Many thanks to @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook!

 

“Grief was the exact opposite. It was full and heavy and drowning because it wasn't the absence of everything you lost - it was the combination of it all, your love, your happiness, your bittersweets, wound tight like a knotted ball of yarn.”

 

Quick, quirky read with great banter and surprising depth.  

 

Florence Day is a ghost writer for an iconic romance novelist (no, it’s not CLo, even though her dad thought it might be) with a looming deadline that her (oh-so-hot) new editor won’t extend.  On top of that, she no longer believes in love (thanks Mr. NOT Right), and her dad has just died, forcing her to return home to face the ghosts of her past.  It would seem her editor’s death would lessen the worry over the manuscript, but then he turns up on her family’s doorstep.  

 

A ghost writer who sees ghost?  Completely ridiculous.  Yet it created the ideal juxtaposition between the peculiar and the relatable.  

 

I grabbed this book for the romance and humor.  I had no idea how a paranormal romance would even work, but work, it did.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to swoon over a ghost.  But let me tell you… I did.  I totally did.  

 

While the slow burn romance is what pulled me in and kept me engaged, the look at finding happiness, returning home, and grappling with forgiveness provided a depth that resonated, making this much more than just a typical rom-com.  

 

Between the pitch perfect banter, the poignant look at grief, and a swoon-worthy ghost, it’s no wonder this book has received so much hype.  

 

I partnered the audiobook with a physical copy, and it’s hard to decide which I preferred.  Eileen Stevens narration was exactly what I wanted it to be, perfectly balanced and nuanced.  But I also wanted to read this book much more quickly than my audiobook would allow…minor inconvenience for sure.  Bottom line, I’d recommend both!  You really can’t go wrong with either version.    

 

Of note, Dead Romantics was a @gmabookclub pick earlier in the year.