I absolutely adored Ghosts by Dolly Alderton. This book perfectly represents what dating via apps in 2022 is genuinely like, from the way people manipulate their profiles to make themselves seem more interesting/successful than they actually are to the mind numbing experience of going through the 'talking stage' to the possible disasters when you do actually make it to a real life date with the person. Going through Nina's experience is an emotional one, not only is she dealing with being 'ghosted' by potential love interests but she's going through the very real trauma of watching a person you love become a ghost of themselves due to dementia. It was a great story told in a gentle, thoughtful way and takes on the different perspectives of all the different characters including Nina's friends, family and even her next door neighbour. I wanted to keep reading because I was genuinely routing for Nina and wanted to see where the story would take her and ultimately the ending was very realistic and authentic, it wasn't your classic 'happy ending' but you felt a sense of comfort in that Nina has managed to navigate her way through so many ups and downs but has remained true to herself.

Thank you to Penguin for having me as part of this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! To be completely blunt, I wasn’t 100 percent sure this was going to be a book I enjoyed. I have read some brilliant adult contemporaries in the past few years, but I’ve also read a few I didn’t enjoy at all. And this sounded in some ways similar to the one’s I didn’t enjoy as much, so naturally I was a little hesitant. However, I am very happy to say I absolutely loved this book. It was bold and beautiful and confident without being abrasive or brash – striking a perfect balance that I just didn’t expect. We follow Nina Dean, who I found to be a likable character from the second page, when she visited Hampstead Ladies Pond (I love outdoor swimming so I loved this instantly). I always find I enjoy books so much more when I actually like the main character and want the best for them – and I really did with Nina. She felt honest and relatable, a real and imperfect character with her own troubles and mistakes. I found the pacing slow at first, but after around 150 pages I couldn’t put this book down and finished it the following day. The plot really picks up and I just wanted to know what happened to Nina and those around her. The writing was absolutely brilliant and may be my favourite part of the book as a whole – it was easy to read but had some real depth and honest discussions I loved reading. There was something in the writing that just made me feel so connected to Nina, it made me cry (and I mean tears running down my cheeks!) but also made me laugh. It is so rare I find a book that makes me properly laugh, but this one did. It made me chuckle over and over again, and I applaud the writing for that! It also made my heart drop and brought a sick feeling to my stomach when certain things happened in Nina’s life that I just felt so emotional over. I also love how this book was feminist without being men-hating. I have read books before that felt like they crossed that line and I didn’t appreciate it – Ghosts, however, appreciates both sides of a story and brings in both successful and unsuccessful relationships. It was the balance I really wanted from this book. The relationships felt so real and were another reason I felt so connected to Nina, especially the difficult relationship with her parents (it was a scene between her and her mum that made me cry). This book was a really pleasant surprise and there is honestly so much to love about it. Despite the slow start I found it so engaging and brilliantly written. An emotional but funny and uplifting read all at the same time! ★★★★★ 4.5 out of 5 stars -Beth May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

A running joke between myself and my bookseller babes is that I wish that Dolly Alderton was my wife. I adore her podcast ‘The High/Low’ with fellow writer Pandora Sykes, I devoured her memoir ‘Everything I know About Love’, I am deeply committed to The Sunday Times (I say it’s for the book reviews…) 1. So I can read it on the shop floor on a Sunday Morning with my coffee and pretend I am still at home eating a bacon sandwich and doing the crossword 2. Genuinely so I have a rough idea as to what “ummm it was reviewed this morning; it possibly is about German cars and foreign holidays? Do you know the one I mean?” might actually mean. But to be really truly honest with you, it is because I want a Dolly fix. Deep, deep down we all need to know how to resolve ‘I’VE BEEN HAPPILY MARRIED FOR 19 YEARS, BUT I CAN’T GET OVER MY FIRST LOVE’ or ‘MY BOYFRIEND WON’T ADD ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA’. I have been in a monogamous relationship since 2010, I have absolutely no idea how to navigate these sorts of dilemmas and I am utterly relieved that ‘Dear Dolly’ will do it for me. I had such high expectations about this book I was almost too nervous to read it. So now, the morning after I started and finished ‘Ghost’, I feel so sad. So sad that I was glutinous and devoured it all in one go. So sad that Nelly, Dean and Lola are no longer in my life, making me smile and cry in equal amounts. Dolly writes about female friendships in their very truest form, so raw and rude and passionate, if you wouldn’t help undress and shower your best friend because she threw up on herself after drinking far too much, are you even best friends? I desperately wanted to gush about the storyline she had so accurately portrayed between Nelly and her father, but it is the most important part to me, it is so delicate, it unfolds into the biggest and most life affirming love story in a women’s heart. I cried a lot; I am crying now as I write this. Dolly has only affirmed in my mind that she is as kind and thoughtful as she is hilarious and deeply insightful. Ghost’s is due out - 15/10/2020 Available for Pre Order now - https://www.waterstones.com/book/ghosts/dolly-alderton/9781785177255

If you loved “Everything I Know About Love” you will not be disappointed by Dolly Alderton’s first novel. Ghosts is a fantastically fun novel about friendship, family, and love. I read it in one sitting because it is simply unputdownable!

There are times when you feel like a book has been written just for you. This is one of those times. Dolly Alderton is so in touch with the attitudes and experiences of modern life it's quite extraordinary. I have to say Ghosts wasn't exactly what I was expecting. After reading Dolly's memoir 'Everything I Know About Love' I was a little bit apprehensive about starting her first novel. In her memoir I found Dolly a little hard to relate to and dare I say it?...slightly annoying. I have to say on reflection, I think at times this was perhaps the point. Ghosts was the complete opposite - I was hooked from the first sentence. Alderton has created relatable, believable and well rounded characters, including the situations they find themselves in. Dolly is well versed in the lives and loves of 30+ year old women and I found this especially comforting and reassuring. Everything played out just as I was expecting but this wasn't in any way disappointing - this was exactly what I wanted. I finally felt like someone has my back and I found great peace from reading this novel. I can't wait to read what she writes next.