I really loved the premise of this book and hence why I decided to read it.

Nina, a successful food writer, is at a point where she needs some change in her mid-30's. Even with a new boyfriend, she sees all the people around her moving on, feeling the people of her life slowly becoming ghosts.

I really wanted to get into this and enjoy this more, but something about this hit too close to home.

I did love Nina's wit and Dolly navigating through everything that truly is what a mid-30's adult would.

Thanks for the ARC!

Omg so much fun! Ghosts! What an awesome story! I loved the main character! So relatable! Would love to read more books like this

This one I felt hard. I could relate to the MC with having to date. It’s so hard. And to have someone just disappear all the time out of nowhere. It turns your heart inside out and stomps on it. I was very happen once the neighbor had more of a role other than just the noisy neighbor

I can’t tell if I love that online dating is a shared experience or hate it, but this book had me feeling a sense of camaraderie because of it. Please check in your single friends and also your friends who are moms. Seems like none of us are okay.

This book was a sleeper hit for me! It's like a modern day Bridget Jones. It has America Ferrera's Barbie monologue vibes.

Ghosts was unexpected - much heavier than anticipated. I was expecting a light rom com read but this book was not a romance with a HEA. Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

It's tough out there for 30-something single women and Dolly Alderton's novel is a unflinching look at the dating world of 2 women in London. Nina and her friend Lola are trying all the apps, have found success and have been ghosted by men they trust. This story tells of their spirit to go on and their friendship. With side stories of their married friends and parents getting older, "Ghosts" is a quick but very enjoyable read.

Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

For the love of all that is holy, Publishers stop marketing contemporary fiction as romantic comedy that are not! You do such a disservice to your authors and readers. Romcoms and romance novels in general conjure expectations in the minds of readers. Labeling something as a romance or romantic comedy implies a contract between author and reader around plot and (most especially) the HFN/HEA, which is not supposed to be a HFN/HEA with oneself.

Is this a reflective, poignant journey of self-discovery? Sure, and that's the only reason for a rating as high as I'm giving it. Is it a romance? Absolutely not. I would argue it isn't even a comedy. I certainly wasn't laughing.

If you are looking for and enjoy contemporary fiction, you may very well like this. I do not and never would have picked this up if it had been marketed correctly. If you are looking for a romcom, run, don't walk, as far away from this book and disappointment as you possibly can.

Ghosts was very relatable. The beginning was a little slow and there were a few slow spots throughout, but overall I really liked the book.

Nina’s ex is getting married, her dad has dementia, her childhood best friend is pushing her away and she has just signed up on-a dating app. She has a lot going on and when she meets this great guy, Max, life gets even busier. And then when she thinks it’s going great, Max just ghosts her. And everything else in her life is amplified. She has to admit there’s something seriously wrong with her father, her best friend doesn’t relate much with her anymore and what’s wrong with her that Max would just ice her out with no explanation.

Nina is very real in her actions and this could easily be anyone of us in real life. It’s why this book is so relatable and easy to read. There were many laughable parts and others that were sad and maybe make you want to shed a tear. I think it’s why I genuinely liked this book so much.

***Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

As a "romance", this was a bit too slow for me! I'd like to pick it up again some time in the future as I liked the author's writing style.

The beginning is of this book is mainly exposition, and it didn't grab my interest. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This blew my expectations away!

LIKES:
1) it felt real and relatable. Nina was me. Trying dating apps, getting ghosted, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. It’s painful but necessary for growth and for us to realize that we aren’t alone being a 30 something dater.
2) friendships were messy. They had some hard conversations and I likes that Alderton didn’t shy away from the ugliness and jealousy that can occur
3) family drama. After losing my dad this past year I could relate with the struggles that Nina face with her mom and the new role she has to play as caregiver. Where this was exactly my situation it felt relatable, again.
4) it made me laugh. Finding humor is this mess called life is what keeps us going and I really appreciated that these book gave me more perspective

DISLIKES:
🚫

Ghosts is a funny, tender, and insightful novel about the messy, beautiful, and sometimes painful realities of modern life. The story follows Nina Dean, a 32-year-old woman who is trying to navigate the treacherous waters of online dating, the challenges of caring for an aging parent with dementia, and the changing dynamics of her long-term friendships.

Alderton's writing is sharp, witty, and full of heart. She captures the nuances of female friendship and the complexities of modern relationships with unflinching honesty. Ghosts is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and think. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt lost, confused, or alone.

Here are some specific things that I loved about the book:

- The characters are well-developed and relatable. I found myself rooting for Nina and her friends, and I felt their pain and joy as if it were my own.
- The writing is sharp, witty, and full of heart. Alderton's words paint such a vivid picture of Nina's world, and I felt like I was right there with her on her journey.
- The themes of friendship, family, and love are explored in a nuanced and sensitive way. I learned a lot about myself and my own relationships while reading this book.
- The ending is both heartwarming and hopeful. I felt like I had been on a journey with Nina, and I was so happy to see her find her way.

Overall, I absolutely loved Ghosts. It is a funny, tender, and insightful novel that I would highly recommend to anyone.

I loved this book! Fresh, real, biting, I hadn't read a novel that left me feeling so seen in ages. If you want a book about relationships that leaves you reliving your past heartaches viscerally, this one is for you.

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!