Reviews

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

rachwong's review against another edition

4.0

At first I was getting annoyed with Florence and her avoiding everything, not addressing anything head on. Didn’t really start enjoying the book until 40% in. 
But oh boy. Benji, you are a dream. And watching Florence develop as a character, Benji growing alongside her, opening up to each other. Brb crying 
And her dad’s letter??? Stop, full on sobbing

maddibreanne's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was emotionally attached to this book from the start and Ashley’s writing just totally sucks me in. 

alyssa_aguirre's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

liionaa's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jenngibson's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

it took me so long to get through this book because i found the ending a bit slow, so i kept putting the book down and not feeling invested enough to pick it back up. but today i read the last 60% in one sitting. i would say that i really started to get invested a little over halfway into the book.

once the romance started picking up, it had me giggling and kicking my feet, but then i would start shaming myself for being so invested because like he's a ghost?? i feel like i should've maybe seen the ending coming but honestly i was not expecting it at all.

i think it was so cute and the premise was so interesting. benji and florence were definitely made for each other. i just wish i had stuck with this book sooner rather than letting myself take 2 months to read it!

therapybard2021's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

There are lots of things I loved about this book. Florence is a great protagonist. She's flawed in a realistic way, one of the few protagonist I've seen with insecurity issues that didn't feel like an author insert. Most authors give their MC's flaws like that so they can make their protagonists perfect in a sneaky way. The MC's biggest flaw is that they don't know how great they are? Perfect... But no, that's not the case here. Her insecurities hurt not only herself, but her family. She couldn't face going home and distanced herself from those who would have benefited from her presence. She had lots of room to grow, and boy did she grow. I was very proud of her by the time she got her happily ever after.
Ben is also a very good love interest. "Orderly man x goblin woman" is cliche but there's plenty of things to set this romance apart. Mostly, the things they had in common. Both pulled themselves away from the world for different reasons. Florence because she felt too chaotic, like she messes everything up. Ben because he's too clean and orderly to truly make a mark anywhere. Both felt like ghosts, separate from the rest of reality. Ben comes face to face with this when he actually becomes a ghost.  His growth is also beautiful. 
But this isn't just a love story. Just as much focus is put on the Day family. None of them are very complicated characters, but this is largely a character study for Florence so I'll let it slide. The important part is that I could feel Florence's care and love for them. Her small town felt like home. It felt more loved in than most settings I've read. Florence's dad is really the only stand out person, thought. His presence is felt throughout the whole story and shapes the narrative, really driving home the theme of the dead never truly leaving us.
That being said, I do have a few gripes with the story, mostly the ending. I'll split them up into two points.

1. The coma reveal:  I called it way before the twist, but that's not the issue. The problem is that it's cheap. There was no indication that Florence could see anyone besides the dead before that point. A simple line like "Dad also saw the occasional coma patient" would have been enough. Beyond that, most readers would spend the whole book going "how could there be a happy ending if he's dead???". The coma answer is very unsatisfying, since it basically dodges the question. Also, there was so much drama behind him fading away for that last time. So much that I convinced myself I was wrong. The reveal made both mine and Florence's tears feel wasted. Cheap. I didn't like it.
2. The Third-Act Misunderstanding: Some good things came out of this, namely the mirroring of the beginning of the book when Florence walked to Ben's office. Totally not worth the frustration, though. We wouldn't have lost anything if there book was a couple chapters shorter and they reunited at the hospital. This story beat just dragged the ending down for me.

That being said, I can excuse a few cliche moments and poorly executed twists. This book is not just a romance, but a love letter to the genre. That alone made it worth my time.

erikaburns34's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

cassiedelage's review against another edition

3.0

I was super pumped to read this book after reading The 7 Year Slip…. This one lacked. Found it hard to finished . Saw the twist coming…. Unfortunately it didn’t hit the spot as much as her other novel.

What I did lie was the way her dad viewed life, made me cry to see the beauty he saw.

2.5 stars

ypineda's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

panthergrl10's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5