Dandelion is Dead 🌼

By Rosie Storey.

Dandelion is Dead by Rosie Storey is a thoughtful, and quietly heartbreaking book that explores grief, identity, and the complicated ways people try to stay connected to those they have lost.

The premise is immediately compelling. After the death of her sister Dandelion, Poppy stumbles across a message on Dandelion’s dating app. In a moment shaped by loneliness and unresolved grief, she makes a decision that feels impulsive yet deeply understandable.

She agrees to meet the man her sister had been talking to, stepping briefly into a life that no longer exists. It is a choice rooted in love and desperation, and it sets the emotional tone for everything that follows.

Poppy is beautifully drawn. Having lived much of her life in the shadow of her vibrant, charismatic sister, she is unsure of who she is without that defining comparison. Slipping into Dandelion’s world offers comfort, but it also threatens to erase her sense of self entirely.

Her connection with Jake feels genuine from the outset, which only deepens the emotional tension. The guilt she carries, alongside her longing and confusion, feels painfully authentic. Grief here is not neat or linear, and Storey captures its messiness with real sensitivity.

Jake is equally well realised. His own life is quietly falling apart, his sense of direction blurred by loss and disappointment. The grief he carries is understated but ever present, and it makes him easy to empathise with. The relationship between him and Poppy is tender and believable, built on shared vulnerability even as it rests on a truth that cannot stay hidden forever.

What stands out most is the restraint of the writing. There are no dramatic twists or heightened theatrics. Instead, the emotional impact comes from small moments, messages sent and unsent, memories revisited, and the constant effort Poppy makes to protect everyone else at her own expense.

The tension comes from inevitability rather than threat, from knowing that honesty, however painful, will eventually surface.

Warm, bittersweet, and full of humanity, Dandelion is Dead is a quietly powerful debut. It handles grief with care and compassion, while also offering a fragile sense of hope and connection. A deeply moving and emotionally resonant read.

Thank you to the team at The Borough Press for sending me a copy in time for publication day! The book is out now and available to purchase.

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