Drop Dead

by Lily Chu

One mysterious mansion. Two rival journalists. Three weeks to uncover the story—and love—of a lifetime.

Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn't mind being called "Lady Death." It suits the ice queen persona she's cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn't hesitate to run the obituary…only to discover that Dot is very much alive.

Nadine's screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy—she's been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal. Intrigued, Wes goes to the source to learn more—only to discover Nadine had the exact same idea…and the infuriating woman isn't willing to respect dibs. Typical.

At first, Dot refuses to speak to either of the squabbling pair, but then they receive an unusual request—work together, and Dot will share everything. The offer seems too good to be true…and of course, it in a bitter twist of irony, Dot dies for real before she can finish recounting her story. Not all is lost, however. The estate's executor allows Wes and Nadine access to Dot's sprawling wonderland of a mansion for three weeks to find their answer. That's three weeks of working together…three weeks of endless sweltering in tight spaces…three weeks of learning there could be something more between them than a desire to win at any cost. 

And maybe, just maybe, under the rubble of all those could-have-beens they'll uncover more than the secret of Dot Voline's long-ago scandal—and Lady Death will finally embrace what she's wanted from life all along.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Lily Chu loves ordering the second-cheapest wine, wearing perfume all the time, and staying up far too late with a good book.

The Stand-In, The Comeback, and The Takedown are released in audio as Audible Originals, and are performed by Phillipa Soo. Lily’s critically acclaimed books have spent multiple weeks at number one in Audible Top Plus Listens in the All and the Romance categories, and have been named in Audible’s Best of the year lists.

In print, The Stand-In was named Target’s Book Club Pick for May as well as an Amazon Book of the Month and Apple Best Books of May.

Translation rights have been sold for seven languages.

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent, cozy beach read

Not completely sold on the hero, he was a big mama’s boy, but this was a nice cozy romance/mystery set in my hometown and filled with special Toronto easter eggs.

It’s only available on audible so far but it’s a pretty good listen, even though the American pronunciations of words bugged me for these Canadian characters. Foyer is pronounced Foy-yay, not fo- yur. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a bit too long imo 😬 I kept zoning out and felt like this was a finish just to finish book. 😝

[Breanne Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited for another Lily Chu book, but this is unfortunately my least favorite book of hers BY FAR. Wes made me want to jump off a cliff. It was so hard to not DNF this book. Get over being a momma’s boy and go to therapy.

[K.J. Charles]

A sort of enemies to lovers closed-door romance about two journalists collaborating on a mystery.

There's a lot to like here--solid relatable and likeable characters who grow, both with difficult backstories; entertaining setting and minor characters--but it didn't quite click for me, largely because it didn't really commit to either the enemies trope or the mystery. The enmity was kind of childish for adults (as it so often is in this trope unless you're in dark romance and someone murdered someone else's dad, which has its own issues) and the mystery/investigation felt a bit perfunctory, in that we don't meet or engage with any of the players. Fundamentally the book is much more interested in the characters--which is ultimately what we come to romance for--than in tropes or plot scaffolding, and indeed so was I.

[Sabi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has one of the best premise for a Halloween-y romance, shame the writing and the plot settings weren't.


First of all, it takes a long time for things to get interesting, then when it finally does... It surpases that phase in the middle of finding answers to the 'mystery' very quickly.

And yes, while I believe the leads are right for each other, they are not enemies to lovers, just like other reviewers seem to point out. 2.5 stars

[Abigail Cossette Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cute. I enjoyed this rivals to lovers mystery rom.com. it was light, while still portraying some heavier topics of racism, sexism, corruption and family drama. I personally appreciated that there really wasn't a third act break up, even tho the story had many opportunities for them to be stupid and break up.

Lily Chu writes exclusively for Audible, which is tough for me because I would love to share her books and that is hard to do with Audible.
🌶🌶

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible review -
The story was an easy listen and, not surpringly, entirely predictable. The female narrator was good but the male was REALLY bad. When narrating dialogue the narrator was ok, but any other narration sounded like a computer generated speaking and was very staccato-like and each word was simply "said" rather than read naturally. Unfortunately once I noticed this I couldn't un-notice it so it was very distracting.

[Chantelle Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars (Audible). Not as fun as her previous stories, but well written.

[Randi Oomens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm shocked that this turned out to be a five star read for me! It began as a three and then elevated to a four and the wrap up of everything made it five for me! Real characters with real family issues. I related to both characters in different ways. and the cats!! I very much enjoy Lily Chu and have yet to figure out why all her books are free on audible!

[ria𐙚 (rewriting & writing reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✮✮✮✮

↬ “For the first time in his life, Wes understood how it was possible to love someone so much that home was no longer a where but a who.”

This book was so cuteee!! I loved both of the characters and the story so muchh!

One of my favorite things in this book was the mystery and Dot herself. I loved how the story progressed and I was throughly enjoying the hunt through Dot's mansion. Just like Wes and Nadine, I fell in love with Dot and her charm.

The characters were so amazing and I their relationship was incredible. I love how you could tell how much they loved each other by the little things they did for one another. Nadine was such a strong character and I think she was very resilient with everything that was going on in her life. I also think that Wes was a charming and lovable character. I love how sensitive and caring he was.

Another thing that I appreciated a lot in this book was the fact that it had no third act break up or third act conflict. That was so refreshing to see since most of the books now include a third act conflict just so that the book can be longer.

Overall this book was amazing!! I would definitely recommend it as a lighthearted summer read!!

[joni ౨ৎ (semi - ia)]

𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 ౨ৎ
this sounds super cute & love that it's from a canadian author and set in toronto!!


thank you to raincoast for the gifted finished copy!!

[Alex Hirchert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept was unique and had some good parts but truly a forgettable listen.

[Allie Karma · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 60% - I'll try again if I run out of other listens 😔

[Jennifer]

- Cats on the cover
- Canadian author
- Based in Toronto
- Enemies/rivals-to-lovers (which is my favourite because it usually brings the best banter)
- I've actually met the author at a signing a couple years ago

Seems like an auto-buy to me!

[Fanny Reads ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este libro sigue a 2 protagonistas que llevan años “odiándose”… ¿la razón? Pues básicamente porque un día en la escuela se miraron feo. Sí, así como lo lees. Esa es la premisa que sostiene toda la tensión entre ellos, y sinceramente fue lo que me sacó por completo de la historia.

El libro intenta construir un enemies to lovers, pero nunca sentí que existiera un verdadero motivo para ese “odio”, lo cual lo hizo flojo, poco creíble y hasta frustrante. La trama avanza entre enredos y situaciones típicas del género, pero nada logró engancharme ni emocionarme.

En conclusión, fue una lectura olvidable, con una base demasiado débil como para sostener la relación.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this was such a fun book to listen to.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily Chu’s books always bring me so much joy and this was no different. I absolutely loved Nadine and Wesley’s characters and story. This was such a sweet, fun and easy read and one I thoroughly enjoyed my time with.

what to expect:

• college rivals to lovers
• journalist romance
• forced proximity
• a maze of a mansion
• a beloved author with secrets to hide
• closed door
• scandal
• many cats

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for a binge-worthy story. I really enjoyed the depth of the main characters and their inner monologues of emotional self-exploration as well as how they communicated with each other. This book gives me the warm fuzzies. Both narrators did well conveying the author’s work but I have an extra soft spot for John Cho’s storytelling.

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was fun, but it took me a long time to adapt to John Cho's voice as a narrator. I don't know who he is, so I have no ideas about him. That said, his reading of Wes' POV was stilted and uncomfortable. I still enjoyed the book, but it took me a while to get into it.

[Helen Isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book with different expectations. Initially, I thought it might lean into a fantasy element, especially with a lead nicknamed “Lady Death.” That twist would have added a unique edge, but instead, the story stayed firmly grounded in a contemporary rivals to lovers setup, which unfortunately didn’t work for me.

The plot had potential, with its mysterious mansion and a long buried literary scandal, but the pacing felt slow, and the characters didn’t really draw me in. I found the female lead difficult to connect with, and the romantic chemistry between the two main characters felt more forced than compelling. While some readers might enjoy the tension between the characters, I personally found it predictable and lacking emotional depth.

Overall, this book just didn’t hold my attention. It took me much longer than usual to finish, which is rare for me. While the premise had promise, the execution fell flat in terms of engagement and character development.

[TheYALibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3 Stars

Summary (contains spoilers): Nadine prides herself in being an ice queen who has a place on the political team at the newspaper she works at. But after a death threat and stalking due to a story she was covering, she has to shift gears and work on the obituary column after the newspaper does not take the case seriously, leaving her stressed and scared. She considers the obituary column a demo ton and a temporary position while she gathers the courage to rejoin the political team. In doing so she botches the obituary of a famous writer Dot Voline, who turns out to still be very much alive. Now in hot water she decides in order to fix this and get back in the good graces of her boss, she needs to talk to Dot herself and it turns out a familiar face from her past has similar ideas.
Wes is working for a rival newspaper and is also trying to pursue a dream position. Talking to Dot Voline in the wake of Nadine’s mistake seems like a good way to get an in and get on top of the new recruit Tyler. When Wes and Nadine meet at the front gates of Dot’s estate tension is high due to their past history of being in journalism classes together and them having to compete for good positions out of college which Wes ultimately got over Nadine. Neither will leave so both try to talk to Dot through her intercom. Being a recluse for years and still annoyed about her botched obituary, Dot refuses to talk to them. Wes and Nadine’s competitive nature as reporters make them continue to return to Dot’s front gates with gifts to see if they can get in. After several attempts Dot agrees and lets them in to interview her. But Dot is gruff and cryptic and it gets them nowhere in the hour she allows them in her just as interesting home. They return many more days with Dot continuing to be cryptic and Nadine starts to notice that in her way of speaking and how things are rearranged in her home every day, that Dot might be hinting to clues of her past for Nadine and Wes to unravel. They form an unlikely friendship with the old woman and her four cats. But then the return one day to find out she passed away. Her nephew Brent lets them stay in her home for three weeks in an effort to find out what Dot wanted them to figure out. She had expressed that neither Nadine or Wes were to tell their jobs what they are doing until her death and they continue to keep it a secret. They spend their time navigating the labyrinth of Dot’s house while trying to figure out where their relationship stands since it gets harder and harder to keep it professional with past chemistry between them coming to the surface. They start a friends with benefits agreement but it blooms into more as they find a mutual need to uncover Dot’s story and similar home life’s of Nadine’s overprotective parents and Wes’s narcisstic mother.
The clues Dot left leads them to find out that Dot’s book Tweny Pieces of Silver is based off her real story of working for a senator that did a lot of shady things and saw no consequences. They also find an unfinished manuscript that also touched on Dot’s real life and led them to finding Dot was not her real name it was Millie. Keeping all this a secret eventually backfires with Wes leaving some evidence and notes of the clues that they have found at his work and the new recruit gets them and publishes an article about the senator. Wes gets fired from the severe backlash the newspaper gets from the senator’s publicity team and lawyers and Nadine almost loses her friendship with her friend and coworker. The three weeks were now up and Dot’s nephew Brent needs to sell. They leave Dot’s home feeling like they don’t have enough evidence and the opportunity to take the senator down with the article already published. Wes takes Dot’s four cats to live with him at his sister’s apartment after his mother kicks him out and Nadine continues to live at her apartment against her parent’s wishes. Nadine ultimately gathers enough courage to try to get her newspaper to let her publish an article and she is almost rejected and fired but the new owner of the company hears her out and lets her stay and take over the obituary column once again since Dot helped show Nadine the worth in writing obituaries. Nadine also gets to write the article and the evidence turns up enough for the senator to face repercussions and go into hiding. Brent decides to take over the newspaper Wes was fired from when it goes bankrupt and rehires him. The story ends with Wes proposing to Nadine and the two starting a new life together.

This story, albeit cute, did not reach its full potential to me. It felt like it had the bones for a really good mystery of uncovering the past of a famous and eccentric novelist but it all faded into the background. I honestly could not tell you what exactly Nadine and Wes uncovered since most of the audiobook was spent them doing the whole enemies to lovers trope of not liking each other but having an unspoken attraction. It really started getting repetitive and boring with them dancing around each other, having misunderstandings that lead to arguments. Their insecurities due to past traumas were understandable but got grating after a while since it just lead to more arguments and tensions with friendships while I’m over here being like “what about this whole mystery with Dot I want know more about that please!” It was ultimately what I picked up the audiobook for was the whole mystery part and should have known better it was just another romance story with not much substance since it’s all about the romance and that really for me can’t drive a story to stay interesting.

[Amee · Rating 1 out of 5]

@ 65%

Some really funny banter but not funny enough to keep the plot line of the “mystery” moving along at a pace you don’t lose interest. Sad because I can see me really liked authors style.

[Emma Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The positives: Well written, the house was a cool location, and the cats were the best characters and Wes got major bonus points for what he did for them in the end. (And though it seems I’m in the minority, I really liked John Cho’s narration).

That being said, this book I don’t think was for me. The title and the set up made me think it was going to be a murder mystery with a touch of romance. This was a heavy romance book with a small, very boring mystery.

The romance was fine, though it felt sort of rushed, going from “I hate you” to “let’s spend forever together” in a short amount of time. There were quite a few side stories and characters that I did not care about in the slightest. But unfortunately, I cared about the main mystery even less than that. Most of the book I didn’t know what the two main characters were looking for, and whenever they discussed their investigation I found myself zoning out. It felt disconnected from the two main characters and therefore there didn’t seem to be any real stakes. The “villain” was someone that was discussed but we never met so I didn’t really care about the nefarious things he did or what happened to him.

Overall, if you go in expecting heavy romance and don’t care about an engaging mystery, you’ll enjoy this book. Nothing against the author, like I said it was well written and witty at times, it just wasn’t my kind of book.

[Mallary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable quick read. The male lead was a little annoying with his grown man mama’s boy tendencies and his overall sense personality but that didn’t sway me from liking the story.

[Maddy (Kristen) Mclain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid story on the whole, I absolutely loved this. The love was sweet, the characters were lovable and the mystery was interesting. It did force me to face a little family trauma (my mother is very similar to Wes's), but I think it was nice to have some completely believable strife mixed in that was personal to the characters. The think that kept this from 5 stars was that it left a lot of loose ends. I would have loved to see how the mothers reacted when their children finally stood up for themselves. I also would have really like to see Nadine's reaction to Wes getting kicked out along with more sisterly bonding. I think another chapter or two would have made this book perfect for me.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This was a cute story. The pacing was a little interesting, and I think some characters were over exaggerated, but overall, enjoyed the mystery aspect, as well as the enemies to lovers. Also, loved Phillipa and John’s performance, which is why I listened to it in the first place.

[Elisabeth M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this sweet and slightly morbid rom-com! Drop Dead has a completely unique and absurd premise, as it’s a love story but also layered with death and mystery, family dynamics, mental health, and adventure. Chu writes in the POVs of Nadine and Wes, incredibly realistic sweethearts of characters, with delightful banter but also tender and nuanced emotional scenes. I love the care that Chu put into building these characters, including their cultural heritage and emotional backstories. The rivals-to-lovers dynamic is funny and sweet, with the just right amount of yearning. I appreciate driven yet humble characters, and especially a MMC that’s not arrogant, but is sensitive and prioritizes family.
I would even go to say romance isn’t the utmost priority in this novel, as it’s low spice and that Chu really digs into the complexity of each character as they navigate family conflicts, friendship dynamics, career trajectories and their own insecurities. Drop Dead not simply a rom com, it’s two people becoming best friends to support each other in difficult times and collaborate to solve a mystery and unearth corruption together. I love their relationship, and I loved our quirky Dot Voline and her wild home, our literary cats, and our characters ultimately finding strength and love throughout the story.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

[McKell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was cute, but nothing really earth-shattering. It did feel like there were a lot of threads that I was needing to keep track of in the plot, so there were several moments where I was confused. But the romance was cute and it was an empowering story somewhat

[Nada A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
If this was a novella it would’ve been perfect.

[Yashti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty decent read. It was quite different to majority of the other books I've read. Its got a nice twist of journalism, and mystery and romance. All in all, it was pretty good.