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Happily Ever Afterlife #1
Ghostcoming!
It's Lucy's first day at her new school, and she's just trying to get her footing- literally. As a brand-new ghost, she's mostly see-through, not able to stand or sit normally, and stuck in the ballet clothes she was wearing before she crossed over.
But when the cutest (ghost) boy she's ever seen turns out to be Lucy's very own school guide, things start looking a little brighter. Maybe she's not quite solid yet...but Lucy is definitely going to make this the best Afterlife ever.
But when the cutest (ghost) boy she's ever seen turns out to be Lucy's very own school guide, things start looking a little brighter. Maybe she's not quite solid yet...but Lucy is definitely going to make this the best Afterlife ever.
173 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2017
49 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Orli Zuravicky
50 books31 followersOrli Zuravicky is a writer, an editor, and an amateur interior designer, which basically means she likes to paint stuff in her apartment. She grew up in a small suburb of Albany, New York, where the most exciting thing to do as a teenager was park somewhere illegally. She is one of four sisters, which has offered her plenty of fodder for her writing. After high school, she moved to New York City to attend Barnard College, Columbia University, where she double majored in Psychology and English and got rejected from the Poetry department. She always loved writing, but it wasn’t until a few years after graduation that she started writing fiction and taking it seriously. Her first original board book, Mister Doodle: C Is for City, came out in 2011, followed shortly by the second book in the series, Mister Doodle: A Color for Sketch. Happily Ever Afterlife is her first middle-grade series.
Orli lives her happily ever after (life) in Brooklyn, NY, and works full-time as a Senior Editor in children’s publishing.
Orli lives her happily ever after (life) in Brooklyn, NY, and works full-time as a Senior Editor in children’s publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 15, 2024
This book was what I needed to prevent the distaste brought by the crave series. What attracted me to this book-
1) the concept of after life
2) redoing high-school in after life again
what's funnier than finding out you're a ghost AND that you're stuck repeating your first day of middle school at the same time? Looks like NOTHING will get me out of middle school-not even being dead.
3) Well fleshed out characters
4) All the dead/morbid dad jokes
5) The innocence and strength of friendship over relationships
Don't get me wrong, it's great if there are cute boys at your side, too, but none of that is worth anything without a group of good girlfriends who've got your back.
Always.
Definitely will recommend the book if you are looking for a light high school fantasy rom com read
1) the concept of after life
2) redoing high-school in after life again
what's funnier than finding out you're a ghost AND that you're stuck repeating your first day of middle school at the same time? Looks like NOTHING will get me out of middle school-not even being dead.
3) Well fleshed out characters
4) All the dead/morbid dad jokes
5) The innocence and strength of friendship over relationships
Don't get me wrong, it's great if there are cute boys at your side, too, but none of that is worth anything without a group of good girlfriends who've got your back.
Always.
Definitely will recommend the book if you are looking for a light high school fantasy rom com read
October 21, 2018
I'm definitely not the target audience here, but I thought this book seemed really dumbed down, even for young kids. There wasn't a whole lot of point, there was no explanation of how the main character ended up in Limbo in the first place, and the entire thing left a lot to be desired. I wouldn't be quick to recommend this, even to someone with little girls who liked to read.
October 22, 2017
A cute, fun, quick read! A perfect middle grade book about friendship, being yourself, and navigating the trickiest part of life: middle school.
May 17, 2017
It's a book for a pre-teen girls. I read it with me daughter. The themes are pretty typical and there is some language I did not appreciate. I read it because she wanted to and I do appreciate that she stuck with it.
September 14, 2017
Thank you to @kidlitexchange for the advanced review copies of these two books. All opinions are my own.
The Happily Ever Afterlife series includes, Ghostcoming (#1) and Crushed (#2). In Ghostcoming we meet the lead character, Lucy, who has just joined the afterlife. She can't quite remember what happened in her human life that took her to the afterlife, but now she is trying to figure out how to get along in this new place.
She is now at Limbo Central Middle School where she is going to learn all about being a ghost. And who else to be her guide and help her along the way, but the cutest ghost-boy at school! Will she be able to handle being a ghost and being in middle school?
In Crushed, Lucy and her friend, Cecily, decide to start a dance club at Limbo Central Middle School. But when the head cheerleader gets in their way and wants to start trouble, will they be able to figure out how to make it work?
Both books are cute middle school reads with pretty typical middle school age kid problems. Problems that a lot of kids deal with and need to problem solve and get through them.
I think I will definitely have some girls that will really like reading this series. I will definitely pick it up for my library.
The Happily Ever Afterlife series includes, Ghostcoming (#1) and Crushed (#2). In Ghostcoming we meet the lead character, Lucy, who has just joined the afterlife. She can't quite remember what happened in her human life that took her to the afterlife, but now she is trying to figure out how to get along in this new place.
She is now at Limbo Central Middle School where she is going to learn all about being a ghost. And who else to be her guide and help her along the way, but the cutest ghost-boy at school! Will she be able to handle being a ghost and being in middle school?
In Crushed, Lucy and her friend, Cecily, decide to start a dance club at Limbo Central Middle School. But when the head cheerleader gets in their way and wants to start trouble, will they be able to figure out how to make it work?
Both books are cute middle school reads with pretty typical middle school age kid problems. Problems that a lot of kids deal with and need to problem solve and get through them.
I think I will definitely have some girls that will really like reading this series. I will definitely pick it up for my library.
June 29, 2020
"Lucy Chadwick has just joined the afterlife, and as a brand-new ghost she's mostly see-through, not able to stand or sit normally, stuck in the ballet clothes she was wearing before she crossed over...and stuck in middle school. Can't a ghost get a break? But then the cutest (ghost) boy she's ever seen turns out to be her very own guide to school, and things start looking brighter. Maybe she's not quite solid yet, but Lucy is definitely going to make this the best afterlife ever!"
Even though this book is targeted at 4th-7th graders (I'm a high schooler), I found myself actually somewhat enjoying it! It's dumb, light-hearted, super cliché, and very amusing. The writing style and not-so-serious subject matter was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump! It was fast-paced and short and I finished quickly which made me feel moderately motivated to read more. I mostly chose to read this because I bought it when I was younger and never got around to reading until now.
CHARACTERS: The characters were cookie-cutter and the plot is overdone, but since this is targeted at a younger audience, I'll cut it some slack. Don't get me wrong, I did actually like reading it, but it's far from a compelling story with deep characters. Lucy Chadwick is like any other stubborn, sarcastic, and emotional main female lead in stories like this and Georgia Sinclaire is the absolute definition of a stereotypical "mean girl". Cecily Vanderberg is the kind and considerate best friend (who is my favourite character, by the way) who actually seems to not be completely over-the-top and narcissistical. Colin Reed is the dumb but cute main romantic interest for the MC who just happens to somehow be dating the mean girl. The others were also pretty basic too, but the dialogues and interactions were still fun to read.
SPOILERS FOR *PLOT* SECTION:
PLOT: The plot was basically about Lucy and Cecily being new ghosts who have just entered the afterlife and are now going to be spending all of it in middle school. The ghostcoming dance is where everything goes down, with the whole Georgia saying Lucy and Cecily broke the rules because they were able to change their clothes so quickly thing. It takes a lot of energy for a ghost to alter their appearance and every other character has said that it took them more than two weeks to change their clothing which begs the question of how could Lucy change so quickly? I guess she's just that emotional, huh? (Every time she was able to do something with her powers it was because she was having an angry internal monologue which caused her to manipulate the energy around her). Anyway, most of the book is spent with Lucy exploring the Limbo and spending time with Colin Reed (the romantic interest for Lucy) on the beach to help her learn basic ghost skills, like walking on the ground. An interesting thing that happened was that Lucy actually lied about the fact that she helped with changing Cecily's costume (which is against the rules) and didn't get punished for it. I guess its similar to real-life ha-ha.
OVERALL: In conclusion, this was a good book. Just what I needed to read to get out of my reading slump and the writing's funny and sarcastic style gave me some good chuckles. I liked it.
Even though this book is targeted at 4th-7th graders (I'm a high schooler), I found myself actually somewhat enjoying it! It's dumb, light-hearted, super cliché, and very amusing. The writing style and not-so-serious subject matter was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump! It was fast-paced and short and I finished quickly which made me feel moderately motivated to read more. I mostly chose to read this because I bought it when I was younger and never got around to reading until now.
CHARACTERS: The characters were cookie-cutter and the plot is overdone, but since this is targeted at a younger audience, I'll cut it some slack. Don't get me wrong, I did actually like reading it, but it's far from a compelling story with deep characters. Lucy Chadwick is like any other stubborn, sarcastic, and emotional main female lead in stories like this and Georgia Sinclaire is the absolute definition of a stereotypical "mean girl". Cecily Vanderberg is the kind and considerate best friend (who is my favourite character, by the way) who actually seems to not be completely over-the-top and narcissistical. Colin Reed is the dumb but cute main romantic interest for the MC who just happens to somehow be dating the mean girl. The others were also pretty basic too, but the dialogues and interactions were still fun to read.
SPOILERS FOR *PLOT* SECTION:
PLOT: The plot was basically about Lucy and Cecily being new ghosts who have just entered the afterlife and are now going to be spending all of it in middle school. The ghostcoming dance is where everything goes down, with the whole Georgia saying Lucy and Cecily broke the rules because they were able to change their clothes so quickly thing. It takes a lot of energy for a ghost to alter their appearance and every other character has said that it took them more than two weeks to change their clothing which begs the question of how could Lucy change so quickly? I guess she's just that emotional, huh? (Every time she was able to do something with her powers it was because she was having an angry internal monologue which caused her to manipulate the energy around her). Anyway, most of the book is spent with Lucy exploring the Limbo and spending time with Colin Reed (the romantic interest for Lucy) on the beach to help her learn basic ghost skills, like walking on the ground. An interesting thing that happened was that Lucy actually lied about the fact that she helped with changing Cecily's costume (which is against the rules) and didn't get punished for it. I guess its similar to real-life ha-ha.
OVERALL: In conclusion, this was a good book. Just what I needed to read to get out of my reading slump and the writing's funny and sarcastic style gave me some good chuckles. I liked it.
October 3, 2017
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
In this enchanting series, Lucy is a new ghost in a new school just trying to find her way. She can't remember what happened in her former life to get her to this point, but she is determined to make the best of it. She finds herself at Limbo Central Middle School (see what the author did there ;) ) and of course the cutest boy in the school is her guide. Will she survive and find her way?
I found this to be a quick, yet delightful read and ordered the first 2 books in the series for my classroom library. I think my girls who are not quite ready for deeper material will gravitate towards these and find them enjoyable.
In this enchanting series, Lucy is a new ghost in a new school just trying to find her way. She can't remember what happened in her former life to get her to this point, but she is determined to make the best of it. She finds herself at Limbo Central Middle School (see what the author did there ;) ) and of course the cutest boy in the school is her guide. Will she survive and find her way?
I found this to be a quick, yet delightful read and ordered the first 2 books in the series for my classroom library. I think my girls who are not quite ready for deeper material will gravitate towards these and find them enjoyable.
November 6, 2017
True rating: 3.5 stars.
The best thing about this little book is that when the good girl protagonist has an inclination to do the wrong thing, she reflects on her choices and has a very real-world struggle to decide whether to break the rules. Much like middle school kids everywhere. Further, she is self-aware and honest enough to admit that she and the mean girl bullying her are sometimes not that much different. She possesses a budding maturity and morality (and empathy) just right for her age, that can distinguish between right and wrong, but that can also see that everything is not always black and white.
**Slight spoilers upcoming**
There are some things I didn't like about Ghostcoming!. First, the recently deceased girls don't give a thought to having been torn from their parents, nor do they spend any time reflecting on what might have happened to them. Yes, they're told they won't remember how they died, but natural curiosity should prompt two close friends who apparently died around the same event to exchange a few ideas with one another. Next, money is used in the afterlife, although we're not told where it comes from and how it is that the students have it. In this regard, and a couple others, the next world is too much like this one. More differences amid all the similarities would have given the afterlife a stronger identity.
Finally, there are a few errors in the book. For instance, the number of pins in regular bowling is said to be twelve (rather than 10), and on page 150, we read that the characters are "waiting with baited breath" instead of the correct phrase, "bated breath" (short for 'abated'). For an author who's also an editor, there's no excuse for that last one!
The best thing about this little book is that when the good girl protagonist has an inclination to do the wrong thing, she reflects on her choices and has a very real-world struggle to decide whether to break the rules. Much like middle school kids everywhere. Further, she is self-aware and honest enough to admit that she and the mean girl bullying her are sometimes not that much different. She possesses a budding maturity and morality (and empathy) just right for her age, that can distinguish between right and wrong, but that can also see that everything is not always black and white.
**Slight spoilers upcoming**
There are some things I didn't like about Ghostcoming!. First, the recently deceased girls don't give a thought to having been torn from their parents, nor do they spend any time reflecting on what might have happened to them. Yes, they're told they won't remember how they died, but natural curiosity should prompt two close friends who apparently died around the same event to exchange a few ideas with one another. Next, money is used in the afterlife, although we're not told where it comes from and how it is that the students have it. In this regard, and a couple others, the next world is too much like this one. More differences amid all the similarities would have given the afterlife a stronger identity.
Finally, there are a few errors in the book. For instance, the number of pins in regular bowling is said to be twelve (rather than 10), and on page 150, we read that the characters are "waiting with baited breath" instead of the correct phrase, "bated breath" (short for 'abated'). For an author who's also an editor, there's no excuse for that last one!
September 2, 2017
Me really like that the main character in this after-life school still has to basically deal with same stuff as in real life! This is very captivating book! No can wait for next book!
October 2, 2019
I'm not sure there is much of a market for easy reads with snarky middle grade characters. Judging by the cover and length, it looks more like a book that would appeal to 4th and 5th graders, but the content is more middle school. That said, if you're a young middle grade reader and like super sarcastic dialogue between characters, you can't miss with this one. In a nutshell, everything that happens in real middle school, also happens in the afterlife middle school. Bullies, mean girls and all.
Lucy has just arrived at the Afterlife. She has no idea how she died, nor does anyone in the Afterlife. All she knows is that she arrived in her ballet costume. Upon arrival, her ghost powers are weak. She can't walk or hold anything. Objects pass through her and she can't change her clothes. Until she grows stronger she will remain in her tutu. But she's attractive, and immediately gets the attention of Colin, her tutor. His girlfriend, Georgia, is as jealous as...well...a jealous girlfriend. She will stop at nothing to make Lucy's afterlife miserable. Lucy's not so easily manipulated and gives it right back.
Lucy has just arrived at the Afterlife. She has no idea how she died, nor does anyone in the Afterlife. All she knows is that she arrived in her ballet costume. Upon arrival, her ghost powers are weak. She can't walk or hold anything. Objects pass through her and she can't change her clothes. Until she grows stronger she will remain in her tutu. But she's attractive, and immediately gets the attention of Colin, her tutor. His girlfriend, Georgia, is as jealous as...well...a jealous girlfriend. She will stop at nothing to make Lucy's afterlife miserable. Lucy's not so easily manipulated and gives it right back.
April 27, 2019
Shouldn't she be like, sad? I mean, her parents and family members are probably, like, shedding a river of tears right now. And isn't she at least a little bit curious about why she died? And how that also killed Cece? I mean, she did just die in her ballerina costume. Funny how Colin crossed over as Boba Fett. If you're into Star Wars, and you are romantic-y, you might-will- think that is cute and handsome at the same time. Georgia will not seem to give up. That line where she gets a bad idea,-where she decides to help Cece with her costume?-reminds me of the Grinch. You know when he gets 'a wonderful, awful idea.'? A dance club seems like an awesome idea. My friend Niki is a ballerina. I've seen her do the Pirouette before. A lot of girls we're awed and tried to copy her.
June 14, 2017
Although it was a good book, that fact that everyone was dead lead me to make some conclusions. First, a bomb or something must have exploded on Lucy's dance recital, because there is no other way that she would die one day, and then a few days later have her friends die. I suspect that Lucy died in the blast, and Cecily was taken straight to a hospital, and later died of her wounds. I just want to say that the book doesn't say any of this, in fact, in the book no one can remember what caused their death. Which is weird, because if you died of a slow-acting disease, would you forget about it? That would be a lot of your life that you forget.
January 4, 2025
This book is good and was interesting and it makes me wonder on what happened to Lucy on for her to be in the afterlife all of a sudden while stuck in her clothes but since in the book it says that one of the rules is that no matter how much they try they won’t ever be able remember how they got there but from the way I’m reading it seems like something must of been ballet related that happened otherwise why would she be stuck wearing her ballet clothes on that she had before crossing over to the afterlife? I am also now intrigued on if they will start a dance club that they want to do for their required activities and what will happen so I will be looking for the next book to this series
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2021
What would it be like as a teenage ghost in the afterlife? Well, Lucy gets to find out in ghost middle school. She realizes there is just as much drama as there was in her real life. But this time she wants to do it differently and her best friend happens to be her roommate. I thought it was a cute story and my little girl enjoyed it. We can't wait to read the next one!
June 28, 2020
I loved all about it, there's, as Lucy thinks, the love of her life, Colin, and there's jealousy coming out of Georgia, there's friendship, from Ella, and there's a ghostcoming dance, progress of Lucy's powers, and it's all an amazing book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2025
I will admit I did not finish this book. I began reading it to my young daughter and in ch. 2 it references restrictive eating which I didn’t appreciate in a book meant for young girls. We didn’t finish reading after that.
June 9, 2017
Read to discuss with Lucy. Thankfully it did not take long.
April 26, 2018
this was a really good book and you have to read the series there are four books and they are all great
October 16, 2018
I didn’t really like the book. I didn’t really catch on to the book
December 18, 2018
Cool
But
Not
Enough
But
Not
Enough
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2020
I really liked this book but can someone PLEASE tell me where to find the last 2 books?!?? I can’t seem to find it ANYWHERE!
January 6, 2020
It was good
March 26, 2020
This story about a school 🏫of ghosts *The Limbo Central*..and a girl named *Lucy* who had stuck there wearing her ballet clothes..But Lucy is trying really hard to make it the best afterlife ever..🤩
April 11, 2020
i like it, it was a really good book i grew up with i read it like so many times
July 11, 2021
Cute book for elementary-age kids. Very typical kid/preteen themes (and drama)
August 31, 2022
Cute premise and idea, but the ending focusing on friendship was the best part for sure!
February 3, 2023
A nice story with a cute way of writing but I think it can do better
September 25, 2023
Cute book. My youngest daughter wanted to read this to me so I let her. It was like mean girls meets Casper. Very cute.
March 8, 2024
reading middle grade books instead of writing that 10 page essay i have due tonight.
August 6, 2024
Okay so I had this book a long time ago and I loved it then, so I based my rating off when I first read this book (2nd grade I think?)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews