The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
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Web ID: 15058376Lovely little romance that will tug at your heart!
What a “good goodbye”story! Ashley Poston is absolutely one of my favorite authors. I’ve kind of done the backwards discovery of her books (and yes, I’ve apparently been living under a rock), and have just finished up another of her favorites, The Dead Romantics. I loved this book so much. The author somehow makes writing a book about death and loss of loved ones seem easy, which I can assume really is not. In The Dead Romantics, Florence Day is a writer struggling with “romantic writer’s block” following a breakup. She’s having trouble writing about happiness, romance, and a happily ever after. She’s also under a time crunch for her next ghost written novel, the time crunch being imposed by handsome editor, Benji Andor. After the sudden death of her father, she returns home to a town that she ran away from years ago. Did I mention Florence has been known to see and speak to ghosts? And what happens when she arrives home to then be visited by a surprising ghostly visitor - Benji Andor? There’s a wonderful mix of bookish charm (a ghost writer and handsome editor dancing around each other), endearing friendships, spooky / ghostly vibes, and a touch of family drama (just enough to fix in a cozy romance book). But also tucked into the story is the sudden death of a parent and the upheaval of life following that death ~ from returning to a home you may have grown up in and left, to family wills and funeral plans. It also shows you how loved ones surrounding you during these times, are the ones who ultimately keep us moving forward. I will forever be recommending Ashley Poston books from now on. For me, they are excellent little reads, full of whimsical romances, but also depth of story, character and emotion. Loved it and highly recommend 👏🏻
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Really a story about grief
Most importantly, this story is essentially well written grief. This one attacks grief on multiple fronts and does a solid job of showing how that affects different people differently. I appreciated that. In fact, the grief is the MOST well-written part of this entire book and absolutely the reason for someone to pick this up and read it. If you need a couple of other reasons, here's two more. Ghosts and small towns. The way the ghosts were written with the little details that are kept up (with one plot hole exception) is original and interesting. They brought something fresh to the story. Also, small town life is captured well. Everyone knows everyone and things move at their own pace. So, if you're a reader who wants a cutesy sort of love story on the side of your story about grief, this is your book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Paranormal, Lovely, Reflective Romance
Rating: 4.25 Florence Day was a ghostwriter who wrote amazing romance books for her favorite author, but when her last breakup ended badly, suddenly Florence found herself struggling to write another romance novel. With Florence’s stories mainly revolving around romances, her next book needed to have the romance it was promised to be or else especially when her new hot editor said so. Florence had a lot of her mind, but the last thing she expected was getting a phone call and finding out her dad just passed away. Going back to her hometown, trying to arrange the funeral arrangements for her dad meant that Florence had to face things head on, but once again, things took a turn when she apparently saw her…now dead editor! A unique paranormal romance with heartfelt moments centered around family, the loss of a loved one, grief, and love all came together to tell the story of Florence Day, the woman who could talk to ghosts. Ashley Poston has an interesting way of writing stories in a way I’ve never read before. With Florence being able to see and speak to ghosts, you’d think it’d be an easy and done story, but no it wasn’t all that simple. When Florence sees her now recently deceased editor, it was a whole new experience that she wasn’t expecting. Ashley wrote Florence’s character in a way that made her kind, at times unsure of herself, and a woman still on her way to navigating her career and the grief of losing her father. Florence never expected to see Ben as a ghost, but way (even after life) had a funny way of switching things up. This was a lovely and emotionally satisfying story about Florence finding her way through grief, reconnecting with her family, and her editor as a ghost. Ashley Poston wrote Florence’s story in a way that was simple yet held a lot of emotion from her family to trying to honor her father’s last wishes. The romance in this book felt more like more of a subplot which I didn’t mind at all. Nonetheless, in the scenes between Florence and Ben were sweet and I liked their connection with each other. There wasn’t a grand scheme to the plot, it focused more of the characters and it was a really interesting story to read. I didn’t expect the slight plot twist towards the end, but I’m actually happy about it as it played nicely into the overall ending of the story. Florence’s character growth in this story was good, and by the end of it I would say she learned a fair deal of things that ultimately made her better in her writing career and personal life with her loved ones. I enjoyed this book, and once again loved how Ashley Poston wrote such a unique story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cute ghost romance with a lot of heart!
Florence is a ghostwriter for a famous romance author, but she no longer believes in love. Her new editor is a handsome mountain of a man and won’t give her an extension. Her fragile career has to be set aside when she gets a terrible phone call that her father has died. Returning home after a decade absence is complicated enough, but when the doorbell rings and a handsome mountain of a ghost is standing there, Florence must explore his unfinished business… and maybe believe in love again. This story was so sweet! A lovely romance with just a dash of spice. It explored life and grief in equal turns and how closely they are woven together. Florence definitely had some frustrating flaws to work through, but I connected easily with her and enjoyed her well-paced growth during the story. Ben was a dream, supporting her through her grief and reminding her of her worth and talent. Florence’s deep friendship with Rose and relationships with her mother and siblings were well-developed and rounded out the story. Fun and heartwarming listen!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Made me smile
I’d never read anything by Ashley Poston, but I really enjoyed this one. I don’t even remember how I heard about this book, but it sounded different. The characters were all a bit quirky, which made me smile and the story was so unbelievable that I was drawn in, wondering where it would go. I would have to say this is Adam’s Family meets traditional rom-com. While it was sometimes light and funny there was some real character growth throughout the book as well, so it kept me intrigued. I would recommend this book. It was a fun one.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Evokes Emotion but was Lacking For Me
Let me preface this review with the acknowledgement that I am not a contemporary romance reader. This book was chosen for me for book club. I am a dark romance and romantasy reader. That being said, I did LIKE this book. It was very fun and lighthearted for me, even though it does center around death as a main theme in the book. That may sound weird, but if you read it you will understand where I am coming from. It is a love story that gives you all the good feels and leaves you feeling complete at the end. If you enjoy contemporary romances that evoke emotion, you will enjoy this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it!!
Even though I was able to guess the plot fairly quickly, I loved it! So much so that I bought two more of her books. This was a book club read, the rest of the girls thought it was great as well. Definitely a 10/10. I couldn’t put the book down and finished within 2-3 days. Same for one of my friends. The ending was great but I feel the author could have given us more. All in all it’s definitely something I’d read again or recommend. It’s sad but also sweet.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So So Good! :)
This book was gorgeously written. The humor was dead funny (ha, sorry). The depiction of mourning had me in tears. Don’t pass this one up, read it today!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com