Review--The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

 

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead... but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

 

Ashely Poston's The Dead Romantics was an adorable story involving a ghostwriter and a ghost! I know what you're thinking, did I realize I picked up a romance novel? Yes, my friends, I did. This was recommend at a book signing I attended last year and since I adored that book, I thought I had to try this one too!

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for the famous Ann Nichols, think Nora Roberts! Florence enjoys her job, but after her latest heartbreak, she's just about done with romance. Which is not something a romance writer can really say. When she tries to get her new editor, Benji Andor, to give her an extension, she is turned down and must get her act together to give her current novel the happily ever after ending that it needs. But just when she tries to get her writing into gear, the unthinkable happens; her father passes away.

Florence now must return home to help with the funeral arrangements. Ironically, her family runs the only funeral business in town and her father left a very particular list of "to-dos" for his own service and Florence is taking it upon herself to fulfill every odd wish he left out. But just as things are getting started on her first night there, she sees Benji and he's ghost!

Florence has always been able to see ghosts. It was a gift she and her father shared, but none of her other siblings have it. Her ability to see ghosts is actually what made her move far from home, that and her desire to have a writing career. Now she must try to help Ben with whatever unfinished business he has going on and plan her father's funeral and finish her book on top of it all. Ben sticks around quite a bit since Florence is the only one in town who can see him. Florence and Ben think, perhaps, his unfinished business is her book needing to be finished.

I will admit, that going into this one, I thought perhaps there would be a bit of mystery surrounding Ben's untimely demise, but sadly, that was not the case. He recalls seeing a car coming at him while crossing the street and then that was it. Since he was in New York and there was no "foul play," there really wasn't any mystery to be solved.

So I found myself reading what really felt like a contemporary novel. Which as you may know, is not my cup of tea. I did enjoy Ben's presence throughout the story since it was the only "weird" vibe it had going. I honestly kind of pegged things down early with the story, seeing what direction it would go in. I mean, in a sense, it makes a lot of...sense. Lol.

The romance budding between Florence and ghostly Ben was adorable though! It was reminiscent of one of my favorite Meg Cabot series that I read eons ago! Ever wonder how there can be a ghost romance story? Well, wonder no more! Poston takes her story in an entirely different direction though and that itself was kind of interesting as well.

The pacing, what can I say about the pacing that doesn't sound harsh? I am not a contemporary reader. Everyday life events that are the main plot of the story don't appeal to me, and sadly, that's kind of what was happening here. Florence was going about her day trying to make her father's final arrangements down to the letter, while dealing with other real life problems. It wasn't bad...it just wasn't my kind of escape.

The ending was a bit predictable from my point of view, but also genre wise, you kind of expect it too. One thing I did love throughout the book was the art of writing and reading! You can definitely see where Poston's own personal experiences in the business likely helped flesh things out for Florence and the name dropping of other romance authors was also adorable! You got to love a character that loves reading too and I enjoyed that about Florence.

I knew going into this that it would likely be more romance than anything else, but I guess I had hoped for a bit of mystery. While that wasn't the case, I did still find the book to be cute and enjoyable. I guess I just needed a bit more ghostly business to make up for a lack of mystery that was never meant to be. But that being said, I totally plan to read Poston's next book that also has a flare of paranormal to the romance as she's coming to a bookstore nearby in a few weeks and I'm a sucker for an author signing, what can I say? 

If you love reading and you love romances and don't mind a few ghostly encounters of the completely non-terrifying kind, then The Dead Romantics will be the read for you! It was cute and light-hearted kind of read that even my darkened heart could enjoy to some extent!

Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars