I was lucky enough to receive on NetGalley. I wasn't sure what to expect, or how the ghost storyline would play out, but it piqued my interest and I read it in one sitting. The characters were well-formed and had good development throughout the book. Lucas writes beautifully, excellently setting the scene and building the environment to roundly shape the characters lives. So much so, that you feel you intimately know these places and people well. Ultimately, this is a book about loss, grief and love and the profound impact they have on the people's lives. The subject is handled sensitively and with grace, and I know that Beth, Joel and Nina will stick with me for a while. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC on NetGalley and I’m very glad I did! This book was so enjoyable I finished it in one sitting! I loved the emotion and how the book highlights the persistence of grief and how we can almost romanticise our memories of someone when they are gone! I really enjoyed the humour and can definitely recommend this book!

I received this book for free from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

I will preface this review by stating that I am not the intended target audience for this review. I tend more towards science fiction and fantasy than I do romance and contemporary literature, but I'm trying to widen my reading horizons, and this isn't a bad book to do that with.

I'll admit that to me the first half of the book was a little bit of a slog. I couldn't relate to Joel or Beth all that much, and certain scenes felt a little over-dramatic. The second half I felt flowed much more easily, as if it took a little while for the book to find its way. I found Nina more relatable a character, and once the relationship between her and Joel was established the book became so much more enjoyable to me.

Worth a read if you're a fan of romantic comedies.

Rom coms aren't usually my jam, but a love story with ghosts? I couldn't resist. Nearly Departed is both a lighthearted and moving read about what happens when you try to move on, but your love just won't stay buried.

Not my typical read but I did thoroughly enjoy this book! I love ghosts and I love a love story so this was a match made in heaven for me!

I equally loved and hated parts of this book. Some parts I cringed at but the humour was brilliant and I still had a good time reading it

I’ve mixed feelings about this book.. Despite the premise it is lighthearted and easy to read-I loved the concept and parts of the book were really enjoyable but for parts of it I felt as though it wasn’t really going anywhere. I liked Joel and his friends but just couldn’t empathise with the tragic Beth and by the time the end revelation came realised my thoughts on her weren’t wrong and she wasn’t particularly likeable. Overall I’d say the book is worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and to the author for his writing.

I don't know how I feel about this - some parts I really enjoyed and others I just hated. I really struggled when Beth came on Joel's date with Nina - it just seemed ludicrous. However; there was humour and heart and I think, overall, I enjoyed it - it just made me raise my eyebrows a fair bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

This book feels like if (500) days of Summer took place after One Day. The book started out strong and comedic for a book that I felt was going to explore love and grief. Definitely had some chuckles at the ultra-Britishness of the references, however it became tiresome when it began to feel like a citizenship test. If you know of Colin the Caterpillar and Trinny and Susannah you might survive the barrage of niche British references.

My main critique comes from the actual characters, Beth is a stereotypical Manic Pixie Dream Girl to Joel’s ‘Nice Guy’, Nina doesn’t have much more depth than being a ‘woke feminist’ (read as negative from Joel’s voice) that just happened to be the only woman that actually agreed a second date with him. Which meant that how things played out felt counter to Nina’s character, and left me pulling my hair out at both her and Joel.

(Spoiler:) Part of why (500) Days of Summer works so well, is that Tom doesn’t get the ending he wants. But if Joel sat down and watched I wholeheartedly believe that he would think that Tom had been hard done by.

I really hoped that the second half of this book would go deeper and it just didn’t seem to get there for me.

The will he, won't he between Joel and Nina kept me on my toes and a guest appearance by Beth created a great story. Loved it...

Awesome book really pulled on heartstrings !!! Will read more bu author!!!! Thnks I would give this book a 10 out of 10 rating really enjoyed and finished it within a few days !!!!!!!

This book was fantastic. A great balance of thought and humour. I could easily see it being adapted into a streaming platform movie and one I would be happy to watch. I felt good about the whole book from the blurb to the epilogue. The cover art is perfect for it too.
The relationships between the characters were deep but not too deep that it became heavy. Thoroughly enjoyed this read and would love a physical copy to bash on some more about it.

Although I found some parts funny I found myself getting bored and there were chunks that felt were irrelevant or didn't really make any sense. Rushed ending in my opinion.

This book gave me all the feels. Usual aim not one for “ghosts” or the “afterlife” but this one really was quite emotional and touching. I was very curious to see how it played out if Joel would find love again ect and I was not disappointed. It’s definitely comfort for someone dealing with grief and whatnot to feel a bit less alone.

I really really REALLY enjoyed this. I was not expecting the book to be set in the UK so many of the places mentioned around London made me think of when I lived there. i also liked the way it was written, the references and the way the chapters where set up.
The story was also quite different to anything I have read before and I loved it. It feels like a Dolly Alderton book with ghosts in it haha