I just couldn’t put this down, this was really cute. The characters were so adorable, I was smiling like a loon throughout the entire time. However, I find the beginning a tad bit slow but that perfect ending made up for it!! So in a nutshell, it’s a 4 star read for me

What would you do if your book publisher is demanding you deliver a finished romance novel tomorrow, and you think romance is dead? And what would you do if he turns up as a ghost on your doorstep the next day?

This was un-putdownable. I may or may not have been reading my kindle at red lights. I just had to see what happened. Ben is a certifiable cinnamon roll, and I love him. I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a romance novel. Yes, there's the relationship between Florence and Ben, but it is so much more than that! It is about family and death, reconciliation and creativity, stress and the supernatural. I loved all of it. I wouldn't even call this steamy. It is pretty tame, as far as most romances seem to go. But I'm not mad about it.

Due to the somewhat tame romance, I'd recommend this to most anyone.

Exactly what I was looking for for a little escapism. This was a really cute romance novel, with a few paranormal elements thrown in. Admittedly the buildup was a bit slow for me, and the main character was a little bit exhausting till she found her footing, but the ending was really well done. Would for sure recommend this to people looking for a cute romance with a tiiiiny bit of paranormal.

This was a really wonderful book. It did veer on the sadder side with really heartfelt moments of family and the relationship between parents and their children and siblings. I loved how Poston approached all of the family relationships. The small-town life was so wonderfully done too. I felt like I was there with the main character. It had some My Girl vibes and just overall a really heartfelt, lovely read. The character chemistry was on point. Some bits of the story were a little predictable, but I was more than happy when what I thought and wanted to happen did. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting a fast paced read with romantic vibes as well as really wonderful family interactions and a touch of sadness.

Ashley Poston is a delight as always with this latest offering. A recommended first purchase for collections where romance is popular.

I wanted to like this book and I started out liking it, but I just kept getting so frustrated with Florence and wanted to tell her to grow up. A lot of the times I think when the author was trying to make her seem quirky and unique she just came across as annoying and childish. I liked the ghost aspect of the book, and appreciated how it ended.

Florence is the ghostwriter for a famous and prolific American romance writer. Ben was a new editor of her publishing house. But Florence doesn’t only ghostwrite, she sees and can hear ghosts. She tells her long time partner, the One for her, about her encounters with the dead but tells them as stories so he won’t think her crazy. But the partner steals all her stories and writes them into a novel, stealing the memories from her. She is devastated, his theft of her life stories has made her feel that romance doesn’t exist. Suddenly she can’t write anymore. And then her father dies, again devastating, and she is brought back to her small hometown. This hometown that shunned and bullied her because of her interactions with ghosts.
Enter Ben, that new editor of her publishing house. Ben dies suddenly and shows up for funeral. Ben and Florence begin an unlikely and unexpected romance together. In the end he is able to bring her back to writing and to romance. And then she finds that he is not dead but was in a coma so they have a second chance at love.
All the characters are written so lovingly and true. The story is ostensibly a ghost story but it isn’t. It is a love story about real people. The secondary characters, even her father, fly off the pages and we fall in love with the as well. The plot that should sound so outrageous is (again) real and sweet.
I would recommend this book to my patrons.

This was so unlike any other contemporary romcom I've read, which makes sense with the whole she can see ghosts plotline. But it definitely hits all the marks you could ever want, there's no question about that. There is so much love and heart in this book and you can feel it on every page. Florence Day is the epitome of relatable Millenial main character, and she brings so much to this story just by being her cynical about love, heartbroken but not broken, arms always open to friends and family self. She doubts herself and loses hope regularly, but that never stops her from continuing on, from doing what has to be done. And it never shakes her faith in the love her friends and family have for her. Even as they're all dealing with insurmountable grief, they hold on to one another. To watch Florence work her way through her grief and the knowledge that it will forevermore be a part of her was hard to watch for its sincerity. The grief of this book looks you in the eye and makes you acknowledge the fact that we age and grow and as much as we try to avoid it, we will lose people that matter and there is no way around that. There is, however, a way through it, and even though this is definitely a romance, it is also a book about understanding how we keep going when it feels like the world is falling apart.
I won't talk about the love story aspect really, because I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a ghost involved, and that is enough to know this will be a special and unique story, just for that. I love the way the relationship is affected not just by him being a ghost, but by her being the only one who can see or talk to him. It progresses the timeline of the relationship because it builds immediate intimacy, so even though the bulk of the book takes place over just one week, it didn't ever really feel insta-lovey to me at all. Not that insta-love themes are inherently bad, but it is nice to see some real rational for the relationship's development this way.
Overall, this is a fascinating take on a lot of rom-com tropes that covers so much more than just a love story. And after a certain point, you'll have to just keep reading until the end, because this book refuses to be put down.

The Dead Romantics was a really satisfying read. It was romantic, emotional, funny, and heartfelt. Florence was a really fleshed out character, and you get a deep sense of her in the book. While it is a romance, it's way more than that too!

I have enjoyed Ashley Poston's young adult books and so was excited to see what she would do with her first adult outing. I was rather blown away by how much I did end up liking it. One of my only complaints about Poston's YA books has been that sometimes relationships seem to develop a bit too quickly and some of the potential depth is glossed over. That is not the case here. While this is billed as a romance (and does include a romance), it is almost more a story about grief and family and the endurance of love. If you're looking for an adult romance in the light and sexy sense you might be disappointed, but if you're interested in a book with more adult emotional themes, then this story might be for you.

Florence is a ghostwriter for a major romance author, with the slight issue that ever since a particularly horrible breakup, finds herself unable to write or believe in romance anymore. Of course, Florence also has the additional problem that ever since she was a little girl she has been able to see and converse with ghosts (an issue which eventually caused her to flee from her home town and the quirky funeral parlor where she grew up). The story really begins when Florence returns home to attend a family funeral, forcing her to confront her past, her relationships, and her feelings towards life and romance. She also has only a couple of days left to turn in her as yet unfinished manuscript, courtesy of her new editor (and love interest).

There is obviously a romance in this book, and it is lovely and satisfying. However, the almost larger theme of the book is how people deal with grief and relationships (those with family, friends, and enemies, as well as with lovers). There are a lot of lovely emotional moments in this book. I was incredibly impressed with this first adult outing from Ashley Poston and I hope that she continues to write the occasional adult novel in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions given are my own and have been given nothing for my review.

One of my most anticipated reads for 2022 did not disappoint at all! Poston transfuses her trademark whimsy and humor into her adult debut and makes a story about talking to ghosts and planning a funeral ridiculously romantic and fun. You'll definitely cry a few times but temper that with the breathless laughs and you have an incredible story in your hands.