I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to women in their thirties who will especially enjoy it. Dolly Alderton has such a fun, clever way of writing and talking about even the most serious things its feels personal and thoughtful but not tragic. More on my review here: https://fashionandfrappes.com/raves-rants-and-reviews-july-2020-dolly-alderton/

Amazing read by dolly Alderton again . each character is described in depth and we see how friendships grow.
I didn’t want this to end and I’m sure a sequel should come of it .
Recommended to several friends this will the read of 2020

Nina Dean has a successful career as a food writer, great friends, and a lovely but somewhat eccentric family - now she wants to fall in love. Nina joins dating apps for the first time and experiences the highs and lows that come with modern dating, adding to the fact her friendships are disintegrating as her girlfriend's lives move at different speeds and her family that begins to fall apart as her Dad begins vanishing to dementia. There is definitely more to this story than just a modern romance.

I’m going to start by stating the obvious - if you’re a Dolly Alderton fan you will love this book. I felt you could almost hear her voice in Nina with the use of words such as ‘romp’. Ghosts is about so much more than ghosting in the way you would expect - it covers a wide range of relationships from parent/child, friends, marriage, new relationships, neighbours - you name it it’s in this book! Dolly has crafted all of her characters so beautifully it was impossible not to enjoy (I especially liked Nina’s mum who struck me as a bit of a Pam from Gavin and Stacey). As well as being fun and funny, Ghosts also made me quite emotional in parts and examine my own life and relationships which is another reason I loved this book!

I’ve given this book five stars and without being a giant walking cliche it is a perfect millennial love story that every 20 something will be able to relate to in some way! I would rush to buy this when it’s released in October!

I picked up this book as a lighthearted girly read in between some dark books and I was... blown away with what I got.

It isn't a typical romcom at all, its deep. It covers so many topics beautifully, it feels so modern and heartwarming but it really made me reflect on my own life and place people I know as the characters within the story. I couldn't stop reading it.

5/5.

My husband was hospitalised with Covid 19 back in April and I had no choice but to face the possibility that I might never get him back again and to even think about what would I do if he didn't make it. When I finally got him home I told him that it was a damned good thing he hadn't died because there was absolutely no way on earth that I'd ever go online to look for a new man. 'Ghosts' reminded me of that vow and made me so glad that I was dating in an era before online dating.

It used to be that people met their dates at work or through friends or shared interests. I'm not saying no guy ever treated a woman badly because that's clearly not true, but if he did - especially if he did it again and again - word got around. Friends told friends to stay away from the bad ones. These days, people can be quite deep into a sexual and emotional relationship without knowing their partner's birthday, middle name, where they work or who they are. When a guy gets cold feet today, it's relatively easy to just disappear or 'ghost' a girl. It probably cuts both ways, but in this novel, it's the men who ghost the women and they're utter bastards for it.

I'd just finished another NetGalley ARC which had been rather heavy going. I thought 'Ghosts' would be a bit of light and insubstantial fluff of the type that I seldom read and about which I tend to be generally very dismissive. It wasn't. This book has a lot of hidden depths. It is WAY more and WAY better than the cover blurb. The writing is excellent, the main character is no airhead bimbo, and she's got plenty of very real-world problems to deal with; setting up as a professional food writer, dealing with a mother who's having a mid-life crisis and a father in the early stages of dementia, and redefining friendships with people she's known for years. She also has the best relationship with an ex that I think I've ever read. We read about how roughly the world treats single women in their thirties but not in any 'poor me' way. And then there's a spectacularly aggressive relationship with her downstairs neighbour who might be a potential killer - or might not. We learn a lot about the lies people tell each other.

This isn't a book that I expected to like, let alone to love but it delivered on so many different levels. And I was happy that the author delivered a happy ending that didn't comply with all the expected stereotypes.

I received a free ARC copy in return for an honest review. Thank you to them and the publishers.

Uncannily relatable, this was the ‘it’s not you, it’s them’ advice that I’ve needed for years. Max and Kat and Lola are all incredibly recognisable in our lives, some fondly, some sadly. I loved how the three stories - her family, her relationship with Max, and with Angelo are thought provoking, funny, and all add new dimensions to the story. What I loved most though, was that it’s not genre-predictable. It’s not got a ‘happily ever after’ and that felt very much ‘on brand’ for the protagonist.

When I started this book I thought I knew what would happen. Nina is a thirty something with a job she loves but looking for a man. So far, so blah. But, without giving away the plot, it wasn't a straight forward girl meets boy.
The book is very much of its time and of a certain time of life. The trials of dating, the changes in friendships when people start getting married and having kids and the realisation that out parents are ageing.
I got really invested in it. It's a rare book that makes me feel so frustrated at the characters, so upset and what's going on and so wanting to know what happened next.

Ghosts is a heartwarming story, that mirrors today’s society very well. As heart breaking as ghosting can be, the strength of friendship reminds you that we all go through life in a different way, at different times. There is no perfect way of doing things, and the relationship she has with her parents extends that to the level of growing up, as adult alongside your parents, not always agreeing but doesn’t mean you just give up on people.
An absolute read for anyone, not just women being ghosted.

If you enjoyed, ‘Everything I Know About Love’, then you will adore this book. The narrative follows the life of Nina Dean and her relationships with men, family and friends. Alderton captures the intricacies of modern friendships, family life and love within beautiful metaphorical descriptions. Her observations on the pressure of dating apps, weddings and having children are incredibly relatable. It has moments of real humour from awkward hen dos to irritating neighbours. Yet, Dolly perfectly balances this with Nina’s pain surrounding her father’s dementia. This is ultimately a book that has been crafted with immense talent. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this advance copy!

Alderton took the world by storm with “Everything I Know About Love“, so naturally everyone is anticipating her debut fiction novel. I hadn’t read her previous novel, so this is my first experience with her work. And honestly... it’s underwhelming. I tried not to have high expectations because they never match up, but it was still an okay book, but nothing spectacular.

Because it follows a formula that I’ve noticed in a few contemporary fiction novels.

There are a lot of trends when something becomes popular, and recently it’s the ‘millennial coming of age story’ trend. It’s where the twenty or thirty something year old woman trying to navigate love and relationships and career goals. I think it really came into popularity with Sally Rooney’s “Normal People“ and so many stories are following this pattern. They’ve always reached a rut where their career or their love lives have stagnated, so she goes on a journey to discover what they want and learn more about herself. I’ve seen it so much I know instantly how it’s going to end, and I’m never excited for those stories. And I really hated “Normal People”, so I should’ve known I wouldn’t love this, but Alderton’s novel has more substance than “Normal People” ever had.. The relationship between Nina and her father, who is slowly losing himself to dementia. It had some nuances that I hadn’t seen explored often, so this added a freshness to the tired formula, even if it wasn’t enough to revitalise it. I liked the friendships portrayed, the dissatisfaction the traditional nuclear family, and inauthenticity of modern day life when everything is out online to be judged.

If you’re looking for an easy holiday read, then this will satisfy your tastes. Alderton definitely has a distinct voice, and can obviously explore love and friendships with nuance and vulnerability well, but I just wished it explored something more than the tired and trendy formula. My review is more of a it wasn’t for me issue than being a bad book, because it definitely is not, so I hope for success to come Alderton’s way with her new release.

I really enjoyed this book - clever, funny and moving, it absolutely lived up to the expectations set in place by Everything I Know About Love.

I devoured this book so quickly, Dolly Alderton writes in a way that is instantly relatable. Although there were times I found it slightly cynical I am so glad it didn't end in the same way that a lot of romantic novels do where the girl runs back to the guy. I really enjoyed reading this and I hope she continues to write fiction!

This was such a compulsive read - did not expect being unable to put it down! The flow of the story, the friendships, and the struggle - were very relatable.

A gréât read full of twists and laughs and a great ending that was not really what I expected. A modern look at love, dating and friendship.

Dolly Alderton's writing somehow manages to be both sincere and irreverent, funny and wise. Her writing is sentimental in a way that so few writers can pull off (and why that word is so often used as a criticism). Everything I Know About Love was the most relatable, wise and memorable piece of writing so I was excited and intrigued to see how her very distinct and engaging voice would translate to Dolly's debut novel. Of course, Dolly's journalistic voice translates into wonderful, wise and witty fiction. I regularly highlighted passages that struck a chord or made me laugh out loud. Funny, heartfelt, packed full of emotion and empathy and flawlessly readable. Ghosts is exactly the sort of novel we need in today's world.

Ghosts is a beautifully written, moving novel about the ghosts and memories we create in our lives and how easily they can be taken away.

This is Nina Dean's story, a 32 year old who has expectations from life; her parents to be fit and well, her birthday to include her birthday song, time with her oldest friends and an easy relationship with the man she is dating. But none of these things are going quite to plan.

For me the stand out part of this book is Nina's relationship with her Dad who is suffering from dementia. It's an emotional rollercoaster which is treated and explained with care and warmth. It is not a situation anyone would know how to deal with unless you'd been through it.

Nina's relationships with her friends gave me pause, they were frustrating and her opinions weren't always fair or particularly kind, as a character she could lack empathy, but as a first person narrative it demonstrated Dolly's ability to create a rounded and three-dimensional character. None of us are perfect.

However the ending is splendid and PERFECT.

I wasn't really sure what I expected from this book to be honest, as its very different from her previous book. This is Dolly's debut novel, about being ghosted. Although its more than just about being ghosted, its about being single in your thirties. How she navigates dating and friendship in her early 30's whilst being single.

We follow Nina, a successful food writer living in London and how her 32nd year was her worst yet. She navigates being one of the last single people left in her close circle and what its like using a dating app. But its more than that, its about her friends and family and how she navigates struggles within both.

I enjoyed that it was more than just the being ghosted and I really enjoyed getting to know Nina and her family and friends.

I enjoyed reading this and picking it up, I read about 60% in one sitting and I love that because it just goes to show you that its a nice read. I thought that maybe it was slightly too long and it had elements of frustration with Max but that's the point - this is what ghosting does to you! (or so I have heard from my girl friends who have unfortunately had to experience this)

Would I recommend this book - yes I would. Its very different to her memoir for obvious reasons but I enjoyed the novel and how realistic it was.

This was an enjoyable book and I really do like Dolly Alderton’s writing. On the surface, it seems like your classic juicy romance, but actually it looks deeper at life as a 30-something single women in London. Topics explored included men being terrible; growing to love yourself and your independence/self-sufficiency; the importance of friendships; and coping with ageing parents/dementia.

All of this was written really well, but I think it’s important we recognise how privileged this book feels. It’s very much the problems of a privileged white woman in London. Though these are valid enough problems to explore, if you were torn between reading this and a book which explores a less privileged life or an own voices experience, then I’d personally go for the latter.

But, you write what you know, and this kind of narrative is what Dolly knows. Really, I wouldn’t have wanted any other narrative because it wouldn’t have been something Dolly could speak on.

Ultimately, this was an enjoyable book and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a romance with some form of substance. But I would heavily warn you against exclusively reading books like this because it gives you a very narrow perspective of the world.

Ghosts is one of those reads that's so wickedly funny and engrossing that you don't want it to end. It's the type of book you rave over so much that you end up lending your copy to all your friends and never getting it back. Dolly Allerton has crafted a story so real and relatable it takes up space in your heart. An absolutely fantastic read.

Just superb! Wickedly funny, writing characters we all know, had me laughing by the pool this summer, highly recommended.