Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Gespenster

Reading Ghosts felt like experiencing an existential crisis. I enjoyed some of the relationships in the story - especially Nina and Lola's friendship - but the characters felt overwhelmingly jaded. I can't fault the book for feeling like a very 'real' portrayal of life, expectations and growth. However as a story it was exhausting to read.

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christinesreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

My 2022 reading trend is finding books about women living in London (or, at least, part of the time) and realizing they don't need a relationship (man) to be happy. I relate and I love it. GHOSTS is a true gem.

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waybeyondblue's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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savvylit's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed immersing myself in Nina's perspective. There's a passage early on where she describes her agent, Vivienne, as being able to utter "throwaway thoughts that would become fundamental truth to whoever heard them." That's how I felt about Nina - and Dolly Alderton - while reading Ghosts. Some of Nina's throwaway thoughts seem to perfectly encapsulate truths about living in our modern era.

Here are a few of Nina's observations that felt like fundamental truths to me:

"Dynamics of power always rearrange themselves when you're not watching them."

"I had never known a feeling as unbearable - as sour, wrenching, and unshakeably sad - as pity for a parent."

"I'd noticed this was a thing that people did when they got into their thirties: they saw every personal decision you made as a direct judgement on their lives. If you voted Labour and they voted Lib Dem, they thought you were voting Labour specifically to let them know that their politics were incorrect."

Another aspect of Ghosts that I enjoyed was the relationship dynamics between Nina and her parents. The way that Nina and Nancy deal with Bill's illness was so nuanced and unflinchingly realistic. Adult-child to parent relationships fall onto such a complicated spectrum of feelings. I don't know about you but I rarely find books that explore these relationships beyond two dimensions. But Ghosts fully fleshed out the family dynamics so well.

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rynicolereads's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The first word that comes to mind when thinking about how to describe Ghosts is "relatable," but I'm guessing that's because I'm in my 30's. Even though my life isn't anything like the main character's, her experiences and relationships felt familiar. In addition to being relatable, it's also funny, charming, and well-written!

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ellereadsbookslike's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

3.5

~Short Synopsis~

Nina George Dean is in her early thirties. She's a successful food writer, she has a new flat in central London and she is surrounded by her loving friends and family. But as she watches her friends get married, start families and move to the suburbs, she can't help but feel like she's getting left behind. Nina is confronted with a whole host of new challenges she wasn't expecting - dating apps, drifting away from her friends and her Dad's worsening health. Maybe her 30s won't be as fun and carefree as she expected.

~Review~

I definitely didn't expect to like this book as much as I did but that being said, I also had some issues with it.

Nina is a fairly relatable protagonist (if not a bit pessimistic but aren't we all) and I feel Alderton really captures the essence of a woman that feels something is missing from her life. There were times when I had a literal knot in my stomach because I was really feeling Nina's pain. I think that is a sign of a successful protagonist. I also have personal experience with watching someone decline from dementia so I could definitely relate to what Nina was going through with her dad. I've seen a few reviews that criticise Nina for wallowing in her pain and to be honest that was one of the most realistic things about the character for me - we all wallow in self pity, no matter how self-actualised we are.

Some of the plot was fairly predictable and I was hoping that Alderton was going to shock me by not going in the direction I expected, but alas. I especially felt this with the neighbour arc, I knew it would go in that direction but there was some part of me that hoped I was wrong. But call be professor Trelawney because I was spot on. I felt there was just no need for it to resolve like that (I won't spoil but if you've read it, you'll know). I am also yet to read a book that shows dating apps in a positive light...although, personally, I do despise dating apps with my entire being so that might have something to do with it.

I would put this in the category of 'if you like Bridget Jones then you'll like this'. It's not as funny or as warm hearted as the Bridget Jones books, but it is definitely the first book, that I have read, that I think deserves to be in that category.

Overall an enjoyable read but I don't think I'll read it again (3.5/5)

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