Ghosts - Dolly Alderton

Description

Everything gets easier in your thirties, right?

Though she has plenty to celebrate - successful career, new home, loving friends and family - for Nina Dean, her thirties have not exactly been the liberating experience she was sold. From fading friendships to exes popping the question, everyone is moving on (or worse, to the suburbs). And as her dad slowly loses his memories, her mum seems dead set on making new ones.

Then she meets Max, who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her. But what seems like an exciting new development will ensure this year is Nina's strangest yet . . .

Review

I wasn't interested in reading this book at all, but then the audio was on the library app, and I thought I would give it a go. Wow! Thank goodness I did, I would have missed this gem of a book.

Nina George Dean (named George for reasons that will be explained) had thought she was settled until she broke up with her ex and now she is on the look out for Mr Right again. She's still friends with her ex and he's definitely moved on, so now it's time for her to move on too. Set in 2018, Nina signs up to a dating website and then she finds Max who she begins a wonderful relationship with.

Meanwhile she has a best friend who she rarely sees these days, as she has a child and Nina doesn't. Is there anything left of their friendship now she's moving to Surrey? Her other friend, Lola, (who wouldn't be amiss in Ab Fab) is childless and is looking for the one too.She is full of sage advice and fun. A mad Italian neighbour who is causing her so much grief (her retaliation is wonderful) and her lovely Father who has dementia, but his wife is changing her name from Nancy to Mandy - that won't be confusing for him at all!

So much was relatable in this book despite my being way past my thirties and not having lived them in the recent past. I just loved all the characters, some more than others, but they all became so familiar to me that I'm missing them already. Very funny but at times so poignant that I got a tear in my eye.

I listened to the audio version of this book which was narrated brilliantly. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to borrowbox and the local library.

Comments

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