Florence is trying to live her dreams out in NYC, ghostwriting for a popular romance author as she tries to get her next big break in publishing. But still reeling from a messy ending to a serious relationship, Florence is convinced love is dead. On a tight publishing deadline from her new editor, Benji, she receives a phone call to return home for a family emergency. As she deals with a tragic loss and a strained family relationship, Benji shows up at her door. As a ghost. Florence helps ghosts pass to the "other side" but her and Benji aren't sure what he needs in order to move on. Together, it's possible they learn what it means to love again and that romance isn't dead after all - despite one of them being a ghost.

Thoughts: My review above does this book absolutely no justice. I love the originality of this story -- while it has shades of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy Reichert, half of the romantic pair being a ghost is certainly something new for me. I enjoyed the banter between Florence and Benji, and I appreciated that they're chemistry was explored from the get-go. There was no hiding of feelings, more like ignoring seeing as they couldn't actually do anything about it. Benji was really sweet (I anticipated him being more standoffish and was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't) and while Florence was guarded it was with good reason. The family dynamics were realistic, and Poston's metaphors and commentaries about life, love, and grief were on-point and so well-written. I thought this was a beautiful book about love and loss, and the romance between Florence and Benji was heartwarming. One of my favorite romances so far in 2022 and I highly recommend for fans of Abby Jiminez, Amy Reichert, TJ Klune, anyone who enjoys unconventional romance.

**Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

When I was a child I feared death - after all, I believe we are all a bit afraid of what we can't explain. As I grew up and had to face the definitive loss of loved ones, I can't say I understand death, but there is a certain macabre beauty to it that Ashley Poston hits upon in The Dead Romantics.

While in the process of reading this book, I lost a friend to metastatic breast cancer. She was only 40 years old and she left quickly, right when we thought her treatment was making progress. While none of this may be helpful to anyone in understanding what this book is about, it has to be said that this novel helped me process the grief. There was a line that mentioned how the wind is just our loved ones singing to us, and I read it as the trees outside my window danced in the breeze. It felt like a sign that my friend was okay.

Yes, the protagonist, a romance ghostwriter who can <ahem> see ghosts, which should have outright haunted me, but it made me believe that after death, we are okay. We have others to guide us as we discover the what comes next part that is so elusive. There were also passages so insightful that you can't really say this is a romance novel - it is romance, but I adore the idea that love transcends time and space. Ashley Poston is one of my favorites right now - I have all of her Geekerella books in my library and YES, fans will love that there are some crossover moments from other stories. You'll find the sarcastic humor and abundant fandom, the 'you don't have to let a moment define your life' wisdom, and the 'get over yourself and fall in love already' outlet you need to remind yourself that anything might be possible. Read this book - there will be no regrets.

Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted eARC of THE DEAD ROMANTICS!

Like many of you, I devoured and adored BOOK LOVERS in May. And then was left with a gaping hole in my life and craved more romance with a literary world twist. And then I heard about THE DEAD ROMANTICS and I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately. And thankfully the @Berkleypub gods were kind to me and my request was granted!

I quickly fell in love with Florence Day and her quirky undertakers family. I loved that she was a ghostwriter for a famous romance author. And that she no longer believed in love. And that she could see and talk to ghosts. The whole setup was perfection.

And as Florence and Benji kept spending more time together, I was equally thrilled by their cute and bookish banter and left wondering how the hell Ashley Poston was going to give these characters an HEA.

No spoilers but I absolutely adored the ending!

Prediction: you are going to be seeing this one every this summer and you definitely are going to want a copy for your shelves!

THE DEAD ROMANTICS is out June 28!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4759809793?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfWrBVRL1NG/

Florence is a ghostwriter for a famous romance author. But after her latest breakup, she stops believing in happily ever afters affecting her inspiration to write her latest novel. On top of this, her dad has just passed away and left very precise instructions as to how his funeral needs to be done.

A love story centred around an author, a funeral home and ghosts? Sounds unique right? And I bet you're intrigued?!! I went into this one a tad bit skeptical and came out absolutely loving it. Florence's dad, although passed away, was such a memorable character. His stories and his funeral provided many funny moments (as weird as that sounds!) and I was all for it. All the stars for this one of a kind love story! Although I read a copy, I think it would be amazing to listen to on audio!

Florence Day, unironically, is a ghostwriter who sees ghosts. Growing up in a family that, quite literally, is in the business of putting the dead to rest, she’s grown to live with the “talent” only her and her father possess, largely suppressing that side of herself for most of her adult life.

But Florence is haunted by other things, too. Working the past few years as a ghostwriter for a very successful romance novelist, she’s made a career out of living in the shadows. Only now there’s a problem- the scorned novelist has fallen out of love with love.

Suffering from writer’s block, Florence begs her new, no nonsense editor for yet another extension, to which he declines. Then she receives word her father, the man who taught her how to prepare for the worst in life and in death, has passed on. Now Florence finds herself returning to a home that’s been dead to her for years. With her career on life support, and the dead coming a knocking again, she’s finding it’s not only old habits that die hard. Can she find a way to bring all of it to rest- in peace?

Unbelievably, The Dead Romantics is the first book I’ve read by author, @heyashposton. In my defense, however, it is her first foray into adult fiction, not that the reader would ever know that. 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕? Spoiler alert, it’s REALLY hard. In many ways, The Dead Romantics is the antithesis to the romance genre, and yet it’s super swoony, all at the same time. As if acing the romance portion of this novel wasn’t enough, Poston also serves up a healthy dose of humor and puns that are to die for, all while thoughtfully paying respect to the dead themselves.

Ok, so I think I’ve gushed enough. All that’s left to say is if you’re a fan of around the way romances that make you feel alive, The Dead Romantics, truly, knocks ‘em dead.

Huge thanks to PRH International, and Ashley Poston for my E-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

The Dead Romantics was a sweet ghosty romance full of self-discovery, forgiveness, and heartwarming family moments. It follows the story of Florence, who works as a ghostwriter for a well-known romance author and can communicate with spirits. It's something only she and her father are capable of. She's having problems finishing her next romantic novel since she's lost faith in love. She visits her new editor, Benji, an attractive guy with whom she has a crush. He refuses to offer her a deadline extension, but none of that matters now that her father has gone. Florence will not only have to mourn her father's death, but she will also have to assist a ghost who she is startled to see Ben.

It was a sweet romantic story with paranormal aspects tossed in. I liked the characters, especially Florence and Ben, and was curious to see where their mutual connection would take them. The buildup was a little sluggish for me, and I found the main character a little stressful until she found her feet, but the climax was fantastic. I enjoyed the sharp humor and book conversation. I like Florence's learning about herself and asking for aid from others, and I felt the paranormal part was an interesting spin on a relationship. Everything in this book about loss, life, death, love, and hope got me right in the feels. This book's treatment of mourning is beautiful. The narrative has excellent depth and may make you laugh and cry simultaneously.

Poston dared to ask "what if Casper were sexy?" This is a beautiful story about returning to your hometown, grieving, and flirting with a ghost. My only complaint is it could have been sexier, but I respect Ashley's restraint and also enjoyed it as is.

I really enjoyed this sweet and unique book!

Florence is such a sympathetic character it was hard not to empathize with her: dealing with a bad breakup, family drama, and work issues. There are also some hilarious moments in this book; one of my favorites was the meet-cute with editor, Benji Andor.

I also liked this little peek inside the publishing world. As Florence puts it, it may seem romantic from the outside but on the inside it was a kind of corporate hell.

This book reminded me of a couple of romcom movies that are on many people’s top 10 list, but I don’t want to mention them because it will give away one of the plot twists.

I highly recommend you give this book a try!

I don't typically read supernatural fiction, but I'm glad I picked this up. It's an interesting mix of the main character exploring grief (both in death of a loved one and ending of a relationship) and finding a new romance. While I figured out part of the plot very early on, I still enjoyed it.

Florence is not having a good day. She ghostwrites for a famous romance author and the book is due, now. Unfortunately, she no longer believes in love or HEA endings. Her ex broke her heart, her new editor threatens legal action if the book wasn't delivered, and she receives a call that her father has died.
Florence heads to her hometown, which she left after her high school graduation and hoped never to see again. But her family's business, Days Gone Funeral Home, and her mother and siblings are still there, even if she can't believe her father won't be waiting for her. The ghosts will still be there too, those that only Florence and her father could see. She doesn't imagine seeing her father's ghost, but a knock at the door raises her hopes. She is shocked to see her new editor, Benji Andor's ghost at her door!
So in addition to her grief and guilt for not coming home and spending more time with her father, and the Six Feet Under vibes from her family, she has avoided making eye contact with any ghosts since she moved to NYC. She kissed Ben when he was alive though, and to make things a bit more complicated, could she be falling in love with a ghost?
This was such an unusual story with such quirky characters and I enjoyed every minute of it.5 ghostly glowing stars!

Oh my heart

Did you ever love a book so much you had a hard time putting your thoughts on paper ? That’s me with this book.
There is a meet cute, an untimely death, a whole bunch of bad jokes and a few love stories that will tear at your heart strings.
All the emotions are in this timeless story of how we view death and what happens after. When presented with the death of a loved one most of us will express grief and sadness and will not want to go on. But the Day family approaches death with open arms and hearts.
No matter how far you may travel, your family will welcome you back. And your parents will most likely always find your hiding spots and will be proud of you and what you have achieved.
Love. Grief. Family. Ghosts. That is what life is all about. If we just stop and listen to the wind we can hear all the voices of those who have gone before us. And maybe. Just maybe. We will see them all on the other side.

So, to make a long story short, I absolutely positively loved everything about this book. It ranks up there with another book that deals with death and grief in such a loving and compassionate way. And, I may have cried writing this review.

Thank you to Let’s Talk Books Promo and Berkley Publishing for my eARC and PRHaudio for my complimentary audiobook

Florence Day is the ghost writer for Ann Nichols, a bestselling romance novelist, although very few people know this secret. When Florence has a horrible breakup with her boyfriend, Lee Marlow, she finds herself unable to finish her last book. Instead she suddenly has a case of writer's block because she doesn't believe in love any more. It's been a year since the breakup and Florence is still in a funk. When Florence goes to ask her new editor, Benji Andor for another extension, she is surprised to find that he is young and very attractive....but he tells her no on the extension. That night Florence and her roommates go out for some drinks. When Florence unexpectantly sees her ex she rushes outside of the bar and runs into Ben where the two end up kissing. While kissing they get interrupted by her phone ringing and it ends up being her mom giving her the worst news ever....her dad has passed away. Florence leaves to get to her hometown as soon as possible. It has been ten years since Florence left and has never looked back after all what happened during her childhood and her family run funeral home. While trying to come to grips with everything that has happened, Florence runs into a ghost of the last person she would ever expect to. As Florence tries to help the ghost, he ends up also helping her and gets her to realize that love may not be dead after all.

I freaking loved this book! I loved the relationships Florence had with each person in her life. I also loved the surprise ending and I can admit I was hoping for it to happen for the last half of the story! Overall this was a well written story with fun, quirky characters that I highly recommend.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I definitely wished that I saved this as more of a spooky season read but my life has definitely been changed after reading this. Poston's writing is absolutely addicting and Florence was a captivating narrator. Florence takes you through her own personal journey of grief, confusion, and loss. That being said, this book, despite its name, is much more than a romance. I have been drawn to stories entailing grief and grief in different lights and this book definitely hit the mark. This is my first book by Ashley Poston and seeing how her YA books have also received great reviews, I am so excited to delve into more of her work. This work of love, happiness, authenticity, growth and grief in a supernatural/paranormal setting offers a little something for everyone and is something you don't want to miss out on.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Florence Day lives in NYC with her best friend Rose. She is employed as a ghost writer for Romance novelist Ann Nichols. And she also talks to and sees ghosts. Her now ex-boyfriend, Lee Marlow, capitalized on her stories and wrote a book (basically) about her. Now she believes romance is dead and can’t seem to finish the last chapter to the newest Ann Nichols book. Looking for an extension, Florence meets with her new editor, Benji Andor, who also is very sexy and very much believes in romance. Benji denies her the extension. Then a series of unfortunate events happens after that… she runs into her ex, who is reading from his new book (the one about her) and then gets a phone call her father died.

Now Florence finds herself back home in Mairmont, SC…. It’s been 10 years. You see, kids aren’t so kind to kids who can see and talk to ghosts. She also happened to bring home a surprise guest, the ghost of Benji.

I absolutely adored this story. I loved the interaction with Florence and her family as they learn to forgive and to also heal. And how ghost Benji also happens to teach Florence how to love again. So what happens, you ask? You will want to one-click this hilarious, swoony, haunting tale.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Having read several of Poston’s YA novels, I had pretty high hopes coming into her adult debut.

She exceeded those expectations and then some. Everything about this story latches onto your heart and mind very quickly. You immediately feel drawn into Florence’s narrative and don’t want to put the book down even for a second.

This is being marketed as a romance, but it’s so much more than that. With themes of grief and familial drama, the story has incredible depth that can simultaneously make you laugh and cry.

While reading this book, someone asked me what the book was like, and the best way I could describe it was if the Netflix TV series The Haunting of Hill House was a romantic comedy and far less terrifying.

This will definitely be on my list of favourite 2022 reads.

The Dead Romantics was basically written for me. It contains everything I love in books; friendly ghosts, family dynamics, the literary world, and romance. I always love books/movies/shows that involve the main character befriending/falling in love with a ghost. Some similar stories that fall into this would be: Just Like Heaven, Meg Cabot's Mediator series, Julie and The Phantoms, I also really appreciated the family aspect of this book. The plot revolves around the main character's father dying and her returning to her hometown for the funeral. Even though this is a sad topic, it didn't make the book overly depressing. The way the character interacted with her family (although there was mild tension) it brought lightness to an otherwise sad topic. The glimpses into the publishing industry were also very interesting and would pique the interest of book lovers.

I knew that I was going to love The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston because I loved The Mediator Series when I was younger. Ghost book boyfriends are real things okay? Okay. Also, a ghostwriter that sees ghosts? Does it get better than that? Yes, it does. Read this book.

Now that I've told you what to do, I'm here to tell you that I inhaled this book. I was stuck in a bit of a book slump and Florence, in her writing slump and grief managed to pull me out of it. Florence had me laughing and crying as she struggled with her career aspirations, her personal demons...err ghosts, and the death of her father. Returning home for the first time after ten years had to have been hard, and I appreciated that it wasn't easy for Florence to not only come home but also to reconnect with her family. It made this story that much more authentic to me. This was so much more than a romance: it is a story of growth; of loving yourself; of remembering who you are.

The Dead Romantics, as you might assume, isn't a light read. It's full of grief and it presents grief in different facets. Grief is heavy and there's a line in this book that will stay with me for years: "[Grief] was full and heavy and drowning because it wasn't the absence of everything you lost - it was the culmination of it all, your love, your happiness, your bittersweet, wound tight like a knotted ball of yarn."

This paranormal love story is poetically haunting and one that you won't want to miss out on.

CW: death of a loved one, cheating (past), gaslighting, bullying

Thank you to Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Berkley for this free e-arc!

I liked this book. It had its moments where I skimmed ahead because I thought it was really wordy/descriptive in places that didn't add to the overall story, but when there was action or dialog it was good!

I didn't think Lee was used the right way as a trigger for Florence, he was physically in places he really didn't make sense to be, and that made it seem forced. I think there could have been some social media or ways to insert him that would have had a similar effect. I also guessed the twist early on, I think she foreshadowed a little too well there.

Overall, I adored Florence and Benji! Florence's family was lovely and OMG Florence's Dad was just...amazing. That was the highlight of the story was his will and all that went into it.

POSSIBLE SPOILER:I am not sure why we are teased a meeting, that disappointed me.

Overall: I am really glad I was able to read this book, I enjoyed the characters, its clear that Poston is super talented at creating characters with depth that will capture you and suck you into a story. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Humor, wit, touch of ghosts and tense family relationships - such an enjoyable read. I may possibly believe in love again.
Florence is late to meet her new editor - holding onto her congratulations gift (a cactus), she needs a minute. To not climb her new editor. Florence quickly moves past her lust as he denies her desperate request for an extension on her manuscript.
Florence ghost writes for one of the most loved romance authors - after a crap breakup with a crap boyfriend, she determines love is dead.
A phone call from home forces Florence to return - 10 years after she ran off to college, refusing to return.
Did I mention she grew up in funeral home? Gah I loved so much about this book.
Oh the family dynamics. The funeral home. The ghosts. And of course the romance - I ate the book whole. Highly recommend.

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for one of the most famous romance authors on the Bestsellers list, but what happens when you no longer believe in love ?
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Florence cannot finish her last book on deadline and when she turns to her new handsome editor for an extension and is declined she turns to a box of Mac and cheese for comfort. None of it matters when she gets a call from home that she needs to return home after her father died.
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For ten years she avoided home. Her family owns a funeral home and Florence and her dad were the only two who could communicate with ghosts. When she returns it was as if she never left.
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She finds the shock of her life when her handsome editor appears in ghostly form. I don’t want to give too much away because this one kept me surprised but it is a really beautiful story.
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks and @dg_reads @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.