The Dead Romantics

By: Ashley Poston

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK ∙ 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.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2022

"I LOVED this book! . . . Funny, breathtaking, hopeful, and dreamy.”—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

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.

"One of the Summer's Hottest Reads"—Entertainment Weekly

©2022 Ashley Poston (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“It’s ‘While You Were Sleeping’ meets ‘Six Feet Under,’ and I need to yell to everyone about how good it is…The result is an antidote for despair, a romance that is frank about the fact that life ends and time marches on but that nevertheless insists: We aren’t a gothic horror novel. We’re a love story. This is a book to make you laugh during the funeral scene and cry when the dance party begins."—The New York Times

“The Dead Romantics is a lyrical masterpiece of a book that's both cozy and impactful in the way it deals with grief.” —People

“We could all use a good summer ghost story, and you can't get much better than Ashley Poston's adult fiction debut.”—Entertainment Weekly

So Surprising...

Honestly, this broke my heart and pieced it back together. I knew that it was going to get sad simply from the premise that it's a romance with a ghost, but I wasn't prepared. My eyes were leaking and there was nothing I could do about it.

While it's kind of odd finding romance with a ghost during the events surrounding a family member's funeral, I really just found it to be endearing. It felt like a celebration of both life and death, with so many heavy moments balanced by hilarity and romance. All that being said, this novel is very character driven. I do think that if you don't like our main character Florence than you probably won't enjoy this book. You get to watch her grow and change throughout the book and while the romance is really sweet, I do think that it's Florence's character growth that makes this book. I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

Overall, I found this to be a very sweet, poignant read that I really did love. It was a great fall read and one I'll be picking back up in the future.

A perfect story that I will reread over and over again!

This is the sweetest, most emotional and well written story! I absolutely adore it! The narrator brought the characters to life so well!! Highly recommend it if you like books that are full of oddities, wit, romance and family!!

Sweet Summer Story

I thoroughly enjoyed this Rom Com. I only gave it four stars overall because there were one too many phrases from the movie Holiday. See if you can find them.

So Adorable!

I knew where it was going, and I couldn't wait to get there. I loved this sweet, hilarious, comfort read.

Needed this

The narrator’s voice got me in. She’s so easy to listen to. I needed an easy “read”. Something happy and light. I loved this book and it came at just the right time. I’ve been doing heavy books and needed a change of pace. I’ll def be seeking both this author and narrator out, way big plus if together again! I’ve already purchased the author’s upcoming book!

Great diversion!

Engaging, witty and warm romance in all senses of the word. The characters are fun without being cartoons or caricatures. The plot is a bit predictable, but everything surrounding it -- setting, characters, internal dialogue -- is not. And for once the rom-com heroine is NOT stupid or childlike.

So good I’ll be exhausted at work

Rarely is there a book that I cannot stop reading (or listening to, as it were). The Dead Romantics is one of those rare books that I’ve listened to, and will buy in book form for my permanent collection to read again…and again in the future. Ashley Poston’s story and cadence is brilliant, and Eileen Stevens’ narration superb. Buy it now in whatever form you prefer. I dare you not to register or reread it! I’m on rewind right now until my paper copy comes in!

Adorably perfect

This story and its characters kept me company. I wasn’t just listening to the story. I was absorbed in it. I already knew Ashley Poston is a kindred spirit to me, and I cannot wait to read more of her works.

Loved!!!

I really loved this book. I was hooked and finished in a day. It was refreshing and the ending was the best.

Loved it!

This book is amazing!

I loved everything about this book. The characters, the tension, the heartache, hell even the authors note! I felt for Florence and Ben and though I figured out the ending-sort of, it still took me a spin. I wasn’t expecting it to be 3 months later that he remembered her. But I loved that. I loved that it wasn’t so instant.

Anyway, loved this book!