This is one of those books where going in blind didn't do me any favors. I thought a book called Ghosts that came out in October would be about, well, ghosts, but it focuses more on being ghosted in the world of dating. There is a lot happening in this book but also not a lot happening. It's basically just a casual observation of this slice of time in Nina's life. Nothing really extravagant or meaningful happens. I was actually a bit bored for a lot of it, but I found myself partly interested at other points. If you really enjoy character stories, this might be a good book for you. For me, I prefer books to have a little more plot.

Entertaining, and deliciously realistic., this story overflows with characters readers will adore.
Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just couldn't get into this book. I finished it, but it felt like more of an assignment than something that I enjoyed.

My Rom-Com friends, this book is insanely fun. Dating in your 30's is unfamiliar territory to me since I married my HS sweetheart, but I enjoyed reading the scope of the later Gen-x's dating process.

"It's easier, being heartbroken in your thirties, because no matter how painful it is, you know it will pass. I don't believe one other human has the power to ruin my life any more."

Nina George Dean, named after George Michael, uses her wit and humor to get through some difficult times. Her friends have all joined the ranks and settled down to the "married with kids" profile and she has all the feels but single. When she meets Max online, he tells her I will marry you one day! Wow!! It's happening!! Plans are made! Her theme "Yeah yeah yeah....Laala la-la-la" "Edge of Heaven" 🎶 Wham

Now, we have a runaway groom. Max takes ghosting to a whole new level with no texting, phone calls or appearances with no explanation. He is gone..... The book is full of ghosting. Friends that have ghosted their bonds, due to misunderstandings or simply too busy with their own lives. Her dad has ghosted the strength of character she grew up knowing when alzheimer robbed him. Her ghosting online and the plans she once had. Her mother's ghosting by denial of duty to support her father and changes her persona of outward appearances.

Even with her rich inner feelings being displayed with humor, the underlying tones are heavy, so it's
a lot of build ups just to be let down. She has some exceptional friends that see through her facade and celebrate the goodness of their times together. I absolutely loved this even though the emotions are heavy I loved the writing and style of words displaying awareness of all Nina's emotions.
Thanks NetGalley for this digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved this book so much!!! Could not put it down. Nina and Lola were so funny and (sadly) relatable, I became so invested in their stories.

This is a book about the people who haunt us.

I loved this. I laughed out loud frequently..and I wanted to throw my kindle across the room in a display of sheer empathy for the authors experiences. I cried during parts about her father & his developing memory loss, and admired the compassion with which she approached even the most frustrating interactions.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Knopf Doubleday for this eArc!

This is a book that is hard to classify. It's really about being a single woman in your 30's - relationships with friends and family, dating, work challenges, career paths, neighbors etc.

Nina is in her early 30's and a successful food writer, her 2nd book is about to be published and she is searching for a topic for a 3rd. Her former boyfriend, whom she is still very close with is getting married. Her father is becoming more and more forgetful and her dating life is non-existent.

She tries a dating app and gets ghosted, so there is some exploration into that phenomenon. The title also refers to being haunted by your past and how it relates to her father's illness. It's a lot to tackle and I don't think it was always done successfully.

The book was good, just not a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a raw and real look at mid-life shifts in dating, the change of friendships as we enter different stages of life, and the challenges associated with supporting an aging parent.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Ghosts is a must-read for any single and/or unmarried person in their late 20s and early 30s. I couldn't put this book down and read it in its entirety on a long plane ride home. The reality of the characters, the turns, and the development make you feel as if you're chatting with a friend. This book makes me want to read even more of Dolly!

Ghosts delves into the world of online dating and what happens if you meet the "perfect" guy on a dating app, spend almost every day together and all of a sudden he doesn't return calls or text messages.. He ghosts you. That's what happens to Nina when she meets Max. I enjoyed Nina and Max. However, I had an issue of Nina saying oh well, and not going to Max's place and asking what gives. They had been dating for several months.. There are several things happening in Nina's life that distract her. Overall, Ghosts is well written and kept my attention. I wanted to know what actually happened with Max and where Nina's life would take her. One thing I couldn't get past. Who BUYS an apartment or flat in a house. That just doesn't seem realistic.

Ghosts, are the parts of what we go through in our lives. When we think we have processed our experiences but they pop up with new experiences or people as we go along.

I don't know how I felt about this one, a bit feminist hates men for me unfortunately

Dolly Alderton nails single life. Nails it! Ghosts reminds me why I hate the term chick-lit. It diminishes the experiences of women going through the trials of dating.

What a great debut! Nina was so relatable as she made her way through her thirties. I’ve been there! Such a fun and laugh out loud read. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for an advanced copy of this book.

This was a witty, authentic look at the complications of dating and relationships for women in their 30’s.

The dialogue-heavy parts were fast moving and funny, but I did feel like the chapters with more narration pulled me out of the story a bit.

Also, I completely empathized with so many of Nina’s feelings - at losing friendships, feeling societal pressure to settle down, family struggles - but I ultimately wished she was more likeable as a character. She passed so many judgements on other types of women, and while I understand that these judgements from multiple perspectives were integral to the story, I couldn’t help feeling upset with some of Nina’s views and comments.

I loved the central theme of ghosting, not just in romantic relationships, but with friendships and family members and memories. Some of the plot points felt a bit disjointed, though, and I thought there was an opportunity to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together more nicely.

Still, this is a pretty quick and engaging read! I would definitely recommend it to fans of contemporary romance.

This was a good book. Our heroine Nina deals with ghosts in her life in a few different ways - being ghosted by her boyfriend, her father becoming a ghost as he moves further into dementia. The story often seemed to stall a bit to me - it was slow moving and would alternatively lose my attention and then pull me back in. I always wanted to know what would happen, but it often seemed anticlimactic.

I picked this novel up again after a first try and loved it. This novel doesn't have much of a plot, which I think was the thing that put me off it on my first go around. However, just kicking back and settling into the writing and the main character, I found that I just adored this one. My second read was on audiobook, which may have added to the experience. It's worth noting that I had the exact same experience with reading Anna Burn's awardwinning Milkman.

GHOSTS 👻🌸 but not your typical ghost… just your run of the mill immature man leaving his girlfriend without reason. Swipe for description 👉🏼


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - thought it was cute, heartfelt, and well written. The female characters were all very relatable!

Thank you to publishers for a copy in exchange for my honest review. ✨

My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

This was a slow read with characters that never really touched me. I felt one of the others characters would have been a better story. Oh well.

I was interested in the premise of this one, a woman in her thirties going back to the dating scene. And getting ghosted by men. It was fine for what it was, contempory chick lit, but I was hoping for more. I found the main character very dislikable and frankly didn't really find anyone else redeeming in the book except her one friend Lola who I think would have made a much better main character.