👻The best ever spooky romance in town! 👻

Well, I couldn’t have read this at a better time than Halloween.

What’s not to love in an uplifiting ghost love story? I simply loved it to bits 😍.

This book has been such a booksta darling & I think it’s with very good reason.

Thanks NetGalley & HQ for the ARC!

Synopsis -

Florence is a ghost writer for one of the greatest ever romance authors. Struggling with her writing deadlines, she gets the most dreaded phone call from home about her father’s passing & she needs to go to her town after a decade to help bury him in their own funeral home. When she meets an unexpected “ghost” at the funeral parlor, their “dead romance” is a new beginning for her in every way.

Review –

Did I already say how much I enjoyed this book? I just can’t help mentioning again. 😆

Florence’s narrative hooked me right way as she describes her current failure streak with her writing career & love life, her family background & the reasons why she never returned home for over 10 years.

I’ve never quite read any book that deals with families running funeral parlours, to whom death is just a way of life.

Poston explores a very unique family’s dynamic here. The rapport Florence & her dad shared moved me & the camaraderie she has with her siblings was both so much fun & endearing at times.

I loved the one thing common with Florence & her dad – the ability to sense, feel, understand & see ghosts. I never thought about ghosts & even death from this perspective & it was all such a great realization!

With the love interest being the most handsome ghost there could ever be, although I couldn’t fathom it initially, I couldn’t help but swoon later on. I felt sorry for the kind of yearning Florence towards him & how she wished her love could come back to life.

Cheering for her all the way, I was pleasantly surprised with how Florence gets back in control, coming to terms with her townsfolks, her past & failures, while embracing the future she never imagined she could have.

The whole idea behind this distinctive love story is so refreshing & no wonder it won so many hearts. I’m just in awe at how realistic it all felt & not one bit silly or absurd.

It not only celebrates love, family & self-discovery, but also looks at death, grief & loss with such depth, delicacy & sensitivity, that it just made my heart swell.

Poston’s capacity to imagine is boundless & she has a fan for life in me!

Don’t miss out on this romance fans!

I loved this! It was unusual and engaging and the love story was fab. Great setting too, which almost makes you want to have a family run funeral home!

I love this take on romance! Different and quirky! Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the early access to this book.

I Love Poston's writing style and this book did not disappoint. Romance meets a ghost story, something I was so excited to read. I loved this book and found it so funny and quick. The ending blew my mind in all the good ways too.

Florence Day is a successful ghostwriter for a well known romance author but when she's left heartbroken after a bad breakup, she begins to question if there even is such a thing as true love. When a family tragedy calls her back to her small hometown, Florence has to face up to the ghosts that haunt her - both figuratively and literally.

I went into this book with very low expectations, only reading it because it was the October book club pick for #prosbeforebrosbc. I'd read the blurb on the back and didn't think it would be up my street. But such is the joy of bookclubs - you try books you might not have picked yourself and sometimes end up really enjoying it!

A fun, heartwarming, wholesome story of love, loss, grief, heartbreak and finding yourself. It's marketed as a romcom but I thought it had more dimension to it than that, with some quite poignant moments perfectly balanced with a dash of humour.

Very glad to have given this one a shot! A really solid 4 stars! Thanks to netgalley for the ARC - I actually purchased a physical copy of this myself which is a testament to how much I enjoyed this!

Quirky, inspirational read. Loved it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

The blurb; Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

My view- Funny, spooky, romantic and a bit saucy! a great Halloween read, I loved Florence's character and the back story with her family and the random ghosts. Some of the twists were a bit guessable but still good fun to read!

Now, romance is not usually my thing. I have to admit I’m a bit of an “eye-roller” when it comes to romance but obviously, that’s just me.
However, I DO love a good ghost story. So the premise intrigued me immensely.
I was surprised with this book in the best way possible.
It was superbly written, it kept me interested right from the start. The characters were well thought out and it came across on the page.
I really did enjoy this and I would recommend it.
Thank you to the author, the publisher & Netgalley for my arc.

I thought this book was brilliant.
I went into reading this book without reading the blurb or knowing anything about it, I was pleasantly surprised. It started off a little slow but soon picked up. If i could I would want to read it for the first time all over again.
Definitely worth the read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pitched to me as The Bold Type meets Ghost, I knew I had to read this as soon as I got accepted for it. And I was not disappointed! Loved every second of this book!

3.5*

Florence Day lives in New York and is a ghost writer for a widely loved romance author - she can also talk to ghosts, a gift she inherited from her Dad. (Who just so happens to run a family Funeral Parlour.) The problem is Florence no longer believes in love after The Break Up a year ago, so she has nothing to hand over to her brand new Editor, Benji Andor, for her upcoming deadline. Not long after their first meeting where Benji refuses Florence's request for an extension on the book deadline, Florence finds herself having to suddenly leave New York and return to her family and home town - somewhere she hasn't been in over 10 years - and unexpectantly comes face to face with the ghost of... yup. Benji. All '6 foot sexy' of him. I most definitely was rolling my eyes while chuckling out loud at that line!

This book was a very easy and cute read with a scattering of literary and film references which - for a bookish person - I enjoyed. Particularly the subtle IYKYK nods to Mulan, Jumanji and Howl's Moving Castle. The romance plot was cute, albeit predictable and cheesy - I find most books like this are - and I found their background stories a tad surface level. I would have liked to have gotten into the nitty gritty a bit more - something I felt for most of the characters and sub plots actually. There was a lot of potential to go deeper throughout the storyline - think the author missed a few tricks there - but it never really happened so I just accepted about a third of the way through that I was just going to sit and enjoy the journey and not try and hope the book is something that it is not.

The small town setting is a familiar one but I enjoyed the focus around the family run Funeral home which was fitting for this time of year - it was interesting for there to be only wholesomeness and joy centred around a building whose business is death. There was some talk about Florence's and her Father's ability to see and talk to ghosts but I feel that could have been explored more. There were several touching moments focussing on the concept of them trying to fulfil the last requests of these lingering spirits, particularly when it connected directly with her father, but it didn't turn into anything more than a vague suggestion here and an unconfirmed hint there. I felt the same about a few other parts of the plot which I won't specify (DM for deets) as I prefer to do spoiler free reviews - but lets just say the ghosts weren't the only ones with unfinished business!!

Overall a sad, but pleasant and cosy ghost romance read!! I read this in 2 days, the second half in one night, and teared up in a few places. It was perfect for the thriller free stint I'm currently on after reading a few too many in a row, and now I'll leave you with a couple of my highlighted bookish quotes -

“Buying books always made me feel better, even if I never read them.”

“I ran my thumb over the pages of one of the books in my lap, feeling them buzz softly.”

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Stories for the complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. So much. Its everything I ever wanted in a romance book with ghosts. It kept me smiling and laughing and crying multiple times the emotions were so strong. I loved all of the characters and the world was portrayed beautifully. There was a plot twist at the end that was just mind blowing and everything tied in perfectly

Wow, just wow!

This book was absolutely amazing; I laughed, I cried and I swooned. I just know I will read this again.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Stand Alone book

Paws- 3

Keywords- cosy, romance, ghosts, love story,

In-short- A lovely, fun love story full of twists and so full of emotion you’ll be losing tears of sadness as well as joy. Beware of characters you wont want to let go of.

Full review:

Thank you for netgallery for the chance to read this book.
Ashley Poston is a new author for me and after reading the dead romantics I’ll definitely be picking up her books again.

This is a unique take on a romance theme that has made an appearance in the romance genre a few times, although the audience may recognise the story of a main character and a ghost steady falling for each other, the idea of the main character being a ghost writer and the ghost being the author is a fun twist that draws you quickly into Ashley Poston's world.

The characters she had created are fully 3D, with strong personalities that are fully human with flaws and positive attributes, Florence, the main female character has reached a part in her life where love as an idea does not seem to exist, at least for her, that is until she meets Ben and despite his sudden ghostness she cant help but been drawn to his grumpy, mountain man aesthetic but how can a girl love a ghost and how can something like this have any future.

This book focuses on the side of life where people may feel they have never fitted in to how the world around them are, to those trying to find a place they can feel comfortable in and those who have pushed themselves being the older of the family members and may feel empty because of this and dealing with the death of a family member no matter what stage of life you are in.

This book although a rom com, it deals with heart hitting emotional issues that will leave you feeling drained from crying, Ashley writes beautiful, heart wrenching scenes that are softened and elevated between the rom com elements, these very real scenes will stay with you long after the book is done and you will feel like Florence (which means blossoming, a very fitting name for this character) and Ben is part of your own family and you’ll not want to stay good bye.

#adprproduct 📖 Book Review ✨⠀
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston⠀
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Oh I fell, I fell so hard for this book, it totally has my heart! ❤️⠀
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🌟It has it all life, death, gallows humour, tears & let's not forget Mr Hottie McHotcakes 🥰⠀
🌟The chemistry between Florence & Ben is palpable & the burning angst that he is a GHOST! ⠀
🌟Not only is it flirty, fun & BIG hearted it delves into grief & loss in such a beautiful way. ⠀
🌟The tiny details & the pop culture references are mini delights sprinkled throughout.⠀
🌟 Definitely one for Emily Henry fans.⠀
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It's got a spot in my top 3 romance reads this year & I cannot stop thinking about it.⠀
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It's a steal at 99p on the kindle at the moment if you fancy treating yourself! ❤️

A perfect start to this year’s spooky season! The premise of this novel was so unique that I just had to read it, and I’m so happy I did. While I loved the puns and the general fun-factor, I also loved the emotional side of this book, which I didn’t expect. An incredible love story.

Three words to describe it. Romantic. Fresh. Quirky.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s very cute!

Well. What can I say. Ashley Poston has done it again - I’m not sure I was ready for a book with a squatty potty reference 😂 - but I’m here for it (it’s good for the digestion!).

I am a huge fan of Ashley’s YA Geekerella series which uses fandom as a backdrop to her romances. Now with this foray into adult fiction we have publishing as our backdrop but with some additional supernatural goings on. This makes this a perfect spooky season read.

This is the second book recently I’ve read where I can reference Ghost Whisperer as a comparison (see my review of middle grade book The Whisperling) and I’m not at all mad about that - what with it being one of my favourite shows.

Florence Day has grown up around death - literally. Her family run Days Gone Funeral Home (excellent name) and both her father and her see dead people walking around like regular people! Hounded out of her small town because of this gift, Florence headed to the big smoke and tried to turn her love of writing smutty X-Files fan fic into a career in romance fiction. After her first novel doesn’t take off in quite the way she’d hoped she ends up ghostwriting (lol) for a hugely successful romance writer. We meet her as the last book on that contract is due - but the thing is she has writer’s block. How can you write romance when you’ve had your heart smashed?

Florence’s ex is a despicable piece of work who deserves much worse than he gets in my opinion. Seriously he makes my blood boil.

Pulled back to her home after a family tragedy she finds a ghost on the doorstep of her family home but this ghost is very out of place and unwelcome. After all he didn’t give her an extension on her novel! Rude. It’s her very hot editor Benji Andor who on first meeting him the words “climb him” were screamed by her inner voice - although sadly that turns out not to be possible when you can’t touch a ghost. But is it possible for the spirit of romance to be reignited? No spoilers here but I was satisfied with the journey Florence went on.

I will say that this was perhaps a slightly slower start than we’ve grown used to but the payoff makes it worth it and Ashley’s writing is easy to read and comforting.

This mixes the best echoes of Christmas Hallmark movies (but with Halloween vibes in April - and not Christmas), Sweet Home Alabama and A million funerals and a wedding! I loved this exploration of complex family relationships, small town gossip and an incorporeal romance. Poston brings her humour and pop culture references naturally across into the adult sphere where she can be a little more spicy (although only in small doses - we don’t actually get any of the X-Files smut on the page! More’s the pity).

The small town of Mairmont with its doggie Mayor (this needs to become a thing - the world would be so much kinder) becomes a character itself and I fell in love with it too. I loved the incidental non binary and queer characters because there was no negative focus on this - they just were and this is what the world should be.

If the Reader Discussion questions are anything to go by keep your fingers crossed for a sequel and more Mairmont. I’d equally be happy with other books following some of our side characters.

Although grief is a big theme in this story the book itself is hopeful and not macabre and focuses very much on death as part of life. In the author’s note Ashley Poston talks about her fear of death which I very much share - so to write such a book must have been a therapy session as much as it was reading it.

A huge thank you to Ashley for this piece of magic and to HQ Stories for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out what everyone else on the tour thought.

The movie "Just Like Heaven" but make it a book.

I enjoyed this book, and really loved the concept. But I think there was a lot of focus on Florence and her Dad, and not as much on that if Florence and Ben. It did take away some of my interest in their relationship.

Despite Florence working in publishing, there were some inaccuracies with the publishing world that didn't work for me. There was also a weird inaccuracy with using Tinder that felt off. Some of the book just needed a little more research.

What a fab book! It hits the spot in many ways. The romance element was ideal escapism, and the paranormal twist satisfied the need for something supernatural but the story has depth and many well formed characters to love. There are many books where the protagonist returns home after long periods of time, triggering a retrospective look of their past and a reconciliation but this novel is different. While the Day family are dysfunctional to some on the outside, they are quirky, loving and supportive.

 Florence’s father’s death made Florence recall the happier times, the loving connections between family and community which balances out the tear jerking and accurate observations of grief. As does the funny and delightful relationship between Benji and Florence. The chemistry between them across the ethereal plane was a joy to read.

The Dead Romantics is an uplifting, emotional and humorous read which perfect for the spooky season.

4⭐️ A stunning and heartfelt contemporary paranormal romance that explores the raw emotion of family, love, life & death

Firstly, thank you so much for HQ for sending me a copy of The Dead Romantics and having me as part of their Blog Tour for this wonderful book😍😍

I was excited for this book ever since I first saw it on Goodreads and it definitely lived up to my expectations! It was really beautifully written and felt so raw and real when it came to it’s depiction of love and loss, the different types of love and loss and all the different ways the two can intertwine and affect a person. I loved the cooky and cozy small town setting as well as the inclusion of LGBTQIA representation but I especially loved the concept of a Ghost Writer who sees ghosts and ends up with a ghost editor and the other ghostly goings on that were so cleverly done but I won’t spoil it! (Although I will say there was a twist or two that came completely unexpectedly for me and usually I always guess twists!)

Basically this was a gem of a book and I would definitely recommend it this spooky season with a side note that I sobbed so hard I couldn’t breath so to have tissues ready! I also have a sneaking suspicion this book belongs with The Love Hypothesis and Go Hex Yourself on my ‘Reylo’ shelf🤣