"Joel’s heartwarming and entertaining story, of re-entering the dating scene with the ghost of his ex-girlfriend in tow, is bound to have you in high spirits."
After the loss of his girlfriend, Joel gives himself three years to fall in love. There's only two weeks to go and just when he actually starts to make progress, Beth appears in his life once more from beyond the grave. In true rom-com fashion the path doesn’t run smoothly; walking around talking to your ghost ex-girlfriend and said girlfriend accompanying you on a date will have that effect.
I loved that the story allowed us to meet Beth briefly and see how full of life her character was before jumping ahead to meeting Joel almost three years after she’s gone. Joel is a loveable and relatable character, fumbling his way through modern dating while having a ghost along for the ride. Lucas Oakeley's writing allows you to navigate Joel’s dating ups and downs while simultaneously subtly giving a wider context from the perspectives of the other characters with aplomb. Nearly Departed has all the sweet, warm cosiness of your favourite 90s rom-coms delivered without the sugar crash. It’s hopeful, with emotional twists and turns and romantic moments that will bring both smiles and laughter but surprisingly, given the inclusion of ghosts, has a sense of… realism? It’s like Joel’s practicality is built into the foundation of the text. The result is a lovely book that is ideal for escaping into this summer, or to bring the romance to your spooky season reading.
