I would like to thank Netgalley for an advance copy of Ghosts.

This book follows Nina Dean as she navigates through her early thirties, from relationships, friendships and a real look into life as we age. I absolutely loved this book, i read through it in two sittings. The books characters are very relatable and gives a funny sometimes bleak look into growing and ageing. The writing style of this book is fantastic, the material is modern and relatable and overall a book i would happily read again.

Ghosts is the debut novel of Dolly Alderton, whose non-fiction book / memoir, Everything I Know About Love was a international bestseller.
Ghosts follows Nina Dean, who is a food writer in her thirties who starts a new relationship with a guy called Max.
To be honest I didn’t find Nina likeable at all. She was quite rude and horrible to her friends for daring to settle down and have a family while in their 30s (how dare they!) instead of giving them her support when they needed it. She was too self-centred to care about her friends, except when she needed them to make herself feel better. The male representation is awful. To be honest I’m over the “all guys are terrible” narrative that is in a lot of these types of books. There doesn’t seem to be any real character development of Nina throughout the book, and the development of other character are just very out of the blue.
The book tried to hit on some serious topics, such as the story of dementia with Nina’s dad, but it seems to be put in just to make some kind of serious commentary on a topic that she doesn’t delve deep enough into to make any real points.
This book just wasn’t for me.

Having loved Dolly's first book I was really looking forward to Ghosts.
As ever with Dolly's work it's really relatable and fun. There are some brilliant lough out loud moments but also some moments which will make you tear up - I thought that the Dementia story line was really touching and handled really well.
4 stars.

I loved Dolly Alderton’s non fiction book and this really lived up to my high expectations. Funny, clever and heartwarming. Recommended for fans of Holly Bourne, and anyone else in their twenties or thirties who has ever gone on a bad date!

(Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review)

I loved Dolly Alderton from her podcast 'The High Lo' and seeing her book recs on instagram so I was very excited to read her first fiction novel.

Unsurprisingly, I loved Ghosts. It was a quick read and I was a fan of the writing style.

After reading this, I am even more excited to read more of her work which is sat on my bookshelf ready to go!

Sadly, I really did not get on well with this novel. I couldn't connect to Nina, the main character and found that I didn't really like her and so was not drawn into the emotion of the novel. At times I wasn't sure about the point of some of the story elements and was mainly bored. Really sorry, it may be that I just read it at the wrong time.

I read and loved the author’s non-fiction book, Everything I Know About Love so I really wanted to read this book, especially when I read so many good things about it. I got it as an ARC and am sorry I took so long to get around to reading it. I’m a gay woman and Ghosts focuses on heterosexual relationships, but I could still enjoy it and relate to Nina and Max. I’ve fallen hard for someone as fast they fall for each other. Insta-love is a thing and it doesn’t need to be cheesy. Ghosts isn’t just about Max and Nina though, it’s about getting older, friendship, ex’s, family and getting old. I loved the way Nina’s father’s dementia is dealt with, it’s very accurate and he reminded me a lot of my Nan who had it and died in a nursing home. This is a terrific book. I laughed and cried a lot.

A real tale of our times – city living, online dating and watching friends achieve the things you long for yourself. Ghosts is funny, tender and real, beautifully observed and, at times, almost painfully poignant.

I did enjoy reading this book and I can see why the title is called ghosts but I think it should be ghosted rather than ghosts.

I thought this was a really original, clever book that tackled a lot more serious topics than the cover, and even the first half of the book, would have you believe. I found ‘Ghosts’ so relatable, particularly the discussion around ageing parents, and the innate desire we have to be nurtured as children forever. This story explored how friendships change as people grow up and shift into different stages of life, and how much intimate relationships can impact friendships. I thought the way Alderton wrote about this was very multi-faceted and empathetic to both sides. The real “Yee Haw” moment of this book came towards the end with the critique of the clingy, ‘crazy ex-girlfriend’ myth that prevails in the dating sphere, because really, how fucked up is ghosting someone?!

FIVE FABULOUS STARS. I read this in one sitting, staying up until 3am to do so. To say I loved this wouldn’t be putting it strong enough: I LOVE looooved this. This isn’t a genre I would usually enjoy, or even read to be honest, but having devoured Dolly Alderton’s memoir, Everything I Know About Love, I had to give this a go. I was right to: relatable, candid, heart-wrenching but hilarious, this isn’t a novel I will soon forget.

Ghosts is an intimate character analysis of love, loss and change; the multifaceted title of Ghosts so apt, divulging into the ghosts of Nina’s childhood and family, friendships and relationships, age and identity, as well as the oh so real ramifications of being ghosted.

This is laugh out loud funny: from the online dating stereotypes, to basically everything Lola said, or the one-liners like ‘I was now topless in tracksuit bottoms like a brickie on a warm day’, I was howling, laughing so much I couldn’t even read it aloud to my partner by way of explanation for my laughter at 1:30am.

Ghosts is also hauntingly honest, showing Alderton’s keen perception of the daily battles people face: new mother’s feelings of failure; families mourning the loss of a living relation being slowly erased by dementia; perpetually single women’s lives belittled for not centring around marriage and kids. But this shines light on the power of hope and perseverance too; the strength and resilience people have to take positives from every desperate situation and keep striving for their desires, regardless of whether they differ from their friends lives, from their families wishes, or even their original life plans.

Ghosts is addictive, compelling, simply unputdownable; Alderton’s perfect exploration of misogynistic stereotypes, choice feminism and dating, the ever-evolving identities of millennial women and basically everything in between. I will be recommending it to every single person that I know. (And should probably give Alderton’s podcast a listen now I am well and truly into super fandom territory.)

*I received an advance review copy of Ghosts from the publisher through NetGalley.

Ghosts is the very readable story of Nina, one of the last single people within her group of friends who has decided to give dating a go again after having fulfilled several dreams, including buying her own property and becoming a full time food writer. The story follows Nina as she embarks on online dating, but also deals with her beloved father developing dementia, her relationship with her mother and also her relationships with her girlfriends as their lives evolve as well. The relationship between Nina and her father is what makes this story special for me.

I was given a copy of Ghosts by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Nina Dean is in her early thirties, a successful food writer who is single and entering the world of online dating. The main story centres around her dating life and is witty and entertaining. Nina is also coming to terms with her father's dementia diagnosis and this was the storyline I enjoyed most. I thought it was well written and mostly realistic (her mother seemed a bit of a caricature of a hysterical, middle-aged woman). I think if you enjoyed Alderton's style of writing you'll enjoy this one.

Struggled to finish this book as I found it very hard going from the start, nothing gripped me and kept me hooked, but as I don’t like a book defeating me i didn’t allow this one to.
Many thanks to both netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.

A well-observed story about love, friendship, and the difficulties of modern life


As she reaches her 32nd birthday, successful food writer Nina Dean already has a lot going in her life – plenty of friends, a brand new flat and a loving family. When she meets accountant Max on a dating app, who declares he will marry her on their very first date, she enters into a happy relationship and everything seems to be going perfectly. Unfortunately, the passing of time is evident everywhere. Nina’s childhood friends are all getting married and drifting away. Her ex-boyfriend (who she remains close to) appears to be moving on, and her father is slowly fading away to dementia, with her mother coping in unusual ways. When Max turns out to not be what he seems, it appears that Nina’s thirties may not be as easy-going as she had hoped.


This was a warm and witty book about the struggles of being a single woman in the modern world. Significantly all the emotional upheaval that goes with online dating. The author has done an amazingly accurate job of capturing that tumultuous world. Capturing the relatively new phenomenon of ‘ghosting’ (when a person who has been dating someone just stops replying to all messages and calls and disappears from their life) and all the baggage that comes with it is very astutely represented. I loved how Nina and her “serial-dater” friend Lola dealt with their romantic issues. The funny and realistic relationship between them is rarely found in these sorts of books, where female friends usually exist only to advise the protagonist on her love life. Additionally, I thought the relationship between Nina and her childhood friend Katherine, who has been drifting apart from her since getting married and having children, was brilliantly written. Some moments really rang true with me personally. The author clearly has an incredible talent for understanding human behaviour and relationships. Nina’s beloved Dad’s illness was also very movingly described and added an emotional layer to this otherwise light-hearted story.


My main issue with this book was that it tried a bit too hard to straddle two different genres and subsequently fell a bit short on both. It wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny enough to be a classic comedy but also didn’t pack enough of an emotional punch to be an excellent moving drama. It also irritated me a little that, despite supposedly being a successful food writer, Nina doesn’t cook anything more exotic than bananas in condensed milk! This made her quite impressive job seem like a random plot point thrown in to make her a ‘career woman’. In general, I found Nina a little bit too bland and generic - her friend Lola was much funnier and more enjoyable. Finally, I also found the story overall a bit depressing. It seemed to me to be implying that nothing lasts forever, and everyone we love will eventually drift away from us and become ‘ghosts’.


In conclusion, this was a fascinating and sharply observed story with some brilliant character interactions and relationships, lacking a strong focus. I also found the story a bit of a downer and would’ve preferred a slightly more relatable main character to go alongside the extremely relatable life experiences she has. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book, and would read more from this author in the future.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

I heard so many good things about this book and perhaps it was hyped up too much but I'm 30%of the way through and I am finding it pretentious, self absorbed and whiney!

It's like the author is trying to be self deprecating but gives "I'm great really" vibes to try to be funny and endearing but comes across irritating. It also tries to be clever with metaphors and comparisons without actually making much sense.

I really couldn't get over the part where she is complaining about a friend with a child who is just basically jealous of her freedom and mentions it, but it is assumed this is to make the author/character feel bad and so continually complains about the friend and how annoying she is for giving her advice if she ever has children but then goes on to give that friend advice regarding children!!

The description of Max was just totally over the top too. I think this book is just not for me at all!

Nina Dean is 31, owns her own home and is a successful food writer. She joins a dating site Linx as all her friends are settling down. She meets Max who announces on their first date that he is going to marry her!! They are instantly attracted to one another.

Nina’s dad has been diagnosed with Dementia whilst her mother seems to be having a midlife crises, she even wants to change her name.

I must confess I met my husband on a dating site so I can relate to the bizarreness of looking through men’s profiles but luckily I wasn’t ghosted!!

I loved this book. The wit and humour made me laugh out loud. I detested Max by the end of ,, you can tell you have read a good book when it causes a strong reaction from you!!

I think I have just joined Dolly Alderton’s fan club after reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

There was so much hype for this release in 2020 and unfortunately, for me, it just did not live up to that hype. I actually got 50% of the way through and DNF'd this as I didn't enjoy it at all and could not stand Nina. It seemed like a modern-day attempt at Bridget Jones, but with an unlikeable Bridget. I felt like this book tried too hard to be 'woke' and didn't meet the mark. It also aimed to strike a fun balance between serious commentary of relationships, expectations and ageing whilst also incorporating humour, but it just didn't do it for me.

I do love Dolly as an author, but the character of Nina felt a little shallow and left a lot to be desired in my opinion, and in all honesty, I spent more time rolling my eyes and internally saying "Come on girl", than I did enjoying it, so I had to put it down as it was annoying me, and in a year like 2020, I didn't need to read fiction that I was going to annoy me more than I was enjoying it. I'm not widely sharing my opinion on this as I know Dolly is a powerhouse and don't want to put people off of something they may enjoy with my personal opinion, which at the end of the day is all this is. I'm sad I didn't get to the end, but may revisit it in the future and view it differently, but right now, this is not the novel for me

Ghosts is the story of Nina Dean and her relationships with a new partner, her friends and her parents. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. Although Nina was, at times, incredibly annoying, her despair at her father's progressing dementia and her strained relationship with her mother was compelling and I felt real empathy for her. The relationship with Max was mildly interesting although I found the descriptions of her friend's marriage and Nina's attitude to marriage as quite childish and irritating. Unfortunately, the book was tainted for me by the ridiculous turn in the story with Angelo. For most of the book, Nina is scared and vulnerable in relation to Angelo then they're having sex in her kitchen. It was weird and unnecessary.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ghosts is a delight of a novel. I enjoyed Dolly Alderton's memoir and excited to receive an arc of her debut novel. Nina is a thirty something teacher turned food writer, navigating a sea of dating, friendship and the dark waters of ages parents. Written with warmth and empathy.