Love You to Death

by Jenna Levine

A jaded grim reaper and a woman who wants another chance at life give ‘til death do us part a new meaning in this paranormal romance from bestselling author Jenna Levine.

Lucy McKenzie’s life has always been a disaster. So it should come as no surprise when one day she’s hit by an inconveniently-timed bus—and dies. Unfortunately for the handsome grim reaper who shows up to take her to the afterlife, Lucy is not about to go quietly.

Daniel is tired of his job collecting souls. While working for the Agency beats the heck out of going to Hell, he’s been doing this for literal ages. The drudgery has him yearning for more. Touched by Lucy’s plea for more time on earth, he convinces the Agency to make a Lucy can have six more weeks of life if Daniel can observe her and report back on humanity.

But as Lucy and Daniel navigate the chaos of life and afterlife together, they discover that a second chance at living might be their real chance at love.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 13, 2026

About the author

By day, Jenna Levine works to increase access to affordable housing in the American South. By night, she is a USA Today bestselling romance novelist of humorous paranormal and contemporary romances where everyone always finds love, no matter who (... or what) they are.

When Jenna isn't writing she can usually be found imagining she is hiking somewhere beautiful, starting knitting projects she won't finish, or spending time with her family and small army of cats.

Instagram: jennalevinewrites
Web site: jennalevine.com

Reviews

[ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

jenna levine NEVER. MISSES.

i adored this with my whole soul (see what i did there). i read this in literally one sitting, not a single break to be had. this was so wonderful - i adore anything magical realism based, especially to do with the afterlife, so this hit all of my marks. the romance was incredibly sweet, the characters were so easy to root for, and it has the typical jenna levine charm woven into the writing. it made me giggle many times. highly, highly recommend checking this out once it’s released!!!

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i haven’t read jenna levine since her debut, but i do love a second chance at life romance… so i was overjoyed to have been approved for an arc of her latest romance novel! 🩵🙂‍↕️

love you to death is a fun bite of a romance novel with the increasingly popular second chance at life trope, and i got rather emotional at times when our fmc lucy was devastated with facing the reality she may have to go without seeing her sister get married, and for her grumpy cat wilfred to be forced into an unfamiliar home…

[Sophie ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love You to Death is exactly what it looks like: a fun, low-stakes paranormal romance. It’s nothing groundbreaking and honestly pretty forgettable, but it was a super easy weekend read.
Lucy and Daniel were cute despite the heavy insta-lust, and the conflict at the end was meh. But if you just want a comfort read, this is pretty charming!

⬫ ⬪ ⬫
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the arc!

[meggthereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun that I literally never wanted it to come to an end. Jenna’s books are an instant read after her Vampire series and this book has easily become my absolute favorite of hers. I easily read blew through this book in a day because I simply just couldn’t put it down. My hands were glued to my kindle.

From the first page I immediately fell in love with Lucy. She is just trying to get by in life without everything around her going up in flames. So it’s just her luck when she walks across the street she’s hit by a bus. When the grim reaper shows up to take her to the after life, it is none other than the same handsome stranger she was just talking to only moments ago. Well Lucy is not one to go quietly. This makes things a hell of a lot harder for Daniel who is just trying to get by. He is tired of collecting souls and being a grim reaper which has him yearning for more. When Lucy begs for a second chance, he convinces The Agency to give her six more weeks of her life in exchange, Daniel can observe her and what it’s like to be human. Seems easy enough right?

This really was the perfect book from beginning to end. Not only are you rooting for Lucy but you are also rooting for Daniel as well. If the banter and hilarious moments don’t make you stay, the spice alone will definitely.

*Thank you so much NetGalley and Jenna Levine for the ARC!*

[ahmeeka]

I heard the best way to store early copies of this is to send it to my postal address for safe keeping <3

[mimi (catching up)]

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Kristina Nichole]

wohoo... I got the ARC.... YESSSSSSSSSSSS

LFG

excited to read this and compare to B.K. Borison's as well.......

[felicia]

Thank you Berkley and Jenna for the ARC via Netgalley

I am excited to start a paranormal romance.
A grim reaper bored at his job and a girl that is so unlucky she got killed by a stereotype — yes, a truck.

[Alexis Armour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenna Levine’s Love You to Death reminds people that there’s so much to live for in our chaotic, discombobulated world. Those that a person surrounds themselves with and the mundane are the parts of life that one should truly cling to when living life to the fullest. Not only that, but also recognizing our humanness, what beautifully makes people alive, is what connects us to ourselves and others. The vulnerability it takes to be fully human — when we make mistakes, when we embarrass ourselves, when we encourage others to keep going, when we find full joy in being human through our friendships and our ability to be comfortable in our own skin— shows others what a gift it is to be known. Levine illustrates this well in Love You to Death through Lucy and Daniel. Lucy, being human, reminds Daniel how beautiful life can be. Daniel, a reaper, reminds Lucy the wonders of goodness and complexity of life. Both Lucy and Daniel together bring the complexity of life and death together to illustrate the power both concepts hold. As Lucy quips a few times in the novel, “He’s the man I’ve been waiting for all my life. All I had to do to meet him was die.” And in dying, she starts living! They both do, and I loved every moment of this novel. I especially love how their relationship blossoms throughout the narrative, words of affirmation, descriptions of Tennessee weather, and the beloved Wilfred (you beautiful, orange cat!). Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. :) Love You to Death comes out October 13th, 2026!

[inmyreadingera321 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fun idea and a cute read, for sure. I liked Lucy, in particular, because she felt like a very vulnerable but realistic FMC — she was just a regular person who cared about her sister and wanted to show up for her whenever she could… even if that meant literally begging to extend her life, post-mortem, to make sure that happened.

I liked that Daniel was so soft toward Lucy, but I feel like we didn’t really get to know him as well as we could have. His POVs were few and far between, and there wasn’t quite enough world building about the Reapers’ world for me to fully understand his character. It felt like his interest and care for Lucy were all that made up his character — and while I love an obsessed down bad MMC, I needed him to have a little more substance to really fall in love.

—————————

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna is BACK! With more paranormal type romance. I ate it up with a spoon.

These are characters you just love to bits and so exactly what you need them too.

No third act break up, no melodrama, just authentic feelings and challenges that make sense in the story.

LOVED LOVED LOVED

[maddie's reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the arc!

Rtc

[jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ a grim reaper falls for the soul he’s supposed to collect ?? BET.

love you to death is a paranormal romance following daniel, a jaded grim reaper, and lucy mckenzie, the woman whose soul he’s sent to collect. after lucy begs for a second chance, daniel convinces his agency to give her a few more weeks among the living — leading to an unexpected romance between life and death.

this was such a delight!! a sweet, fast-paced, low-stakes romance with an interesting premise and really lovable characters (daniel, ily <3). i’ve only ever read one other book by levine — her debut — and while i enjoyed it, you can definitely see how much her writing and storytelling have improved. i’ll absolutely be going back to read more of her work!

i do wish we’d gotten a bit more insight into daniel’s past and present life, as well as a clearer understanding of the afterlife and reaper world in general. there were a couple of plot points that felt like they weren’t fully explained, and i found myself wanting a bit more showing instead of telling when it came to lucy’s character (especially in regards to her being irresponsible and letting others down), as i felt there was a disconnect between what we were told about her and what was actually reflected on the page.

regardless, if you’re looking for a fun, cozy, & heartwarming paranormal romance with light world-building, i recommend!!

thank you so much to netgalley and berkley for providing me with this arc!

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

I feel like this is the year for paranormal romances dealing with ghosts/grim reapers and I’m here for it… but I also feel like everyone was given a prompt and I’m curious how they’ll all match up to each other.

This one was just fine. I thought the writing was a little too simplistic and a little too over explained and it almost felt like it was YA in an adult coat 🤷‍♀️ the dialogue was so stuffy and stiff that it felt like reading two robots having a conversation. There wasn’t any life to it (excuse the pun).

The premise was something that had me intrigued about this one I really wanted to love it but I also felt like nothing happened. There’s so much back and forth and the core reason for these two to spend time together is just observation for his job.. it’s a little easy and way too simple for me to get behind. The stakes weren’t there .

The romance. This was very insta lust which isn’t my favourite but there are books that get it right so I know it can be done well! These two had barely any chemistry, the banter was non existent.

The sex. This is where I was really thrown off and this is also the issue I have with some romance books these days. The sex didn’t match with the writing or these characters at all. You cannot just throw in generic explicit sex scenes and call it a day and hope that’s enough to hold up your book. The first one just didn’t feel like I was reading the same book at all. The second was a little bit better but again they didn’t feel like the characters I was reading about.

Overall I didn’t really enjoy this. I thought the set up was good but I wanted higher stakes (he’s a reaper fgs) and I thought the writing could have been a little more polished and more… adult.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for sending me the arc. All opinions are my own.

[chelseabrookelikesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy really said “can life stop kicking me while I’m down?” and life responded with a literal bus 💀😭

This book somehow managed to be both oddly funny and weirdly emotional at the same time. Underneath the paranormal/grim reaper setup, it’s really a story about two people who feel stuck. Lucy has spent most of her life feeling like she takes up too much space while also never feeling important enough, and Daniel has basically been emotionally rotting for over a century doing a job he hates because of choices he can’t forgive himself for.

And listen… I am usually not an insta-love girlie. This is VERY instant connection heavy. But somehow it worked for me here because neither of them were falling for perfection. They were drawn to the loneliness in each other. It felt less like “we just met and I’m obsessed with you” and more like two exhausted souls finally feeling understood for the first time in forever.

Daniel was probably my favorite part of the whole book though. There was something almost painfully human about him despite literally being a grim reaper. The quiet yearning??? The curiosity about life again??? Him slowly realizing he wants more than just existing??? It really packed a punch!

Overall this felt like a story about finding little pieces of life worth holding onto, even when everything feels heavy. Quietly emotional, oddly comforting, and surprisingly tender beneath all the grim reaper chaos.

Thank you so much to Berkley, NetGalley, and Jenna Levine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank all that is merciful that she couldn’t guess what was on my mind when I sent my thoughts her way. I might be a Reaper, but I’m still a gentleman.
~
God, I love Jenna Levine’s writing and this book was no exception! I absolutely flew through Daniel and Lucy’s story and I couldn’t stop grinning as I did so. First off, the idea of death being a complete bureaucratic office of business was the perfect backdrop to all of this, and Mr. CEO and his so-called incentives and knowledge of humans was hilarious. Lucy was the perfect imperfect main character and she made it so very easy to relate to her, and cry with her even as the laughter at her antics and seeing myself in them took over. Daniel learning, truly learning about things in the modern world 135 years after his owl death was so charming and endearing, and I ate up every second of it. Love You to Death is really a story about what you can do if you’re given a second chance, and how love is the driving force behind all of it, and it was so beautifully written. Lucy wanted to show up for someone who has always shown up for her and Daniel found a soul so remarkably bright that it literally froze him in time and space for a moment, and the two of them learning to love each other through Lucy’s checklist and the courage she displays in the name of love? What more could you ask for? And the foam on the coffees was a nice touch that did not go unnoticed by this reader!

[Jess Stadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Pub, for the e-ARC 🩷

Oh my god!! What a fun, cute, and comforting read. I had my fair share of laughs, too. It was a great palate cleanser after a few of the horror books I recently read.

I love stories about a second chance at life with a reaper as a main character. I devoured this in 3 days. This was such an easy story to fall into and fall in love with the characters. 

Insta love can be super hit or miss for me, but I thoroughly ejoyed it in Love You to Death! Our MMC Daniel (the reaper) is a sweetheart, and for some reason, I was expecting to go into this with the reaper being the complete opposite. It was a pleasant surprise. I loved his tenderness. Plus, he’s hot and yearns!!! This definitely feels like a rom-com movie.

Lucy (FMC) and Daniel have a sweet dynamic. Sometimes the chemistry wasn’t living up to its full potential in the writing. There was a disconnect during the smut scene. It felt out of place or that it wasn’t part of the same book? Overall, the story and romance are pretty low stakes. The main conflict in the book isn’t super stressful and is something that they easily navigate and solve quickly. This may work for some readers, but some may find it to be too low-stakes.

I have more of Jenna’s books on my TBR, and I need to read them ASAP because other readers have mentioned little easter eggs from her other books in this one!

[Sydney Gessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about a reaper and the soul he’s supposed to collect. Honestly one of my dream premises. I love stories about the afterlife- although I could live without The Agencies nightmare bureaucracy and ridiculous morale pinball machines.

Love you to Death follows Lucy who after getting hit by a bus manages to convince the Reaper sent to collect her to lobby on her behalf to The Agency for more time. Daniel has been a Reaper for over 135 years and not once in that time has a human ever touched him. Lucy not only can touch him, but she’s not repulsed by his essence- she’s actually drawn to him.

This story was so sweet, Daniel was so down bad for Lucy. I love when a man yearns.

This could easily become a comfort read for me. Although the stakes were high, there’s something cozy about the characters and premise. Lucy is just trying to be there for her sister and help her with her wedding before she dies again.

In the string of silly workplace books, this one was especially silly. I had a great time with the story and Jenna Levine has such a distinct sense of humour. Overall I’d highly recommend!

[kelsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely a unique read! paranormal romances are always a fun go to, and this was no different. i loved jenna’s vampire series & knew i had to pick this one up.

i will say im a little conflicted, the writing is great (as always with jenna) but it fell flat in a few places for me. daniel is a reaper that was tasked to get lucy’s soul, and i loved that he’s not like the other reapers! my question is, why though? why aren’t there more like him, or was he actually not alone? i felt like the reaper world could have been expanded upon exponentially, and i didn’t really understand the little i did know of it lol.

i did really like lucy. she’s the embodiment of being human: loving life, hating her job, feeling like she is a disappointment to everyone, and just trying her best. she is a very relatable character! her pov really did make me emotional ESPECIALLY when all she wanted was another chance to live for her sister. they only had each other… and she died.

this book is full of humor and charm & i have a feeling a lot of you will love it! don’t be afraid to give it a chance.

thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via netgalley. all opinions are my own <3

[Maeve Stowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
Thank you Berkley and a Netgalley for this advanced copy!
Another hit from Jenna Levine!
Her paranormal romances are some of my favorite out there 🥰
I loved our FMC Lucy so much and she felt so relatable. Struggling day to day with a crappy job just trying to make it thought the day till everything changes when she meets Daniel.
Daniel was such a good MMC and I loved slowly but surely seeing him unravel his past for Lucy and come to terms with the person he was and who he is now.
I loved how close Lucy and her sister were and seeing how much love they had for each other and their need to be there for one another whenever need be.
Lucy and Daniel were so cute and gave me the same butterflies when I read about Cassie and Frederick. They had such a good balance to each other and constantly made me giggle as they got to know one another and fall in love.
If you are a fan of:
👻Paranormal Romance
💕Strangers to Friends to Lovers
👯‍♀️Sisterhood Story
🕑A Second Chance at Life
You should definitely pick up Jenna Levine’s new book when it publishes this October!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

~

Love You to Death by Jenna Levine is a grim reaper romance with magical realism. It follows Lucy McKenzie, who hit by a bus, dies meeting the handsome reaper tasked with collecting her soul. Reaper Daniel touched by Lucy’s pleas for more time manages to secure her a couple extra weeks of life. But what happens when her time runs out? Will Daniel be able to collect her soul?

First of all, I absolutely loved this book! Jenna Levine is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. I loved the dynamics between the characters and how they develop as the book progresses. We see Lucy being given a second chance at life and not only does it apply to her love life but it also applies to her relationship with her sister, and how her perspective on her life changes. The characters have depth and go beyond the romantic relationship, which I truly appreciated.

Can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

another netgalley read now gem (special thank you to whoever posted it on threads) that I stumbled upon while hoping for a grim reaper book. this was my first Jenna Levine and now I’m definitely going to add some of her other books to my list. Lucy and Daniel were so cute (feeling neutral about the name “Daniel”, not my fav). only problem was I feel like it was never addressed why she was the only person who could touch him, even prior to any bond. also a very explicit sex seemingly out of nowhere? (But well written!) this is also my first Jenna Levine book so when they stuck in a cameo at the end for another book I was confused because it felt like a loose end, but then I looked up the plots of her other books and it made some more sense. Overall was a enjoyable read and I recommend it for anyone looking for some reaper romance

also very much reminded me of the movie Meet Joe Black from the 90s for some reason.

love you to death releases oct 13th 2026 and is perfect for spooky season! thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

[Myreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of love you to death.

Daniel is a reaper who is sent to claim the soul of Lucy after she is hit by a bus. In his 135 years of reaping no one has touched him, that is, until he meets Lucy.

I really enjoyed this author’s “my roommate is a vampire” series so I was pretty excited to dive into another paranormal romance by her. This one just didn’t fully work for me. The biggest issues I had was the romance itself. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Daniel and Lucy and did not like that there wasn’t a clear explanation of what Lucy so different from every other human. Also, the spice was so weird to me? The writing of the scenes and the dialogue did not fit with the communication style of either of the characters and made me cringe a bit. That being said, the overall premise is a fun one and the Easter eggs that harkened back to some of her other books were a very nice surprise.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very sweet and fun paranormal rom-com, well in line with Jenna Levine’s typical work. It was a quick and easy comfort read, where you just know that everything is going to work out perfectly.

I liked both Daniel and Lucy as main characters, they were easy to root for. I also always love a feline addition! The storyline was easy to follow, though predictable. Reads very much like a paranormal Hallmark movie!

I think I would have liked this more if I hadn’t read Good Spirits (B. K. Borison) just a few months ago - there were some very similar elements that just felt overdone to read again, though I think that would happen if you flipped the order I read them. If you liked Good Spirits, I think this is right up your alley.

Thanks so much to Jenna Levine, Berkley, and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ thank you netgalley and Jenna Levine for the e-arc!

I loveeeeee a supernatural romance so when a Grim Reaper falls in love with the woman whose soul he is supposed to take? Sign. Me. Up. Daniel and Lucy were the absolute sweetest, and while the third-act conflict (of, you know, the fact that he’s death and she is supposed to die) is solved very quickly, I absolutely loved this. I wanted to learn more about Daniel’s past and also read more about their future together, but I like how the ending left so much left to be explored. Definitely pick this up if you love supernatural romances!

[Joey | Fiction.and.Friction · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book so heavily centered on death, this was more lighthearted than I expected. For me it was a mix of Ghost meets The Good Place. It was an enjoyable read, but I never really got to a place where I *needed* to know what comes next. It all felt a little too easy. There were some things I didn’t quite understand, but they didn’t have a negative impact on my reading experience —but maybe that’s because I was never fully invested.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC

[little reading ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

This one almost broke me. This is now my favorite Jenna Levine book. It was funny, it was cozy, and also REALLY SAD. The emotions I felt at the end really push this book to five stars since I almost cried 😂

These characters felt so human (even Daniel lol) and the way grief and loss is handled was really good. This is the perfect little romcom if you need some emotion in it too

[Cass (: · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this arc!
I’m a big fan of Jenna’s other books, so I was excited to read this one!!
I really really liked it. It did remind me a bit of Good Spirits by B.K. Borison, but not enough that it felt like a copy! I’ve found that I like the combination of fantasy/mystical elements in my romance.
The characters were likable and the story was great!
And loved the little cameo in there! 👀

[Oleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5✨

🥹🤌🤌🤌💘

[Stephanie Walton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I was really excited when I read the blurb for this book because the concept sounded so fun and unique! However, I’m not sure it was executed to the best of its potential. I didn’t feel a connection between the MMC and FMC and it felt very insta love. This could have been so much better if the tension had been built up a little more between them and it would have made the relationship deeper and more impactful.