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A review by natashaleighton_
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
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 Addams’ loving heart couldn’t 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 writer’s 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 it’s 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 there’s is quite a bit of that, especially when it came to Florence and Ben’s relationship—which is genuinely swoon-worthy—there’s 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 it’s 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 writer’s 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 it’s 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 there’s is quite a bit of that, especially when it came to Florence and Ben’s relationship—which is genuinely swoon-worthy—there’s 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 it’s 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