Sometimes a book comes along that you wish you could recommend to a younger version of yourself--this was that book for me. Alderton has created such vivid, realistic characters that allow the emotional core of the story to really resonate. I know too many women who could relate to Nina. A timely, effective story that had more to it that I had initially thought. It stuck with me. I recommend it to my readers often.

I expected a rom com and it did have aspects of that, but it made me feel melancholy more than anything. I don't think it was the right book for where I am in life right now. But it is well written, well plotted with some good characters. Just don't expect it to be laugh out loud funny.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Heartwarming story, perfect for a cozy Sunday afternoon!

Nina Dean lives in London and works as a food writer. She is 32 years old, single and watching as all her friends marry off and start families. Meanwhile her father has dementia and is slowly slipping away and Nina misses him already. It’s not that she NEEDS a man, but having someone to love would be nice. Nina signs up with a dating app called Linx and finds her perfect match in Max. Max is kind and handsome and stable, just an all around normal and great guy. They spend three glorious months falling in love and then…it all comes to a screeching halt when Max does not respond to her calls and texts. He just completely ghosts her. Did she scare him off? Was he faking it all along? Did he get cold feet? Will he come back around? Is it REALLY over? All the normal and torturous questions and analyzations plague Nina as she replays the past 3 months. Haven’t we all been there?!

I’ve seen this advertised as a romcom but it’s just too tender for that label. There are funny moments for sure, but mostly this story is about the fragility of relationships and love. Thank you Netgalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available to read now!

This book follows Nina who is in her 30’s and if you are single and there or have been there then you know how sh***y it can be. You want to root for her simply because of how tough life can be and how the dating world can be so terrifying at times.

This book was ok enough. I didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it. It made me laugh, but I also felt like I couldn’t really connect with the main character. I’d like to reread it eventually because it has potential, could have just been not the time for me.

Ghosts, Dolly Alderton

#TaysTakes 7.2 / 10

Nothing like a current day story about not having your life together just yet while exploring the warzone that is modern day dating. I don’t read a ton of romcoms but Alderton’s story had me genuinely laughing out loud and was very relatable.

Ghosts follows Nina Dean, a published food author in her early thirties, who is recently out of a long relationship, entering the realm of online dating. Throughout the book, Alderton puts women in different stages of life (single, married, engaged, newly pregnant, new parents) and comments how none of these particular aspects makes one person better than another despite society saying that those married, in a house, with kids are the ones who have it together. The dialogue between characters and human situations Nina finds herself in makes the book so funny and so relatable. I really enjoyed the different relationships and dynamics, and how these change over time for all of us, the books explores without taking on a level of seriousness.

This book was such a treat and is definitely worth the read. It will make you feel like the things you’re going through are things everyone is going through and you’re not losing your mind!

This book made me laugh out loud at times. It was like a small window into what the younger generation is dealing with when it comes to dating apps, romantic relationships and being “ghosted”.

This is a sharp and insightful look into the life of a thirty-something woman who feels stalled in life. Despite a good job and good friends, she's constantly comparing herself to those around her and feeling like she's falling short, which was VERY RELATABLE. The dating app bits were laugh out loud funny, and her honest thoughts and feelings about life had me rereading sentences often to really let them sink in. Nina felt the right amount of imperfect, if that makes sense. She made mistakes, but it never felt forced or contrived...just like a normal person moving through life and not always getting it right. The relationships with her parents were especially poignant and interesting. This is not really a rom com, though it does feature both roms and coms, so don't expect the average rom com formula here. I really enjoyed this book, and kind of want to go back and underline some quotes so that I can crochet them onto pillows...if I knew how to do that.

This book is a delightful mix of comedy and social commentary, with some profound observations about the challenges facing the younger generation in their romantic relationships. It made me laugh out loud at times, but I was also struck by the thought-provoking messages that it conveyed. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable read and an insightful look into the modern world.

I ran out of time and was not able to read this book in time. It looks good, and I am hoping to be able to re-visit and read it soon.

i don't have anything to say except that Dolly Alderton is an amazing writer and this was unputdownable for me. the only reason why this wasn't a five star, like the other stuff i read from her, is that the ending left me feeling a little bleak and there's nothing wrong with that obviously but i just wasn't feeling it and my ratings are always intrinsic to my feelings. i will never be objective because in my mind the world revolves around me <3 sorry

to conclude: i love Dolly Alderton. I will aways read whatever she comes out with

While this wasn’t the greatest, this wasn’t the worst I’ve read recently. Its hard to put what I liked and didn’t like. Maybe I’ll be more into the next book this author puts out

I am so confused by the amount of love this book received. I was expecting so much more than I got. I don't feel that the main characters was fleshed out and whatever happened with Max? Why didn't she get closure? Or burn his house down?

This romantic comedy will make you laugh out loud and fall in love with the main character, Nina Dean. She seems to be satisfaction with everything in her life yet she doesn't have the perfect someone still. Then she connects with Max through a dating app, the man of her dreams until he disappears. "Ghosts" zeros in on Nina confronting the reality of her not-so-perfect life and making it so relatable to what we all have to deal with daily. Dolly Alderton is able to add humor and build empathy through her moving debut novel.

I think that anyone that loves a well-written love story that deals complicated life issues, this is the book for you. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for allowing me to read this for an honest review.

This book is engaging and is written really well. Definitely don’t come in to this expecting a rom com though. It is more of a contemporary fiction novel worth some heartache and will tug at your heart.

This book was not what I expected but it drew me in and made me want to know how things ended… it had a very realistic pace and the end, while not the typical rom-com ending, was just right.

Nina has a lot going on in her life. She is a thirty-something English teacher who left her job to become an author. Her first book was a great success, and her second book is close to being released. She has great friends, and a great family. Her father’s health is failing, and she has a complicated relationship with her mother, who is struggling with her husband’s decline.

Nina has everything – except a relationship. So, she decides to join a dating app to remedy this. She meets a man that seems to be the one (I mean, he tells her he’s going to marry her after their first date!). But, for unexplainable reasons, Max ghosts her.

Nina moves on, and then Max returns. And he leaves again.

I struggled to connect with the main character, so it was difficult for me to invest in the story and give it a higher rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf and Dolly Alderton for an advance copy of this book.

I did not enjoy this book. The MC was insufferable. Annoying. Grating. Ugh, just awful. I couldn't stand her and being in her head so yeah, didn't enjoy my time there. I felt sorry for her parents and what they were going through. I didn't like Lola. I didn't like Katherine. I hated Max. I hated Angelo. Not a book for me. In my opinion, definitely not "A smart, sexy, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy."

Fun, light read. I thought Ghosts was a cute novel that I would recommend. The characters were relatable and like real people you could be friends with. This was my first read by Dolly Alderton, but definitely will not be my last!

The story line is what originally caught my eye, it’s so intriguing! I think that overall, this book is well-written and one of a kind. It is described as cynical romantic comedy, and I feel like that was perfect description! Have already recommended to friends!