I did enjoy this book but felt the ending should have been different. The world of internet dating is strange and ghosting is prevalent, this story touches on the emotional impact of this but I felt it would have been nice for Nina to find a happy ending

Dolly Alderton can do no wrong. This story is about so much more than just being ‘ghosted’ by a man. She explores themes like female friendship, dementia, growing up, and being one of the last ‘single’ friends in your thirties (and how there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that). It’s written in such a compassionate and poignant way and the descriptions are attentive, nostalgic and so vivid. I recognized Dolly in some of the passages: beautiful depiction of Hampstead Heath, references to food and music, funny one liners. I loved the message it tries to convey, and the extreme relatability of the plot. I’m excited to re-read this over the years.

Let me introduce you to Nina George Dean - the middle name in honour of George Michael who was number one when she was born. She’s 31, single and a successful food writer. Using dating app ‘Linx Online’ she meets Max - sturdy, rumpled, he declares he’s going to marry her on their first date. Her dad is disappearing to dementia, her mum is rebranding herself, her best friends are Lola and Katherine, other friends are settling down, marrying, kids, the whole nine yards.

I thought I’d like this book as I enjoy Dolly’s Sunday Times column but I didn’t just like it, I love it. It’s so clever, acutely observed, reflective, funny yet so sad at times, it’s real, full of hopes and dreams, trust and loss of trust - all the illusions and delusions of life. Thee are so many ghosts in Nina’s life such as those who ghost you online, the ghost of who her father was and his relationship with her and her mother, the ghost of your twenties self and of friendships, the ghosts of your plans and the life you thought you’d have. Her father’s dementia is described so movingly and accurately as my father similarly became a poor benighted ghost and what really strikes a chord is Nina’s believe that no human can be deleted. The characters are great too, Nina is fantastic and deserves more, I love her memories of the safety of childhood and treasuring of her father. Lola is a terrific character too and I love her brand of wisdom which is comforting. There are moments when you feel Nina’s hysteria such as her reluctant attendance at a weekend hen do ( pins and eyes!) and oh yes, Prosecco is true venom. The end is perfect and Nina just ‘Gotta to have faith, faith faith’! Couldn’t resist.

So, overall, I think you may have guessed this is an easy five star book for me, a fantastic read and hard to put down. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the much appreciated ARC

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It tries so hard to strike that good balance between serious commentary on relationships and ageing as well as humour and kitschy romance- but it just wasn't there for me. Especially the relationship development toward the end of the book (which I won't go into in full detail- but let's just say it was VERY out of the blue and VERY weird). The book deals with ghosting of many forms, from dementia to dating apps, and the story of Nina and her family was perhaps the best part of this book for me, but the other factors disappointed me a lot.

I thought as well that the main character had *some* substance, but honestly not enough- it was this generic approach to the millennial main character who didn't really voice as much of herself as she could've. I wanted a lot more of the vulnerability in this book, and less of the speedy relationship and the complete lack of closure. I get that was partly a commentary on the whole idea of ghosting, but do men really vanish after proposing marriage so often? And some of the commentary about this generation being raised by PlayStations was just weird as hell. I don't know, maybe I'm missing a part of the puzzle, but this book just didn't bring it all together for me.

Alderton has a real talent for writing prose, whether fiction or non-ficiton.

But I had the same problem with this as I had with her memoir, I just can't relate to it. Alderton is knighted the voice of the Millenial generation, but I just don't get it. I, not many other women I know, don't have the same white, middle-class woman privilege. This was reflected in Ghosts. It was just like reading her memoir and I struggled to see it as something overtly creative and unique, it seemed like Everything I Know About Love but with a different main character.

However, the issues addressed through Nina's father's dementia was interesting and effective

Ghosts follows Nina over the span of a year of her life between her 32nd and 33rd birthday. She has a career she loves, a great group of friends and her hard-earned first flat but she is still looking for someone to share it all with. She is still good friends with her ex, the only proper boyfriend she's ever had til they broke up a few years ago, since when she decided to focus on her career so the world of dating apps is new to Nina- along with all of the issues that go with being able to have so many potential dates at the very tip of your fingers.
I really enjoyed this book. There is an assured, warmth to the writing and it is incredibly well observed. Although it deals with some difficult issues it is incredibly funny at points (I had to move to another room so as not to wake up my sleeping baby because I was snorting with laughter) but is also well balanced with a bit of sexy-time and a couple of really moving scenes; the scene between Nina and her mum particularly got me.
It is an easy read which feels very real; I could recognise myself, my parents and many of my friends in the cast of characters, unfortunately quite a few of the men I've dated too. As someone who enjoys the author's non-fiction work I was delighted to find that I find her fiction as much of a joy to read. It comes out this October and so will be a really cosy autumnal read but when the paperback comes next summer I imagine it will be in many people's hands as we (hopefully) return to the beach or poolside.

“Come on then, what ghosts are you bringing to the orgy?”

Ghosts is a book all about the footprints we leave on the world and on each other. It’s about how we see ourselves, how we present ourselves, and what others see, as well as the traces of us that hide in the shadows somewhere in between. It is also a very funny, relatable and unpretentious book, which combines moments of earnest reflection with hilarious, snarky humour (SO many gems that made me snort with laughter - the tone is set early by the protagonist’s mother and her literary salon: ‘Reading Between the Wines’).

The book covers the modern dating phenomenon of ‘ghosting’ but deals with so much more. What it has to say about nostalgia, identity, friendship and change had me hooked and resonated with me on such a personal level that I was highlighting sentences every other page (very unlike me!). Dolly Alderton handles big themes—including dementia— with humour, empathy and insight.

I was excited to read the book because I love Dolly’s work on The High Low and her previous book Everything I Know About Love. All of the things I admire about her previous work are here and I particularly appreciated her honest look at the value of female friendships and the way these can change with marriage and children. That said, if you haven’t come across Dolly’s work before, there is no better time to take a look!

Thank you so much to Penguin UK and NetGalley for an advance review copy of Ghosts in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book, with a number of elements of the story that any woman who has dated in recent years will recognise. It is at times fun, intriguing and poignant, and tugs on the heart strings. At times you are frustrated with the characters, as you can be with your friends and their data sagas... when you feel like shaking them and saying No don’t go back!

A witty and insightful story about the state of modern dating and being one of the few singletons in the midst of a sea of married friends.

An interesting and enjoyable read.

Dolly's skill as a writer, from her background as a journalist, is just as apparent in Ghosts as in her columns and in her debut non-fiction book, "Everything I Know About Love".

Touching on many of the same themes - the challenges that face young women across the country as they navigate the minefield that is having a career, dating, keeping up with your friends, family and more - this book is sure to be a hit with the readers who enjoyed her first book.

Where I struggled to relate to Dolly in certain chapters of Everything I Know About Love (simply because some of my experiences were not the same), this had added depth as a result of the additional characters, and I'm sure that this will only extend its reach, particularly to those who may not be familiar with Dolly from her previous writing.

At first I thought this book was an excuse for the author to talk about all the things she dislikes about being a millennial middle class woman/millennial culture and often it repeated views expressed in her memoir, however, between the familiar passages of hating hen dos etc, the book was an interesting commentary on modern dating, changing relationships and growing up.

The way Dolly describes characters and locations is so delicious you can’t help but feel like you have known these places and people for your whole life.

Would recommend this book to fans of Emma Jane Unsworth and Sally Rooney.

After reading Everything I Know About Love a few years ago, I was excited to pick up Dolly Alderton's debut novel.
Ghosts didn't disappoint.
The story of Nina Dean was beautifully written and gripping.
Descriptive and well-paced, the story neatly weaves together the threads of Nina's different relationships.
The 4-star (and not 5-star) review is due to the storyline with the downstairs neighbour. The resolution scene felt out of place, and irrelevant to the rest of the plot.

That said, Dolly's fiction debut was an incredibly compelling read, which I have no doubt, will be as big of a hit as Everything I know About Love.

Thanks to the team for the early access.

A nice read from an entertaining columnist. If ‘Ghosts’ was a drink, it would be a cup of tea. It lacks the energy and excitement of Dolly’s columns. That is not necessarily a bad thing. ‘Ghosts’ is best suited to someone looking for a mellow, easy read.

Ghosts is the debut novel by Dolly Allerton, author Everything I Know About Love, book I loved. So I was really looking forward to reading Ghosts. I love Dolly's writing and this book confirmed this.

In Ghosts, Nina is a 32 yearly old successfulfood writer, who is navigating the dating modern world guided by her friend Lola, as they are the only singles in their group of friends. Nina is starting to feel distant from her married best friend, Katherine. As the title reveals, the book talks about ihe practise of ghosting (which I was vaguely familiar with) and the struggle of dating, but it touches more themes, such as having to deal with a parent's illness.

It is a book you will not want to put down.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for my ARC.

I'm a big fan of Dolly Alderton's writing - her journalism and collection of essays, Everything I Know About Love - as well as her podcast work. I was nervous to start this, not sure how well her style of writing would translate to a novel about ghosting of all things, but I was so wrong to feel that way!

Nina Dean is a 32-year-old food writer. The novel follows her from her 32nd to 33rd birthdays, as she and her closest friends experience the milestones and experiences of London millennials. The book so successfully captures the way members of a friendship group can be at such different stages and the impact that can have on said friendships.

I'd never read about 'ghosting' and online dating in such a way before, in a way that was brutally honest, critical, hopeful, funny yet sad. I highlighted so many passages to read again, and again - particularly around changing female friendships, identity, and family.

This book did so much, so well. I've already recommended it to so many pals, and have kept my pre-order as it's a book I know I will want to re-read and carry with me.

I enjoyed the majority of this book, it told a wonderful tale of ghosting, letting people back in, and the woes of online dating. The storyline with the father was also wonderfully tied into the overall theme of ghosts and whilst I was quite annoyed at how the character treated their mother, I could tell it was because of how scared she was about her father's future. I thought the relationship between her and her ex was a bit odd and too close but then I totally understand people have all sorts of ways of dealing with breakups, especially if it has been amicable. I found this a pleasant read until one of the final scenes with her neighbour, sigh, there was just no need for it what so ever and it honestly dragged the whole book down to the two stars it now sits at. I totally didn't believe the story at all for one but also how it all happened just seemed out of sorts for our character and it just felt so unnecessary. I understand that there needed to be a scene in which things came to a head and then were resolved, but this wasn't' the way to do it. Either way a lovely first novel from Dolly, I really enjoyed her memoir, and whilst I think it's miles stronger than her fiction, I get it. It's much easier, perhaps to write about your life than craft fiction that totally works, especially given that it is her first fiction novel. Still a fan though.

Whilst they say this is her debut novel, I have read her previous book – which was semi(?) autobiographical. I really like her style of writing.
The concept of ‘ghosting’ – that is going silent after several dates is interesting and also nasty. When you’ve been meeting up and regularly talking to people and then they go completely silent on you, yu always wonder why they did it, was it your fault, what could have happened, how could they do this to you and so on. Whether it is a male date or a female friend – at least you thought they were a friend until.. it takes a lot of self awareness to realize it is not you but them that is at fault. You did not cause this – they did and it is their own emotions and lack of empathy that has done this.
I liked the idea of her cookery books, and as a student, could really have done with the one about cooking on a 2 burner hob – though that was my first introduction as it happens, to cooking for myself when I had a small room in a house. I learned very simple 1 pot meals – my favourite being hot dogs and rice and peas all cooked together with a good dollop of tomato sauce!
Taking on the difficulties of living with someone who has Alzheimer’s was good. It is a scourge that is affecting so many older men – more than women in our friends – I knew only one woman with it, but several men with either that or a form of dementia which was equivalent.
It can be very difficult to adjust to. The forgetfulness, the emotional highs and lows, the wandering and getting lost and sometimes the physical rage and hitting out from frustration. Even more difficult when the woman is many years younger than the man and was looking forward to more years of companionship than this illness gave them

Considering how much I loved 'Everything I Know About Love’, I started reading this expecting it to be brilliant, but I didn’t expect it to be THIS brilliant. I know for many readers this is another story of a single 30-something navigating life, but I absolutely loved it for just that. I found it relatable, authentic and poignant.

This book discusses a range of experiences from relationships, friendships, motherhood (or not), dementia, nostalgia and memory and parent-child dynamics. I think everyone reading it will relate to something within its pages.

The characters are perfectly formed, with depth and emotion that makes them almost real people in my head. Lola’s character was such a brilliant addition to the storyline, while Nina was relatable and realistic. It was so nice reading the book from the perspective of a successful career woman and I always love reading about writers.

The main love story in this book is between Nina and her closest friends and family. The discussion of friendships after children enter the mix was both saddening and hilarious. I particularly enjoyed seeing Nina interact with her mum, although the struggle between them was sad to read but understandable given the grief both are going through. Nina’s interactions with her father were heartfelt and real, and at one point he brought a tear to my eye.

I could talk about this book more, but I’ll leave this review slightly shorter. All I can say is, I found this book charming, funny, sad, heartwarming, heartbreaking and real. Congratulations on a perfect debut novel Dolly!

Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy.

What a banger of a book!

Dolly Alderton notices what makes people tick and in Ghosts writes characters with such flair and wit, perfectly balancing the tightrope between issues (dementia, adult friendships, societal expectations) and irreverent humour. From the fringe characters to protagonist Nina, I was rooting for the lot of them! Everyone will see people they know in this book, from the smug marrieds to the friends you have grown apart from. The only part that really left me pondering was how one important character from the first half of the book all but disappeared until the final scene, but maybe that was another example of the titular ghosts that went over my head.

I'm sure this book will be a huge success, resonating with women in their 30s, 40s and beyond.

And by coincidence I'm writing this as Lady in Red is playing on TOTP2...

Having read ‘Everything I Know About Love’, I jumped at the opportunity to read Dolly Alderton’s first novel. From the very beginning, the same witty tone of voice shines through and although it’s written from the perspective of a fictional character, I couldn’t help but hear this coming from the author is experiences directly - particularly when it comes to dating!

As a twenty-something myself, the themes within ‘Ghosts’ are all too relatable. Lola’s wise words about dating apps resonate and it brings the hilarity of this strange, modern way of meeting new people to a whole other level. In contrast, I thought the storyline relating to Nina’s dad with Dementia was heartbreakingly well-written. It was sensitive but close enough to the subject that it absolutely reflected the turmoil that the illness can bring into a family’s life. The exploration of female friendships is a common theme in many books I enjoy but what made this different is the realness of each character. A lot of us have our own Katherine or Lola in our lives and their differences introduce new perspectives of what we all are ‘supposed’ to have achieved in life and relationships by our mid-thirties.

This novel did not disappoint. I’m so glad Alderton wrote with such personal heart in this fiction because her voice is one that tells a story to it’s full potential. I’ll be sharing this with everyone who has read and loved the memoir, as well as encouraging those who haven’t to purchase both.

Ghosts is the debut novel from Dolly Alderton. The novel follows the life of Nina Dean, as a thirty something singleton traversing through relationships both online and in real life.

Ghosts deals with the perils of online dating and the almost new phenomenon of "ghosting"; when someone you are dating just disappears, seemingly off the face of planet earth. Alderton juggles the fears, joys and exasperation of the character during this time well along side the pressures of maintaining friendships into adulthood and juggling family relationships as well, including issues we would not want to deal with.

Overall the novel had an easy feel to it, and I felt like Alderton dealt with the more harder relationship issues well without changing the flow of the novel. My one comment would be regarding the novel is how the male characters are perceived, almost as not fully formed beings, but is this the workings of the writer or the narrator? You'll have to read to decipher this yourself. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.

Thank you to Penguin and Fig Tree for the copy of the book to review.