Ghosting: A Witty, Heartfelt, & Modern Love Story

by T. Skilton

With lots of fun banter and quippy dialogue, Ghosting: A Love Story is for readers looking for the wit and heart of Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella with the romance of You've Got Mail plus a savvy digital take on modern love a la Alisha Rai.
 
“A sweet, genuinely funny, banter-filled delight of a rom-com.”
—Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks

Online Dating Ghostwriting Rules to Live by:
 
·  Do not present a “perfect” image. No one will trust it. Nor should they.
 
·  Think of your quirks—such as cosplaying B-movies from the 1980s—as a “Future Honesty.” Save these as a reward only for those who prove worthy.
 
·  Never remind the client you’re their voice. Once you’ve attracted a good match, let the client take over ASAP.

Dumped by his fiancée, not only is Miles couch-surfing across New York City, but downsizing has forced him to set up shop at a local café. Also, he no longer believes in love. Not a good look in his line of work…helping people find love as a ghostwriter for a failing dating site.

Zoey’s eccentric L.A. boss sent her packing to New York to “grow.” But beneath her chill Cali demeanor, Zoey’s anxiety makes her terrified to venture beyond the café across the street into the big city…

Finding themselves competing for space at Café Crudite, the only thing Miles and Zoey think they share is their daily battle for last day-old biscotti and a mutual dislike of each other. They don’t know they’re both writers, creating “authentic” profiles for rival online dating services. They think they have absolutely nothing in common. . . . until they meet anonymously online while pretending to be their clients and sparks fly.

As they become more deeply connected online, their mistaken identities get more complicated when their clients experience a dating disaster IRL.  Once they find out their lives have crossed in more ways than one, will their online connection be the real thing—or vanish into the ether?

“Skilton puts a multicultural millennial spin on You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romance. Solid laughs…rom-com fans will find this one well worth their time.”
—Publishers Weekly

"A light, hip, and humorous romance, perfect for stressful times."
—Booklist

“Skilton puts a multicultural millennial spin on You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romance.”
—Publishers Weekly

"Sweet and funny."
—Shelf Awareness

“Cyrano de Bergerac meets classic rom-com banter...An energetic romance that would make Nora Ephron proud.”
—Kirkus Reviews

• ISBN10: 1496730658
• ISBN13: 9781496730657
• Publish Date: 26 May 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 15 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781496730657

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Both Zoey and Miles work as ghostwriters. Not for novelists, but for dating services. Unbeknownst to the other, they are having a sort of online relationship with each other, while IRL, they are nemeses battling daily for the big table at the cafe across the street. Slowly, the competition goes from cutthroat to friendly, and some real feelings begin to emerge. But, will their connection thrive offline?

So. Much. Fun! More often than not, when I pick up a "rom-com", it's not quite what I was expecting. This however lived up to its rom-com label, and had me laughing loudly and often.

Here are five things I really Loved about Ghosting: A Love Story:

1. I thought the premise was brilliant! What are the chances of two people with matched online profiles BOTH using ghost writers to help them get a date? Probably slim to none, but it made for a really fantastic storyline. I liked the way Zoey and Miles interacted with both their clients and each other. The meetings, the chats, the dates provided many opportunities for comedic moments, and the authors utilized them well. Just wait until you get to delight in their banter, and bear witness to some of their antics!

2. It's a bit of two-fer romance. While we watch Zoey and Miles slowly fall for each other, we also get to see a relationship form between their clients. I really enjoyed all of these characters, and especially loved having two couples to root for.

3. Cheese! Yes, there was a lot of cheese talked about and consumed over the course of this book, and I was down for it. I kind of wish that Cheese pop-up restaurant was a real place, because I would make it my first post-quarantine stop.

4. Miles' parents were the best! There actually aren't many scenes, where his parent appear on page, but Miles speaks of them fondly. He was this heart-on-his-sleeve romantic, because he was so inspired by his parents' own love story, and it's a good one. I am getting all mushy over here just thinking about it.

5. Mary for the win! Mary was Zoey's former boss back in LA. She was a one-time actress with a cult following, and now a writer and script doctor. My goodness! She was hilarious! Every time she phoned, texted, or emailed, I couldn't help but giggle. She was so over the top, but so wonderful too. I loved, who she was for Zoey, but also the way she acted like her fairy godmother, even if it was not apparent from the start.

Sarvenaz Tash called this her and Skilton's love letter to Nora Ephron, and it definitely reads that way. The book had the signature humor, banter, and feels of a Nora Ephron rom-com, while still being fresh, new, and uniquely their own.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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