After Life

By: Gayle Forman

Narrated by: Gail Shalan, Jade Wheeler, Andrew J. Andersen

"After Life is a masterful tale about a family coping with loss, showing the way grief affects us and people we don't even know in ways we don't see. Once I met Amber and her family, I didn't want to let them go."—Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Carving Shadows into Stone

"Forman is a master at making her readers fall in love—with a girl whose life is over, with a community of people in a small town who are barely surviving her loss, and with the incredible, surprising way everyone's stories knit together into a heartbreaking and hopeful whole."—E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud

One spring afternoon after school, Amber arrives home on her bike. It’s just another perfectly normal day. But when Amber’s mom sees her, she screams.

Because Amber died seven years ago, hit by a car while on the very same bicycle she’s inexplicably riding now.

This return doesn’t only impact Amber. Her sister, Melissa, now seven years older, must be a new kind of sibling to Amber. Amber’s estranged parents are battling over her. And the changes ripple farther and farther out: Amber’s friends, boyfriend, and even people she met only once have been deeply affected by her life and death. In the midst of everyone’s turmoil, Amber is struggling with herself. What kind of person was she? How and why was she given this second chance?

This magnificent tour de force by acclaimed author Gayle Forman brilliantly explores the porous veil between life and death, examines the impact that one person can have on the world, and celebrates life in all its beautiful complexity.

©2025 Gayle Forman (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

after life

thought it was very well played out. narration was exceptionally good. listened to it in 2 days.

Anew look

Enjoyed the story as was a new look into greif and loss. I didn't know what to expect when starting it but was waiting for the next chapter to start.

A MUST READ

We listen to this as a family and overall.We really liked it. We believe that love conquers all and miracles can happen in strange ways. They can bring families closer together even in tragedy. we love how the characters came to life in each chapter.

Intriguing life after death tale

It's just the sort of book I like... and very well done. The one thing I thought was odd is the lack of questions by Amber’s family about what it was like being dead. Otherwise a very intriguing read.

The story carried you all the way to the end until it linked all of the characters

This was the first book from this author that I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed it, I look forward to reviewing her other books.

Too many characters, too many timelines...

...but an easy enough read that kept my attention--more or less. At least I finished it, which is more than I can say for a lot of books.