I didn't like the character and couldn't get past the 45% mark even when I attempted to read it for a second time. Although intrigued by the blurb and excited to read about a woman's experience with online dating in the age of "ghosting" I could not connect nor relate to Nina. I didn't find the humor in her story and couldn't come up with an ounce of compassion for her experience because to me she came across as a hater. Add to that the many subplots that were added to the story and of course my interest went out the window. Definitely not the story for me.

This was not my favorite book. After the introduction, I felt disconnected from the main character… just really didn’t like her or feel interested in her story. The writing had some great lines and segments which were witty and well explored, but it wasn’t enough to make me love this one.

Do you wonder what it’s like to be in your 30’s and you’re still single? Nina Dean sure does and this story follows her and her quest for love. It seems like everywhere she turns, she is getting left behind. When she meets Max, she feels like she might finally get her happy ending, until he ghosts her.

This story tackles the reality of different seasons in life and the bright and dark sides to those stages. It also speaks to societal pressures, especially when it comes to fitting in to certain timelines. The main character was relatable and I found myself feeling connected to her. Aside from her love life desires, she’s facing some challenges in her personal and familial life and you can’t help but hope the best for her. All in all it was a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

If you have experienced what it's like to be a single lady in her 30's, then this is the book for you. If you haven't experienced that, then maybe you should just read this too. Alderton did an excellent job of writing this novel, but the characters drove me nuts. Without revealing too much, let's just say, "Max is a loser." The title of the book sort of gives way to what you can expect to happen throughout, and it's not bad, I'd say a 3.5 stars (if I could give it that extra .5). The book is supposed to be romantic comedy, but I would say it envelopes a bit of sadness as well. Overall, a good read though.

This book did a wonderful job at making me feel Nina's pain and confusion when the man who she thought was her match ghosts her. I didn't find this to be a romantic comedy as it was labeled, but I really enjoyed the book. Alderton's writing is fantastic.

Ghosts started a bit slow for me - but woah woah woah did I eventually want to crawl into the pages and give Nina a sharp slap, followed by a warm hug. She was so irritating, but in the best way - in the way that many women can be irritating when they are overcome with love and/or lust for a man.

Nina's backstory, particularly with her parents (especially her dad), were meaningful and heartbreaking.

Her dating antics, again, were heartbreak, funny, and too true for so many sing women in their 30s.

Overall, I enjoyed Ghost and would be interested in picking up another book by Dolly Alderton.

Ghosts is about what it feels like to be in your 30's and single. Everyone seems to be in a relationship, married or already having children. Nina with a lot of encouragement from friends starts using a dating app at meets Max. They hit it off right away and then he just disappears. Nina never hears from him again - he ghosts her!. Then add in health problems with her parents and this book is both very touching and laugh out loud funny at the same time! A great read!

This is not what the reviews say it will be about. I was hoping for a funny rom-com about dating. While I found the story about her father touching, the rest of it made her come off as bitter and unkind. There as nothing laugh-out-loud in this at all. I DNF at 50% because I just couldn't take it anymore; I actually felt sorry for her.

4.5, rounded up to 5 stars. Surprise of my literary year, Dolly Alderton’s Ghosts is a hit I did not see coming. It took me a while to finally pick this one up from my digital bookshelf, as the original cover on my ARC made it seem like a cheap wannabe, an unnecessarily pretentious stab at a Rom Com that would fall short of comedy and lack the sophistication of a literary novel. Only because Taylor Jenkins Reid gave it her seal of approval did I give it the benefit of the doubt— and I’m glad I did. (I’m also glad they changed the cover before publishing, though I still think the contents far exceed the cover.)
Our protagonist, perpetually single, mostly put-together Nina, is painfully relatable. Unlike so many other literary women, she’s not a tragic mess, desperate for society’s approval or a man’s love; she’s intelligent and reasonably successful and fulfilled, but that doesn’t stop her seeking the next level on the ladder of life. Her point of view on love, life, and the lives of those around her, is humorously wrought, with just enough self deprecation to remain in the realm of snarky analysis and not cross into eye-rolling intellectual ostentatiousness. This is where Alderton shines: she’s not giving us a complex plot, overly-complicated characters, or Romance hijinks, she’s giving us probably the best example of a character’s point of view I’ve ever read. It seems effortless in its authenticity, delivering thoughts we’ve all had in a more clever manner than we’ve ever done. Creative Writing students take note. This is how you write Women’s Fiction.

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

Nina keeps it real all of the time, and the people she surrounds herself with are the everyday kind of people you could easily imagine in your own life. As she enters her 30s she finds that she's successful woman who has a career she loves, some wonderful friendships, an irritating neighbor, a clueless mother, a father who is losing himself to dementia, an ex who is about to marry his rebound.....and she has officially decided to give dating another go. Her interactions with her bestie and fellow "single-lady" Lola are so authentic and endearing.

This book was filled with well-written characters you grow to love (except for Max, who is Nina's self-centered douche of a love interest). Definitely a slower read to savor.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Okay I can see why everyone loved this one. I felt like I was reading a version of Fleabag!

Nina was a great character, and the dialogue between her and her friends (particularly Lola) was just so sharp, witty and fun. I was smiling so much during this book. I liked that it focused on so much more than what the title suggests (being ghosted by someone)... about the challenges of friendships and being at different stages in life, about aging parents and what that may entail, sketchy living situations, and of course the trials and tribulations of dating.

After this book, I immediately want to pick up Alderton's other work. It was 4/4.5 stars for me, I just wish it didn't take me 30% of the way in the book to really get into it!

This book was fantastic! The entire premise was something every woman should read. This idea that if you are still a single woman in your 30’s your life is over and there is nothing worse. I loved the humor and the rawness. I’d definitely pick up another book by this author! Nina has everything, she’s a successful 32 year old cookbook author and doesnt need a man. But society tells her different so she downloads a dating app. She meets Max and he’s perfect until one day he’s not and just ghosts Nina. No reasoning and no word. This is so common with dating sites and resonates so deeply!

4.5 stars!

Oh WOW.

Now I get the Dolly Alderton hype.

It’s so odd how seriously I’m struggling right now to find the words to describe this book, to find the words to describe how it made me feel. It just did. It’s as simple and complex as that.

Dolly has this way of being so aware and infuriating with how aware she is. Sure, men aren’t shit, but here’s this journey that further proves that and holy crap, did I just see myself there for a sec?

A lot happens in this book, but it felt very a-day-in-the-life as opposed to “she could’ve narrowed it down”. Even in your 30’s life can be shit, we just gotta see it through even if we question it the entire way.

Anyway, I loved it. I’m about to make it my whole personality and no one can stop me.

This is a very well written book about a topic that I haven’t seen explored to this depth in a book before - ghosting. When a friend, lover, or significant other just disappears without a trace and without any type of communication at all. It’s so angering to think about! But it’s all too common. The main character Nina is written brilliantly- absolutely perfect! She deals with parents, career, ex-boyfriends, old friends, new friends, a dating app, boyfriends - all with class and charm and utter honesty. I loved the foibles of the side characters, and the emotional impact of all the episodes of Nina’s 32nd year that we get to peek into. Ghosts is a modern day romance that is entertaining, poignant, and wickedly funny.

Ghosts, by Dolly Alderton boldly explores the world of online dating as well as the new, awful trend of people "disappearing", such as becoming a "ghost" without warning or regard. A successful, lovely woman in her 30's, looking for love, commitment and relationship, facing many disappointments and some happiness. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Hard time reading this book
I had a very hard time reading this book. I could read a couple of pages before I had to put it down.


https://www.amazon.com/review/RDVHFE0V7HZEN/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Nina George Dean is still a single 32 year old navigating the singles world trying to find "the one." At her best friend's suggestion, Nina enrolls in a matchmaking/dating service, Linx. Through Linx, Nina discovers Max, a hunk of a man. Max and Nina seem to hit it off pretty well. But that is until Max cuts off all communication and is nowhere to be found. Nina has just been "ghosted."

Ghosts is supposed to be a hilarious rom-com, but I didn't find anything funny within the storyline. To me, Nina is a needy woman that couldn't stop bellyaching about not finding a soul mate and she was so opinionated about her friends' marriages and children. Coupled with an ailing father with dementia, the narrative just didn't work for me. At the 48% mark, I was done. Not the best feeling, and I'm sure there are countless other readers that will beg to differ.

Nina is a single, successful thirty something without a boyfriend or husband just trying to adjust to the changes in her parents, family and friends without losing the relationships she’s built over the years. Her married girlfriends with children feel she is no longer important or worthy of their time. And the men she wants to date act like toddlers, all in at one point and then suddenly ghosting her.

Ghosts dives into these topics with a smart and funny perspective. I felt it was a bit slow and dull at times, especially in the start, but the ending was immensely satisfying.

Thoroughly enjoyed GHOSTS! It read to me like a mash-up of Mhairi McFarlane and Sally Rooney. This book was charming and fairly thought-provoking, especially as someone who is in more of "Katherine" stage of my life. The author has a strong voice and the characters and plots are realistic and entertaining.

Thank you @aaknopf and @netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Ghosts is about Nina George Dean whose early thirties so far have not been the liberating and uncomplicated experience she was sold. The title of the book refers to the different type of ghosts Nina is battling: her friendships have been fading, her ex-boyfriends are getting married and having kids and everyone’s moving to the suburbs. Her family is no longer the safe refuge it used to be: her mother’s wrapped up in a mid-life crisis and her father is slowly vanishing into dementia and now a ghost of who he once was.

I read this book on holiday and couldn’t stop turning the pages. I love Alderton's voice so much - it’s funny, impactful and full of smart and razor sharp observations about life and relationships. Nina’s probably one of the most three-dimensional characters I have come across in fiction this year. I didn’t always find her likable, but she always felt relatable and real.

If you enjoy books that celebrate the female voice and reflect on modern life, you’ll love this book.