There are no spoilers in this review.
Layoverland, Gabby Noone
Publishing on January 21st, 2020 by Razorbill.
Buy Layoverland on : Amazon – Book Depository – Barnes & Nobles
Two teens, one stuck atoning for her sins and one destined for heaven, fall in love in purgatory in this darkly hilarious and heartfelt rom-com, perfect for fans of The Good Place.
Beatrice Fox deserves to go straight to hell. At least, that’s what she thinks. On her last day on Earth, she ruined the life of the person she loves most–her little sister, Emmy. So when Bea awakens from a fatal car accident to find herself on an airplane headed for a mysterious destination, she’s confused, to say the least. Once on the ground, Bea receives some truly harrowing news: not only is she in purgatory, but she has been chosen to join the Memory Experience team. If she wants another shot at heaven, she’ll have to use her master manipulation skills to help 5,000 souls suss out what’s keeping them from moving on.
There’s just one slight problem. Bea’s first assigned soul is Caleb, the boy who caused her accident, and the last person Bea would ever want to send to the pearly gates. But as much as Bea would love to see Caleb suffer for dooming her to a seemingly endless future of listening to other people’s problems, she can’t help but notice that he’s kind of cute, and sort of sweet, and that maybe, despite her best efforts, she’s totally falling for him. And to make matters worse, he’s definitely falling for her. Now, determined to make the most of her time in purgatory, Bea must decide what is truly worth dying for–romance or revenge.
I ENJOYED…
☂️
- One of my favorite things about Layoverland was its originality. This book has been marketed “for fans of The Good Place” and I feel like this is a perfect thing to say. I found again the afterlife setting, I found the sarcastic, witty, fun and intriguing kind of story we get in the show, just as well and I loved it.
- I really loved the idea of the book and its execution, too. The world-building wasn’t overly complicated and yet it made sense. It was fun to follow and really unique, I feel like you could write so many fun stories set in that universe.
- Bea was one main character you take a little time to get accustomed to, but once you do, you can’t help but love her. She’s hard hearted and wearing an armor around her feelings, she’s sarcastic, witty, funny and sometimes a little too stubborn and annoying, yet I grew fond of her and loved seeing her grow as the story went on, too.
- Bea is surrounded by other characters I equally enjoyed. I really liked Caleb, he was soft and sweet, caring and sometimes a little clueless, but I loved him. I loved getting to know him better, his flaws and weaknesses and really grew fond of him, too.
- Another thing I liked was the presence of friendship in the story. It’s not really the main focus of it all, but I loved Jenna as a character and how, slowly, she grew on Bea despite their differences and awkward first interactions. I also loved Sadie, another character and Bea’s mentor and her enthusiasm.
- Layoverland has strong elements of family, too, as one of the main focuses of the story is on Bea and her relationship with her sister Emmy. I loved seeing their strong bond, the way they interacted and fought, I just loved the closeness of their relationship and how important it is to Bea, too. I’m all for great sisters’ relationships in stories.
I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- I just feel like it ended a tiny bit… quickly? I feel like the wrapping-up part of the story was a little too quick to happen. I would have liked a little more resolution, especially with the sisters’ stories.
OVERALL
☂️
If you’re a fan of The Good Place, or if you’re looking for a unique, original kind of read, I’d definitely recommend Layoverland. Witty and unique, this book was a really promising debut I devoured and I can’t wait to read more from the author.
Final rating: 4 drops!
A million thanks to Penguin Random House International, Razorbill and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. This did not, in any way, influence my thoughts and rating.
Trigger warnings: car accident (narrated), death, cancer (leukemia), mention of abortion, blackmail.
Diversity: half Mexican-American main character (Caleb), POC main character (Sadie), Asian secondary character (Wayne).
Did you read Layoverland? Do you want to?
What was the last really original book you’ve read? Let me know in comments!
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WOW!!!! THIS BOOK SOUNDS SO COOL! It sounds very original (I don’t think I’ve heard of many books with this concept to be frank). Though I’m worried it would end up being super sad … since the two MC’s are dead … part of me still wants to give it a try. Great review!
It is a very unique read, I loved it! And let me reassure you right away: it’s of course, a little sad given the circumstances and everything, but I’m a huge crier in books and I laughed and smiled a lot while reading this and didn’t cry, so I think you’re on the safe side 🙂 I hope you’ll give it a try 😀
Ooooo … that’s good to know, because I’m ALSO a huge crier with books ha-ha!
AH YES I’m glad we have that in common haha, I’m so terrible I cry way too much at the little things hahaha.
I just cried twice the other day at a TV show in front of my SO … but he’s super sweet about it and doesn’t make fun of me (yay).
Aww that’s good he’s a keeper haha 😀
That he is ha-ha!
I’m so intrigued with this book—it sounds so fun!
It’s such a fun read! I hope you’ll give it a try 😀
FOR FANS OF THE GOOD PLACE!?!?! I need to get my hands on this at some point, because afterlife settings are truly fascinating 😀 I am glad you enjoyed it, even if the end wrapped up a bit too quickly.
YES! It had all the good place vibes, really, the setting, the sarcastic, witty vibes… I just had so much fun reading it 😀 I hope you’ll give it a try 😀
I hope this is the one 2020 release that I get to read this year! Great review 🙂
Ah I hope you’ll get to read that one, it’s really good 😀
Thank you, Nicole! 🙂
I haven’t heard about this or The Good place. It sounds interesting. Great review! ♥️
Oh the Good Place is such a great show, I hope you’ll watch it! And this is a really fun book 🙂
Thank you!! <3
Love the themes! ??
Aww thank you, Carol! <3
This sounds so unique and good!! I love The Good Place, so comparing it to that is genius and definitely makes me want to pick it up. Great review!!
It really was!! I hope you’ll give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think of it 😀
I already added it to my TBR. Just have to get my hands on it ?
Ahhh yay! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts 🙂
omg, i hadn’t heard of this book before you mentioned it, and now i’m super excited for it! the premise immediately made me think of the good place, and i’m so glad that you enjoyed it so much :)) great review as always! <3
ahhh this makes me so happy! it was such a good book, I hope you’ll give it a try 😀
Thank you so much! <3 <3
This sounds fantastic, Marie, and I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this book before because it sounds like my perfect book! I agree that it’s super original and the romance also seems really cute. I’m really looking forward to read it, thanks for sharing!
Ahh, it is a really really fun read, I hope you’ll get a chance to read it 😀 Thank you so much! <3 <3
Great review, Marie ❤️
I am the BIGGEST fan of The Good Place and I need this book so bad! The story sounds great and it seems like you loved all the characters. This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
AHH right The Good Place is such a great show!! I hope you’ll love the book just as much 😀
Ooh Layoverland is very high on my list and I’m really hoping to get my hands on an ARC! So glad to know that you loved it and think that it mirror’s the Good Place cause I’m already really sad that The Good Place is about to end and this would be a perfect way to get away from my sorrow, hehe. Great review 🙂
I hope you can read it soon, Charvi, it was such a fun read! AND YES I’m so sad that The Good Place is ending soon whyyy 🙁
Thank you! <3
I love the idea of this book!! So many books nowadays seem to have the same plot, but this is so original! I haven’t watched the The Good Place, but this book sounds amazing, regardless. I’ll have to add this to the TBR. I’m so happy you enjoyed this one!
YES, that’s what I loved the most about it, how original it felt! I hope you’ll love it 😀
I’m so happy you love it!! This book sounds so good, I LOVE the Good Place and YA and that combined… I’m very excited to read the book 😀
It is such a good read, I can’t wait for you to read it 😀