirsty Greenwood
Book Review | Contemporary Romance
My thoughts
Narrative and Plot
I had zero expectation from this book when I picked it up. Little did I know, I was in for a nostalgic rom-com adventure with quite an old-timey style narrative and plot. The Love of My Afterlife reminded me of the kind of rom-coms that I grew up with and eventually got me into the genre. Like the early Sophie Kinsella novel, with a heroine who needed a serious character arc and a swoony love interest.
The plot is well thought out and evenly paced. It is a light-beautiful journey of hope and love and a reminder that life is full of possibilities if you are willing to embrace it.
Characters and Conflicts
Delphie is a relatable character with her mundane life and cynical personality. Sometimes we build a wall around us, so high that it becomes impossible for anyone to get through. Eventually, even we cannot get ourselves past that to see other people and their lives.
Delphie gets a second chance to turn her life around. The wild goose chase that puts things into a new perspective for her is one of the best character arcs I’ve read recently. It is nothing grand, but just the simple act of letting people in. But the writing and the overall ensemble cast make it a beautiful experience.
The twist in the climax is something that I saw coming. The story lingered a bit much after that. Even then, I didn’t want it to end because I wasn’t just ready to say goodbye to these people. It’s one of those books for me and that’s why I rated it a 5/5.
Conclusion
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves rom-coms. The suave hero who is vulnerable and the flawed heroine who goes through her own arc and finds love and hope in the process is the cliched yet timeless romance genre plot. The Love of my afterlife executes this to perfection. If you are a sucker for romance books with a pinch of magic, like me, do not miss this one.