This is in many ways a familiar story but it is told in such a fresh, entertaining, funny and moving way, it felt like I was reading something brand new.

Two pages into this book you know you've unlocked something special . . . the book is brightened up plenty by sunshine characters and the magnificence of Tyrone nature . . . Tish knows what she's talking about.

A really lovely book. I loved reading it.

Delaney's writing is a beautiful wave flowing lyrically through the life of Mary Rattigan. A touching tale of how one woman survives a tough beginning to eventually end up exactly where her heart belongs.

I did not expect this debut to turn into the most exquisite love story, but it did, and I was besotted.

Mary is an eloquent narrator, conveying her and her husband's pain with exquisite and moving precision. The loneliness, grief and long-lasting repercussions of trauma are achingly real. The graphically described Troubles provide a powerful backdrop to this arresting and moving novel.

Gorgeous prose . . . my heart broke several times . . . Mary's voice is so raw.

This hard-hitting book sets one woman's struggle with the hand dealt to her against the backdrop of the Northern Irish Troubles. This powerful debut examines the bonds of hate - and love - in a story of one family.

Tish Delaney's writing is engaging and she has a strong eye for character and dialogue . . . Mary's story of finding love in the most unlikely of circumstances will draw readers in and you'd need a heart of stone not to be moved by the ending.

[T]here is much to admire about this debut, from the energetic voice to the way the Troubles are knitted through the timeline.

Must read

Dolly Alderton's writing is incredibly intimate, tender, and observant. Ghosts is a fantastic novel about friendship, family, and love

I loved it - Dolly Alderton has clearly mastered every form of writing. Which is a surprise to nobody

This is a lovely, funny, modern comedy of manners. It's shrewd and sharp

I love this book. It is wise, funny, tender and true, sharply-observed and utterly hilarious. Alderton's gift is always to give the mundane its beautiful due and in Ghosts, she manages to write a compulsively readable novel. Dolly Alderton's talent is phenomenal

I loved it. Had me howling with laughter and recognition!

You know a book has hit the spot when you've decided before finishing which friend you're going to pass it to. The writer's skill at dissecting love and relationships translates seamlessly into fiction

This brilliantly observed novel will make you nod, laugh and cry in recognition

Such clever writing, wonderfully funny; fab characters and delightful details. Divine

If you've ever been disappointed by a man it will vindicate every mixed-up emotion you've ever had about it

Hilariously cutting, but also sad and insightful. Reading Dolly's writing is like having one of those glorious girls night in, where you drink till the early hours - laughing, venting, and feeling warm and seen

Whip-smart . . . a heartwarming tale of family and friendship

So brilliantly perceptive, packed with pin-sharp observations on every page. Dolly is such a fantastic writer

Witty, tender, big-hearted

A few years ago, Alderton seamlessly taped into our psyches with her 2018 memoir Everything I Know About Love. Now she's back with that same signature wit and blistering honesty in her debut novel, Ghosts

Alderton masterfully exposes the hideous reality of dating in your 30s and how unfair it can be on women who enter the fray in honesty and hope. Hugely emotionally intelligent and often very funny. I adored it

A fascinating, perceptive look at what it means to be a thirty-something woman right here, right now . . . Sharply observed, sometimes tender, sometimes tart, Ghosts will resonate with so many women

Dolly sums up life in your thirties with such wit, warmth and accuracy, you won't want it to end

Alderton balances heartrending emotion with keen-eyed satire, displaying a flair for metaphor and comic set pieces

Funny and insightful, it's a brilliant look at the way we can be haunted by doubts, memories and home

Alderton has a talent for believability, realism and the knack to reach into the pages and pull out the characters onto the sofa next to you. Topical, relevant with a touch of tender humour

As warm-hearted, wise and observant as her bestseller Everything I Know About Love. In this heartfelt, funny and insightful tale, Alderton cleverly explores the way memories, doubts and home can haunt us

Alderton explores the ideas of relationships, friendships, love, memory and the way in which we live in a beautifully written and poignantly powerful novel

Stuffed full of insights and adroit observations . . . a masterpiece of modern manners. Alderton's life-enriching social anthropology will be the antidote for flagging spirits in the next lockdown' Spectator

Achingly relatable. A darkly funny-melancholic novel about the rich variety of relationships in our lives - and the importance of showing up for them

This modern love story has lashings of arch humour and gentle wisdom, and slides down as pleasingly as a slice of cake and a nice cuppa

Explores the ideas of relationships, friendships, love, memory and the way in which we live in a beautifully written and poignantly powerful novel

If you need a good rom-com escape, Dolly Alderton more than delivers in Ghosts. . . it's darker than Everything I Know About Love - but just as fantastically relatable

Stibbe is one of the all-time greats

Very few writers can find the delicate balance between heartbreak and hilarity like Nina Stibbe

Funny, charming, odd-in-the-best-way and gorgeously uplifting! A delight from start to finish

Joyful. Stibbe's comedy probes what it means to become an adult

Pitch perfect vintage comedy

I love everything Nina Stibbe writes and this was my favourite of the novels. It's so sharp and painful and brilliantly funny. There are sentences you could eat for Christmas dinner. If you haven't read it already - you probably have but just in case - I really do think you'd love it

Riveting drama packed with suspense and secrets

Like drinking a pink Cosmo laced with arsenic . . . a fun, engaging and sometimes disturbing read

Perfect

Fascinating and compassionate

I loved every line of it

Funny and captivating

A cracking story cleverly told