Adult, ARC review, book review

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (ARC Review)

Title: The Dead Romantics
Author: Ashley Poston
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Date published: June 28, 2022

A complimentary digital copy of this book was kindly provided by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

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.

⤖ My Review ⬻

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston was hands down one of my favorite reads of 2022. I’ve been following Ashley Poston since she wrote Geekerella in 2017 and absolutely loved it, as well as Heart of Iron in 2018. Needless to say, I was really excited for The Dead Romantics, her adult debut and am happy to say that I was hooked and invested from page one.

I wasn’t expecting some of the vibes due to The Dead Romantics cover, especially the style and use of color. But, I loved how much darker it was! I was instantly drawn in and the atmospheric vibes were so up my alley and specific that I created a Pinterest board to capture the visual references and have a way to revisit the vibes from the book.

Also, not gonna lie…I sobbed a few times while reading this book because it touched the subject of grief—something I’m personally dealing with, and have been for a few years now. It was really difficult to read those parts, but I’m glad that I did as it helped me process my own grief a little. I also think those parts of The Dead Romantics are essential to the story, so I’m glad they were there.

It was definitely an emotional journey for me—high and low—and I wish that I could experience it all over again. I absolutely loved the romance portion of the plot and might re-read this book for that alone (even without the added bonus of Poston’s great writing, the atmosphere, and supporting characters). Overall, The Dead Romantics is a beautiful and captivating story that I would highly recommend.

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Ashley Poston’s is a part-time author and full-time fangirl. She was born in rural South Carolina, where you can see the stars impossibly well… Tweet her at @ashposton and read her inner-most rambles at www.ashposton.com.

⤖ Purchase Links ⬻

⤖ Let's Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!

1 thought on “The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (ARC Review)

  1. Very nice review! I’ve been a fan of Ashley Poston since Geekerella as well, and I enjoyed The Dead Romantics, but I think overall it’s my least favorite of her books. Still really good, and I’m still a fan, but I felt this book had a whole lot of predictable elements. I’m still looking forward to her next release.

Leave a Comment