Very refreshing, unique and adorable, I love the writing, it’s relatable and comforting. A lovely story with characters you can’t help but love and a bittersweet perspective on life and loss.

“Don’t worry about dying, because while you’re worrying about that you won’t notice the thousand tiny ways that you die everyday.
Everytime someone tells you to grow up
Each time someone tells you to be realistic
Everytime someone tells you you’re too much and not enough, all at once
Don’t listen to them.
You don’t need to be better than anyone else, you just need to be better than you used to be

People come and go, some are cigarette breaks and some are wild fires, some people take more than they give. They take and never give it back and it doesn’t matter how tightly they hold you or how often they kiss you it will never be enough to replace what they took.
Don’t let them.
If they want to leave let them.

You can miss someone but not want them back. You can want to know why but still ignore your phone when they call. But never regret something you once wanted.

There’s a difference between those people and the ones who love you, even if you question it because they don’t say it in the way you want to hear it. Not everyone knows how to say ‘I love you’ so learn the different ways they tell you. They say it all the time. Even if it’s just “don’t forget your gloves” or “have you eaten anything today”
Make sure your listening.

It’s ok to take the songs you skip off your playlist.
It’s ok not to finish the book if it feels like a closed door, not a window.
It’s ok not to get married if you don’t want to.
It’s ok not to have kids if you don’t them
It’s ok not to know all of this yet

If you love someone tell them.
If you already have, tell them again”


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Read the full review here: https://hexdro.net/2021/09/22/afterthoughts-for-afterlove-by-tanya-byrne/

“The lesbian love story you’ve been dying to read.” Afterlove by Tanya Byrne delivers on this promise and so much more. It’s easily up there now as one of my favourite romance novels, and is a must-read.

The author’s writing is absolutely beautiful, and will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. This story is a ride which transcends life, and follows love far into death. The highs of this ride will fill you with hope, and the lows will then fill you with tears.

Do I recommend this book? Definitely. It’s a light read, and accomplishes what it aims to do. It’s an adorable romance story, filled with plenty of thought-provoking passages and vivid imagery.

This novel is split into a Before and After, which follows 16-year-old Ash. She’s a proud Indo-Guyanese girl, who falls in love with the bright and bold Poppy Morgan. However, when everything finally seems to be going right, her world crashes into a million pieces like glass.

My main takeaway and favourite part about Afterlove is how it destigmatizes love. Too often, people try to shun or shame love, saying it’s “too cringey.”

Afterlove perfectly captures the spirit of love and teen romance. It makes you want to experience the love they do in movies and books. The one they write poetry for and sing songs about. Everybody deserves that type of love, and it’s also why you should give this book a read. ( )