This book was EVERYTHING. It is an absolute delight! A book lover's dream, The Dead Romantics is quirky, angsty, and full of heart. The small town setting combined with the funeral parlor mansion was simply kismet. I adored all the name drops of romance novels and authors as well. I loved this book so much!

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for an immensely popular romance author who has to deal with some ghosts of her own, both figurative and literal. After a betrayal by her lover, Florence no longer believes in romance and is having trouble finishing her current romance, the last in her contract, despite a number of contract extensions.

When she meets Benji Andor who is her new editor after the previous editor's retirement, she is told that there will be no more extensions and the book is due almost immediately. However, a phone call from her mother telling her that her beloved father has died from a sudden heart attack, sends her rushing back home to the town she fled right after high school graduation. She's stayed away for ten years.

Dealing with her own grief and that of her mother, brother and sister would be hard enough, but then the ghost of Benji Andor appears with issues of his own. Florence has seen ghosts since she was a child. In fact, seeing ghosts and helping one find his killer when she was thirteen and the harassment and bullying that followed, were the main reasons she left home never to return.

This was an engaging story about grief which was also a romance. The love between her parents and their love for their children infuse this book. I enjoyed watching Florence's attitude about love and romance evolve through the course of this story.

People looking for a unique sort of romance with wonderful, quirky characters will greatly enjoy this book.

Full review posted to links after embargo date.

There’s a lot of things going on here plot-wise that have the opportunity to turn the book into a real downer, but it’s honestly a delight - Florence’s family finds a real balance in enjoying the Addams Family-ness of it all and respecting the honor of being someone’s final caretaker, and the book achieves the same sort of levity. It all feels very… earnest, somehow, without being twee.

Because there’s a lot of elements to this, not everything feels entirely fulfilled. I think we could have excised some of the smaller pieces and have been left with a stronger book. But it’s such a lovely, thoughtful, funny read that it’s hard to complain. So fun and cozy, and just a great time.

Oh my heck.

This book.

I mean ... really ... this book.

From the very beginning I fell in love with poor disillusioned Florence and I felt her feelings from deep within my very soul. By the time I hit 19% I had already filled two pages of my reading journal with quotes and began to question if I would ever be able to come close to doing it justice with just the beginning and one other blurb. I started debating said blurbs as early as 6%.

*** It'd been a year since The Breakup -- everyone has at least one in their lives. You know the one, right? The kind of breakup from a love you thought would last your entire lifetime, only to find your heart ripped out with a spork by your former lover and placed on a silver platter with FUCK YOU written in ketchup. ***

I was so tempted to use that. But, really, I was only 6% in and there was still 94% of options left to go. So I kept going. And going. And almost didn't sleep. And definitely didn't eat. And even thought about calling in for a mental health night at work ... especially after the 12% option almost killed me.

*** Love was a high for a moment that left you hollow when it left, and you spent the rest of your life chasing that feeling. A false memory, too good to be true, and I'd been fooling myself for far too long, believing in Grand Romantic Gestures and Happily Ever Afters. ***

Still too early and probably too depressing and still 88% left. And, really, it isn't a depressing book at all. Well, not entirely. I could blurb some of the moments that made me snort my coffee. I could fill an entire collage box with puns or gallows humor or Elvis or the multi-term mayor, Fetch, who just happens to be a golden retriever. I could go on for days about the multitudes of moments that ended up feeling like a rib-cracking hug from her dad. Her entirely family, really. Or her ghost.

I'm opting for the ghost and one not-so-short blurb from 43%.

The rest you'll have to just read for yourself.

Full teaser post (with "winning blurb") at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-dead-romantics-by-ashley-poston.html

Thank you Penguin Random House for my e-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Florence is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry. But after a terrible breakup she no longer believes in love. She works in a publishing where every story has a happy ever after. And she was suggesting to have a different ending, like a book who doesn’t have a “happy ever after” but Ben says that their business had happy ever afters.

Lee was an asshole. See used Florence to make his own book. He make a story about Florence secret. And he’s going to say was “you can still write your romance” like what the f Lee.

The Dead Romantics--being a paranormal romance--was a bit outside my contemporary romance loving comfort zone, but after hearing the author talk about her story, I knew I had to give it a try. Ultimately, this ended up being story that tugged at my heartstrings (making my eyes a little teary while on the elliptical at the gym oops), and one I enjoyed immensely. Reminiscent of Emily Henry's works or The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, but with a ghostly twist, the story follows romance ghost writer Florence. Turns out in addition to be a ghost writer, Florence can also talk... to... ghosts. But when she returns home for her father's funeral the last ghost she expects to see is that of her hunky editor Ben.

This book addresses some deep topics (while avoiding others, when it comes to death, entirely) and manages to come full circle as a romance novel without being too tragic. I think this book leaned into the kind of "sweeping forbidden romance" theme, when it could have just as easily gone into a more humorous, secret-hiding Bewitched direction. Because ultimately, the book is deathly serious, aside from a few puns (see what I did there?), but somehow manages to conjure the HEA that seems impossible so much of the book.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

Short Review: Addams Family meets Ghost meets The Sixth Sense. A ghosty delight. This book will have you laughing and also reaching for the tissues.

"Love wasn't a whisper in the night. It was a yelp into the void, screaming that you were here."

Long Review: This has got to be one of the quirkiest books I've ever read. It's packaged as a rom com, but damn it packs a punch. Overcoming grief and loss of a loved one are huge themes and at times, they overshadow the romance. I teared up multiple times.

There are a lot of various tropes mixed together, like enemies to lovers, ex revenge, stuck together, and character miscommunication/misunderstanding. All of these are, for the most part, are wrapped up nicely in the end.

Read this one, if you are looking for some weird, quirky , fun!

Before starting with the review I want to thank PRH International for sending me an e-arc!
Okay, I loved this book, so please go read it! I liked the way the author has written it a lot, she has managed to capture the feelings of the characters in a way that I could also feel the same as them. I fell completely in love with everything, I loved Florence and her family, especially her dad, Ben, EVERYONE!
It's been a long time since a book made me feel so many emotions, I laughed a lot, it was a very entertaining read and very, very cute!
PS: Ben represents me, I LOVE romance novels too!!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Ashley Poston for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a cute book that focuses on Florence as she travels back to her hometown after her father dies. It talks about the town, which is super cute, and her life as a ghostwriter and how her family owns a funeral home. Speaking of, she can also see ghosts, and begins to see her former editor Benji.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel and certain parts. I loved the descriptions of her hometown and how she and her family began to bond. However, I thought that some parts of the story were a little too much. Some things fit together too well and I could predict the ending and twists easily. However, it is really cute, and I think people will enjoy it.

This reminds me of a version of The Haunting of Hill House that’s romantic and funny instead of scary. It has a cute romance, great family relationships, and a unique town. 3 stars!

This book has to be my favorite read of the year. I was so excited to read it because I knew the book would be at the store I work at and I wanted to have an opinion when it came out, and oh my god I cannot wait to passionately rant to customers about this. The story is about Florence, a ghostwriter who can see ghosts. While trying to recover after her father's death, she realizes the ghost of her previous editor, Ben, is attached to her. Florence attempts to finish her manuscript even though she believes love is dead. I have no complaints. I was blushing, giggling, and smiling this whole read. The plot is so unique and the main character is complex. Ben is adorable and an amazing character with so much depth. I think the grieving in this book was accurately portrayed and the way death (and moving on) was described is beautiful. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I'm such a fan of Poston's YA work, and it was a total joy to see how her voice translated to an adult story and readership. The Dead Romantics braids a heartfelt, emotional tale of grief with a sweet, budding romance and a conflicted personal artistic journey. As deftly woven in Poston's hands, we see how grief, love, and art intersect, all within a world that seems ready for a Wes Anderson film adaptation. Everyone's a little quirky, as is the setting, and although the opening chapters set us up for a trope-y rom-com, the central action revolves around fulfilling a list of unusual requests for a funeral (a singing Elvis, an unwieldy number of flowers to collect, a murder of crows in attendance, a secret letter to be read.) Meanwhile, there's a past-deadline novel to finish, a ghost to usher into a peaceful afterlife, family bonds to strengthen, and old wounds to tend to. I loved the humour and the fun Poston had with finding a comedic side to death, even while telling a tale of the tremendous, lasting impact a major loss can have on one's life. Perfect for readers looking for something unique in the romance space, those who enjoy a bit of black humour, and those on their own journeys to understand the inextricable links between love and death.

This is not an easy book to review, because there were some aspects of The Dead Romantics I truly enjoyed, and other aspects that really didn't work for me. The premise-- a ghostwriter who can actually see ghosts falls for her hot editor who actually is a ghost-- grabbed me immediately. I enjoyed the insider's view of the publishing industry, sympathized with Florence's dilemma of trying to write a romance novel after having her own heart broken. When her beloved father, owner of a funeral home in North Carolina, died suddenly, I was interested in the direction the story would take.
Unfortunately, when Florence arrived back home, the sweetness and heart of the story were overwhelmed by over the top quirkiness of her family, her madly-in-love-parents who met at a furry con, the small Southern town with a dog for a mayor, an Elvis impersonator performing at Dad's funeral, etc. A little of this would have been charming. Taken all together, it was like the cloying scent of a hundred funeral flowers. Just too much. Several times, I almost bailed on the book.
And then...there was the twist I never saw coming. One that (almost) redeemed the story and made me glad I continued reading. So while I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, and give the author credit for taking an intriguing romance idea and making it (mostly) work.

So I know early readers seem to be loooving this one, and I don’t hate it, but I’m also not dead
-over-heels for it (yes, pun intended). There seem to be three separate book/plot setups in the first 1/3 and not enough attention dedicated to any of them to indicate a main thread.

The secondary characters and locations felt like they had a checklist of a few characteristics, that are repeatedly mentioned, but there’s no depth to them. Okay, the locales do get some good descriptions here and there but it still felt, not cliché exactly, but not not cliché.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some fascinating setups but I wanted the author to lean more into them. Play up the ghosties! Play up the drama! Play up any kind of vengeance on the ex boyfriend! Instead I felt like I was just in a limbo of grief and familial emotions that didn’t really peak.

And that might even be fine except that I wasn’t sold on the lukewarm romance. We don’t get enough equality of development for Benji and then between Ben and Flo. It’s such a great idea too which is why I think I’m being so critical. I had higher hopes.

But again, other people have loved it way more so maybe it’s just me. Overall, I’m glad I read it but it wasn’t spectacular.

Florence Day is a romance ghostwriter that doesn’t believe in love. Well, she did but not anymore. It’s not like she doesn’t believe love is real, it’s just that it's probably not going to happen to her again. After a bad breakup she finds impossible to write more romance books. There is no way she can write a happy ending when her happy ending was a failure. But is that so?

Love can be unexpected. But what if you fell in love with your editor while… you know, he’s just dead? Funny, right?

This book explores so many important subjects about grief, hope and love. Saying goodbye to someone you love is hard. Knowing you’ll never see that person again is probably one of the worst feelings on earth.

But Florence can see dead people. It’s a gift she inherited from her dad. He’s not here anymore and she struggles to find stability between her emotional, familiar and working life. However, amidst the chaos, a familiar shadow appears at her house in Mairmont. Yes, her editor. As I said, he’s dead. Why is he there? Florence needed to finish the book and maybe that was it. But life is hard and writing is not a priority. Not even love. However, as the time goes by, conversations arise and suddenly there are so many things from the past that connects their souls.

As the story unravels, love finds its way in another type of reality. Between a dead and pretty much alive body. I was indeed surprised how warm and funny this love story was. An Addams Family moment with a lot of smiles and challenges. At the end, my heart was healed. It was the happy ending you needed after saying goodbye. I believe that romance readers (but not only) will find this book special and enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this eARC.

Read/Listen If You Like:
❤️ Ghosts/ Supernatural
❤️ Non-Traditional Romances
❤️ Author Female MC
❤️ Books set in small towns

Book Review:
When I finished this one I had a strong feeling that even though we are not yet halfway through the year, that this one will easily make my top 10 of the year. It was such a refreshing and smart take on a romance and the only way I can truly express how much I loved it is to say that I wish it was longer so I could have stayed in the story and with the beautifully written characters a bit longer.

I loved the use of publishing as the work setting for Florence and that she was working as a ghost writer for a popular romance novelist… and then to have the double ghost where she can see/speak to ghosts was such a wonderful way to form the plot and have a play on words… and that it was something her and her father had in common which was further interesting as her family ran the only funeral parlor in their small town. I just loved how the characters were quirky, but they weren’t weird or creepy, they were just real.

I really loved the character development of the main characters and the side characters as they all felt fully developed and gave me the feeling they were all well rounded and what I needed from the characters and the plot.

I don’t often re-read books, but this one is such a wonderful story on so many levels that I strongly believe I will circle back and re-read this one again to be able to experience the wonderful writing, development, and all the little things I can’t possibly pack into this review.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for the ARC of this book! I am so grateful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pub Date: June 28, 2022

First off, I am SO GLAD I accepted this book when Berkley Romance reached out. I was on the fence because I don't read a lot of paranormal romance books, but I took a leap of faith...and I loved it!

First off, this book is emotional. I would give this book a pretty high TW/CW for parental loss, emotional manipulation by a significant other (in the past), and emotional trauma. The female main character has been through a lot, including basically having her creative work stolen by her former boyfriend (and of course he turned it ugly). Then, her father dies...and all the emotions start coming into play. She heads home for the first time in a long time, and all the things she's run from start hitting her. Add in the ghost of her hot boss...and well, it's a lot. I would say the paranormal romance was a large part of the plot, but really, the emotional journey towards happiness was the bigger aspect. Florence needed back her own right path, and Ben helped her see that. I loved their chemistry! And, there were definitely a few spicy scenes thrown in that gave me Ghost (the movie) vibes. Yum!

Second, this book delivers on all levels of fulfillment. You get emotion, spice, family drama, friendships, the whole nine yards. And, what I like even more, is that this book gives adequate attention to each element. The balance is perfect, and I felt like each individual plot point was fully hashed out when I finished the book. There is no better feeling than that!

My only complaint was I got really frustrated with Florence running from Ben and her problems in town. She would sit down, something would go "wrong" in her mind, and she would jump up and run away from it. It got tedious.

Otherwise, I loved everything about this book. And that ending? Swoon!

This is the book that delivers the kind of story every Casper lover wanted. It’s more than just a romance, it’s an exploration of grief, death, and family relationships. It has dry, witty, dark humor that is just light enough to make you smile. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The heroine is a strong character that has an eclectic family. As the daughter of a mortician she had a colorful upbringing plus she also sees ghosts. It was more than what I bargained for. I was apprehensive thinking this was going to be dark but it was so much more than just about ghosts. I loved the family and I would read more about all of the characters

Loved this book. The characters were real and the dialogue humorous. The romance was off the charts. I will definitely recommend this one to library patrons. I read a lot of romance titles and this is among the best of the recently published.

This book pulled me out of reading slump so deep, I was damn near the pits of hell!

Pitched as Beach Read meets Ghost, I had high hopes for this book as well as a lot of fear. Afterall, those are huge comps and even bigger shoes fo fill. This author did not fail to deliver. Absolutely loved every second of this book, it sucked me in from page one and I couldn’t put it down. In fact,. I almost forgot I had kids for a minute. Plus kudos for all the puns, my inner dad loved them all.

Definitely recommend. Check triggers

Ashley Poston’s first Adult Fiction is charming. It sounds like it’s going to be a light and fluffy romantic comedy, and sure there are elements to that. But it also surprises the reader with depth and life questions that you don’t see coming.

Florence Day is back in her hometown and realizes that she can’t run from the person she is, or who she was. What doesn’t really help her is her incredibly handsome editor has followed her there, not by his own choice. He is a ghost, having been in a car accident the day before and now he’s obviously got some unfinished business with Florence. But what could it be???

I really enjoyed this book. There were some issues I’d rather not think of ever (parents dying for instance) that made me truly sad for Florence and her siblings. And there were some wonderful rom com moments that had me rooting for Florence and, dare I say, a ghost? I love that Ben is a ghost. It really allows Florence to open up to him and explore her feelings not only because he’s hovering around her a lot, but also because he is safe and this allows Florence to really get to know him on a personal level. A level I don’t think they would have gotten to know each other if they both had been alive. (Steamy make out session in a hallway anyone?) Not that good relationships don’t start there, but given Florence’s emotional hang ups, it seems safe to say that she allowed herself to open to Ben because she felt safe around him. I also really enjoy Florence’s family. Her strong mother and her friction with her sister and her delightful brother. All of the characters really brought color to the story and it filled out the world not just as a setting. It helped me SEE who Florence was, and who she had been.

It’s quirky and weird and Benji is giving off some serious Adam Driver vibes and I am totally here for it.

On a heavier note, it does touch upon grief and family and it has some really beautiful sentences that brought tears to my eyes. It’s not a book to pin into one genre and I like that about this. I can see some wonderful author references in this story, because Florence is a ghostwriter, that I really enjoyed. I mean, who doesn’t love reading about Christina Lauren, Nora Roberts or everyone in between in the romance section? I enjoyed watching for these fun romance author shout outs. Be still my heart.

That said, there was one part that did kinda bother me. It was the part where Ben accidentally appears in the bathroom and sees Florence naked. I think it’s a callback to older romantic comedies, but it just felt a little odd? And then he made a comment like “shortage of perfect breasts” or something like that. And we all know where that line comes from (The Princess Bride, people. Seriously? If you don’t know that, then you are dead to me.) But it kinda dragged me out of the moment and just made me think of The Princess Bride.
But that was honestly my only complaint about the book.

I loved it. I’m buying a physical copy when it comes out. I’m making all of my book club read it.
Now go get your own copy. Because you can’t have mine.