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sonixqst 's review for:
The Dead Romantics
by Ashley Poston
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I definitely did not pick up this book after seeing literally one tiktok about it…or maybe I did. I needed a quick easy romance and this gave me exactly that. It was such a fun read and I sped through it.
This book tackled themes of grief, love, mourning, and family so beautifully. Our main character has lost hope in love after her last relationship and is struggling to finish writing a romance novel. On top of that, she received news that her father has passed away and she has to return to her hometown after a decade for his funeral. Florence (i love this name by the way) was such a well rounded and fun main character, and I completely understand why she left her town and how it must have felt for her going back.
Her family also resented her a little bit for never coming back to visit, which made the whole ordeal even harder. Florence took on the crazy tasks that her dad requested for her funeral and she made amends with her family in the process. They all processed their grief properly but still supported each other. I loved her family so much and I’m glad that they all ended up closer by the end of the book.
Did I mention the ghost following Florence around yet? Turns out her new book editor who wouldn’t give her a deadline extension for her new book has died and now Florence, who can see ghosts, ends up spending time with him. To be honest, I felt like Ben was a very generic love interest (he lowkey reminded me of Charlie Lastra, but Charlie is better) and he wasn’t very memorable. Nevertheless, I liked how him and Florence dealt with their own personal problems and how they helped each other.
This book very much had the small town dynamic in which everybody knows everybody. Florence’s family runs a funeral home which I think is super cool, especially since Florence can see ghosts. I honestly wish her ability was explored a little bit more though.
I liked how Florence was welcomed back into the town without too much grief even after the circumstances that drove her out years ago; and the people who did treat her badly she stood up to.
Every side character that was introduced ended up being important in their own way and they were all very well written. Also the mayor of the town being a dog was something I never knew I needed. But I did.
Okay, now a few things that I didn’t so much enjoy about The Dead Romantics. I think the beginning of the book was super super slow and I ended up skimming a lot of it until the good parts. I think the author can write beautifully, but may have gotten sidetracked a few times. Although I do that in my writing all the time, and probably in this review. And like I said earlier, Ben and Florence reminded me of the main characters from Book Lovers by Emily Henry. The Dead Romantics was definitely the first contemporary romance book I’ve read with a supernatural element, but a lot of aspects of it seemed carbon copied from other books. My last complaint is the main characters name is Florence and she was never once called Flo?! Okay maybe this isn’t a serious complaint but I LOVE that nickname.
Anyway, this was such a good book to get me out of a reading slump and I will definitely be searching for more contemporary romances with ghosts. Because they are cool.
I definitely did not pick up this book after seeing literally one tiktok about it…or maybe I did. I needed a quick easy romance and this gave me exactly that. It was such a fun read and I sped through it.
This book tackled themes of grief, love, mourning, and family so beautifully. Our main character has lost hope in love after her last relationship and is struggling to finish writing a romance novel. On top of that, she received news that her father has passed away and she has to return to her hometown after a decade for his funeral. Florence (i love this name by the way) was such a well rounded and fun main character, and I completely understand why she left her town and how it must have felt for her going back.
Her family also resented her a little bit for never coming back to visit, which made the whole ordeal even harder. Florence took on the crazy tasks that her dad requested for her funeral and she made amends with her family in the process. They all processed their grief properly but still supported each other. I loved her family so much and I’m glad that they all ended up closer by the end of the book.
Did I mention the ghost following Florence around yet? Turns out her new book editor who wouldn’t give her a deadline extension for her new book has died and now Florence, who can see ghosts, ends up spending time with him. To be honest, I felt like Ben was a very generic love interest (he lowkey reminded me of Charlie Lastra, but Charlie is better) and he wasn’t very memorable. Nevertheless, I liked how him and Florence dealt with their own personal problems and how they helped each other.
This book very much had the small town dynamic in which everybody knows everybody. Florence’s family runs a funeral home which I think is super cool, especially since Florence can see ghosts. I honestly wish her ability was explored a little bit more though.
I liked how Florence was welcomed back into the town without too much grief even after the circumstances that drove her out years ago; and the people who did treat her badly she stood up to.
Every side character that was introduced ended up being important in their own way and they were all very well written. Also the mayor of the town being a dog was something I never knew I needed. But I did.
Okay, now a few things that I didn’t so much enjoy about The Dead Romantics. I think the beginning of the book was super super slow and I ended up skimming a lot of it until the good parts. I think the author can write beautifully, but may have gotten sidetracked a few times. Although I do that in my writing all the time, and probably in this review. And like I said earlier, Ben and Florence reminded me of the main characters from Book Lovers by Emily Henry. The Dead Romantics was definitely the first contemporary romance book I’ve read with a supernatural element, but a lot of aspects of it seemed carbon copied from other books. My last complaint is the main characters name is Florence and she was never once called Flo?! Okay maybe this isn’t a serious complaint but I LOVE that nickname.
Anyway, this was such a good book to get me out of a reading slump and I will definitely be searching for more contemporary romances with ghosts. Because they are cool.