The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

4.01 AVERAGE

rachels_booknook's profile picture

rachels_booknook's review

4.0
The Dead Romantics follows Florence Day, a ghostwriter for a famous romance author who’s struggling to believe in love after a brutal betrayal and breakup. When her beloved father passes away, she’s forced to return to her hometown, and the funeral home her family runs, for the first time in a decade. The last thing she expects is to run into the ghost of her new (and infuriatingly handsome) editor, who has some unfinished business of his own. 

After loving The Seven Year Slip, I was excited to go back and read Ashley Poston’s debut adult novel. And now I can’t wait to pick up her next two. I always enjoy a main character who’s a writer, and I especially loved the dynamic between Florence and her family. The way so many people in their small town embraced her family’s quirks, almost expected them really, felt charming (and made perfect sense, given they ran the funeral home in a town that was pretty eccentric itself). Although of course not everyone was accepting, but that contrast made the story more interesting. 

What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed the relationship between Florence and her ghost, especially the moments where she could see him and no one else could. It was sweet and unexpectedly funny, but also supportive as they helped each other navigate grief and unfinished business. 

The ending wasn’t unexpected, but it felt just right. 

brianna_the_bookworm's review against another edition

4.25
emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

paige_06's review

5.0
emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

erin_enlightened's review

3.5
hopeful inspiring reflective 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

l_liest's review against another edition

4.25
emotional funny hopeful 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: Complicated
alexhgomez's profile picture

alexhgomez's review against another edition

4.5
funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

amgonzales89's review

1.5
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No

lorreviews's review against another edition

4.0
Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics is such a great example of why I love magical realism—because it doesn’t always have to make perfect sense to feel real. Her writing is always fun and unique, and this story was no exception.

The quirky cast of characters pulled me in right away. Florence, our ghostwriter (yes—pun intended), is navigating grief, family dynamics, and a career where she doesn’t always get the credit she deserves. Add in a funeral home setting, a complicated relationship with her hometown and her past, and you’ve got this perfect mix of heart, humor, and just a little bit of ghostly magic.

There’s loss, love, a brutal breakup, and the most unexpected kind of connection that kept me emotionally hooked. I loved how it explored the push and pull of finding your own way, especially when your roots run deep.

A solid 4 stars from me—this one was charming, heartfelt, and just a little weird in the best possible way.
princessnthepage's profile picture

princessnthepage's review against another edition

5.0
Wow what a story of healing and redemption! This story will equally break your heart and knit you back together at the same time. Charlie lost the love of his life in a car accident and approve of himself as well. He is angry at the work and the 1 person he this is responsible for the crash. Autumn lost everything the day of the crash. She lost her boyfriend, her best friend and everything she holds dear. All it takes is 1 small secret to turn Charlie’s world upside down. Though their world was shattered they find a way to put the pieces back together alongside each other.

laur_wong's review against another edition

5.0
emotional funny hopeful sad fast-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
I cried a lot, but in a way that made me feel human and hopeful.