This was such an unexpected surprise. Florence is a ghost writer for a famous romance author when she finds herself in a writing slump after a terrible break up. If that isn’t bad enough her new editor, a tall drink of water named Benjii wont give her an extension on her deadline and even hints at legal action! Florence receives some devastating news and must return to her home town after several years away. The unwritten book remains in the back of her mind as she deals with a death in the family, feelings of resentment within said family and the fact that Florence must come to terms with her ability to see and communicate with ghosts. The most recent ghost she encounters becomes a confident and friend to Florence and she begins to develop feelings for him.

I loved the chemistry, the romance and the puns! There is a lot to this story. The family is great as are all of the side characters. I appreciated the families outlook on death but at times it was hard for me to relate to it. This uniques story is definitely worth a read and worth the hype. We selected it as our stores book club pick this month for a reason!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest reveiw.
#NetGalley #TheDeadRomantics #AshleyPosten

Liked? No...
Loved? No...
Completely and totally adored every single page and wanted to read it again the moment I finished?
Abso-freaking-lutely.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston was perfection. I wasn't even halfway through my digital copy when I hopped online and ordered a physical copy for my shelf. This book was such a treat to read. Even with the heartbreaking moments, it was still quirky, fun and lovely. This is definitely in my top 5 reads of 2022. RUN, don't walk to grab a copy today!

At this time I am not reviewing this book. I’m simply not in the right mood for it, and I feel like I won’t be able to give an honest opinion if I’m not in the mood for a specific trope. I will try again at a later time.

Part ghost story, part family drama, part romance, all enjoyable!!!
When he showed up on the doorstep, I was hooked!!!

more of a 3.5 but rounding up bc normally i love an Ashley Poston book. a ghost boyfriend should have been a slam dunk for me. but honestly it was cheesy and fun in ways i wasn't in the mood for, and a little too tongue in cheek at times

It's hard to review this one without giving too much away! Florence Day secretly works as a ghostwriter for a famous romance author. She grew up in a small-town funeral home where her father was a funeral director. Florence and her father both have the ability to talk to ghosts. When she goes home for her father's funeral, she finds love where she least expects it. It's a quirky story that tackles grief, love, and complicated family dynamics.
It had plenty of fun twists and turns but was, overall, a bit over the top for me.

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for a popular romance author. She is stuck on her last book in the contract and unable to write romance novels after a nasty breakup. Her new super hot editor Ben won't give her an extension either! Life takes an unexpected turn when Florence gets a call to come back home due to an unfortunate event. Florence hasn't been home in over a decade, but this trip takes Florence through a path of self discovery and resolving issues from the past. Ben plays a crucial role in helping her in this journey, psst..psst... not as an editor though!

The premise of the book is super unique for a romance novel even though there have been movies along similar lines. Ben and Florence were such amazing protagonists. I loved the evolution of their relationship and especially Florence's self discovery. Her family was super amazing loved them all despite the Addams Family vibe! There were several cute emotional scenes that were so beautifully written. I did have some logical issues that could have easily been fixed. Overall a good read if you like some paranormal romance!

The Dead Romantics was the #winingdownbookclub pick for July and we had an amazing discussion around the book!

Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me an eARC of the book.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

My rating for this book is 4/5. The story and plot of this book was unlike anything I have read before which I enjoyed. I didn’t not devour or love this book as I have with some of my favorite romances, but this book had many aspects I liked. I loved all the characters, well expect Lee he was very much the worse. I loved the interactions between Florence and Benji and Florence with her family and citizens of her hometown. This book deals with both grief and love, and I had moments of joy and moments of tears. My favorite quote from this book was “We’re not a gothic horror novel. We’re a love story.” I did guess one of the “twists”, but I still enjoyed reading the lead up events. I would have loved to learn more about the case Florence solved when she was a kid, a good mystery/thriller prequel👀 I would definitely read more books from this author!

I read this book on vacation and it was a perfect vacation read! I enjoyed the magical realism element, the likable characters, and the setting! I was worried the content may be triggering for me but it was a lighter read that was actually comforting and made me feel good.

Umm this was fine? I guess I heard a lot of people giving it 5 stars so I thought it would be extra special, but I am still not a fan of the overly dorky/ridiculously portrayed hot mess millennial female lead. To not visit your family/hometown for TEN YEARS because of silly gossip, seems mighty immature to me??

IDK, there were a few things in this one that rubbed me the wrong way, but I did LOVE the little plot twist at the end. I did not see that coming. I do think this would have been a lot more fun to read during spooky season/around Halloween.

This is the first book I read by Ashley Poston and I'll be sure to read more! The Dead Romantics is such a unique love story and while I knew it was going to have an HEA, I was still on pins and needles getting to the end. Highly recommend this read!

I listened to The Dead Romantics on audio (it was so cute and great audio narration btw!!) and loved it🖤

𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: rom com
𝕿𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊: ghost writer who sees ghosts
𝕻𝖚𝖇. 𝕯𝖆𝖙𝖊: June 28, 2022
𝕸𝖞 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗 𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝕲𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖘 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗 𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌: 4.19

I loved the premise of this book. The book follows a ghost writer who is the author of many FAMOUS romance novels (Nora Roberts level) and who grew up in a funeral home (it’s the family business). Oh, and she can also see ghosts. It was a CUTE, easy, hysterical listen/read and I absolutely recommend it for anyone wanting a lighter romcom with a totally new trope!!

This was a lot of fun! It read like a contemporary romance despite the paranormal elements. There were lots of mentions of other romance authors, including some cool more obscure ones like Courtney Milan, as well as some meta-commentary on the genre. I could have been sold a little more on the romance but it still worked for me. The family stuff was really good and I found myself getting defensive of the main character which I suppose means I cared about her.

I really enjoyed Ashley Poston's YA novels, so when I heard she was writing a contemporary romance, I was so excited! I'm happy to admit that it didn't disappoint at all. The book was a perfect mixture of grief and humor and romance, I truly was along for the ride the whole time. The chapters immediately after the funeral made my heart ache in my chest. There are certain times when a quirky protagonist just doesn't sit well with me, but I loved Florence's point of view! And of course, our leading man was perfectly swoon-worthy. I think the only reason it wasn't a true 5 stars for me was the very ending. I felt all that angst, I just wanted a little more emotional pay-out. Still, I was sad when it was over. I would greedily read anything else Ashley Poston decides to write featuring this cast of characters.

THIS BOOK.
This is my first Ashley Poston novel and right away I know I need to read more of her.
When I read the premise of this story, I thought, hey, it's a romance, I'll try it! But the ghost thing sounded a little strange so I wasn't quite sure. But then I really needed to get my % up on NetGalley so I listened to the audio and wow.
I never knew I wanted ghosts to come play in romance stories but here I am.
Florence can see ghosts and that very fact + the whole backstory + trauma it entailed added such a beautiful dimension to the story. I love romance novels, but they always, alwayyyys need something more. Family drama, friend drama, something! This was a great something! Definitely unexpected, definitely different.
This book is beautiful. It has sad themes, but also happy ones. It makes your heart feel warm. I teared up once, but I was really happy. This is the kind of book you want to reread.

OH MY GOOOOOOOOOD WOWOOWOWOW A NEW FAVE OF MINE!!! this one started off slow and it was hard to get into because it dealt with the death of a parent but once the romance kicked off???? It was brilliant. I loved Ben. I loved his stupid no nonsense personality but him freaking out when he realized he could not control every aspect. I loved our heroine who was stupidly stubborn but realizing she needs her family. She needs them and cannot run away from them. I loved the family. I loved how everything just fell into place. I loved it so so so much.

This was such a refreshing romance even though it heavily deals with death and grief. And honestly, I think that because this book specifically deals with the death of a parent, I could 100% relate.

I immediately gravitated towards Florence. She’s a ghostwriter who writes romance except now she’s hit a bad spell of writer’s block especially with her giving up on the notion of romance. Oh, Florence can also see ghosts and her life is a mess.

I really enjoyed watching Florence navigate the outrageous list of things left from her father as his last wishes. All of these things really force Florence to get out of her way and finally thrive in her life.

Lastly, I really enjoyed everything surrounding Ben; the ghost that she falls for. He’s the perfect cinnamon roll for Florence!

Cute, funny, romantic, sarcastic, and yet it missed the mark.

Florence Day is a ghostwriter who sees the dead. When her father passes, she returns home for the first time in years. It is there, that she sees yet another ghost, her editor, Benji, to who she can't help but be attracted. Too bad she can't actually be with him!

This could have been SO good! If only it wasn't centered around a family who was grieving. Why? Because the Day family didn't shed any tears while grieving the loss of the man they loved more than life itself. Instead, they traded sarcastic barbs back and forth throughout the course of the book, which felt entirely false. Had the book been about anything else, other than preparing for the funeral of a man they all loved, I think this book would have been successful.

A buddy read with Ms. Kaceey!

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group for the arc via NetGalley

👻👻👻.5
Lots of mixed feelings here!🤷🏻‍♀️

Introducing Florence, a ghostwriter for a highly popular, successful author. But of late, she and her new editor are butting heads. He’s refused the extension she so desperately needs to meet her deadline.

But before she can deal with that she’s summoned back home for a death in her family - her father. And of course, it’s up to his family to assist in his burial. When I say assist, I mean… literally assist! You see, they own a funeral home, so all arrangement will remain within the family.🙈

Okay, so I loved Florence. She was sweet and quirky. She possess the unique ability to see and interact with ghosts. Which happens to be why she left her home town in the first place. No one could handle her special talent. (I can appreciate that! Yikes!)

While home for the funeral a new ghost appears to her. One she finds herself drawn to. Is this ghost love? I did enjoy the scenes with her and her new special friend. Though strange, it was also heartwarming in a very odd way.

But the part I had issue with was this family on one side appeared warm, close and loving. Yet they lacked any show of emotion whatsoever regarding the death of the patriarch of the family. Just another day folks. It just didn’t feel genuine. Now I know everyone grieves differently. I get that! I’m a nurse and witness it everyday. But this was just stone-cold. (view spoiler)

So here I sit on the fence majorly conflicted. I’m hoping it will mesh better for other readers. (which I think it has, given all the five star reviews I've seen).😜

I had the opportunity to listen to the audio in addition to my digital copy and recommend the 🎧 version if you decide to give this one a go!

A buddy read with Susanne!🎧📚

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

Five swoony, weeping, laughing, hopeful, and big sigh of romance joy stars!

⭐️Lots of references to romance books and authors
⭐️So many death puns and unexpected humor!
⭐️A hero who LOVES ROMANCE BOOKS!
⭐️The anticipation and the pining 😭🥵
⭐️Perfectly sweet and charming and fall in love feeling!

This book is Meg Cabot’s Mediator series all grown up, which isn’t surprising because it’s Ashley Poston, YA author’s adult debut. But somehow I didn’t immediately recognize the name when I received the ARC of this book. I honestly read the blurb of this book and looked the other way for a few months. Ghosts? Death? Grieving?!😏 But when I put Geekerella and The Dead Romantics together and realized HOLY CRAP *THAT* ASHLEY POSTON?! Author of one of my favorite YA books of all time wrote an ADULT ROMANCE?! I had to devour this book immediately!!

Ashley Poston’s writing is just lyrical enough to make me love the eeriness of the funeral home and feel Florence’s grief without being completely buckled under the weight of it. This book still managed to be everything cheerful and hopeful that I love with romance books while still dealing with tough issues. Florence is back home dealing with ghosts from her past (literally) and planning her father’s funeral.

This is where Benji’s blushing mortified red ears, muscular forearms, and sweet tender (ghostly and unbeating) heart comes in.

I LOVED Benji and Florence’s dynamic. This is my favorite Writer/Editor book of all time! (Have I only ever read one other? 🤔 Sorry Book Lovers, Charlie has nothing on my ghost, Benji.) Who doesn’t love a hero that loves romance books?! Who blushes and gets mortified easily and wants to so desperately hold and console the heroine BUT JUST CANT DO IT?! Who says the right things and dances and laughs and omg I love this man 😭💕

This is so much of a slow burn but Ashley Poston’s writing didn’t have my minding the least.

I loved this book. So much so that I went out and bought the book before I finished it because I needed Berkley and Ashley Poston to take my money so they’ll publish 100 more adult romances from her. So much so that I was shedding tears at the end and I somehow didn’t mind or care or even bat an eye at the fade to black scenes!

Get this book. Read this book. As someone who doesn’t even *like* contemporary that much and really only reads it when coerced, I can attest that THIS is one of the great ones that is absolutely worth reading!

I received an advance copy for an honest review, and it’s absolutely my own.