I lived the premise of this book - spooky and southern, with a bit of mystery and magic. It was fun and definitely had me guessing the whole time. It was a bit longer than it needed to be, but it scratched my thriller itch for sure!

When Billie Hope gets an email offering a $100 Victorian home in Juliana, Georgia, plus a grant to open her dream restaurant, it feels like a fresh start she can’t pass up. She and her family jump at the chance to leave NYC behind and settle into the charming, welcoming town.

But soon, Billie senses something isn’t right. Beneath Juliana’s Southern charm lies an unsettling, menacing vibe, and Billie starts to wonder if her family’s new beginning might become their biggest mistake.

This was an enjoyable read overall. Billie’s journey into uncovering a town-wide cult worshiping a long-dead little girl—and believing she’s the reason for their prosperity—was both eerie and intriguing. The book nailed the creepy vibes with ghost stories, an unsettling Southern setting, and even sacrifices. That said, the ending felt a bit too neat and cheerful for my taste, lacking the punch I was hoping for after all the build-up. Still, it’s a solid mystery/horror story with plenty to keep you turning the page.

This book reminded me of the 80s style of horror. Perfect town, perfect family but something chilling lies beneath it all. Juliana, Georgia, is a perfect place to live but needs new blood and new businesses. It welcomes people to apply for the Initiative, a program that provides business grants and $100 homes if you meet their standards. Despite some initial misgivings, Billie and Peter and their daughter Mere apply, are accepted and move to Juliana to start a new life. They soon discover that anything so perfect comes with a price. I enjoyed this book a lot, although the stream of consciousness was overdone and I skipped over some of it in order to get back to the plot. Overall, it was well written and the story was interesting. I found myself flying through the pages to get to the end.

2.5 stars. I really wanted to like this book, but it wasn't for me. The writing was very erratic, didn't flow well, and I ended up struggling to finish. The writing seemed to take you on a stream of consciousness and then all of a sudden would switch gears to another subject. I had to do double takes several times because I thought I missed how it switched over. I wanted to DNF before I got to the halfway point. I was excited at first because the premise was so intriguing. However, I quickly became bored and only finished so I could produce an honest review. I really think maybe about 100 pages could have been cut out.

I thought there were going to be more paranormal aspects to this book because of how many times it alluded to it. However, it fell short, and although the parts were eerie, in the end, it wasn't part of the resolution of events. Except for passively saying they helped find the resolve. Also, the excerpts from the past seemed very unnecessary. The beginning one was interesting, but the rest seemed like they were unnecessary because they didn't tie into the findings from the main character.

For me, the ending was disappointing and underwhelming. All in all, this book read more like a long, cozy mystery instead of a horror. I wish the cult aspect was laid on a little thicker and gave more explanation in the end of how everything unfolded. Also, I wish the paranormal aspects tied in more to the book. I can see how other people might like this book, but I couldn't give 3 stars to something I wouldn't recommend. It just wasn't what I expected for a horror novel. I do feel guilty because I hate giving books less than 3 stars. I ended up liking it okay, which is why I could give it 2.5 stars. However, if I had DNF-ed this book, it wouldn't be as high.

Gothictown is a novel that starts off hopeful but quickly turns dark, chilling and sinister. A thriller that charms and captivates before alarming, unnerving and frightening readers. A well-constructed story hellbent on freaking you the hell out. Enthralling stuff by Emily Carpenter.

Billie Hope seizes what seems like the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to trade her tiny New York City apartment for a sprawling Victorian home in a quaint Georgia town, all for just $100. The offer comes with a business grant to open her dream restaurant and the promise of a fresh start for her family in the picturesque community of Juliana. At first, everything appears idyllic as Billie throws herself into her new life. But beneath the charm and Southern hospitality, something feels unsettling. As unease creeps in, Billie begins to question the town’s true nature—and whether escaping Juliana will be as easy as arriving.

Gothictown explores the themes of finding purpose in your life, how judgment can be impaired if you’re in a seemingly desperate situation, navigating relationship difficulties, how far you’ll go for your family, the problems with consolidated power wielded by a few people, and that if a deal seems too good to be true than it probably is. And the exploration of these ideas is superbly done within the context of a thrilling psychological and horrifying tale that slowly builds in intensity, suspiciousness and body count. But despite the disturbing and creepy vibes that ooze off the pages and make you scream at Billie to get the hell out of there and run like her life depends on it, you keep racing ahead to find out what will happen next. Because while the plot is chilling, it’s also fascinating and entertaining as hell. A story that you can try to put down, but it will then beckon you like a ghostly whisper in your dreams.

One last thing. The next time you come across one of those news stories about small towns around the world offering insane deals on cheap homes or piles of cash to move there, I promise you’ll view them with a completely different mindset after reading Gothictown. And if you do decide to take them up on that offer, well, do so at your own peril.

3.5 🌟

A fun book that really ramps up the excitement in the second half. I'm not sure I agreed with the author's choice to spell out and explain the mystery in the first pages of the book. It took a lot of the tension out of the first part of the novel and I felt things dragged because of it.

However, once Billie finally catches on to how off things are and everything starts to unravel, the book becomes a thrilling romp about a woman fighting for her family and future against some seriously deranged people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

2.5 stars.

I really liked the premise of this but it didn't quite hit for me although it did have it's moments.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I loved the atmosphere of this book; the setting, the tone, and the writing were excellent! The characters could have been a bit more fleshed out; they sometimes seemed a little one-dimensional. Overall, it's a good book!

This one was a little to on the nose for me. A bit predictable, and nothing to really hold the tension. I was entertained, and there were some elements that were a bit spooky. But all in all, this one didn’t meet my expectations I’m sorry to say.

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Gothictown is a great modern Southern Gothic novel.
Billie Hope, husband Peter and six year old daughter Meredith make a life-changing move from New York to ‘Gentle Juliana’ -an idyllic Georgian town.
Post-pandemic, Billie has had to shut down her successful NY restaurant and is dealing with the secondary trauma of her Mother leaving her to go live with a Cult-ish movement that restricts contact.
When an email arrives in her inbox about an initiative in struggling Georgian town Juliana, offering a house for just $100 plus $30,000 towards setting up a new business to be based in the community, Billie can’t help thinking that it must be some kind of scam.
Is this hugely tempting offer just too good to be true?
Let’s face it - it usually is!

Juliana has had many come-backs in its relatively short history of a town. A previously failed gold mine, then a failed Lumber Mill. There’s money to be made, but only if certain sacrifices are made…

The setting of Juliana is beautifully imagined with a great cast of slightly eccentric and intriguing ‘original founding family’ characters.
Billie and her own family do seem quite two-dimensional compared with some of the other characters. I just never really felt for her, so it was a bit hard to fully invest in her dramas.
The action really starts to ramp up towards the end with loads of stomach-churning ‘eek!’ moments.
With so many books failing to hit a satisfactory ending, I was happy that Emily Carpenter was successful in her conclusion. Wrapped up neatly and with a satisfying result, I was left with the positive reading experience with a book that was well-paced and well executed from start to finish.
* Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

Gothictown by Emily Carpenter is a novel of Southern Gothic genre. It touches on the subject of the impact of 2020 pandemic on ordinary people and how it affected the life of a restaurant owner, Billie Hope. We also get to read about the impact of war on women and children as well as how class distinction played a role in determining their fate.

The premise was good, the writing not so much, but it kept my interest until halfway through the book. The ending was somewhat dubious and implausible and it seemed the writer just wanted to end the novel abruptly.

excellent southern gothic thriller with a flawed protagonist. its one flaw are the flashbacks that periodically occur, but that isn't a huge detriment. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Problems with the pacing that is all over the place made this a hard book to read. The character is also naive to the point of absurdity. The writing needs to be polished hard because it comes of a little childish. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this chance to read this book.

Gothictown started well, with atmospheric scene setting that really drew me in. However I felt that it really went downhill from there with the pacing and characterisation. The main protagonist, Billie, was increasingly annoying me, and the way she was conducting herself just didn't feel in any way realistic. The writing felt very immature and the whole thing left me feeling very unsatisfied. Not for me at all, though it absolutely should have been. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

Sometimes, you see articles about small towns in Italy or Scotland offering homes for small fees. They want to build their communities and perhaps increase tourism income. They all seem too good to be true. Gothictown by Emily Carpenter is a cautionary tale about one of those too-good-to-be-true offers.

Billie Hope is struggling. During the pandemic in New York City, she closed her acclaimed restaurant, Billie's. Her mother has joined a cult and moved to Maine. One day, she receives an email offering the opportunity to join an initiative in Georgia. The town of Juliana is offering homes for $100 and all the support to build businesses there. Billie and her husband, Peter, find this too good of an offer to pass up, pack up their lives, and move south.

Juliana is an ideal small town. Everyone knows everyone. There's always a helping hand and an offer to barter for favors. Billie opens a new restaurant and it's received with much excitement. It's almost TOO easy. No permit or license hold-ups, no construction delays, no staffing issues. Billie is back in her happy place at the restaurant.

Peter, however, is not happy. He's sleeping during the day and is increasingly angry. The family cat has also started acting feral.

As Billie learns more about Juliana and gets to know the residents, she finds that the town's old guard has more than a few secrets.
---
Emily Carpenter has written a modern Gothic thriller with Gothictown. Full of small-town drama and secrets, Juliana is a nightmare of a town.

While I did find some issues with Billie, as a person, she was still someone that I rooted for. Did the end wrap up a LITTLE too nicely? Yes, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading the story of Billie Hope trying to find herself and to find a home.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Free ARC provided by Kensington Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Publish date 25 March 2025.

I requested this book because I was intrigued by its Southern Gothic premise. In Gothictown, ex-restauranteur and stay at home mom Billie is lured into moving her family down to picturesque small town Juliana, Georgia after seeing an advertisement for houses selling for only one hundred dollars. However, as you might guess, the offer is inevitably too good to be true, and Billie is dragged into a dangerous tangle of Juliana's dark secrets stretching back centuries...

This book got off on the wrong foot with a spelling error on the very first page (mantel where they meant mantle), and I wasn't especially enamored of the casual, unpolished prose. My second impression was that Gothictown is very much a post-COVID book, set perhaps a year or two after 2020. I'm so-so on including the pandemic in novels, but I found its presence compelling here. The specter of lockdown in a small New York apartment with a husband and six-year-old is obviously the driving force behind Billie's eagerness to snatch at a clearly too good to be true offer.

The book's pacing is somewhat erratic—while Billie's husband Peter picks up on the obviously cursed house and seems to be on the verge of nervous breakdown relatively quickly, our POV Billie is remarkably oblivious to the atmosphere. Besides from a handful of nightmares, she's under the impression that Juliana is a sweet and charming town well into the halfway point, which slogs down the pace. That is, until the novel breaks unexpectedly into a thriller-like confrontation more suited to a hotshot crime TV show in the last quarter. In addition, the choice to include flashbacks to the actions of the town founders throughout time from very early on rather spoils the tension, since it's relatively clear to the reader what's actually going on, even if Billie doesn't know. These anticlimactic spoilers contributed to the overall impression that the book was reluctant to commit to the horror genre, clinging instead to the plausible deniability of litfic rationalizations.

I liked down-to-earth Billie's narration, but I found the horror aspects rather disappointing. If you're looking for a stand-out Southern Gothic, I'd recommend Tananarive Due's The Reformatory instead.

Have you ever dreamed of moving to a small, remote place where life is still guided by old-fashioned values and flows peacefully, free from dangers or dissatisfaction? "Gothictown" might shake your belief that such a place could truly exist.

A New York family—a father, mother, and young daughter—decides to relocate to Juliana, a small town in Georgia where time seems to have stopped. Lured by enticing and favorable financial offers, they hope to finally lead a life far from the stress of big cities, economic pressure, and the disorientation of fast-paced modern living.

But, of course, the fairy tale will soon morph into a chilling horror story.

"Gothictown" is a contemporary southern gothic novel that begins with the kind of tension every good thriller should have. The first 50 pages genuinely unsettled me and raised my expectations so much that I had to slow my reading to avoid being overwhelmed by anxiety.

Unfortunately, as the story progressed, boredom gradually took hold.

In "Gothictown," too many dynamics start to intertwine: the town's eerie folklore, the personal struggles of the two protagonists, Peter and Billie, their deteriorating relationship, psychological twists, and Billie's relationship with her mother. The events in this novel unfold excruciatingly slowly and feel overly diluted. This pacing undermines the suspense. Once all the cards are on the table, the ending feels rather implausible—a conclusion to a story that began with great promise but ultimately failed to fulfill it.

Nonetheless, "Gothictown" remains an enjoyable thriller. It deftly navigates the supernatural and the mundane to tell a tale of abuse of power and collective madness, dismantling the ideal of an "Eden" and delivering a simple yet searing truth: even the most idyllic and perfect places are full of shadows. Because humanity is never immune to greed and malice.

Forced to close her restaurant due to the pandemic and her mother moving to join a cult in Maine, Billie feels lost in New York with her young family. Until Billie and her therapist husband, Peter, receive the offer of a lifetime. A small town in Georgia is offering home and business opportunity for $100 to anyone willing to relocate.

This book had the hair on my arms raised almost the entire time. Juliana, Georgia seems like it would be the perfect place to raise a family, but something is off. There are small, odd things that happen making you wonder if it is something to ignore or if it leads to something bigger. There were plenty of twists, and turns that kept me guessing.

I know other reviewers have said the same thing but this book is super atmospheric and gothic, which I love! It creeped me out almost the whole way through after sucking me in from the first page. I didn't want the book to end! Some parts made me raise an eyebrow but it was a fun ride.