This was such a fun book and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was very hesitant of the paranormal aspect but Ashley Poston nailed it. This book was funny, and sweet, and just so meaningful. While there is the obvious romance aspect there is also, grieving, healing, building relationships, and finding yourself. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend!

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the story of Florence, a ghostwriter who happens to be able to see actual ghosts, and her editor, the ghost who shows up at the funeral for Florence's father. Florence has recently gone through a really awful breakup, which is unfortunate since she write romance novels. When she meets with her new editor, she is unable to get an extension on the deadline and now has to finish an entire book in the shortest amount of time imaginable. When her father dies after that meeting, she's forced to abandon the attempt at writing the book and head home, somewhere she hasn't been in over 10 years.

I really enjoyed this story. It was light and fun, even though a majority of it was about death, funerals, and grief. I was able to quickly read it and even recommended it to a few friends while still reading it.

If anyone has seen Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, you'll enjoy this book.

Confesso que minha primeira experiência coma escrita da autora não foi das melhores, mas que bom que eu decidi dar uma segunda chance a Ashley Poston.



Florence Day é ghostwritter de uma das maiores romancistas contemporâneas: Ann Nichols, com livros dentre os bestsellers e elogiados por vários críticos. Acontece que Florence não acredita mais no amor. Depois de terminar um relacionamento ao seu ex roubar sua história e vender os direitos por milhões. Agora Florence está lidando com um novo editor, Benji, que não parece muito feliz ou inclinado a conceder um novo prazo para a entrega do romance. Até que o pai de Florence morre e ela tem que voltar para a cidade natal e encarar seu passado: o lugar onde todos sabem que ela vê fantasmas, o lugar onde sua família possui uma funerária. E é lá que ela encontra o fantasma de uma pessoa que ela não esperava.



Diferente do meu primeiro contato com a escrita da autora, The Dead Romantics me prendeu do início ao fim. Desde o começo eu fiquei vidrada para acompanhar a narrativa de Florence e seus traumas. Esse é um livro sobre luto e sobre o amor em geral.



Florence é uma personagem de fácil identificação, ela sobreu bullying e foi perseguida apenas por ser diferente e fugiu da cidade onde morava logo que pode. Depois de anos namorando um cara, ela finalmente se abre para ele e conta histórias sobre sua infância peculiar e logo se vê como a personagem amargurada e esquisita do romance dele. Depois disso, ela simplesmente desiste do amor e é assim que ela acaba no escritório de Ben. A evolução da personagem a partir daí fica evidente, ela vai refletindo sobre o que passou e vai se apaixonando pouco a pouco pelo fantasma.



Além do romance como plano de fundo, também vamos lidar com a culpa da protagonista por ter ido embora e nunca mais voltado para a cidade natal e simplesmente ter desistido de ter relações mais próximas com sua família.



Enfim, uma narrativa que vai te conquistar com certeza.

Tudo, absolutamente tudo que pode dar errado está dando na vida de Florence: ela teve um término de namoro que, apesar de ter passado um ano, ela não consegue superar – não pelo término em si, afinal, o homem era um imbecil, mas a forma como as coisas ficaram. Sua editora se aposentou e em seu lugar entrou um homem lindo, que não faz ideia de que ela é, na verdade, a escritora fantasma de uma autora muito famosa e renomada e ele se recusa a dar a ela mais uma extensão de tempo para terminar o livro, o que deve ser o último de sua carreira na pele da tal escritora.

Juntando isso ao fato de que, ela esbarra com o ex em um bar, beija seu novo chefe para tentar tirar isso da cabeça, ela recebe uma ligação informando que seu pai morreu e agora ela tem que voltar para a cidade que ela não visita faz mais de dez anos pelo simples fato de que eles a tratam como uma maluca desde que, aos 13 anos, ela ajudou a resolver um assassinato com a ajuda de um fantasma.

Então, ao estar em casa, a campainha toca e quem está lá? Seu novo editor, com quem ela trocou alguns beijos, porém ninguém mais pode ver ele além dela porque ele sofreu um acidente na mesma noite em que eles se beijaram. E, só para apimentar um pouco mais as coisas (como se precisasse!) seu pai deixou pedidos muito incomuns em seu testamento sobre como ele queria que o enterro fosse feito, afinal, trabalhando em uma casa funerária a vida inteira, o homem – que também via fantasmas como ela, já sabe que os mortos merecem todo o consolo que precisarem.

Eu enrolei tanto, mas tanto, para ler esse livro porque eu peguei quando estava passando por uma pequena febre de querer ler todos romcom’s possíveis (e porque é da Ashley Poston e o livro dela “Entre Feras e Flores” se tornou um dos meus favoritos do ano), porém depois de um tempo eu não aguentava mais ler romcom’s, o que foi um erro tremendo, devo dizer, porque era essa justamente a que eu devia ter lido.

Quando estamos passando por momentos ruins na vida, as vezes tudo que a gente precisa é de um livro que nos dê aquela fagulhazinha de esperança junto com o esquecimento que precisamos do mundo exterior e foi exatamente isso que esse livro me trouxe.

Ele é sim, um livro de comedia romântica, mas ele também trata de assuntos importantes, como o luto e como ao contrario do que nos deixamos acreditar, nós merecemos mais e não apenas pessoas que nos “aturem” e sim pessoas que nos amem como somos e que lutem pela gente e, acreditem, eu sei que não estou fazendo muito sentido aqui porque “poxa talvez você esteja aprofundando demais num livro que é só sobre um casal entre uma viva e um fantasma”, mas acreditem em mim quando digo que não é só isso.

Florence, como pontuam inúmeras vezes no livro, foge de conflitos. Ela não gosta quando as coisas ficam sérias e então ela foge de ter que se estressar e brigar e, depois do último término que ela sofre, ela passa a acreditar que o amor está realmente morto para ela e que ela nunca terá o que seus pais tinham e que absolutamente todas as escolhas que ela fez em sua vida até ali foram as erradas.

E é no meio desse furacão que ela está, enquanto se reconecta com a família e se aproxima mais de seu ex-editor morto, na tentativa de ajudar ele a seguir em frente depois de ter morrido, que ela começa a rever o valor que achava que tinha perdido, não só dela, mas das coisas que são realmente importantes para ela.

Esse livro realmente terminou me deixando querendo ainda mais: mais de Florence, mais de Ben, mais de toda a família excêntrica dela e do povo da cidade tão excêntrica quanto (o prefeito da cidade é um CACHORRO. Sim.) Tudo que eu conseguia fazer ao encerrar esse livro era sorrir e sentir meu coração cheio de um quentinho gostoso, daquele que só os melhores livros fazem com a gente.

Thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House International.

Thanks @prhinternational for this ARC!

Florence Day é a ghost-writer de uma famosa escritora, que está com um baita problema: ela precisa entregar o manuscrito do próximo lançamento o mais rápido possível. Seria simples se ela não tivesse que escrever um romance e a jovem não acredita mais no amor.

Como se não bastasse, a triste notícia da morte do seu pai vai fazer com ela retorne a sua cidade-natal. E adicionando a isso tudo, logo na sua volta ela dá de cara com o fantasma (literalmente) da última pessoa que gostaria de ver: o seu editor. Porque sim... Florence Day também vê fantasmas.

Florence é uma protagonista e narradora incrível. Ela é divertida, engraçada, alto astral, leal e (mesmo não acreditando mais) romântica. A relação com sua família é um pouco conturbada, mas a morte do seu pai vai fazer com que sentimentos sejam expostos e corações sejam abertos em meio à preparação do funeral.

Adorei sua química com Benji e é bem difícil não shippar os dois. O que também torna bastante sofrível, já que ele é um fantasma e Florence está vivinha da silva. Mas o editor vai ajudar a escritora muito além de finalizar um manuscrito. O fantasminha é um homem fofo, sincero e atencioso. Eu queria demais morar na relação deles.

A história é cheia de trocadilhos que envolvem escrita e leitura, além de várias referências de autories e livros. A escrita da Ashley é maravilhosa, muito gostosinha e com a narração da Florence, a leitura passa que você nem vê. Eu amei os secundários, principalmente a família da escritora. Eles são meio peculiares, cada um com sua personalidade singular, mas são uma família que se ama profundamente.

Mas aí você me pergunta.. e como fica Florence e Ben? Bom, só lendo pra saber, mas devo dizer que gostei muito de como a autora resolveu todo esse conflito. Não ficou algo muito fora da realidade ou bizarro demais.

The Dead Romantics é uma história que vai muito além da vibe de A Mediadora. É uma história sobre luto, morte, aceitação, família e amor.

I was a big fan of Ashley Poston's GEEKERELLA a few years back and I loved the way she melded fandom into her stories. This one, her first foray into adult contemporary, just didn't quite work for me. The dialogue felt a bit dated, like it was trying way too hard to be cutesy- internet-geeky and it all came off very 2015 to me. I just don't feel like people really talk like this often a computer screen and it made the characters seem younger than they are. The concept was cool, but not enough to hold my interest.

A really fun romance and more importantly a book of self-discovery for the main character. It was also filled with great humor and heart warming moments.

Ghost writer that can speak to ghosts? The love interest is an editor? Going back to the small hometown trope?
This hit all the boxes. Had a wonderful time, it's fun and cute and didn't need to be much more. A line here and there was eyerolling cute but sometimes you need that.

Florence Day is from an… interesting family. Her dad is a small town mortician. Yep, the family biz for decades has been a funeral home, and Florence had a hard time dealing with the quirky Day family reputation. Which is why she sought out a career in ghost writing in NYC and never looked back. That is one day she’s forced to return and face not only her town, but feelings for her unattainable editor who’s haunting her thoughts (and more).

Wow just the perfect romcom and I’m both mad i didn’t pick it up sooner and glad I saved it for my flight to Vegas — I absolutely devoured it and even made time between bottomless brunch and music festing to finish it!

READ IF… Emily Henry is your fave author and you love ghost stories.

Wonderful! All the things I wanted it to be. The setting in a funeral home wasn't the issue I thought it would be for me personally. I loved Dad and his answer with the wind. The characters were all relatable and I enjoyed watching the sisters fight and how everyone was ultimately so loving and accepting. It was the perfect weekend read.

This was one of my favorite books of 2022. The entire cast of characters from this book were a delight to read. Not to mention the really wonderful spiritual elements that felt written in such a thoughtful and authentic way. It has become one of my top recommendations in our store.

I adored this unique romance and was completely caught up in the story from he beginning. There are quite a few surprises and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The ending was perfectly done and the narrator did a fantastic job. I'm looking forward to reading this one again.

This book is about a ghostwriter who can see actual ghosts and is being haunted by her newly dead editor. It made me legitimately laugh out loud, and in the last couple of chapters I was definitely crying.

The Dead Romantics is beautiful and emotive paranormal contemporary that follows Florence Day, a ghostwriter for a bestselling romance author, who no longer believes in romance or happily ever after and was having very bad day – New editor, Ben, refused to give her extension of deadline for the last book she is ghostwriting for the author; Her ex’s new book is coming out that is actually her story he stole; and she receives news of her father’s death that makes her return to her hometown that chased her away a decade ago. To make it worse when she returns home she finds ghost of Ben at her family’s funeral parlor. It was interesting to see how she will deal with loss, ghost of new editor, family wounds, her past with the town, and the deadline of the book.

The story is about grief, loss, death, betrayal, unresolved past, self-belief, confidence, friendship, acceptance, and learning the meaning of love.

The best part is the setting of Days Gone Funeral Home and Mairmont, its community, characters and most of all how death, loss, and grief is dealt in the story. it was beautiful the way the author represented it, how every person deals with their loss, and I loved how Day family chose to deal with it. Even though the theme of the book is serious and emotive, it doesn’t feel too poignant. There is equal amount of love, happiness, and comfort.

Overall, this is poignant, touching, heartwarming, beautiful and ghostly paranormal contemporary with many layers and amazing quirky characters.

A very sweet romance with a tiny paranormal twist. This book was a breath of fresh air from everything else I was reading. The humour hit me in all the right places. I laughed, and I did actually cry a little, and I loved the ending so much! I liked that the book did not focus solely on the love story between the main characters, but also touched on themes of grief, love between family members, and rediscovering one self. All in all, this was a great, fun read!

I absolutely loved this book. I'm a fan of ghost romance, which I didn't expect this to be. But it wasn't only ghost romance. It was so much more.
There were a few things that didn't work for me...for example, when she runs into Ben outside of work, why in the world did they do what they did? It didn't make sense for me for that to happen at that point in the story, and was really never discussed or acknowledged by either of them ever again. But that didn't deter from the overall loveliness of the story.
The characters are unique and fun.
Death and grief are portrayed well. It especially resonated with me that Florence kept thinking, "Dad is dead." That's what it like when something as big as death hits someone you love. It's a constant process of remembering and forgetting that they're gone in order to get through your days. I also liked that Florence and her family still found humor in their grief.
There could have been a bit more to the romance to get it started, but it's still a five star read for me because it wrapped me up in Florence's world and I wanted to both hurry up to see how it all turned out, but also slow down and savor it because I enjoyed the book that much.

There are three things to know about Florence Day: She does not believe in love, she is a ghost writer, and she can see ghosts.

She can no longer avoid her hometown because she needs to attend a funeral of someone she cared very much about. She has to face the ghosts of her pasts, but also the ghost of her new handsome editor that she may have kissed right before he became a ghost.

This is a charming story about a a writer who learns to embrace her past and her present. Ashley Poston weaves together humor and wit, with grief and loss. There are many layers to Florence and readers will sure to find some way to relate to her.

One thing that I loved about this story is that even though Florence is processing grief, it is not a "sad" book. It was really a book about loving and celebrating life.

First off, HUGE thank you for the opportunity to read this book via an ARC through Net Galley!

I enjoyed this book so much, I believe I read it in 2 days; could have been faster, but life... ugh, it gets in the way of reading! :)

This was my first book of Polston's and I have recommended it to just about everyone I know that reads and number of books. This is one of few books I have read that I wish I could re-read for the first time, over and over again! I think that is why I share it with so many of my book friends- I am living vicariously through them and their first time reading this book! As you can tell, I loved this book!

The hero in this book is a ghost, a dreamy ghost! After an accident he takes on the task to help the female lead through a couple of hard times, a death and finishing a book as she was ghostwriter for a popular author.

There are plot twists all throughout this book, while some were expected, some were 1000% not, and I loved each and every one of them! At one point in the book, I was not so sure the book would end in a happy ending, which not every book has to, but I desperately wanted Polston to end this on a loving, happy note. Without giving any spoilers, I can tell you, she met my expectations!

Review: 5/5
TW/CW: Death of a parent, Death of a child (mentioned)

Florence Day is a romance writer currently ghostwriting for a well-known author. While on deadline, Florence has to fly back to her hometown after hearing that her father has passed away. Randomly, a ghost shows up at the doorsteps of her family's funeral parlor, confused as her. YES. This book has my heart now. The writing was beautiful. The characters were heartwarming. I loved this story so much. This is a paranormal romance but don't be fooled.. there is a happy ending! I loved this concept and where the author took this story. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. It was amazing. The book's voice was so poetic it almost felt nostalgic (and if you know me the more poetic it sounds the more I'll love it). I definitely recommend it if you also love those types of books. Not for everyone, but still lovely.

Thank you Berkley for the arc.

I was little hesitant to read this one, as I was not sure about the concept. But after seeing several friends rave about it, I decided to pick it up. And the Dead Romantics by Ashley Posten did not disappoint! I absolutely devoured this book. Read it in one sitting, which is hard for me to do these days! When I say this book had me in its grip, I could not stop reading wondering how Florence was going to get her HEA. This was a beautiful, moving, and delightful love story!! A must read!


Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won't give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she's run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.