Nina is 32 and looking for love. Unfortunately for her, looking for love in your thirties means that you end up with what is left at the bottom of the barrel. I feel that this book had some profound views on modern dating and grief, but I thought some of the situations were a bit off. For example, I wasn't really into when Nina slept with her neighbor after they fought, that was kind of a head-scratch moment for me. Like he seemed super suspicious, she literally thought he was a murderer. Then she just sleeps with him without clarification??? I also didn't understand how a book about someone who writes cookbooks for a living, didn't have cooking in it???? Girl also went on a rant about how Lola wants to live a traditional life with marriage and kids. It is totally cool if Nina does not want to do that, but why is she so offended that another person wants that for themselves???

I was surprised that I did not enjoy this book, as from the description it really seemed like my cup of tea. I think that the concept was really cool, but I lost interest due to the numerous side elements. I would definitely read something else by this author as I thought that the writing itself was good.

***I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 stars rounded UP! Ghosts is a great novel that follows a woman (Nina) who is coming into her own after noticing that all of her friends are growing their families, leaving her, slightly behind. Once she meets Max and he appears to fall hard to her, it appears too good to be true... and it was as he then vanishes into thin air. The introductory piece of this book was great as the story is relatable, despite taking me way too far back into my high school experience, However, after Max disappears, for about 3-4 chapters this book gets SUPER depressing as Nina is sad about Max and her father, who is suffering from a type of dementia, starts to fade in and out of awareness in a bad way. At one point he does not even recognize his own daughter. Knowing what I know now, I would have skipped those few chapters because, after slumping into a slow and deep depression, BAM - Max is BACK!?!? In an effort to not spoil the ending, as it does pick up, I will say, I loved the book, I hated the book and then I loved the book all over again (talk about a rollercoaster). In the end, Nina grows and is able to find her way back to a close friend from who she had previously drifted from as her friend finally admitted to being lost in motherhood (which I am 100% guilty of).

Overall, this was a fun and relatable quick read. For fans of realistic reads, this is the book for you!

Gosh this book was just a little TOO relatable at times! But in all seriousness, I really loved this depiction of a woman in her early thirties, with all the messy aspects of her life shown on the page. I'm not sure why this book is marketed as a rom-com, though. Nina's romance with Max is arguably not the main story being told here. And yes, there is humor, but it's a wry, dark humor (which I loved). More to the core of the story are Nina's female friendships, her relationship with each of her parents, and ultimately her own sense of self and relationship with herself. A perfect title for a wonderful novel. I will recommend this smart, tender, feminist novel to everyone. I hope men read it.

Poignant. Sharp. Clever. Sobering. Witty. Real.

I wasn’t ready for how much this novel was going to resonate. While listening to this novel several moments brought me pause or moments of clarity into aspects of life I didn’t even know were gray.

The first part of this novel felt superficial, but I’m extremely happy I kept going. Dolly brought so much humanity to each and every character. You didn’t need long back stories for each character to understand them.

I got a lot out of this novel and I think others will too.

this book is absolutely my shit. this one is for women who are fed up with the pressure and societal expectations and boring friends who move to the suburbs but secretly so badly want that same love and stability! it’s a coming of age story for those in their late 20s/early 30s. sally rooney mixed with eve babitz

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday for the ARC I’m exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, Ghosts was not the book for me. I don’t think I am the right audience for it as I had a hard time connecting with the MC, Nina and the things she is experiencing.

Alderton’s writing style is also not my cup of tea. I’m a fan of straight forward and concise writing.

If you are at a stage in your life where you are navigating the world of dating and want a more emotional read, then I would recommend giving Ghosts a try!

I DNF´D This Book After The 100th Page Not My Favorite Book Ever
But I Think People Will Find It Good
It Just Was Not For Me

Loved it - hard to put down. Ghosts of millennial life as it relates to dating, friendships, family. Hilarious but also had some depth. Looking forward to more from Alderton.

Nina is 32 year old writer who lives in London. She already has a book that's been published and another that is supposed to be published. But, she is single and longing for her soulmate. Signed up through a service, Nina meets someone that she connects with. Everything is going well until he ghosts her and now she has to deal with everything else she refused to deal with.

I gotta say that the tagline calling this a sexy laugh out loud rom-com are wrong. There is a lot happening in this story and none of it was really rom-com material. This is drama to the highest order, at least for me.

A lot of the focus here in on romance as well as Nina's father is who solely falling to Alzheimer's and how that is affecting her and her family. Throughout a lot of this, I feel like Nina could have really used a good support system, but she didn't have that. The friends that she had were not people who were really there for her which was just a drag to read.

I think this could have been a great story, but this one didn't hit with me.

Although I enjoyed parts of the story this one wasn’t for me. I know people will enjoy the whole story sadly it wasn’t me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was not my style. I felt like the story was a little chaotic. I did enjoy several of the characters and their journeys despite that.

Ghosts was an interesting read, billed as a romantic comedy.. More than romantic comedy, for me this was an examination of the intricacies of life. Nina is a 30-something who wants love. She has a whirlwind romance until he disappears, leaving her adrift in her life. The story is relatable and I enjoyed the moments where Nina is introspective and looks at her parents and friends in a different light. I struggled to like Nina, possibly because I'm in a different stage of life, but also because I found her both judgmental and vapid. I enjoyed the pop culture references and the situations in Nina's life made me think about how I would handle them and how my parents are also getting older.. There are relatable stories about how life and relationships change as friends gets married and have children, about drifting apart or closer through time, and about how there are alot of assumptions about people's lives and choices. For some, this will be a memorable book. For me, I had to refresh my memory in order to review it. Something that resonated with me when I looked at the book again was a thought Nina had that the chaos that a married friend tries to hide is what Nina would like to experience. So true that we don't always appreciate what we have.

Enjoyable, relatable, and fun at times. This book was a good mix of humor and wit. As a woman that was once single at 30, I could relate to Nina.

Nina Dean is the most relatable character I've read in years. She's happy single, she likes her job, she's got her own place, and her friend's are great. Nina decides why not give online dating a try and after meeting Max she thinks this is it. Max is your typical love bomber and I hate him. He's that guy that gets through your walls and makes you feel comfortable. He initiates the serious conversations and the progression of the relationship and then just ghosts because things got too serious. Nina is left heartbroken and is then forced to look at everything in her life she thought was going good.

Alderton captured what the modern dating scene is like and the stress that comes with it. Balancing career, friendships, and family Ghosts is an easy read that left me contemplating my own life and relationships.

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing in exchange for an honest review.*

This book captures modern dating so perfectly! It is sure to spark a conversation about your own dating experience. I loved Dolly Alderton's writing and character development. This book was fantastic!

I love reading about food and food writers, so was very excited about Nina's career and success with it. GHOSTS was an enjoyable read filled with the many adventures (and sometimes downfalls) of online dating. A witty, insightful, and funny book that had me fully invested in Nina's life.

A much more modern Bridget Jones's Diary - a funny but bland journey of a woman dating in her 30's. I liked it fine, but not sure I would read this author again.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my kindle. I laughed so hard when I read this book. Was it the best book I've read? No. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. I related to it so well. Every millennial needs to read this book.

I felt this one. As someone who has done a LOT of online dating in my late 20s and 30s I felt many parts of this book. This is a well written book and relatable character. At the same time reliving some of these feelings and experiences while reading this dug up feelings I had once forgotten.