I really enjoyed this book, and will be recommending it to many others. The title, 'Ghosts', refers to the many different strands running throughout the book. Firstly, yes, the idea of being ghosted by a romantic partner. Secondly, and more broadly and meaningfully, the idea of the ghosts of our past - our friendships, and how much we rely on shared experiences in our past to bring meaning to our present. This idea is also present in the moving storyline concerning the protagonist, Nina's, father and his dementia.

There are many things in this book that fans of 'Everything I Know About Love' will enjoy. Dolly Alderton does sitcom-style pieces so well: there is a brilliant scene at a hen party, and a wickedly accurate meditation on the different types of and messages from men on dating apps. Expect to laugh out loud. It is also very moving in parts, and, again, strikingly accurate in its portrayal of friendship and the experience of being a woman in London. I also particularly enjoyed the way Alderton explored the theme of nostalgia, and how our childhood shapes who we are. I was really excited about reading this book, and raced through it. Thank you!

I will post my review on Amazon around publication date, and link to that here.

An enjoyable easy read. Ghosts was not as deep and meaningful as I expected but was instead very much a chick flick. It was however a good chick flick and made for perfect summer reading. The plot centres around the protagonists love life with a backdrop of friendship dramas and a fathers declining help. Whilst enjoyable it was really nothing new or special, and I expected slightly more from dolly's debut fiction.

Nina, in her thirties and facing a life crisis. Her Dad is unwell and just getting old, her Mum is trying to remain youthful, her uni friends are all smug marrieds and moving out of London.
I really enjoyed this book and it resonates with ladies right now. Nina is successful and smart however she has doubts as to where her future lies. Great characters, a really good amusing read.

I have been a long-term reader of Alderton’s columns in the Sunday Times and her memoir, “Everything I Know About Love,” so I was really looking forward to reading this, her first novel- and I was not disappointed. Sharply humorous, incisively contemporary yet deeply touching, it focuses on Nina, who at the start of her thirties has been successful in important ways- in her career as an increasingly popular food writer, in owning her own London flat- but whose personal life is becoming increasingly challenging. As one of a decreasing number of singles in her friendship circle, she feels detached from her married friends and those with children, but the perils of the modern dating scene make finding lasting love seem a hopeless dream, while the biological ticking clock puts constant pressure on women. To add to her worries, Nina’s beloved father is showing increasing signs of dementia. Despite being an older “smug married” myself ( and never more relieved to be so than when reading this!) I really enjoyed the book, especially Alderton’s satirical portrayal of Nina’s contemporaries and the shocking insight into some current relationship behaviours, especially arising from dating app culture. She is brutal at times but also compassionate, revealing how women in every generation make choices and compromises to find happiness in individual ways, that marriage and motherhood isn’t always “a happy ending,” and that things are often not as they seem. Nina moves forward bruised but hopeful, and readers will have their fingers crossed for her.

A very observational writer. Reflects life as it is today. Witty, sad and make you think about different relationship scenarios. Friends who stick by on another. Fractures within family relationships. Ultimately betrayal within romantic relationships. Enjoyable and a heartwarming outcome.

Dolly Alderton has a huge following and this debut novel is written in her usual confessional, chatty, wise style. Very engaging.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50042494-ghosts

A solid debut novel, enjoyed it more than her previous biography. It’s an easy read, addresses current issues surrounding dating in a touching and human way.

A good beach read.

As a huge fan of Dolly Alderton's 'Everything I Know About Love', I was really interested to see how I would find her first foray into fiction. I absolutely loved the book, so I hope she writes many more!

In the same way that Alderton's non-fiction managed to be both witty and heartbreaking when it comes to tales of love and loss, this novel hits many of the same nerves, but deftly weaves together the losses we experience from childhood to adulthood with those of lost romantic loves. Nina has forged a successful career as a food writer, but the rest of her life is not running quite so smoothly. Although the split was amicable and they still have a warm friendship, her long term relationship has broken down, her father is in the early stages of dementia and her friends all seem to be moving to the countryside and having babies.

Following Nina as she cautiously enters the dating world, tries to manage the grief of losing her father to a mental abyss and maintain friendships with cracks appearing at the seams, this is a brilliant, painful and touching book. I found it landed somewhere between what might be called "chick lit" (although I hate that term) and more literary fiction, with the added meat of the storyline of Nina's father. Really enjoyable read, can't wait to read what she writes next!

After reading Alderton’s non fiction I couldn’t wait to dive into her first fiction and it didn’t disappoint. A compelling and well written read that I would recommend to anyone who has read her other works

I absolutely tore through this book about Nina, a single writer who decides to start looking for love again. As someone who has been coupled up for the last twenty years, this book was a learning for me on how different perception and reality is for women in their 30s if they're single or coupled up.

A bit like Bridget Jones, Nina and her terminally-single, hot friend Lola spend time on dating apps trying to meet men but also navigating the complexities of trying to socialise with people whose lives are dictated by childcare and location. Nina strikes lucky on her very first date and meets rugged accountant Max and they fall in love. It seems meant to be.

However warning signs appear even early on and things aren't right when she introduces him to her long-term ex who is getting married and she'll be an usher. After an intense day, with her father who has dementia, Max tells her he loves her and then ghosts her completely for 3 months.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read another by Dolly Alderton

This was a relatable read full of realistic details. The main character was engaging and compelling. Overall I enjoyed reading this.

This is a voluntary and honest review for an advanced copy from NetGalley.

I have to admit when i started to read this book i wondered if perhaps, being in my late fifties, i was in the wrong age bracket.......not at all. Having a daughter almost thirty i could relate to so much of this book. Not only that, i could relate to so many other situations and emotions told in this story.

This book plays on every emotion. I found it funny, sad and in some places i was so outraged it made me want to shake some of the characters.

I loved the characters in this story, even the ones you are made to dislike. Family, friendships and the life struggles felt real and so did the interaction between them. I could see some of them in my own life.

This story is about life, growing up, growing older and all of life's wonderful but also sometimes messy situations. It is about dreams, aspirations, It is also about life-long friendships that last, through thick and thin.

This book is not a sit on the edge of your seat story but it keeps you interested from start to finish. It is a well written easy read and once started i found it hard to put down. I would absolutely recommend this book.

I first discovered Dolly Alderton through her wonderful non-fiction book 'Everything I Know About Love'. Her candid and witty writing is always engaging and this style translates beautifully to her debut fiction novel 'Ghosts'. Being a similar age to Alderton, I find that the themes she grapples with are perceptive and relatable, skilfully balancing weighty topics with heartwarming moments and biting humour.

In 'Ghosts', we follow Nina George Dean in her 32nd year who is terminally single amongst a group of married friends (with babies galore), experimenting with online dating and all whilst struggling with her father's dementia. The concept of losing a connection with a parent as they age is the most heartbreaking aspect to this book, the story line woven sensitively into Nina's experiences. This is one type of 'ghost' as her father fades away. Alongside this, we have other types of ghosts which come with putting yourself out there and online dating, losing your own identity as you age and growing apart from once close friends. Nina, and her lovely friend Lola, deserve so much more than the awful time they have in this novel, many events being painfully realistic - men do not come out of this book looking great at all (which seems like an unfair generalisation at times).

Overall, I was completely hooked by Nina's story. Alderton's humour hits the mark and is balanced with poignant messages about changing as you grow older and watching loved ones suffer. This is certainly a triumphant fiction debut which I predict is going to be as popular as her prior work. Get your hands on a copy of this as soon as you can!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I often wonder what the landscape of writing might be like had Nora Ephron never existed. 'Ghosts' is a decent enough read (I am not its target market, I suspect) but it is yet another novel that borrows strongly from the Ephron style and subject matter. In this respect, it felt overly familiar which can be good or bad depending on what you are looking for in a novel.

I thought this book was excellent.

Dolly captures the modern 30-something experience perfectly, from horrendous hen-dos to incessant questions about marriage and babies.

She is a really shrewd observer of relationships and the book is filled with realistic portraits of familial bonds, romantic travails and friendships. The scenes between Nina and her dad were particularly tender.

Ghosts is full of humour, heart and hope. It's wonderful.

Nina George Dean is in her early thirties and is a food writer who lives in London.. all her friends seem to be married off apart from her one last single datathon friend Lola.
After pressure she joins Linx a dating app and when she meets Max, who ticks all the boxes and tells her he’s going to marry her after date no 1 she thinks she’s cracked it. Finally.
This is a clever, witty, and sad at times look at life.
The ghosts in Ninas life are not what you’d think.. there are no floaty white sheets here with eyes cut out. No we are talking about the ghost of her father who newly diagnosed with dementia, being ghosted by men in the dating sense, and slowly vanishing friendships that once were the epicenter of your life..
These ghosts follow her over the course of a year and we see her looking deeply at what’s important and how she’s ever going to move forward and find happiness again.
Ultimately we never know what’s going on in someone’s head and lots of people live behind a facade.
This one tugs at your heart strings but at the same time has laugh out loud moments.
You know sometimes in life when you think “If I don’t laugh I’ll cry”
This sums this book up for me.


Thanks for the advanced copy Netgalley and Penguin. The book is published on the 15th October

There are lots of things to like about this novel, including the sensitive coverage of a parent slipping away into Dementia, and the way that friendships change over time as those in their 30's reach different life stages at different times.

I'm afraid for me though, far from the humorous look at the 'joys' of online dating that I had seen the book described as, I found most of the story to be depressing, and an incredibly good reason to stay well clear of dating apps!

Thanks to Netgalley for an early review copy.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book to begin with, wondering if it was going to feel a bit 'lightweight', however, as soon as I started to get to know Nina I began to like her and care about her. In particular, her relationship with her parents was very real and touching and her friendship with Lola was laugh-out-loud funny. I was also convinced by the situation with Joe and Lucy and Nina's part in their marriage. I didn't really feel I got to grips with Max's character, although maybe that was intentional. I certainly highlighted passages of the book, particularly Lola's comments on age towards the end which I thought were very perceptive.

Dolly Alderton's Ghosts is a year in the life and lovelife of 32 year old Nina. It is in many ways similar to.her memoir 'Everything I know about love' in its preoccupations with love and dating in the 21st century. So readers will find themselves on largely familiar ground.

Firstly I will say that i absolutely romped through this book; I read it in 24 hours. The author is very relatable and always readable; she writes with great pace and she is very, very good with dialogue. The brief text exchange depicting the 'ghosting'of Nina by Max is SO well done. So I do think that Dolly Alderton will be a very good writer . But perhaps she is not quite there yet. For a start, there is a bit too much Dolly in this novel for the protagonist, Nina, to really stand up on her own. I felt the tone was so similar to 'Everything I know.....' that I was actually reading about Dolly herself and not Njna. It is so very specific to an age (30 somethings in the 2010s) and a place ( London), that Nina's gripes and observations about life are not always relatable. This is not helped by the fact that Nina herself is rather bland and undefined- she's a food writer , and ex English teacher but seems to have no actual passion for food or literature.. She is basically defined only in terms of her friendships and her lovelife.. Having said that, both friendships and relationships are convincingly portrayed.

I also felt that the novel misses an opportunity for a more nuamced portrayal of an older woman - Nina's mother. She's presented as a self-absorbed, menopausal, zumba/ book club caricature , a figure of fun - when she actually could have been something much more interesting. Ghosts is a good read but could have been even better.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Although Nina Dean Is a successful writer her live life is non existent following her break up with Joe. She signs up to a dating app and meets Max who on their first date tells Nina he will marry her. After a few months of dating he ghosts her. He returns months later and she gives him another chance. Will they end up with their happily ever after or will he ghost her again.