Book Review: Ghosted By Rosie Walsh
A photo of a paperback copy of Ghosted by Rosie Walsh laying on top of a pink and green plant with blue fabric in the background. Photo by Payton Hayes.
This blog post was written by a human.This is a spoiler-free review.Hi readers and writerly friends!
This week in the Bookish Things category, we’re discussing Ghosted by Rosie Walsh.
Almost every one of us can relate to the sour feeling and phenomenon of being “ghosted” and what it feels like to never hear from someone again. For those who have read Gillian Flynn’s psychological romantic thriller, Gone Girl, Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce and/or anything by Llane Moriarty, then you may have heard about (previously titled) The Man Who Didn’t Call or Ghosted by Rosie Walsh. This book is a romantic thriller from cover to cover and I devoured this fantastic summer contemporary like it was candy. Or perhaps, honey is the better word; the prose is so smooth and sweet, and it draws you in and keeps you hooked until the end. I ate up this short 174-page whirlwind of a tragic love story within the span of a single day, if that tells you how truly wrapped up in it, I was.
There’s no better feeling than picking up the perfect book for your current season of life—the ideal read you’re just craving. I nabbed this book just before summer started and left it sitting on my shelf for weeks before I realized what gold lay in store or me within its pages. I picked it up around July and was left hungering for more as soon as I’d put it down. Ghosted was sweet, to be sure, but it was also equal parts heartwarming, and heartbreaking, gushworthy, swoonworthy, and it’s a story I will always look back fondly on.
This contemporary romance has everything you could ever want—complex relationships that make your heart ache, flawed, yet deeply loveable, compelling characters, multiple layers of secrets/intrigue guaranteed to keep the pages turning, a pacing that you’ll find makes you hold your breathe one moment and sigh out of relief the next, and a premise that is just utterly dazzling. The twist was so, so good.
“Seven perfect days. Then He disappeared. A love story with a secret at it’s heart” (Walsh, 2019)
An underlying theme in this book, much like Walsh’s other works is the protagonist who is not what he or she seems. Layers of mystery woven together pull readers in ever deeper the longer they read and leaves them eager for more even after the mystery is solved. Walsh makes clever use of Facebook posts and text messages to build suspense— an apt strategy for creating a compelling and relatable read for many readers today.
Although it was hard to break away from the story, I found myself having to put the book down a few times because certain scenes were just so raw and deeply moving to me. And I would chalk this up to personal response, however after a quick glance at other reader’s reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, it’s clear I am not the only one who felt this way.
“I was ready to hate this book. I didn't pick it up for an entire day, not wanting the story to go the way I thought it was. But it called me to just see, just see how it ends. And I couldn't put it down until it was though!” (Angie, 2018)
A photo of a paperback copy of Ghosted by Rosie Walsh laying flat on blue fabric, with a plant. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I was honestly touched by the unforeseen way mental illness was portrayed and the kind of dysfunctional relationships that can be wrapped up in it. I had a lump in my throat throughout these scenes because Walsh just gets it. It is always refreshing to read an author that is able to examine something from multiple perspectives, especially subjects as complex as mental illness, loss, bitterness, and tragedy. Walsh lovingly and honestly wrote around these sensitive topics with great empathy and care.
This book gets a lot of criticism for having a contrived plot, unrealistic characters, and cringe-inducing writing. I simply have to disagree. From the outside looking in, someone being “ghosted” may seem obsessed, childish, and naïve. However, I implore these readers to think back to when they were treated this way (or imagine it, if they have never experienced this) and consider how painfully unyielding this experience truly is. Closure is never promised and although people joke endlessly about “ghosting” each other on social media, its wound for some, that may never truly heal.
“This plot is focused and squeezes its reader into the manic grip of Sarah’s growing insanity, dragging us on a journey that is both obsessive and dryly comical.” (Kristin, 2018)
I should also say that I typically see plot twists coming from a mile away. I’m the kind of reader who has to cover the bottom-half of the page with my hand to keep my eyes from darting down as I read, eager to know whether I’ve figured out the twist just before it happens. However, this plot twist shocked me. If you think you know where this story is going, you’re wrong.
Ghosted is a real hold-your-breath-squeal-as-you-read-grit-your-teeth-can’t-stop-smiling kind of book and is absolutely the perfect summer read. (Also great for the fall if you love cozying up with a sweet read and your favorite warm beverage.) If you love Liane Moriarty’s writing, I am confident you will also love Ghosted.
And that’s it for my review of Rosie Walsh’s Ghosted. What do you think of this novel? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Bibliography
Angie. Review of Ghosted by Rosie Walsh. Amazon, July 28, 2018. (accessed December 4, 2019).Hayes, Payton. “A photo of a paperback copy of Ghosted by Rosie Walsh laying flat on blue fabric, with a plant.” December 4, 2019Hayes, Payton. “A photo of a paperback copy of Ghosted by Rosie Walsh laying on top of a pink and green plant with blue fabric in the background.” December 4, 2019 (Thumbnail Photo)Kristin. Review of Ghosted, review on Goodreads, July 13, 2018, Goodreads, (accessed December 4, 2019).Walsh, Rosie. Ghosted. Paperback ed. New York: Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, 2019.
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This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. If you want to learn more about my stance on gen-AI and it’s role in media and the publishing industry, I plan to release a blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.
