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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Idk how to explain it but I loved this book. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death and Infidelity
one HP mentionhannahrogers's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
kbairbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.5
*huge sigh* I really needed this book. I’ve been having a quarter life crisis and freaking out every few days about my imminent end and something about this book felt so comforting to me. It well felt like the author and I were sharing fears and facing them together. It felt like a hug. It felt like Hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: The Dead Romantics
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: June 28, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Deep • Human • Delightful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Florence Day is a ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, yet following an awful breakup she finds herself no longer believing in happily ever after.
In desperate need of yet another extension for the novel she's currently writing, Florence is set to meet with her new editor, Benji Andor. Of course, he just happens to be very handsome, and doesn't grant her what she needs - more time. Tasked with turning in the manuscript the very next day, Florence is preparing to kiss her career goodbye, until she gets a phone call that will have her returning home for the first time in a decade to bury her father.
To Florence, it seems like nothing about her small town has changed since the day she left. When a ghost shows up on the front step of the family's funeral parlor, it's the handsome and infuriating Ben. Perplexed, Florence must help him wrap up unfinished business, only this time the unfinished business just happens to be the book she hasn't been able to finish.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I will always be drawn to books that involve the publishing industry, and I went into The Dead Romantics knowing very little beyond that there would be ghosts. And it was one of those books that took me by complete surprise.
What I like:
• Florence. I was rooting for her from the very start. She's quirky. She's interesting. Her development evolves nicely. Honestly, each member of the cast has a well-developed and unique personality which really brought them to life.
• the family business. A family run funeral home is definitely a unique concept, but it worked so well in this small town setting.
• focus on grief and death/dying. This was done in way not many books venture to do and that was a huge breath of fresh air. Death (and grief) for that matter are things many in Western societies shy away from talking about, and I really appreciated how this book opened up dialogue on the topic.
• the cozy vibes. This felt like equal parts cozy mystery, rom-com, and magical realism. It all just worked so well.
• the quotes. So many highlights throughout. Smart, relatable, and reflective.
What I didn't like:
• predictability. I saw nearly everything that was coming, and that's really the only issue I had. For me, it took away from the emotional impact of all this book is.
The Dead Romantics defies genre boundaries by meshing together some of my favourite elements from a variety of genres. It's a beautiful, comforting, reflecting and hopeful story of forgiveness and healing, of death and grief, and of course above all, love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who liked The Midnight Library
• fans of the Addams family
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Because loneliness was the kind og ghost that haunted you long after you were dead."
"I began to realize that love wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t forever, either. It was something in between, a moment in time where two people existed at the exact same moment in the exact same place in the universe."
"Everything that dies never really goes. In little ways, it all stays."
"Everything died, but pieces of it remained. Dad was in the wind because he breathed the same air that I breathed. Dad was a mark in history because he existed. He was part of my future because I still carried on."
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: June 28, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Deep • Human • Delightful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Florence Day is a ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, yet following an awful breakup she finds herself no longer believing in happily ever after.
In desperate need of yet another extension for the novel she's currently writing, Florence is set to meet with her new editor, Benji Andor. Of course, he just happens to be very handsome, and doesn't grant her what she needs - more time. Tasked with turning in the manuscript the very next day, Florence is preparing to kiss her career goodbye, until she gets a phone call that will have her returning home for the first time in a decade to bury her father.
To Florence, it seems like nothing about her small town has changed since the day she left. When a ghost shows up on the front step of the family's funeral parlor, it's the handsome and infuriating Ben. Perplexed, Florence must help him wrap up unfinished business, only this time the unfinished business just happens to be the book she hasn't been able to finish.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I will always be drawn to books that involve the publishing industry, and I went into The Dead Romantics knowing very little beyond that there would be ghosts. And it was one of those books that took me by complete surprise.
What I like:
• Florence. I was rooting for her from the very start. She's quirky. She's interesting. Her development evolves nicely. Honestly, each member of the cast has a well-developed and unique personality which really brought them to life.
• the family business. A family run funeral home is definitely a unique concept, but it worked so well in this small town setting.
• focus on grief and death/dying. This was done in way not many books venture to do and that was a huge breath of fresh air. Death (and grief) for that matter are things many in Western societies shy away from talking about, and I really appreciated how this book opened up dialogue on the topic.
• the cozy vibes. This felt like equal parts cozy mystery, rom-com, and magical realism. It all just worked so well.
• the quotes. So many highlights throughout. Smart, relatable, and reflective.
What I didn't like:
• predictability. I saw nearly everything that was coming, and that's really the only issue I had. For me, it took away from the emotional impact of all this book is.
The Dead Romantics defies genre boundaries by meshing together some of my favourite elements from a variety of genres. It's a beautiful, comforting, reflecting and hopeful story of forgiveness and healing, of death and grief, and of course above all, love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who liked The Midnight Library
• fans of the Addams family
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Because loneliness was the kind og ghost that haunted you long after you were dead."
"I began to realize that love wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t forever, either. It was something in between, a moment in time where two people existed at the exact same moment in the exact same place in the universe."
"Everything that dies never really goes. In little ways, it all stays."
"Everything died, but pieces of it remained. Dad was in the wind because he breathed the same air that I breathed. Dad was a mark in history because he existed. He was part of my future because I still carried on."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident, Alcohol, and Sexual content
soobooksalot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
The Dead Romantics is a ghost story unlike any other.
It's the story of author Florence Day and the small town and family she left behind 10 years earlier.
The Day family has run a funeral home for many years, but was not entirely prepared to be burying one of their own.
And what of that handsome man who suddenly appears in the parlour's front door, visible to only Florence?
I loved so much about this book - the characters, the humour and quirk, the love story, the darker themes of loss and being misunderstood, and all the literary references.
I laughed. I cried.
And I definitely recommend!
It's the story of author Florence Day and the small town and family she left behind 10 years earlier.
The Day family has run a funeral home for many years, but was not entirely prepared to be burying one of their own.
And what of that handsome man who suddenly appears in the parlour's front door, visible to only Florence?
I loved so much about this book - the characters, the humour and quirk, the love story, the darker themes of loss and being misunderstood, and all the literary references.
I laughed. I cried.
And I definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Child death, and Alcohol
kathigh86's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.75
I really did like this book. I recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary romance with a little twist. My only problem was that we did not really get to delve deep into the MMC. I think I might’ve appreciated more of that. The general vibe of this book is adultified wattpad fan fiction (not in a bad way).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Murder, Alcohol, Car accident, Grief, and Child death
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, Infidelity, and Murder
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were so endearing and fleshed out, and the plot was simple but executed very well. My only complaint is that it had a few sexy scenes that I felt were too explicit, but I also skipped the audiobook forward during these parts to try and avoid them.
Content Warning: Death of a parent, grief, cursing, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, sexual content (one sexual fantasy and one sex scene), multiple LGBT characters (M/M relationship that's prominent in the story, one character identifies as they/them, and a few comments about two females flirting with each other), bullying, and alcohol.
Content Warning: Death of a parent, grief, cursing, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, sexual content (one sexual fantasy and one sex scene), multiple LGBT characters (M/M relationship that's prominent in the story, one character identifies as they/them, and a few comments about two females flirting with each other), bullying, and alcohol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
mkwreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Medical content and Bullying
Minor: Murder, Car accident, and Child death
nicksalex's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Car accident
Minor: Cursing, Bullying, and Murder