Ghosts is a wonderful novel all about the female experience in well being ghosted!
I love Dollys writing and this was no exception. The story did surprise me a bit as it didn’t go the way I was expecting but this was a good thing!

Dolly Alderton is becoming one of my auto buy authors

4*

Let me take you back to 2020 when Ghosts came out. I was very excited and even though I had an ARC I bought a physical copy immediately. As 2020 went as it did, I was mood reading like mad and it never felt like the right time to read Ghosts, so I saved it. I even took it away in 2021 and started it, but again I wasn’t in the mood. Sometimes I’ll just push through, but as I loved Alderton’s first book I wanted to give her first novel a fair crack. Fast forward to 2024 and I’ve read it and enjoyed it!

I really enjoy Alderton’s writing style and find her to be very readable. I’m not sure how much I liked Nina, but I think that was partly the point- she did have flaws and wasn’t perfect by any stretch. I liked how Nina’s loneliness and isolation was conveyed, especially in comparison to her married friends and I felt like it was often done with humour. The ghosting itself was also dealt with well.

The book also covers difficult topics, such as her father’s ongoing battle with dementia- I found this to be quite sad to read, so be mindful of this if it could be triggering to you.

While the book captures the essence of navigating adulthood with humor and poignancy, it doesn’t fully deliver on the promise of a liberating thirties experience. Nina's journey is engaging, but at times, the plot feels uneven and some character developments are underwhelming. The novel shines in moments of emotional depth, particularly with Nina's family dynamics, but can sometimes fall into predictable patterns.Overall, this book is a decent read, offering a mix of humor and heartfelt moments, but it doesn’t quite stand out in the crowded genre of contemporary women's fiction. A solid 3 out of 5.

The prologue did not endear me to this judgy main character, Nina. She's not very relatable. Judging people from Yorkshire as we open chapter 1 really made me hate her. She describes her own mother in a judgemental way. I spent most of the first half of the book wishing I could slap her - she's so stuffy and stuck up. Judging girly girls who like make up. Judging men with long hair. Judging women who become mums and talk about their kid/how much their life has changed - no longer wanting to be friends with women like this because our main character is insufferable. I really did not enjoy being in her head.

As a result of hating the person through whom the story was told, I found it difficult to motivate myself to pick the book up. The pacing of the plot - or lack thereof plot - was also demotivating.

It felt like every realisation she has regarding being an adult or dating in your 30s is some big epiphany to her but it's just pure pretentiousness, not applicable to anyone else's lives unless they're also a upper middle class home-owning single woman living in London. Completely unrelatable.

We hit our stride a little bit better, narratively, when she got ghosted. Don't get me wrong, it was still incredibly navel gazey and disgustingly self involved but at least she wasn't constantly berating other people mentally because she was too busy feeling sorry for herself.

The stuff with her dad and how utterly useless her mum was regarding his dementia was infuriating, and it was shocking that Nina was happy to go back to her own place after incidents happened and leave them to it when her mum is so clearly in denial and willing to attribute his dementia-influenced actions as him just being difficult. It was so clearly going to come to a head with a really bad incident that I could not fathom how she slept at night without doing something, anything more. Weird.

Nina's best friend Katherine was completely right when she said that Nina is a magnet for drama, that woman couldn't go a week without an EastEnders plotline happening to her.

Dolly Alderton never misses, her contemporary fictions a breath of fresh air. Her writing in this is particularly poignant and relatable. I love reading her descriptions and tales of self discovery and all the struggles those sorts of journeys can bring. Nina Dean's quest for love is a heartwarming story to follow.

Ghosts is very different to my usual choices but I had heard a lot of great reviews for this book and wanted to branch out a little. If I'm completely honest, at the start of the book I wasn't particularly interested in the characters or storyline. Then suddenly at around the halfway point, when the actual 'ghosting' began, I realised that I was invested. I just thought that the whole situation Nina found herself in was infuriating, and even though I didn't find many of the characters likeable, I still wanted things to work out for them. I did enjoy the way that the story felt really authentic and didn't just end up with everyone completely happy, there were a lot of real situations and real feelings explored, but this was mixed in with a lot of funny moments too.

The book follows single women in their 30s who join a dating app and navigate through life with married friends and friends with children. The main storyline or title features the “ghosting” concept. The book was a little bit predictable in the situations. Also there’s some trigger topics such as dementia.

I love Dolly Alderton, she’s the voice of a generation and her first novel is full of exactly what I’ve come to expect from her- witty observations, warmth, and unwavering honesty about the reality of being a 30-something millennial woman.

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #ghosts #netgalley

Nina is a 30 something who is still single seeing all of her friends marrying and having children while she is still scrolling on a dating app. In the tricky years where parents age and the dynamic changes will she ever find love?

The description drew me to this book although I don't think the cover does the book justice.

Their are some emotional subjects included in this book such as death, stroke, admiral nurses, affairs and dementia amongst other things. The author has written this with such empathy, warmth and understanding. It makes you feel like your speaking to a friend. Very sensitive topics dealt with so well and very important to be brought up in a realistic way.

This book is a page turner I found myself waking in the night to read it and at my every opportunity.

I had high hopes after loving Dolly’s first book and whilst very different, this one did not disappoint.

Such a stunning book! Dolly Alderton is a favourite journalist/speaker of mine. I loved her podcast and her column in the Sunday time, and her first novel about 32-year old Nina dealing with online dating, her friends all slowly becoming busy with their own marriages and families, and the dementia of her father is simply a heartbreaking and bittersweet story. I love the London setting, Nina’s feelings of loneliness and isolation at being single, and the unfair, misogynistic attitude of dating that men have. I found her irritating neighbour, Angelo, a relatable experience and their dynamic at times scary was also comedic. I think that’s the genius of Alderon is the way she blends insightful observation with humour. I know some reviewers found the book too bitter and too real preferring to read for escapism but I like books where characters are similar to me and going through similar things. I find them reassuring and they feel like meeting an old friend.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Nina is 32 years old and after focusing on her career as a food writer/author for the last couple of years, she's finally ready to get back out there and meet someone. With encouragement of her friends, she downloads dating app Linx and meets Max who appears to be the person she is looking for. As they fall into a whirlwind romance, Nina is also struggling with keeping up with her friends who are all getting married or starting families, as well as dealing with the declining health of her dad. And then Max disappears, ghosting Nina and leaving her heartbroken.

I listened to this on audiobook narrated by Holiday Grainger and I absolutely loved it - I was totally hooked on this story and I think part of it is being the exact age of the character and experiencing so many of the same things from friends getting married, starting families and this changing friendships in so many different ways as well as memories of dealing with the torture that is online dating. Dolly Alderton was able to expertly write what it feels like to be a woman in your thirties, someone who is so successful in so many ways yet somehow inexplicably 'failing' in society's eyes because of her relationship status.

I also really appreciated the storyline about Nina's father and his progression into the horrible disease that is Alzheimer's and we see both Nina's heartbreak over slowly losing her father bit by bit with every visit. There were definitely times I felt very frustrated with Nina and her mother over what felt like their impatience with her father when he was clearly confused and not doing so well but it was also a good example of how people experience and deal with a loved one's illness in many different ways.

One of my only gripes in this book is I do find it very weird still being so close to your ex-boyfriend (and introducing your new boyfriend to him first before other friends??), and being his usher/groomslady AND going to your ex's future wife's hen do. Weird weird weird.

I just really enjoyed this and I had a lot of fun listening to it, and really rooted for Nina to find everything she wanted

I read this a few months ago but had forgotten to post my view (apologies!).

This was an enjoyable read on the whole, dealing with the highs and lows of "the dating scene" endured by people who've reached the other side of 30. I say "endured" because frankly most of it sounds absolutely horrendous - the idea of dating for the sake of it is beyond my understanding.

The writing and characters feels very authentic, and most of the plot made sense. I was rather baffled by the sudden "brief encounter" between Nina and another character, but I guess the author felt it was essential to the plot. The emotional fallout from being "ghosted" is well described, likewise the pressure exerted on women (often by other people) when their biological clock starts to tick loudly.

Some really nice writing about friendships, and the sadness that creeps in when people start to grow apart. The changing relationships between family members due to things like Alzheimer's is also described sensitively and accurately.

I enjoyed Dolly's previous book (I actually thought it was a novel - but it wasn't!) too, and look forward to reading future works.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Oh wow.

I went into this one a little sceptical. Having loved Dolly Aldertons non fiction, I wasn't sure fro other reviews if this would be for me but honestly blew me away. the relationships between our main character and her friends and family were explored so deeply that even though I wasn't totally invested in the romantic plot I couldn't put this book down!

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

The story follows a 30 something food writer Nina who is newly single and is having trouble getting to grips with online dating features the trials and tribulations of ‘ghosting’ and the upset this can cause and how it can be bliss we go one’s self esteem .

On the whole a well written though some parts were unnecessary.

A book of the current life of a 30 something singles life from dating to every day life with some sensitive issues dealt with really. Reasonable read geared mainly for 20/30 audience. 3.5/5

Another great piece of writing from Dolly Alderton,
I did enjoy reading this book, written in such a way that the words just flew off the page

Ghosts is a witty and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of modern relationships with humour and heart. Alderton, known for her successful podcast and memoir, has transitioned seamlessly into fiction with this charming and relatable story.

The novel follows 32-year-old food writer Nina, who finds herself newly single and struggling to navigate the world of online dating. As she tries to move on from her past relationships, she grapples with issues of self-worth, family dynamics, and the changing nature of friendships.

One of the strengths of the novel is Alderton's writing, which is sharp and funny without sacrificing depth and emotional resonance. She has a keen eye for detail and an ear for dialogue that makes her characters feel like real people with real problems. Nina, in particular, is a well-drawn and sympathetic protagonist who is easy to root for.

Another strength of the novel is its exploration of the ways in which social media and technology have changed the nature of relationships. Alderton deftly tackles these issues without resorting to clichés or moralizing, making for a nuanced and thought-provoking read.

Some readers may find the pacing to be slow at times, particularly during the middle section of the novel. Additionally, the novel's focus on the dating lives of privileged, middle-class millennials may not resonate with all readers.

Overall, Ghosts is a well-written and engaging novel that offers a witty and insightful exploration of modern relationships. While it may not be for everyone, fans of romantic comedies and contemporary fiction are sure to enjoy this debut from a talented author.

This was such a topical read on the ghosting. I am lucky to have not experienced this but have heard many stories of this from friends. I love Dolly Alderton's writing style and can't wait to read more fiction from her.

Less a romantic comedy and more of a snapshot into the trials and tribulations of a 30-something year old trying to navigate adulthood. Funny, engaging, heart-warming and compelling, Ghosts was an incredibly enjoyable read.