A sparking cocktail of Bridget Jones' Diary, Nora Ephron's Heartburn, and Rachel Khong's Goodbye Vitamin, Dolly Alderton's debut fiction novel an empowering and engaging look at the recent crime of "ghosting" and the ways that technology impact how we love in a modern world.

Dolly Alderton is a style icon, beloved journalist, and writer of one of my absolute favorite memoirs of all time. Her memoir, “Everything I Know About Love” embodies the tried and true description of “hilarious and heartfelt” in how it chronicles Ms. Alderton’s life ‘til 30 – the struggles with dating, the wild parties, and the unexpected ways we love and lose. It was a smash critical and commercial success, so it’s not so surprising that Ghosts, Dolly’s fictional debut, is the story of… a writer who is struggling with love and loss. Told with Alderton’s signature wit, this is the story of Nina, a food writer with a burgeoning cookbook career, a bad stroke of luck with dating, and a family in crisis as they cope with her father’s Dementia. The story takes place over the course of her 32nd year on earth as Nina comes to grips with the fact that, well, she’s getting old(er), as is everyone around her. A chance encounter with a new man gives her hope, before the man ghosts her. It’s a lot for Nina to grapple, but with the help of maybe the best sidekick ever (her bestie Lola), it’s a challenge she learns to tackle head-on.

Oh, did I laugh and laugh and laugh reading this one. Alderton knows how to give the perks and perils of being a millennial such humor and heart. Alderton’s writing is sharp and sassy, and there are so many great bits that I clung to throughout. A favorite? She describes a character as being a woman who wears a felt fedora hat indoors. ‘Nuff said. But behind the humor there is so much warmth in these characters and their journey. I found myself actively cheering on Nina and Lola as they took on the world and the horrible people in it. And the relationship between Nina and her aging parents is handled wonderfully in the pages of this story. It’s not all fluff – it gets to the heart of what it means to start to finally have your own life in order at the moment you have to start caring for your folks.

Is it perfect? No. Alderton’s clearly finding her footing as a fiction writer, and in particular I found the first chunk of the book a little awkward – a lot of self-description and not a lot of action. But once Nina meets her man (the aforementioned Ghoster) the story takes form. I couldn’t put the back half of the book down. If the first section of the book is its weakest part, so be it. The payoff is there.

This book reminded me of three that I know and love – It’s parallels to Bridget Jones Diary are obvious (though Nina is less terrible and the story takes place now), it beckons the love of food and the hatred of lousy men from Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, and it gave me that same tearful joy I felt reading Goodbye Vitamin – another magical text about adults and their parents growing up.

A promising fictional debut from a voice you HAVE to get to know. I can’t wait to see where Dolly Alderton goes from here.

When Nina Dean downloads a dating app, the last thing she expects is to meet a great guy on her very first date. Finding seemingly perfect chemistry with Max, she thinks everything in her life is finally falling into place. But then Max ghosts her, and she’s forced to face everything she’s been trying to ignore; like her father’s Alzheimer’s, her taut relationship with her mother, and the fact her longest friendship is falling apart.

I absolutely loved this one. Sometimes you pick up a book at just the right time in your life, and Ghosts was that for me. There were so many lines and passages I marked, highlighted, flagged, underlined. It was like Alderton reached into my brain, pulled out my innermost thoughts, and put them on paper. It’s amazing how seen you can feel while reading a novel written by someone with whom you have never interacted or met. Isn't it amazing how a book can make you feel so seen, your feelings validated?

Utterly relatable, Ghosts is filled with wit and tenderness. I couldn’t put it down.

I thought this book was okay. It covers a year of Nina’s life, a rather interesting year. She’s a food writer whose second book comes out this year. And she tries to figure out what to write for her third foodie book. Her father is having problems with his memory and gets confused easily. She reads up on his condition, adjusting better than her mother, who can’t accept what’s happening. Her friend Lucy, also single, talks her into signing up for a dating website. After talking to one guy, they finally meet and hit it off. After a few months of dating and getting closer, he ghosts her. After this there is still the wedding for her ex-boyfriend, where she is an usher. Her oldest friend, Katherine, has a second child, and drifts away a little more. The book started on Nina’s 32nd birthday and ends on her 33rd birthday. A lot happens in that one year for her.

“I would make a strong case for the argument that every adult on this earth is sitting on a bench waiting for their parents to pick them up, whether they know it or not. I think we wait until the day we die.”

Ghosts is the quintessential millennial book, with a 32 year old woman at its centre, an age where there’s a wisdom and a confidence when it comes to relationships and friendships, but also the reality of our parents growing old. There’s this whole expectation vs reality thing happening, the reality being that not all the friends are in the same phase of their lives. It can be hard to connect with new people, especially online.

This book is about Nina’s adventures in online dating and the phenomenon of ghosting but through Nina and her friends, Alderton addresses so many ghosts that may haunt a 30-something’s lives. And what a clever, observant and insightful writer Alderton is, she elevates the book to something much more than a rom-com, and I found myself furiously highlighting some passages.

The book has just the right amount of smartness and sensitivity, and yet, I found myself often checking how much of the book was left because it does seem to go on for a bit! “Would’ve been so much prettier if it could’ve shed some extra weight!” Metaphorically speaking.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and I loved the British humor of the novel. I went into this novel thinking it would be a romantic comedy and do not feel like it was that at all. While there are fun spots as I mentioned it does not feel like that is the correct genre for it. Nina is a food writer in her thirties trying to figure out being single in digital world. She has a group of married friends and is best friends with her ex. Nina has one single friend that she navigates the dating world and what being single can be like in your 30’s. One aspect of the book was the depiction of her father and his dementia. It was very well written and so spot on. It pulled at my heart and I felt for her and her Mom and the road they were traveling. I’m giving this book a 3.5 stars. I was gifted a copy of Ghosts by Dolly Alderton by NetGalley.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It tries so hard to strike that good balance between serious commentary on relationships and ageing as well as humour and kitschy romance- but it just wasn't there for me. Especially the relationship development toward the end of the book (which I won't go into in full detail- but let's just say it was VERY out of the blue and VERY weird).

Lots of good reviews out there, but I was unable to connect with Nina, the main character. I am not sure if it was the British slang or our age gap, but I did not find it funny, just sad. This is definitely not a romance because there is no HEA. At some point Nina's stream of consciousness became tedious and boring to me, so I found myself skimming the pages. Basically the plot is about immature millennials, in this case males, but I imagine their are females who are also guilty, that are so self centered that the can't even make the effort to break up with the person that they have been seeing, but just disappear. Nina is a successful chief/writer, but after the break up with her long time boyfriend, she has stoop dating, until a friend convinces her to try a dating app. What follows is a year of mostly heart break with a man, but also with the illness that her father is suffering from.

I read an ARC supplied by NetGally.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

DNF at 33%. I kept going back to give this one more chances based on a few close Bookstagram friends who really enjoyed it, but I just couldn’t connect with this story.

Thanks to Knopf for the copy of this book.

What a delight. Dolly Alderton writes for real women, and this book is such a great representation of the trials and tribulations of modern dating. I laughed, I cried, and I felt deeply for these characters. Alderton really brings to life the experience of single women struggling to manage career, family, and love without being cheesy. I truly loved this book and recommend to all women in their 20s and 30s, and even beyond. A masterpiece and one of my favorite reads of 2021.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton reminded me of Bridget Jones but for the millennial. It was a quirky, laugh-out-loud Rom-Com, that tackled some serious issues.

The story was good and well written; however, I wasn't drawn to it and it wasn't for me. It was slow, drawn out, and the mother/wife - I didn't like her character at all for various reasons. Aside from characters, I kept reading other stories and I had to force myself to keep reading this story Ghosts.

A smart funny well written book that's relatable when it comes to relationships with exes, friends, family, and current romances. Ghosts is a fun take on the rom com & domestic fiction genres to read I'd definitely enjoy seeing this turned into a TV series.
Dolly Aderlton is a new to me author I was happy to discover via my ARC NetGalley copy I hope to read more books by her in the future.

In this book we follow Nina, a 32 year old cookbook writer. She witnesses her friends get married off and start families and wants to get a move on with doing the same. So she tries her hand at an online dating app to meet prospective partners.

This was an incredibly fun read about the trials and tribulations of online dating. It really delves into the drama and mishaps of millennial relationships. This book was definitely worth the read.

I really enjoyed this title and found myself relating to the MC’s struggle to find love within herself and through others. Genuinely enjoyable and reflective of your 20s, this novel had a lot to offer and many aspects that I loved dearly, my only gripe is the end. It felt lackluster and diminished the impact of the novel. Overall, a 3.5-4 star read!

Family drama, witty dialogue, complex relationships all wrapped up with romance. Highly recommend.
Thanks for the publicity review copy.

I was hooked on this story within the first few pages. A book about ghosting your love? I've been there and I wanted to hear how Dolly Alderton was going to tell Nina's complex story.

I loved the storyline of being a food writer. I loved the storyline of having parents with complex (and heart-wrenching) problems. I loved this book. I hope you do, too.

I was expecting more ghosting to go on but I felt like the storyline had more to do with all of Nina's relationships. The story kept me somewhat engaged and rooting for the characters. Thank you to NetGalley, Dolly Alderton, and the publisher for a copy of this E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t quite get in to this one - it took me
quite a while to read. I think I was expecting a more lighthearted romcom so maybe just want in the right mindset. I would definitely check out another by the author. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Ghosts is one of the most refreshing books I've read in a long time. On the surface, it's an unabated satire on society's obsession of marriage, child rearing, and dating, particularly for women in their 30s. Alderton writes from the perspective of a jaded Millennial woman as she navigates dating apps, being single after leaving a long-term relationship, and the woes of dating.

The main character is very relatable, and the writing almost resembles inner ramblings that hold raw authenticity. Beyond just dating, we get to see the evolution of relationships and fitting those in as people themselves change. Most importantly, we get to watch the heartbreaking dynamics of the main character's family shift with illness that calls attention to what defines a person - their memories or actions.

Overall, a poignant and honest read that I related to on a lot of fronts. Sometimes it was a little too stream of consciousness for me and less polished, but it was a unique voice I thoroughly enjoyed.

This story is one of the best portrayals of friendship and dating as a woman in your early thirties. I particularly connected with Nina's experiences in her friendships as her friends starting to have babies and thought it was completely on point. Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.