Florence Day is a ghostwriter for a prolific romance novelist who can no longer write about love after a devastating breakup. When her new editor, Benji Andor, refuses to grant her an extension on a deadline, she expects her career to end. However, the unexpected death of her father forces her back to her hometown and the family funeral parlor she fled years ago. Upon arriving, Florence encounters the ghost of Benji standing on the doorstep of the mortuary. The two must resolve Benji’s unfinished business while Florence navigates the physical realities of grief and her suppressed ability to communicate with the dead.
Readers who enjoy romantic comedies with supernatural elements will find a story that balances humor with the heavy logistics of mourning. Those interested in the professional lives of writers or the inner workings of the funeral industry will appreciate the specific setting. The book provides a perspective on how loss changes a person’s outlook on intimacy and proves that romantic hope can coexist with the finality of death. Readers walk away with a nuanced understanding of how to honor the past while remaining open to new connections.
Practical, inward-looking, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
Insights from The Dead Romantics
“I was a ghostwriter who no longer believed in love.”
Florence feels like a character from a ghost story who happens to be alive. Watching her navigate a funeral home while losing her faith in love is heartbreaking.
“You’re a ghost. I’m a ghostwriter. It’s a very literal joke.”
Benji Andor is the best kind of surprise. He shows up at her window not as a threat, but as a deadline she can't escape.
“Death is a messy business.”
Grief is rarely elegant or quiet. It looks like a cluttered house in a small town and a father who left too soon.
Living in a town that knows your every mistake is its own kind of haunting. Florence trying to blend in at the parlor felt so heavy.
- Published
- 2022
- ISBN
- 9780593336489
- Language
- EN
