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.

This book has been getting a ton of buzz lately, and for good reason! The romance was super unique (which is hard to say nowadays), and the cast of characters was simply a delight to "hang out" with as a reader. It also poses some really interesting questions about life, death, and how we view romantic relationships in our current society.

Okay I did like this but I wanted more out of it. It wraps up a little too neatly, especially when I was expecting some complexity. It has a lot of my fave romance tropes: zany female lead, supernatural elements, publishing (loooooot of romance books these days are about writers), a family with a lot of unique characters, an interesting setting. This book had some bite but I wish it had leaned in more into its darker side; there were some elements of it but nothing too deep, and that’s too bad. I thought this book had a chance to really stand out in the slightly over saturated romance book market, but it just misses the mark. I still enjoyed the read, and it had a lot of unique elements, but I wanted the author to go further and she just didn’t. Also, I need a little more chemistry from the two leads.

This one was just not for me. I didn't particularly like the characters, and although the concept was interesting, a lot of the references were cringe-y and difficult to get past. It was pretty well-written, but even so it was hard to push through for me. I just didn't really buy the connection or chemistry between Benji and Florence, and it just fell flat for me.

I can say that ‘The DEAD Romantics’ brought back my will to LIVE. This book stabbed me (I said 'thank you') and revived me with a shot of pure serotonin. If you want a warm hug while crying your whole heart out, this is the book for you.

This is what my childhood dreams of crushing on Casper, the friendly ghost, are made of. I went through all stages of grief with this book and the characters accompanied me. With the amount of romance books being published, It feels so refreshing to see one that’s so weird, so unique and so cute at the same time. This was really an ode to romance books and their readers. It feels so relatable to see romance books and authors that I love mentioned in the book.

If there are things that I didn’t like, I would say that the pacing is too slow for my liking and there were transitions on the emotions present that felt too fast. But rest assured that the pages 150 above made up for it.

You know it’s a good book when you have to close it just to comprehend that ONE CHAPTER that you were not expecting. :)

That was also one of the best endings I've ever read in years.

To Ashley, "I hope you never stop giving the world your words." <3

4.75 stars!

I really love many of Ashley Poston's Young Adult books, so I was so excited to see this adult debut! First of all, a ghost writer who actually sees ghosts - the irony! I loved this book so hard. I laughed, I cried, I maybe peed my pants a little at one point (shh, don't tell). The characters are so well rounded and fleshed out that often I forgot I was reading a book because I was so INTO the story. Florence is amazing and gorgeous and I just want to give her all the hugs. I also really loved the slow burn romance in this one - yesssss!

The Dead Romantics has a unique premise and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is not simply a lighthearted romance, there are some heavy topics addressed in this book including grief/loss which add a lot of depth to the story. I definitely recommend checking this one out.

I really enjoyed this unique premise and how even though it’s technically almost a supernatural romance/story, it manages to stay very grounded and real. Florence and Benji’s interactions felt so refreshingly relaxed and earnest but not in an overly saccharine way, and the family storyline added such depth and poignancy. I didn’t even mind that I saw the twist coming from a mile away, A really sweet book that deals with death in such a hopeful way.

This book kept me up nights-but only in the best way possible! I loved the voice, the characters, and the story and have been telling everyone about the book at the store. It is one of our picks of the month for July and I quite literally can't keep it in stock. Loved!!! More please.

I read this earlier this week, and sobbed so much over it that my cat climbed into my lap to check on me. Ashley Poston’s first adult novel, The Dead Romantics, just moved me that much.

Do you believe in ghosts? What about love? Do you believe in happily-ever-after romantic love? Florence Day, whose family owns a funeral home in Mairmont, South Carolina, sees ghosts. But, she fled town as soon as she graduated, heading to New York City because she didn’t want to be bullied or laughed at any longer for being the girl who saw ghosts. But, she left behind a family that loves and supports her.

Florence once believed in romance. She wrote a novel, and then became the ghostwriter for Anne Nichols, one of the biggest bestselling romance authors. Readers raved about Nichols’ most recent books. But, after the man she loved, another writer, violated her trust a year ago, Florence hasn’t been able to write. She no longer believes in romance, and has to tell Anne’s new editor that she needs another extension on her deadline because she can’t write a happily-ever-after ending. But, the big, handsome Benji Andor won’t give her another day.

She’s at a bar drowning her sorrow when she receives a call from her family. Florence has to go home for a family funeral, and she hasn’t returned in ten years. She’s seen her family in New York, but she hasn’t wanted to return to the town that rejected her. Now, she has no choice. She has regrets and feels guilty and angry. But, she’s the closest one to the door when someone comes to the funeral home that night, and she answers. It’s her big, handsome editor, Benji Andor. And, he’s a ghost.

I’m not sharing the rest of the story because you’ll either turned off by all this talk of ghosts and romance, or it already caught your attention. I bought a copy. I don’t know the last time I was so caught up in a book, moved to tears and a little laughter. Poston’s descriptions of Mairmont are beautiful, but it’s all Florence’s thoughts of death and ghosts, along with her father’s comments about it that are moving and fascinating and thought-provoking. It’s a story of love, loss, regret, hope, and family with all its disagreements and love.

If you finish the book, you might not believe in ghosts or happily-ever-after. But, you’ll want to believe.

The main character and her family were a delight to read about. There’s a lot of quirky humor in this book in addition to romance. The plot was certainly unusual with a happy ending I didn’t see coming. Hooray for happy endings.

It had been some time since I completely devoured a book and just absolutely loved it. There is nothing that I would change about it. The Dead Romantics was such a surprise, a ghostwriter that sees ghosts? Yes, please! I have seen a ghost before, so call me a believer!
Florence is a ghostwriter for a very well-known romance writer, but she is having a hard time finishing the manuscript due to writer’s block after getting her heart broken. How can she sell the idea of love when she is having a hard time believing it herself?
In midst of her heartbreak, her writer’s block, and it seems like everything around her is falling apart, she must go back home and confront her past. As she is back home, a hottie ghost is lost and asking her for help. As Florence attempts to help the handsome ghost, she begins to develop feelings for a ghost and maybe help her cure her writer’s block.
Loooooooved how smart and original this romance story is. If you need a different type of love story, pick this one up! **Insert chef's kiss!

4.5 stars - I loved it! Would re-read.

Fantastic! I loved Florence's whole journey back to herself, loved the writing pieces, loved figuring out what was happening with Ben. The conclusion was excellent. Highly recommend, especially for Poston fans, but also for fans of contemporary romance with some fantasy/paranormal elements thrown in. (Language, sex)

I received an ARC of this book-I really enjoyed the character development in this book and the gentle way grief and death are tackled. Falling in love in a funeral home might seem like a stretch but the descriptions of the care and love the family feels for the people they help is really sweet and comforting, and just makes sense. There are some odd plot points that didn't seem to go anywhere (the scavenger hunt of finding things for a funeral) but overall this was a great book.