Ghosted Book Review: Romantic Thriller by Rosie Walsh

​I was on an evening walk with my dog the other week and we stopped at the Little Free Library down the street from my boyfriend’s house. I love to look through all the different books. I saw Ghosted by Rosie Walsh and decided to take it home with me. The plot sounded intriguing and I’ve been wanting to dive into a good romantic thriller. So today I’ll be sharing my full Ghosted book review. 

If you enjoyed today’s review, you can read more of my book discussions here.

What is Ghosted by Rose Walsh About?

Seven perfect days. Then he disappeared. A love story with a secret at its heart.

When Sarah meets Eddie, they connect instantly and fall in love. To Sarah, it seems as though her life has finally begun. And it’s mutual: It’s as though Eddie has been waiting for her, too. Sarah has never been so certain of anything. So when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call from the airport, she has no cause to doubt him. But he doesn’t call.

Sarah’s friends tell her to forget about him, but she can’t. She knows something’s happened–there must be an explanation.

Minutes, days, weeks go by as Sarah becomes increasingly worried. But then she discovers she’s right. There is a reason for Eddie’s disappearance, and it’s the one thing they didn’t share with each other: the truth. (from Amazon.com)

But wait… This book sounds Familiar…

If you are from Great Britain, you may recognize this book under a different name: The Man Who Didn’t Call. In the United States it was published with the title Ghosted. I’m not sure which I like better. I think both titles do a good job of explaining the story. But ghosting is something that affects many people today in the modern dating scene. Especially when it comes to online dating. So I understand why that is a good title as well.

My Initial Thoughts

I was so intrigued by this story because I’ve been ghosted before. Back when I was online dating, I had a few times where I went on a couple of dates with a guy that seemed to go well and then I never heard from them again. I would try to reach out once or twice but it became pretty clear that for whatever reason, they were no longer interested.

It sucks. But some people are just not good with communication and that’s something you have to understand when you put your heart out there and try for love.

However, I didn’t contact them relentlessly afterward like Sarah did. Lol. It was a little hard to take watching her call and email and Eddie constantly. The facebook messages seemed like a bit much. I was a little embarrassed for her and it was clear that although her friends were trying to be supportive of her, they thought she was too fixated on Eddie.

I had no idea how this story was going to progress. All I could do was keep reading and cross my fingers for Sarah that she wasn’t in danger.

The Main Characters

Although I liked both Sarah and Eddie, I felt like I didn’t really know them. This surprising romantic suspense story is told in both the past and the present.  We watch as Sarah slowly unravels in the present, but also as she gets to know Eddie in the past.

​I did find their initial meeting to be really cute. They meet when Sarah is very vulnerable and have a wonderful first date, sharing pints and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. They spend a wonderful week together and swap phone numbers and other contact information.

The problem is that after Sarah and Eddie meet, we don’t get that many more scenes of the two of them together. Their wonderful love story that meant so much to Sarah has to be mostly imagined by us readers. I really would have liked more scenes of the two of them together. That would have made the book a lot longer and probably would have messed up the pacing, but that’s okay to me. Haha. I love a long book. Especially when it’s a romantic thriller with neck-snapping plot twists.

A Look at Social Media and Modern Dating

It’s so funny because I’ve been rewatching Seinfeld on Netflix and dating in the 80’s and 90’s was so different. You had to actually make a phone call if you wanted to speak to your date. You had to ask for their phone number if you wanted to see them again. Communication was there, but it was so different from how it is now. If they didn’t call you back, you may never see them again.

Meanwhile in the 2010’s (I believe this book came out in 2018) dating is all about social media and Facebook and dating apps and constant communication. 

Is it a Romance or a Thriller?

I consider it to be both. Although a big part of the story is the romance between Eddie and Sarah, it seems to disappear out of nowhere. And then we are left to wonder why. Sarah goes on a bit of a wild goose chase to try to figure out what happened and where he went. There are clues along the way but the only person who can give her answers is the person who she can’t get in touch with.

I found the plot twists in this book to be really surprising. It’s a cleverly plotted romantic thriller and although not knowing the truth really bothered me, I had to keep reading to find out why. This book is equal parts frustrating and satisfying and I loved that.

And to be honest, it made my heart really happy when Sarah and Eddie first met. I’m typically more practical and don’t believe you can really fall in love with someone in a week, but hey… what do I know? Maybe you can. All I know is that I found their story to be a deeply moving romance.

Liane Moriarty, who is the author of Big Little Lies, is quoted as saying she loved this story and didn’t want it to end. I have to say that I agree. Although it is frustrating at times and there are parts of the story that I wish had been more fleshed out, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

​Processing Grief

Although love is a big part of this story, so is grief. Sarah’s story is explained little by little, but every year she is reminded of an incident from when she was younger that she must live with, each and every day. Ghosted is a touching portrait of grief and shows how different people cope with similar situations. That’s part of what makes us human. But it’s comforting that a tale of heartbreak can also have positive moments here and there.

My Final Thoughts

This is my first time reading a book by Rosie Walsh and I really enjoyed it. I do think the ending was wrapped up a little too neatly, but also I’m not sure what else I could have wanted. While browsing on goodreads I saw that Rosie Walsh has another book called The Love of My Life that sounds interesting. I enjoyed her writing style in Ghosted so I’m thinking I would enjoy her other romantic thriller as well.

I read this book over Memorial Day Weekend at the pool. It was the perfect book to read while I was sitting poolside. It’s an intriguing mystery that kept me glued to my pool chair until my boyfriend arrived, and we took a dip in the water.

In Conclusion

Rosie Walsh’s depiction of ghosting is both realistic and unrealistic. It’s wild that Sarah jumps to the conclusion that something must have happened to Eddie after he doesn’t call her, and her friends let her know it. But the intertwining story lines in this book are so good and definitely kept me entertained. It you’re looking for a story about modern dating gone wrong, definitely check out this brilliant debut novel by Rosie Walsh. The complex characters and intricate backstories will keep you on the edge of your seat.

But Wait, There’s More!

Thank you so much for checking out my Ghosted book review. I hope you enjoyed. If you’re looking for more domestic thriller recommendations, you can check out the rest of my thriller book reviews here.

xo Marian