I came for a fresh, fun contemporary romance, but found beautiful messages about grief, loss, and “good goodbyes” along the way. Florence’s story was equally sad and joyful. I chortled, gasped, silently wept, and swooned through her journey. While a bit predictable, there were so many sweet and poignant moments (and a few surprises) that lent to a satisfying ending.

My only wish would have been for a more substantive development of the characters. For as big and deep as Florence’s emotions were, she felt a bit flat at times. Her entire personality seemed to be centered on her breakup and sixth sense. She consistently referred to herself as a “chaos gremlin” but nothing felt chaotic or frantic about her. And while I loved bearing witness to her grieving process, I didn’t feel like I really got to know Florence. There are so many hints at who she is as a character and why she is the way she is, but outside of the breakup and her first ghost sighting, we don’t get many details.

The rest of the characters, right down to the mayor (who was a literal golden retriever, twice re-elected) also felt cookie cutter. The only exception, Florence’s ex, Lee. His awfulness was captured so brilliantly that each reference to him left me wanting to swat him in the balls.