Release: March 24, 25
Publisher: Kensington Publishing

Rating: 4.25/5 ⭐

Emily Carpenter’s Gothictown was an atmospheric and gripping read that perfectly blended suspense and gothic elements. The setting was vivid and haunting, almost a character in itself, pulling me into its eerie world. The pacing kept me hooked, balancing slow-burning tension with moments of intense action. I appreciated how the characters were complex and layered, making their struggles feel real and their decisions impactful. The twists were well-executed, leaving me guessing without feeling contrived. Overall, Gothictown delivered on mood, intrigue, and storytelling, earning a strong 4.25 stars from me.

Gothictown by Emily Carpenter is a dark and atmospheric tale set in a mysterious, eerie town where secrets and danger lurk at every corner. The story follows a protagonist who is drawn into a web of deception and intrigue, uncovering shocking truths about the town and its inhabitants. With gothic elements and unexpected twists, it’s a suspenseful journey that keeps you on edge until the very end.

Favorite Quote:

"Welcome to gentle Juliana, where you can have it all.... If you pay the price

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Please note this is a 3.5.

I genuinely liked this book. It was definitely somewhat formulaic, however, it did have the right amount of creepy and weird cult vibes that it needed to have. The characters were definitely flawed, and the writing of the main character was not incredible, but it still felt compelling. The story itself, however, was a really fun ride, and while it seems slightly beyond the realm of possibility, the idea of schlepping to a town to live in a house you bought for $100 is definitely something that I can imagine many would want to do.

The supernatural aspects of this book were definitely stand-outs, and I found myself particularly intrigued by the mine and the potential for the ghosts and visions to be the answer to the strange things that were happening. I was hopeful that this book would lean more into the supernatural stuff, but I unfortunately found that this didn't end up being the case. I thought the storyline with the husband was a strong one, as were the dynasties of creepy families.

The ending was the weakest, but the start and middle were fast-paced and well worth the read. This book is a good one for fans of horror, and it's worth looking into for any horror fan.

Southern gothic masterpiece? YES PLEASE! I adored this. It was incredibly atmospheric and Carpenter did an amazing job of capturing the essence of what makes southern gothic lit so timeless.

When Billie receives an email with an offer to purchase a home for $100 from a small town in Georgia, she, her husband and young daughter pack up and leave New York City. As things seem to easily fall into place, more stuff happens that is weird. Will Billie and her family survive Juliana? This book was un-putdownable and I could not stop reading to find out what happened next. Full of twists and turns, this one will keep you guessing until the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always excited for another Emily Carpenter novel, and GOTHICTOWN did not disappoint. Billie is an intriguing protagonist, and I appreciated how she's not perfect or one dimensional. She makes some bad decisions and certainly does not have everything all figured out. Her family situation is relatable, and things really pick up once they move to Juliana, Georgia, and strange things begin to happen. The plot is suspenseful but not overly intricate or difficult to follow, and the pacing is good, especially once they make the move and the odd occurrences start. The ending is definitely satisfying. I think this novel will be a winner with fans of small town gothic suspense.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Set in a picturesque small town just north of Atlanta. When a deal seems to good to be true, there are usually some strings attached.  Uprooting her family from New York city, to small town Georgia, thing turn creepy pretty quickly. The story is very fast paced, creepy and scary. I didnt like the main character but I did really enjoy this book.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 11.13.24:

I was really excited when I learned that Emily Carpenter had a new novel out since I've read and enjoyed all of her previous ones. GOTHICTOWN sounded right up my alley, too, with its gothic, small town/big secrets plot. The novel did keep me reading, even into the late hours (which resulted in some WEIRD dreams), I found it a little disappointing. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Carpenter's other books. Why? I think it's because I just didn't find the premise very convincing. Maybe in the 1800s I could see people being superstitious enough to make "sacrifices" to a dead girl to protect their town, but in modern times? Eh. I don't think so. It just didn't ring true to me. The crimes of the "old guard" also seem so obvious that it made me question how anyone, least of all a savvy, cynical New Yorker would be so easily taken in by them. I guess I needed a sneakier, more subtle approach to make the storyline work well for me.

That being said, I did fly through the pages of GOTHICTOWN wanting to know what was going to happen next. The atmospheric setting definitely got to me, making the book creepier than I had expected it to be. I didn't love the characters or the town, though, which made it tough to invest overly much in the story. Hence, the 3-star rating. The book was okay, but not as good as what I was expecting from an author I've really enjoyed in the past. Bummer.

this was better than i expected but it’s just okay, excited to see what the author comes up with next because i do think that the idea was good

I really enjoyed this book.
It was everything I really needed this past month of October, the one that I chose to read all of the spooky books.
It was super fast paced and the plot twist, amazing. Got me entertained from the beginning to the end.
Really recommend to people who love really good ambiance books

Not for me. I requested this to read in October, as I always like to stock up on "spooky stories" to get me in the Halloween mood. This wasn't quite what I expected, and not my favorite.

This was a fast paced book with twists and turns that is fast paced to keep you engaged! Billie gets an email after the pandemic to move her and her family down to a town in Georgia into a Victorian home for only $100! She moves with her husband and daughter and starts a new restaurant. Then it takes a turn and the events get a bit weird.. if your into gothic twisty books you’ll enjoy this. I love a fast paced book so it was a good read and the characters are likeable!

Gothictown
By: Emily Carpenter

5 Stars

Still trying to bounce back after the pandemic, Billie and Peter find a house and land for $100, plus money to open a business. It's called 'The Initiative' in the beautiful town of Juliana, Georgia. Soon after moving in, their dream home and life goes off the rails. Soon, they realize Juliana and its members are hiding something. What do you do when your dream becomes a nightmare?

WOW. I loved this story. It was captivating. It had history, drama, romance, secrets, and danger. It really was well rounded and offered a bit of everything. I loved the way this was blended with past and present. It kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the little town of Juliana and all its creepy and dark history. I would love to read more from this author as this was a very well done, 5 star book.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This was a surprisingly good book! Billie gets an email after the pandemic to move her and her family down to a town in Georgia into a Victorian home for only $100! Too good to be true? Of course. As she moves with her husband and daughter, she starts a new restaurant. Things begin to turn a bit weird. I loved the fast-paced plot and the characters. I do wish so much had not been revealed about the town right away. Otherwise, this was a very good Southern Gothic read.

I went into this thinking it was going to be one thing and it turned out suprising me in a completely different way. Sometimes, for me, it can be hard to sit with a book and really read the words and not get drowned in my own thoughts as I try to figure out all the mysteries on the page through pattern recognition and "formulas" used when many writers pen a thrilling novel. This time, I was able to turn off my brain and actually just enjoy Emily Carpenter's "Gothictown". There are many pieves to this story and I think there are so many people that will really love getting their hands on this when it comes out!

I love a town with a secret and this is quite a secret in Juliana. A family moves down to Georgia from New York, taking advantage of their “initiative”, buying a mansion with 12 acres for only $100. But things start to fall apart soon after. Infidelity, ghosts. , family pets going feral and much more in this fast paced and suspenseful novel.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

If there's one thing I've learned from my recent horror reads, it's that you should never ever accept a suspiciously cheap house in a small town. It's obvious that the main character of Gothictown hasn't read the same books, however, because if she had she would have deleted that spam email so fast. And who moves to small town Georgia based on a spam email anyway?? Billie Hope (she was destined to live in the south with that name, amirite?) is the queen of questionable decisions, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

This novel is entertaining-ish. The main character isn't particularly likeable – she drives drunk and is a terrible pet owner and enjoys snogging men who aren't her husband – but she's more likeable than most of the other characters, I guess. The plot is all over the place and doesn't have a lot of depth to it, but there was enough action and suspense to keep me reading and curious about where things were headed. And Juliana is definitely a creepy place – the phrase “gentle Juliana” made me physically cringe every time I read it.

I'd love know how Juliana funded the “Initiative,” by the way. For a town that doesn't even have a proper restaurant and apparently (view spoiler), they sure do have a lot of money to be handing out $100 houses and business grants.

The ending has a completely different vibe than the rest of the book – this is a horror(ish) read with the ending of a cozy mystery. And it's very much an “everybody clapped” sort of situation. (I mean that literally. Everyone really does clap.) Apparently the bar for (view spoiler) is very, very low. Like “I've lived here for approximately six minutes and know how to cook pancakes” low.

So, I dunno. Did I love it? Not exactly. But there's some supernatural bits and some thriller-y shenanigans and a murder or two, so it's … interesting. There are no “echoes of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery” (despite what the blurb says) and it's not fine literature, but if you're looking for a light but unsettling read, this one might be a decent choice. 3.35 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 25, 2025.

Thank you, Netgalley and Kensington Publishing, for the ARC of Gothictown.

It was a little slow in the beginning but did pick up towards the middle. I enjoyed this suspense book.

Billie Hope needs some (don’t look at me, I didn’t name her!). Then she gets an email that makes her an incredible offer - for $100 she can purchase a Victorian home in Juliana, Georgia. I, would naturally assume they mean the former U.S.S.R., and, of course, they would, and that would be the end.

No, in this crazy world they mean the U.S. state of Georgia, and why you figure out in what world that could possibly happen, Billie is signing up. She had to shut down her NYC restaurant during the pandemic and she and her husband Peter are struggling to pay rent and provide for six year old Meredith. Billie decides this is exactly what they need to start over.

At first it’s great, they are only two hours outside Atlanta, she is ready to start the new restaurant and the weather is wonderful. But then Billie and Peter start to have bad dreams, they aren’t getting along and the influence e the town elders have over the town seems odd. Is there something wrong with Juliana?

Well, um, yes. This was all destined for sorrow, and only an idiot would have believed the hype. Two hours from Atlanta? Please, girl! The story was “meh.” Ending was OK. Whole thing was about a hundred pages too long. I would like to have breakfast at her restaurant, though.

Gothictown

When Billie receives an email inviting her to buy a house in tiny Juliana Georgia, she is intrigued. She recently closed her incredibly popular New York City restaurant due to the pandemic and she is looking for a change, and another chance at opening a new eatery. Her husband is quickly persuaded and they move to the quaint little Georgia town with their six year old daughter Meredith.

The family is charmed by the new town, and Billie is given a large grant and beautiful space to open her new cafe. But things quickly start to fall apart as they notice that Juliana is a lot more sinister they ever could have believed.

Juliana is filled with well drawn, quirky characters that make it a fun read before it along with a good dose of creepy. With a lots of twists and turns, the book is a fast paced thrills that I enjoyed. If you are looking for a dark, chilling mystery, I definitely recommend it.

I received this free advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.