I cannot say enough positive things about this book. I love her style of writing so much that I inhaled it in a few hours. So relatable, made me laugh out loud and cry in the space of an hour. I couldn't recommend it more.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, other than a story about being Ghosted. However, whilst Alderton tackles this in terms of dating, her narrative tackles a host of various other ways to be ghosted. Whilst themed around dating in your 30's, Alderton also explores what it's like to be 'the single friend', whilst everyone else is getting married, engaged, or having children. Protagonist Nina is not only ghosted by men, but ghosted by past idyllic friendships that no longer have space for her lifestyle as it does not match their own. A third heartbreaking plot within this novel centres around Dementia. We see how Nina struggles with her fathers declining condition, whilst her and her mother struggle to come to grips with a man who is slowly drifting away.

I loved Nina, a no frills get shit done kind of girl, with an entirely relatable group of friends. As a girl in my mid-twenties I found a plethora of laughably relatable content, as well as lots problems I'm yet to encounter but I know are on my horizon! Anyone out there who has dabbled with online dating apps (all millennial readers?) will empathise with Nina (and best friend Lolas) online dating ventures.

Alderton is a master at including small details, and in my opinion are what make her writing so enjoyable to read. I often found the use of these moments transportive, evoking a memory or sense of nostalgia which had a similar effect to a cutscene in film or TV. As well as stirring these evocative moments, they really add personality to her characters, bringing them to life. She highlights day to day humour in the mundane, and so many sentences took me by surprise by making me laugh out loud (yes, actually), such as 'Chronic Mentionitis' - where the sufferer cannot stop talking about their new lover in every single conversation.

It's safe to say I enjoyed Dolly's debut, and genuinely can't think of a bad thing to say about it! I can't wait to discuss Max once everyone has read this..
Thankyou to NetGalley for providing this e-ARC

Dolly captured perfectly what it's like to be past 30 without all the requisite milestones- mainly marriage and kids and how it feels to remain true to yourself while navigating that pressure. The book read very memoir like but in a way, that made it more compelling. The characters weren't perfect and the relationships in the book weren't either, and they felt more real for that. I found myself glancing at the percentage marker, hoping I still had more t go and wasn't coming to the end of the book. Sadly, I was, and did. I feel like I got a glimpse of a very real person and all their baggage.

I loved Dolly's memoir, Everything I Know About Love, and this novel is just as good! Framed as a search for love, the story is so much more than chick-lit. It's extremely funny, as you'd expect from Dolly, but also explores relationships with family, friends and partners at a much deeper level. I was moved to tears by the depiction of a family member with dementia. The changing face of friendship as your paths diverge was also very thought-provoking.

Thank you for allowing me to discover such a good new author for my repertoire! Great plot line, interesting characters, I will recommend to friends and family.

Ghosts is heart-wrenching and hilarious in equal measure, exactly what one would expect from a Dolly Alderton read. The relationships she describes (be they romantic, friendly, platonic, familial) feel so tangible and on-the-nose, like someone's crawled into your brain and put your exact thoughts about a best friend or new love interest into perfect, eloquent words. Would wholeheartedly recommend to fans of Everything I Know About Love.

Love, love, LOVE everything Dolly writes! After finding myself single at 42, for the first time in 20 years (!) I found this foray into the dating world riveting and entirely relatable! Nina is incredible. Genuine, insightful, contemplative and brilliant. I want to be her friend! I can totally empathise with everything she is feeling and Dolly writes in such a way that you feel like you're just having a chat with your mate. More books please Dolly!

Thank you to Netflix and the publisher for the advanced copy. I feel very lucky!

What a brilliant light read and as a single woman in her early 40's very relatable haha. Love everything about Dolly Alderton

If you are a fan of Dolly Alderton’s work already, you will love this novel. If this is your first experience of reading Dolly Alderton’s writing, then you are in for a treat. She has a unique voice and uses it throughout this story about Nina, a food writer in her early 30’s who has decided she is ready to start dating again. This novel is a perfectly observed snapshot of living in London in your early 30’s - it is funny, relatable, entertaining and authentic. Ghosts deals with the high and lows of dating and falling in love. When describing the early days of dating with a new partner she says that they were “sexed up to saturation point, therefore trying out the novelty of being humdrum” which I thought was sheer perfection. The novel also explores the realities of changing friendship dynamics, endless weddings/hen parties/naming ceremonies, how your peer group changes and the challenges of dealing with ill-health of parents. There were so many lines I savoured and it is all underpinned by genuine, relatable experiences - while reading this I felt outraged and indignant on Nina’s behalf, I agreed wholeheartedly with her on so many points, I felt at times she was being overly harsh and I genuinely worried for her at other points just like you would with a real friend. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it.

Dolly Alderton is fantastic! I love her work and have been eagerly awaiting this novel... she did not disappoint!

This was an emotional rollercoaster. I love Dolly’s raw, authentic way of describing feelings and life. I was worried that this could have been a fiction memoir of ghosting stories but it’s so much more than that.

I have so much highlighted but on the theme of ghosting, this needs a PSA: “You know, every time you “change your mind” in such an extreme way, it takes something from a woman. It’s an act of theft. It’s not just a theft of her trust, it’s a theft of her time. You’ve taken things from her, so you could have a fun few months.“ People changing their minds/feelings so quickly, or just not communicating it [enough] are the one thing that I do not understand and this articulates it.

Also “I’ve found everything really difficult recently. And I can’t work out if this is just a tricky period or whether this is what adulthood is now – disappointment and worry.” “I’m worried I’m not going to live the life I always thought I’d have. I’m worried I have to come up with a new plan.” sums up my current mood.