kasmi22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kiannaskiwi's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't think I would relate to this, but alas, here I am. The only single friend.
The last 4 times I've hung out with my best friend have been cut short by her going to see her boyfriend. Not to mention the agonizing double date to the movies with his best friend. I think she's going on a summer trip with her boyfriends best friend's girlfriends soon? I don't know, she hasn't texted me back. Looks like she's having fun on Instagram though.
Dolly, you get it. I knew you got it, but now I know just how much you get it. This is what they call the female experience, I guess.
The last 4 times I've hung out with my best friend have been cut short by her going to see her boyfriend. Not to mention the agonizing double date to the movies with his best friend. I think she's going on a summer trip with her boyfriends best friend's girlfriends soon? I don't know, she hasn't texted me back. Looks like she's having fun on Instagram though.
Dolly, you get it. I knew you got it, but now I know just how much you get it. This is what they call the female experience, I guess.
conklings's review against another edition
3.0
3.75 stars. I found this book sad not only because of Nina’s dad suffering from Alzheimer’s but how selfish and awful Max and Lola’s boyfriend acted.
yuillc's review against another edition
4.0
This book and Olive by Emma Gannon go hand in hand. Olive captured friendship a little better for me but both relatable and heartbreakingly painful and enjoyable all at once.
booksthroughmyveins's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
matalak's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lyv's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
shauna_reads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5, rounded up.
I’m having trouble processing my feelings on this one. Alderton summed up the struggles of being the only single friend pretty accurately and hilariously. The satirical elements highlighting modern dating via apps was spot-on and some points found me laughing out loud.
What I liked:
- The relationship between Nina and Lola. When the novel begins the reader is coerced into initially perceiving Lola as the air-headed and naive friend. In reality, she’s the most loyal friend of them all.
- The absolutely hilarious, no-holds-barred sections highlighting dating app profiles, hypocrisy in today’s dating world, and the realties of life as a working thirty-something living on her own.
Things that I didn’t like/found a little weird:
- Nina’s relationship with her downstairs neighbor. Without giving anything away, all I can say is wut???
- Nina’s relationship with her ex. I’m sorry but who in thejr right mind would be ok with their current partner still continuing to go to bars and dinners with their ex (and longest - 7-year -relationship). Not only that, but Nina was in Joe’s wedding party?¿? The whole thing just left me scratching my head.
I’m having trouble processing my feelings on this one. Alderton summed up the struggles of being the only single friend pretty accurately and hilariously. The satirical elements highlighting modern dating via apps was spot-on and some points found me laughing out loud.
What I liked:
- The relationship between Nina and Lola. When the novel begins the reader is coerced into initially perceiving Lola as the air-headed and naive friend. In reality, she’s the most loyal friend of them all.
- The absolutely hilarious, no-holds-barred sections highlighting dating app profiles, hypocrisy in today’s dating world, and the realties of life as a working thirty-something living on her own.
Things that I didn’t like/found a little weird:
- Nina’s relationship with her downstairs neighbor. Without giving anything away, all I can say is wut???
- Nina’s relationship with her ex. I’m sorry but who in thejr right mind would be ok with their current partner still continuing to go to bars and dinners with their ex (and longest - 7-year -relationship). Not only that, but Nina was in Joe’s wedding party?¿? The whole thing just left me scratching my head.
fullybookedwithdanielle's review against another edition
3.0
TW: Dementia, memory loss
I will start off by saying, as I'm sure many people have, that I absolutely adored Everything I Know About Love. Therefore, I was left a little disappointed by this book however, I am very aware that this is Alderton's first foray into fiction. This was such an easy, entertaining read that I flew through it! When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about when I could next pick it up and read. It was a relief to read this after the heavier book that I'd previously read (which was Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson).
The title Ghosts refers to several things in the novel. It refers to the literal dating term 'ghosting', when someone just disappears without saying anything after a few dates. This happens to Nina, our protagonist, after she gets into a relationship with a man. It also refers to her dad, who gets dementia. It can also be seen to reflect the changing way of life, how relationships ebb and flow as we grow older and we become more preoccupied with husbands and children and jobs. We unintentionally ghost each other.
I very much enjoyed the premise of the book and thought it was laugh-out-loud funny at several points throughout. However, my biggest issue with the story was that I found the tone of the book to be incredibly performative in terms of being 'woke'. Nina cannot stop mentioning that she's heterosexual and I just don't understand what the point of it is. There also seems to be a big contrast between the tone of the book, intent in tone, and the dialogue throughout. Nina's inner dialogue is funny and sharp however when she speaks to other people, she is constantly forcing her opinions on them and trying to educate them. This is usually by way of a feminist rant, which oftentimes is not actually a very feminist view. I say this because I think Nina is very hypocritical in that she herself constantly judges other women and their life choices. If they don't align with her own then they're not feminist or they're a 'prude'. To be fair, this could have been Alderton's intention with the character, to make her annoying and preachy. In which case, she definitely succeeded in executing this!
As previously mentioned, I loved how much of an easy read this was and I did still find it hilarious which is quite impressive considering I rarely genuinely laugh out loud with books. If you love funny, relatable books and love an easy read, then pick this one up!
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.
I will start off by saying, as I'm sure many people have, that I absolutely adored Everything I Know About Love. Therefore, I was left a little disappointed by this book however, I am very aware that this is Alderton's first foray into fiction. This was such an easy, entertaining read that I flew through it! When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about when I could next pick it up and read. It was a relief to read this after the heavier book that I'd previously read (which was Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson).
The title Ghosts refers to several things in the novel. It refers to the literal dating term 'ghosting', when someone just disappears without saying anything after a few dates. This happens to Nina, our protagonist, after she gets into a relationship with a man. It also refers to her dad, who gets dementia. It can also be seen to reflect the changing way of life, how relationships ebb and flow as we grow older and we become more preoccupied with husbands and children and jobs. We unintentionally ghost each other.
I very much enjoyed the premise of the book and thought it was laugh-out-loud funny at several points throughout. However, my biggest issue with the story was that I found the tone of the book to be incredibly performative in terms of being 'woke'. Nina cannot stop mentioning that she's heterosexual and I just don't understand what the point of it is. There also seems to be a big contrast between the tone of the book, intent in tone, and the dialogue throughout. Nina's inner dialogue is funny and sharp however when she speaks to other people, she is constantly forcing her opinions on them and trying to educate them. This is usually by way of a feminist rant, which oftentimes is not actually a very feminist view. I say this because I think Nina is very hypocritical in that she herself constantly judges other women and their life choices. If they don't align with her own then they're not feminist or they're a 'prude'. To be fair, this could have been Alderton's intention with the character, to make her annoying and preachy. In which case, she definitely succeeded in executing this!
As previously mentioned, I loved how much of an easy read this was and I did still find it hilarious which is quite impressive considering I rarely genuinely laugh out loud with books. If you love funny, relatable books and love an easy read, then pick this one up!
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.