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dinipandareads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy granola, when my bookish friends told me they thought I would like this book, I don't think they could've even anticipated just how much emotional it would make me and just how much I would fall in love with the words, characters, and romance. Everything about this resonated and it was wonderful. I think I've discovered another new favourite this year! I'm an emotional reader as it is but I love when a book can reel me in and get me so deeply in my feelings. I don't know if it's the things that have been going on with me personally over the last year (plus+), but the discussions of loss, grief and healing, finding hope, and rediscovering love, just hit me so hard and I found myself constantly crying, laughing, and swooning as I read. Honestly, it was a fantastic combination of feelings that simply made me love this book even more! I can't even apologise for how messy this review is gonna be (because you know the drill when it comes to books I love to bits) but long story short, I'm so glad I read this and I highly recommend it.
I really enjoyed Poston's writing. The combination of wit, humour, and heartfelt made for an enjoyable, albeit very emotional, read that had me speeding through the pages because I was invested in our MC's character growth and the steady, swoontastic romance. To be honest, I don't even know if I would classify this strictly as a romance because although it was a big part of Florence's character arc, it felt rather "minor" in comparison to the themes of loss, grief and healing. Clearly, that didn't make me love this book any less but for those who pick this up expecting a typical contemporary romance, you might be disappointed to not find it so straightforward here. Though that's definitely not to say that the romance wasn't wonderful because it absolutely was and I ship these two so hard! π
I loved Florence. She's a bit messy but completely relatable, although that didn't mean that there weren't times that I wanted to give her a good long shake. But I loved how well Poston wrote about her growth. She's been through a lot, especially in the heartbreak department courtesy of the latest douchecanoe she dated over a year ago. She no longer believes in love despite being a ghostwriter for a prolific romance author and now in addition to the stress of being unable to write happy endings, she also has to deal with the devasting passing of her father. The loss and grief were palpable and hit like a sledgehammer to the chest but because of that, I also found it more uplifting and hopeful as she goes through the healing journey and starts to bring down her walls and learn to let people back in again. Again, the emotions really hit me hard with this one and I felt for her so much!
Benji Andor was an intriguing MMC who gave me strong 2005 Mr Darcy/Lee Pace vibes and I was entirely here for it. He's Florence's new editor who is stoic and formal but has a soft hopeless romantic heart. I absolutely adored him. He was incredibly swoony and some of the moments between them really had me MELTINGβsquealing in "it was so good"! π€£ Despite their romance being pretty unconventional, what with him being a ghost and her being very much alive, I liked that it gave them the space to be more vulnerable with each other and gave them room to grow. The more time they spent getting to know each other, the stronger their chemistry became and I loved the heightened romantic tension and mutual pining! I loved how they both were avid romance readers and appreciators (even despite Florence's "romance is dead" stance at the beginning) and I thought their opposites attract/chaotic romance ghostwriter x refined romance editor vibe was perfect. It was also a matter of simply accepting each other as they are and that always melts my heart! Their romance was so soft and sweet and incredibly wholesome. Ah, I loved it (if you can't tell, lol)!
I can honestly go on about how much I loved this book and how it so unexpectedly got me in my feels but I'll stop while I'm ahead and just say READ IT! Please!
I loved Florence. She's a bit messy but completely relatable, although that didn't mean that there weren't times that I wanted to give her a good long shake. But I loved how well Poston wrote about her growth. She's been through a lot, especially in the heartbreak department courtesy of the latest douchecanoe she dated over a year ago. She no longer believes in love despite being a ghostwriter for a prolific romance author and now in addition to the stress of being unable to write happy endings, she also has to deal with the devasting passing of her father. The loss and grief were palpable and hit like a sledgehammer to the chest but because of that, I also found it more uplifting and hopeful as she goes through the healing journey and starts to bring down her walls and learn to let people back in again. Again, the emotions really hit me hard with this one and I felt for her so much!
Benji Andor was an intriguing MMC who gave me strong 2005 Mr Darcy/Lee Pace vibes and I was entirely here for it. He's Florence's new editor who is stoic and formal but has a soft hopeless romantic heart. I absolutely adored him. He was incredibly swoony and some of the moments between them really had me MELTINGβsquealing in "it was so good"! π€£ Despite their romance being pretty unconventional, what with him being a ghost and her being very much alive, I liked that it gave them the space to be more vulnerable with each other and gave them room to grow. The more time they spent getting to know each other, the stronger their chemistry became and I loved the heightened romantic tension and mutual pining! I loved how they both were avid romance readers and appreciators (even despite Florence's "romance is dead" stance at the beginning) and I thought their opposites attract/chaotic romance ghostwriter x refined romance editor vibe was perfect. It was also a matter of simply accepting each other as they are and that always melts my heart! Their romance was so soft and sweet and incredibly wholesome. Ah, I loved it (if you can't tell, lol)!
I can honestly go on about how much I loved this book and how it so unexpectedly got me in my feels but I'll stop while I'm ahead and just say READ IT! Please!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Bullying, and Infidelity
rachaelreadsalot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol and Blood
Minor: Child death, Murder, Infidelity, and Child abuse
lj_sophia's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.75
This was a fun read. I loved it for what it is and that's a lighthearted, cliche-filled, ghost-story romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity
erandle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
nikkijeanreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
"ππ―ππ«π²ππ‘π’π§π ππ‘ππ ππ’ππ¬ π§ππ―ππ« π«πππ₯π₯π² π π¨ππ¬. ππ§ π₯π’πππ₯π π°ππ²π¬, π’π ππ₯π₯ π¬πππ²π¬."
If there was ever a moment for me to stumble upon a book I knew nothing about...this was it.
It was unexpected and unique, and I completed got lost in it.
The way that Ashley Poston handled grief was so comforting, and it brought a bit of peace to my heart in the wake of a recent loss.
Florence and Ben are such a delight-their corny jokes, their heartfelt chats...I just couldn't put this book down.
I am sure there are people who won't connect this way. People who find the plot too out there, but I think if it is the right fit for you, you will feel like this book sought you out and gave you something you didn't know you needed.
If there was ever a moment for me to stumble upon a book I knew nothing about...this was it.
It was unexpected and unique, and I completed got lost in it.
The way that Ashley Poston handled grief was so comforting, and it brought a bit of peace to my heart in the wake of a recent loss.
Florence and Ben are such a delight-their corny jokes, their heartfelt chats...I just couldn't put this book down.
I am sure there are people who won't connect this way. People who find the plot too out there, but I think if it is the right fit for you, you will feel like this book sought you out and gave you something you didn't know you needed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
extrafolklore's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Medical content, Sexual content, and Infidelity
amibo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
kaymay29's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
This is a really fun book that explores death, grief, and love. It was sweet and sentimental. Also, it was genuinely funny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Infidelity, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol
nehanaomi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.5
"ghost stories were just love stories" it's giving haunting of hill house
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Child death, Grief, Bullying, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Medical content, and Sexual content
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This was such a heartfelt and adorable read full of small town coziness and a compelling sense of whimsy that my Wednesday Addamsβ loving heart couldnβt get enough of.
It follows ghost writer, Florence (who can see ghosts) and her new editor Benji (who has suddenly become a ghost less 24hrs since Florence last saw him) as she tries to process her grief surrounding the unexpected death of her father and the year long writerβs block which threatens to tank her career all while returning to the hometown which drove her away ten years prior.
I genuinely loved Florence who was such an endearing protagonist (trust me itβs virtually impossible not to love her in all her kooky glory.) And I enjoyed getting to see the fascinating and unconventional childhood she got to experience, growing up in a funeral home with such a close knit family (and being able to communicate with the dead.)
I picked this up hoping for something fairly light and fluffy and though thereβs is quite a bit of that, especially when it came to Florence and Benβs relationshipβwhich is genuinely swoon-worthyβthereβs also some gorgeously written scenes that were pretty emotionally intense and may just make you tear up.
The book does deal a lot with grief in all itβs various forms (from losing a loved one to dealing with the proverbial death of a relationship) which could be a trigger for some. But, I do have to admit I really enjoyed all of the deeply emotional moments we got to explore and I absolutely loved how satisfying the ending was.
This definitely felt like the love child of Book Lovers and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy so if you enjoy either (or both) of those then I thoroughly recommend checking this out!
It follows ghost writer, Florence (who can see ghosts) and her new editor Benji (who has suddenly become a ghost less 24hrs since Florence last saw him) as she tries to process her grief surrounding the unexpected death of her father and the year long writerβs block which threatens to tank her career all while returning to the hometown which drove her away ten years prior.
I genuinely loved Florence who was such an endearing protagonist (trust me itβs virtually impossible not to love her in all her kooky glory.) And I enjoyed getting to see the fascinating and unconventional childhood she got to experience, growing up in a funeral home with such a close knit family (and being able to communicate with the dead.)
I picked this up hoping for something fairly light and fluffy and though thereβs is quite a bit of that, especially when it came to Florence and Benβs relationshipβwhich is genuinely swoon-worthyβthereβs also some gorgeously written scenes that were pretty emotionally intense and may just make you tear up.
The book does deal a lot with grief in all itβs various forms (from losing a loved one to dealing with the proverbial death of a relationship) which could be a trigger for some. But, I do have to admit I really enjoyed all of the deeply emotional moments we got to explore and I absolutely loved how satisfying the ending was.
This definitely felt like the love child of Book Lovers and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy so if you enjoy either (or both) of those then I thoroughly recommend checking this out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Bullying, Child death, and Infidelity