Ghosts - by Dolly Alderton (Paperback)

About the Book

"A smart, sexy, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about ex-boyfriends, imperfect parents, friends with kids, and a man who disappears the moment he says "I love you.""--

Book Synopsis

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - From the author of Everything I Know About Love comes a smart, sexy, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about ex-boyfriends, imperfect parents, friends with kids, and a man who disappears the moment he says "I love you."

"An absolute knock-out. Wickedly funny and, at turns, both cynical and sincere... feels like your very favorite friend." --Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Malibu Rising

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, VOGUE, PEOPLE

Nina Dean is not especially bothered that she's single. She owns her own apartment, she's about to publish her second book, she has a great relationship with her ex-boyfriend, and enough friends to keep her social calendar full and her hangovers plentiful. And when she downloads a dating app, she does the seemingly impossible: She meets a great guy on her first date. Max is handsome and built like a lumberjack; he has floppy blond hair and a stable job. But more surprising than anything else, Nina and Max have chemistry. Their conversations are witty and ironic, they both hate sports, they dance together like fools, they happily dig deep into the nuances of crappy music, and they create an entire universe of private jokes and chemical bliss.

But when Max ghosts her, Nina is forced to deal with everything she's been trying so hard to ignore: her father's dementia is getting worse, and so is her mother's denial of it; her editor hates her new book idea; and her best friend from childhood is icing her out. Funny, tender, and eminently, movingly relatable, Ghosts is a whip-smart tale of relationships and modern life.

Review Quotes

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, Vogue, People - A People Best Book of the Week - An Entertainment Weekly Best New Book to Read

"A funny, touching take on modern relationships, the struggles of adulthoodand embracinglife as it unfolds."
--People

"An astonishingly assured debut... Deftly observed and deeply funny, Ghosts considers where we find, and how we hold onto love with what might well be described as haunting precision."
--Marley Marius, Vogue

"Hilariously accurate... Powerful... Alderton brings her British wit and fresh writing to online dating and all its ups and downs."
--Karin Tanabe, The Washington Post

"Deeply relatable... Wonderful... With hints of Bridget Jones (though thematically more serious), and shades of a younger Nora Ephron, Ghosts is a must-read for millennials looking to be seen and older and younger generations in search of a more accurate portrayal of the age group they love to roll their eyes at."
--Sarah Stiefvater, PureWow

"Dolly Alderton is funny, and she has the same kind of engaging conversational writing style that has made Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones characters who will live in infamy... Every generation needs a heroine that has her Doc Martens on the ground and her head in a battle between reality and perceived reality. Nina is a fresh, smart and funny protagonist who finds some truly graceful (and not-so-graceful) ways to grow up for real. As the world continues to unravel on the outside, a book like Ghosts is gold. It is not just a beach read, though. Put on your big person pants, and ride the waves of humor and relatability into a wonderful story about a young woman whose entire life is transforming. Like all of us, Nina must learn to sail these ever-changing seas--with a mixture of fun, anxiety and jubilation. Ghosts is magic. Read it now."
--Jana Siciliano, Book Reporter

"Ghosts is wonderful. Funny, sharply observed, poignant, and full of truths about life and love and friendship."
--Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library

"Ghosts is an absolute knock-out. Wickedly funny and, at turns, both cynical and sincere, Dolly Alderton's voice feels like your very favorite friend. I devoured it."
--Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & the Six

"Witty, touching without ever being sentimental, hugely enjoyable."
--David Nicholls, author of One Day

"Such clever writing, wonderfully funny; fab characters and delightful details. Divine."
--Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to be Cheerful

"Dolly Alderton has clearly mastered every form of writing. Which is a surprise to nobody."
--Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie

"A sharp-eyed debut."
―The Guardian

"A stunning achievement: I was laughing out loud, doing my best a few minutes later not to burst into tears and then angry that it had all come to an end. So moving, so funny, so beautifully written and so poignant. Brilliant."
―Stanley Tucci

"There are sharply skewered set pieces, but also tender observations . . . a promising, deftly written, often entertaining and poignant debut novel."
―Sunday Times

"Utter BRILLIANCE. Dolly is such an insightful commentator on love, longing, friendship and emotional landscapes. I absolutely LOVED it!"
―Marian Keyes

"In this heartfelt, funny and insightful tale, Alderton cleverly explores the way memories, doubts and home can haunt us."
―Sunday Express

"This heartfelt tale is in turns smart, caustically witty and achingly sad."
―Sunday Mirror

"Ghosts is all heart and humour."
-Bustle

"The sprightly, sometimes touching debut novel by British memoirist Alderton (Everything I Know About Love) follows a cookbook author through her life's 'strangest year...' This should hit the spot for readers of women's fiction."
-Publishers Weekly

About the Author

DOLLY ALDERTON is an award-winning author and journalist based in London. She is a columnist for The Sunday Times Style and has also written for GQ, Red, Marie Claire and Grazia. She is the former cohost and cocreator of the weekly pop culture and current affairs podcast The High Low. Her first book, Everything I Know About Love, became a top-five Sunday Times best seller in its first week of publication and won a National Book Award (UK) for Autobiography of the Year. Ghosts is her first novel.