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Ghosts
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
26 posts | 28 read | 22 to read
A smart, sexy, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about ex-boyfriends, imperfect parents, friends with kids, and a man who disappears the moment he says I love you. Nina Dean is not especially bothered that she's single. She owns her own apartment, she's about to publish her second book, she has a great relationship with her ex-boyfriend and enough friends to keep her social calendar full and her hangovers plentiful. And when she downloads a dating app, she does the seemingly impossible: she meets a great guy on her first date. Max is handsome and built like a lumberjack, he has floppy blond hair and is a financially successful accountant. But more surprising than anything else, Nina and Max have chemistry. Their conversations are witty and ironic, they both hate sports, they dance together like fools, they happily dig deep into the nuances of crappy music, and they create an entire universe of private jokes and chemical bliss. But when Max ghosts her, Nina is forced to deal with everything she's been trying so hard to ignore: her father's Alzheimer's is getting worse, and so is her mother's denial of it; her editor hates her new book idea; and her best friend from childhood is icing her out. Funny, tender and eminently, movingly relatable, Ghosts is a whip-smart tale of relationships and modern life.
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review
Kristy_K
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

A great, character-driven novel about Nina, a single cookbook author and daughter, who we follow through her 32nd year as she navigates a relationship, her father‘s tough diagnosis, and her friendships changing as they become married or with children. There were many moments of introspection for Nina but plenty of comedic moments as well.

3.5⭐️

62 likes1 stack add
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IuliaC
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

I loved it. This is definitely not just a light funny book. It portrays wonderfully how difficult it is today to find a partner with whom to build a serious relationship and a family. The story bits about dating apps raise some interesting questions on how viable this option really is, and more importantly about who raised all these boys (maybe entire generations?) who become immature men uncapable to comit to anything and behave manly.

Kristy_K Great review! I just bought this one and am hoping to get to it soon. 8mo
IuliaC @Kristy_K thank you 😊 Hope you enjoy it! 8mo
54 likes1 stack add2 comments
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DGRachel
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Bailedbailed

I almost never do this, but after 40%, I jumped to the last chapter and the epilogue to write my NetGalley review. This is not a rom-com and I‘m sick of publishers mismarketing books as romance or rom-com. It's a story of a thirty-something woman's journey of discovery: how she deals with bad romantic relationships, friendships changing/ending, and a parent with dementia. This is the kind of contemporary fiction I avoid like the plague.

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Cupcake12
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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#superseptember Readathon
Still looking after a hubby with covid and two girls full of colds, reading has had to take a back seat. Pleased to say that I have finished book 1 of 2 for my Readathon goal. Fingers crossed I might finish book 2 by the weekend.

slategreyskies I get this. My husband is sick right now too. Not Covid, but still. Being the caregiver is so draining. Hugs to you. I hope they get better soon! 2y
TheSpineView Yikes! Care giving is draining. Be sure to take care of yourself. Hope everyone gets better soon! 2y
Andrew65 I enjoyed this one. Best of luck with the health matters. 2y
Cupcake12 Thank you for your kind messages xxx 2y
29 likes4 comments
review
Cupcake12
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

Nina has hit the thirties, has her own home, a great career and a loving family. A new relationship with Max looks promising until he ghosts her. Her dad would normally provide advice but she‘s losing a piece of him everyday and he doesn‘t know who she is. Everyone one around her is growing up including her best friend.
A debut novel which is funny, tender and really makes some smart observations about life, family, friendship and growing up.

29 likes1 stack add
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BarbaraBB
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Mehso-so

Nina is in het thirties and single while almost all of her friends are getting married, have babies and move to the suburbs. While they chat about diapers and sleepless nights, Nina is having a rough time herself, with her father suffering from dementia and being ghosted in the world of online dating. A fun read; chicklit with a bit more depth.

Pic: Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan

LeahBergen Beautiful photo! 2y
squirrelbrain Lovely photo… shame the book wasn‘t as fab as the pic! 😁 2y
LeeRHarry Fab photo - I felt the same about this book. Love Dolly Alderton and the podcast she had with Pandora Sykes - the High Low - hope they bring it back at some point 🤞 2y
See All 8 Comments
CarolynM It is indeed a fabulous photo😍 I don‘t mind a bit of superior chicklit from time to time. I‘ll have a look at this one. 2y
BarbaraBB @CarolynM I didn‘t mind either, I had a long flight back and the book was excellent companion. I wouldn‘t necessarily recommend it though! 2y
Megabooks I think I enjoyed this more because I found it relatable. Great photo!! 2y
BarbaraBB @Megabooks I can see why it worked better for you and I‘m sure it also depends on when you read it / what state of mind you‘re in. I read a lot of “light” reads and I think this one was just one too much! 2y
merelybookish Just catching up on your trip. Looks like it was fantastic! 2y
74 likes8 comments
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janeycanuck
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

This isn't a funny book, it's a book with funny moments - and I need publishers to stop claiming books with funny moments here and there are funny. Anyway. It was still a good book but I don't think fits how it was billed at all.

BiblioLitten I have a problem with that too. Eleanor Oliphant is often referred to as romantic and witty. It is so much more than that. In fact the romance is almost zero. There are lots of triggers too. 2y
Megabooks Agree with this!! 2y
janeycanuck @BiblioLitten @Megabooks just bill the book as what it is! Making it out to be something it‘s not just leads to disappointment. 2y
37 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

Nina is a delightful British woman looking for love on dating apps. But there‘s SO much more to this novel than this surface-level synopsis. Ailing father, oblivious mother, evolving friendships, creative work life, London setting— this has it all. MC Nina felt incredibly real to me; she jumped off the page. Poignant, heartbreaking, hilarious, relatable…just everything I want in a book. And I can see this being made into a movie. Loved it!

Ruthiella Great photo! 2y
BarbaraBB I have it on my shelves. Now I want to read it soon! 2y
Cathythoughts Great review, sounds good enough to stack 👍🏻😁 2y
See All 9 Comments
Chelsea.Poole @BarbaraBB @Cathythoughts I had started this as an ARC and I enjoyed it but life happened and I abandoned it after a few chapters. The audiobook is excellent if either of you ever go that way 😊 (edited) 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
MicheleinPhilly I absolutely adored this one. 2y
Megabooks This was a lot of fun! 2y
93 likes3 stack adds9 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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50 likes2 stack adds
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MoseleyBoy
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

An apt title for Halloween but based on a modern type of ghost rather than the traditional kind. An insightful book on the current dating scene from a female perspective which would probably class this as chick-lit but there is much here that men would also identify with, not least the scenes where the protagonist deals with her father's progressive dementia.

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mcctrish
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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It was a crazy week. I just want to sit here and be left alone.

Magpiegem That mug is everything!!!! 3y
AmyG Sounds perfect.enjoy. 3y
KathyWheeler Sometimes that‘s needed to recharge yourself. 3y
See All 7 Comments
mcctrish @Magpiegem it really is, I had a friend in another town track it down for me cuz I needed it so badly 🤣🤣 3y
mcctrish @AmyG it‘s touch and go 🤦🏻‍♀️ so far my husband has stalked around cuz he can‘t find his work pants he swears he put in the wash WEEKS AGO. They are not in the wash anymore and he does the folding so it‘s out of my hands now. They he circled back to ask my plans for the day. Now he wants to talk about something in the paper 3y
mcctrish @KathyWheeler it sure is 3y
AmyG Ha. Sounds like my husband. 😂 3y
45 likes7 comments
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Bookalong
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

4🌟 I quite enjoyed this book, and Alderton's writing was great! I thought how she used the idea of ghosts and applied it to Nina's life was so clever. Like how as people get older and evolve in life they leave ghosts of their former selves, if that makes sense. It was very reflective, and especially true for Nina's father who has dementia. Alderton really captures dating and life in today's world quite well. #bookreview #bookstagram #bookblogger

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mcctrish
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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I saved reading this until I got my hands on this mug

DimeryRene Perfect 👻👻 3y
Sharpeipup Adorable! 3y
BittersweetBooks Super cute!! 3y
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mcctrish @DimeryRene it‘s amazing how basic it is and yet has so much cuteness 3y
mcctrish @Sharpeipup I was smitten at first sight 3y
mcctrish @BittersweetBooks there is no end to books and mug combinations that I covet 🤣🤣 3y
Sparklemn I love it! 3y
46 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

Loved this as an #audiobook Nina is dating again after a breakup and these are her single 20 something adventures. Told with great empathy and good humor. #ARC

51 likes2 stack adds
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KarenUK
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

Ignore the synopsis that calls this a romantic comedy. It‘s not that. It‘s much more a story of a modern millennial life, of friendships, dating, career, and aging parents. It‘s sharp, funny and yes a bit generic at times, but also really enjoyable.
It‘s got a very London vibe, making it relatable for me despite being a generation older than Nina. She‘s flawed, sometimes behaves badly, but in mostly believable ways. (Review continued in comments)

KarenUK I‘ve seen her called immature and unlikeable. To me, she‘s just a young-ish woman, dealing with her stuff imperfectly. It makes me feel sad, that if as readers we can‘t be empathetic to an imperfect human, even a fictional one, then somehow we‘re doomed!
The ‘ghosts‘ of the title are men who disappear, but it also refers to the heartbreaking story of her father‘s progressive dementia.
(edited) 3y
KarenUK And it‘s this part of story I sadly found most relatable. The author handles this part of the story so perfectly. She‘s also great on the bits about single and/or childless women, and how this can affect female friendship, on how it feels when friendships change, as we take different paths at different speeds. Sometimes feelings get hurt, and that‘s ok. 3y
KarenUK I hate the description Chick-Lit (and hate “Women‘s Fiction” even more) but if this is it, then it‘s a really good example of it. #pop21 #gemmineralorrockintitle @Cinfhen @Kalalalatja @BarbaraBB @Megabooks @4thhouseontheleft (edited) 3y
See All 7 Comments
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 stacked- definitely made me want to read it. 3y
MicheleinPhilly @TrishB I just purchased this the other day for 99p. 3y
TrishB @MicheleinPhilly oh I must have missed it! Didn‘t check everyday on holiday. 3y
KarenUK Bargain! It‘s definitely worth 99p! 😂 @TrishB @MicheleinPhilly 3y
54 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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KarenUK
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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This sentence really hits home for me….. 💔

TrishB 💔❤️ 3y
CarolynM 💔 3y
41 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KarenUK
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Love that equation 💕🙃

AlaMich 😂 3y
39 likes1 comment
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Sara_Planz
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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I kept hearing about this one so I‘m starting this next.

30 likes1 stack add
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Moray_Reads
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Mehso-so

Surely everyone in their 30s isn't this childish? No-one I know is. Mildly entertaining but I soon got quite tired of the melodrama and the constant judgemental attitude of the narrator and other characters @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks I've also been reading some books lately where I'm having trouble decide whether the characters are 35 or 15 😬 3y
Moray_Reads @TheAromaofBooks it's a Shane because I find the author likable and insightful in her column. Maybe she just depends so much time dealing with the people who write in that it's skewed her perception of the 30-39 population! 3y
28 likes2 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Loved Dolly Alderton‘s nonfiction (tagged in comments) so I jumped at the chance to download this #arc of GHOSTS from #netgalley. I believe it is released in the states in August. I‘ve been seeing this one pop up here in Litsy and I‘ve been looking forward to getting my hands on it! So far it is very British which I very much enjoy 😊

64 likes1 stack add
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Andrew65
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

Book 6 finished for #FabulousFebruary and #DoubleSpin book for February.

Took me a long while to get into this book, but then did enjoy it. Quite an emotive book looking at dementia and it‘s effect on the family, & Nina trying to find a relationship using a dating App. Nina was treated quite badly in this book following her experience on a dating app. Loved second half of the book, but then just petered out in my opinion. Needed a better ending.

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 4y
Andrew65 @TheAromaofBooks Thanks 😊 4y
83 likes2 comments
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emmaturi
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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I picked up these books from the library yesterday. I have a week off work now, so I will read one of these. #tbr

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Bookworm-87
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
Mehso-so

I love Dolly on the High Low and liked her first book (Everything I know about love) so I wanted to like this much more than I actually did. A quick, easy read but not a book I'll think about again.

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Oryx
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Thanks so much for the book and the HUGE chocolate bar Jess @jhod

I am really excited to read this one - think it will be perfect Christmas reading.

And thank you for the card - I shall write back soon.

#jolabokaflodswap thank you for organising @MaleficentBookDragon

PS your detective work on my email address was correct... 😬

squirrelbrain The book looks great - and it was a question on the Penguin book quiz wasn‘t it?! Enjoy! 4y
57 likes1 stack add1 comment