The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

 

Title: The Dead Romantics

Author: Ashley Poston

Publisher: Berkley Publishing

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal

Source: paperback, Target

Pages: 344

Synopsis

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

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.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

Thoughts

"The Dead Romantics" by Ashley Poston was not just a book for me; it was an emotionally enriching experience that left a lasting impact. The narrative is beautifully layered, filled with unexpected twists that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. The sweetness of the story, infused with a poignant sense of nostalgia, resonated with my own experiences and memories, particularly those of my father.

Speaking of personal experiences, the way Poston writes about grief is something that I found strikingly relatable. Not everyone understands the oppressiveness of grief – the way it weighs you down, the way it lingers. Poston, however, has an uncanny ability to capture this often misunderstood emotion. Her depiction of grief is not just about the immediate pain of loss, it's also about the long-term emotional journey, the gradual process of learning to live with the loss.

I especially appreciated the book's emphasis on the enduring nature of grief. It was refreshing to read a narrative that acknowledges that while grief may become less heavy as time goes on, it never truly goes away. This felt like a much-needed counterpoint to the common trope in many books that suggest grief will eventually pass entirely, which is far from the truth.

In the midst of the book's exploration of grief and loss, it maintains a remarkably romantic undertone. The romance in the book is endearing, heartfelt, and adds a layer of warmth to the narrative. It's not just about the thrill of romantic love, but also about the comfort, the companionship, and the shared understanding that comes with it.

Overall, "The Dead Romantics" was a deeply moving and thought-provoking read that offered a nuanced exploration of love, loss, and the enduring nature of grief. It was a book that touched my heart and stirred my emotions, leaving me with a sense of having experienced something truly special.