The Love of My Afterlife

Written by Kirsty Greenwood, The Love of My Afterlife (2024) is a romantic comedy about life, death, and community that follows Delphie Bookham, a recently deceased woman who has kept herself away from others throughout her adult life. When Delphie dies and is brought to the afterlife, she is given 10 days to return to Earth and begin living a life she can actually enjoy. By employing many classic tropes of contemporary romance, Greenwood explores themes of The Difference Between Living and Surviving, The Importance of Friendship and Community, and Celebrating Life and Appreciating Meaningful Moments. 

This study guide refers to the 2024 Berkley e-book edition.

Plot Summary

Delphie Bookham dies at the age of 27 after choking on a microwavable hamburger. Shortly afterward, she wakes up in a brightly colored laundromat that a perky young woman named Merritt explains is the afterlife. Merritt calls this place Evermore; she is an Afterlife Therapist who is supposed to help Delphie transition to her life after death. Merritt shows Delphie a recap of her life, most of which is filled with scenes of Delphie alone and safe at home after being bullied through her teen years. 

Delphie cannot believe that she is actually dead and tries to leave Evermore, but she bumps into a handsome man who has also just arrived. As they begin to talk, Delphie feels drawn to this man, and she believes he is drawn to her as well. Just as he tells her that he too lives in London and his name is Jonah T, Merritt says he is there by accident and sends him back to Earth, but not without recognizing the chemistry he has with Delphie. 

Delphie begs to be with Jonah again, and Merritt, as a huge fan of romance novels, wants Delphie to have her traditional happily ever after, so she offers Delphie a proposition. If Delphie can find Jonah on Earth and convince him to kiss her within 10 days, she can remain alive; if not, she must return to Evermore. Delphie agrees and signs a contract to this effect. 

Delphie wakes up on Earth again to find her curmudgeonly neighbor, Cooper, trying to make sure she is still alive. Delphie initially believes that she dreamed of her brief stay in Evermore, but Merritt begins to send her text messages about finding Jonah. Delphie doesn’t know where to begin looking in all of London, but she knows that Cooper is good with computers and could possibly help her search for him. 

Delphie hates to consult Cooper because the two have always been rude to one another, but she is desperate. Though Cooper initially refuses to help her, he agrees on the condition that Delphie pretends to be his girlfriend in a picture so that his pushy parents will stop trying to set him up with their neighbor. Cooper finds a few leads on Jonah T, and Delphie is forced to trek to different corners of London in search of him. 

Meanwhile, Delphie helps care for her elderly neighbor, Mr. Yoon, whom she feels is her only friend. As time goes on, she notices that Mr. Yoon needs more and more care, and she feels that she cannot go back to Evermore because he has no one else but her. Cooper finally tracks Jonah down, but Delphie is led to a series of events where he doesn’t show up or she just misses him. The first few days of her 10-day return to Earth have now passed, and Merritt continues to warn Delphie about the importance of getting Jonah to kiss her. 

Along the way, many acquaintances, neighbors, and complete strangers try to help Delphie, but she repeatedly turns them away until she is desperate enough for help. In doing so, she realizes how much of her life revolves around hiding from other people rather than taking a chance. She starts to return to things she used to love, like art, and finds some happiness in it. Cooper’s plan to fake-date Delphie hits a snag when his parents want to meet her. When Delphie meets his parents, she gains a new perspective on Cooper when she learns that he is dealing with depression after the recent loss of his twin sister. Delphie finally gets a lead on Jonah when she learns that he will be attending an elegant costume gala. With Cooper’s help, she sneaks into the manor house that is hosting it. 

However, once she is inside, Delphie learns that the gala is for an anti-bullying charity and it is being hosted by her high school bully, Gen, who is using Delphie’s own story to gain sympathy from the crowd. Delphie confronts Gen and throws a drink in her face, then finally spots Jonah. In the chaos of the moment, she pulls him into a supply closet and gets him to talk to her. However, she is surprised to realize that she doesn’t feel the same chemistry between them that she did in Evermore. Trapped in the closet, Jonah is scared and confused, and when Delphie tries to get him to kiss her, he runs back to the ballroom. Delphie learns that Jonah is seeing someone and is friends with her high school bully. 

Delphie is crushed. She and Cooper are kicked out of the gala and into a rainstorm. After losing Cooper’s car keys, they run to a nearby pub and are forced to stay in a hotel room with only one bed. This arrangement forces Delphie and Cooper together physically and emotionally, and they begin sleeping together. With three days left on Earth, Delphie gives up on the idea of forcing Jonah to kiss her and decides to live the rest of her life to the fullest by going on dates with Cooper, drawing, and throwing a party for Mr. Yoon so that he will have new friends to look after him when she is gone. 

However, as Delphie begins to draw closer to Cooper, she recognizes that their feelings for one another are not as casual as she initially believed. She also feels like a new woman and is actually beginning to enjoy life, and she is forced to consider whether she can accept the idea of dying and giving up this new lifestyle. Eventually, Delphie decides in the last few hours of her life that she needs to get Jonah to kiss her so that she can stay on Earth. She gets Jonah’s address from her high school bully, with whom she doesn’t reconcile but does come to an understanding. Delphie gets Cooper to drive her to Jonah’s house, but as they get to his street, another car crashes into them. 

Delphie wakes up in Evermore once again, but this time with Cooper. Yet when Cooper wakes up, he notices Merritt first, not Delphie. He reveals that Merritt is actually his deceased twin sister, but before Delphie and Cooper can ask whether they can both return to Earth, Delphie starts to fade away from Evermore. She wakes up on Earth to find Jonah giving her CPR, technically meeting the requirement of Merritt’s contract. Delphie is rushed to the hospital, where she learns that Cooper survived the car accident but is now in a coma. 

Delphie’s stay in the hospital is brutal, and Merritt won’t answer any of her pleas to bring back Cooper, but even so, Delphie recognizes the support system that she has when all of her new friends visit her and take care of her. Jonah comes to her apartment to tell her that he can’t stop thinking about her, but she rejects him, knowing now that she is in love with Cooper. Twelve weeks pass, and Cooper still hasn’t awakened, but Delphie has continued to make the most of her life. She spends time with new friends and begins painting, even opening up an exhibition for her art. 

Cooper recovers from his coma just in time to meet Delphie at her art exhibition. Merritt appears and informs Delphie that she was not planning to set her up with Cooper, but fate intervened. Cooper and Delphie confess their love for one another, and Delphie excitedly plans to live the next chapter of her life to the fullest.