Compulsively readable, mysterious until the end. When I had to put this book down for any length of time, I was thinking about it. It kept me guessing and interested from page one until the last page.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark was ON FIRE! 🔥 📝

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter and the daughter of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, who was suspected of killing his siblings as a teenager. Olivia has found herself in some financial precariousness, and is forced to sign on to ghostwrite her father's final book. In no time at all, Olivia realizes that this "job" is going to be much more than the straightforward fiction tale that she was promised.

👏🏻 I was ENGROSSED in this book. I didn't want to put it down. The final chapters were absolutely epic and I don't know how Julie Clark was able to keep it all straight (which made me LOL in the author's note after that it was, in fact, difficult for her to do)! She crushed it! 💪🏻

This thriller was raw and the twists and turns just kept twisting and turning!! A true thriller in that you changed your theory every few pages! This was a slow burn in the best way. 🔥🙌🏻

*Adding all of Julie Clark's books to my TBR pile*

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The Ghostwriter releases June 3, 2025 and is going to be making a splash on so many people's summer reading lists!!

This book was a doozy. It has a bit of everything - suspense, tension, heartbreak, family drama and so much more. The mystery in this was very intriguing and kept me hooked. The multiple timelines were used well and allowed for Clark to reveal small plot points as Olivia was figuring out what really happened back in 1975. The ending was strong and I enjoyed how everything wrapped up nicely. And seriously, those sprayed edges (swipe to see!) might be my new favorite so definitely grab a copy.

I loved this one! Julie Clark hasn't had a novel in awhile, so I was excited to see her name. Great cover and interesting premise.

The Ghostwriter is a twisted mystery where the past comes to light in an author’s ghostwriting of a tell all novel. Olivia Dumont needs money quickly that is the only reason she agrees to be the ghostwriter for her father, the horror author Vincent Taylor. Everyone has always believed Vincent killed his siblings in 1975 and Olivia has finally escaped the stigma only to be pulled back. Vincent is suffering from a severe form of dementia and Olivia has a limited time to uncover the truth. Told in alternating timelines, the story twists and turns until the shocking truth is revealed and Olivia finally sees her father for who he is. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This is a story about how secrets and misunderstandings can destroy a family. Julie Clark is a great storyteller, and I enjoyed watching this story unfold. The ending was a surprise and answered so many questions!

3.75. An intriguing story, if a little sluggish at points. The end was worth it. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this mystery. Olivia is a ghostwriter, and the daughter of horror author Vincent Taylor. Rumors have long circulated that he murdered his own siblings, and now, suffering from dementia, he asks Olivia to help him write his memoir about the murders.

There are a lot of family secrets and the characters are flawed, layered, and compelling. I haven’t read anything by Julie Clark before, but after this, I definitely want to read more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you for the ARC! Julie Clark is definitely an auto read for me. This book kept me guessing the entire time. Even though it was a slow burn, I was invested until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed Poppy’s chapters/POV. Such a great character! I feel like Tom threw me off. He read as is there was going to be a major twist with him but there wasn’t.

I loved the characters, especially Poppy as we looked back. There were some slow moments and I had a hard time staying interested all the way through. I will still try the author's next read!

Thank you to the publisher for this early release copy of The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. I read a lot of thrillers but they typically don't score 5 stars for me but Julie Clark now has 2 thrillers that have hit that milestone for me. I was so engrossed with this book from the very beginning. The story really had some twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end. I have to go and read Clark's backlist because nobody does it quite like she does! Highly recommend!

Complex Story of Generational Trauma. This is one of those tales that reads a touch slow - so be prepared for that - but which ultimately succeeds in having quite an emotional impact due to just how much force it lands with. When, to bring a bit of physics into the equation here, Force is mass multiplied by acceleration, a slow acceleration of a sufficiently sized mass can hit with the same impact as a much faster, yet smaller, object. This book's ultimate mass, all that has happened to each of these characters and all they have gone through as a result of these events, is truly rather substantial. In the end, you're going to see clearly just how these characters became all that they did... even as you may not quite get all the answers you may want as a reader, or perhaps things ultimately play out a touch differently here than you may want in "real life". Regardless, this book stays true to its story as Clark chooses to craft it, and she truly did a particularly great job yet again.

Yes, there is praise for both AOC and Kamala Harris within this text, so there will be some who love it for that alone and others who wish to defenestrate it for that alone, but I can also state that other than one character actively praising an event that is current for that character, the AOC/ Kamala lines in particular are one-offs and not truly central to the story.

Of at least slightly more concern, perhaps still not enough to deduct a star, yet enough to note in the review, is that this *is* yet another book where most straight males are written as antagonists and vile and evil - and yes, combined with the AOC/ Kamala line... again, could be divisive. But while annoying, it also works within the context of this tale as told, and is actually at least used well to enhance the impact of the overall story. Along these lines, there *is* also a gay married couple present, so do with that as you will. Again, I know some will love this and others will want to defenestrate the book over it, so you do you. I for one thought these characters were, again, worked into the story quite well and didn't seem as forced as I've seen these types of characters be in other tales by other authors, so it was neither here nor there for me.

Ultimately there is enough in this tale that various people won't like it for various side reasons. Read the book anyway for the actual main storyline... and maybe be prepared for the room to get quite dusty at a couple of points in particular.

Very much recommended.

A gripping mystery that kept my interest and kept be guessing. Olivia was such a relatable character for me so I connected almost instantly to her and was excited to see what family secrets would be revealed as she went home to write for her estranged father. Moving between the 70’s and present day uncovered so many suspenseful moments and portrayed each time period well. I think knowing how complicated their relationship was early on was helpful especially with as many questions her father’s illness brought about for me as we got deeper into what happened to his siblings. I really enjoyed the twist and had fun chasing my theories as the story unfolded. It was an enjoyable quick read with the perfect amount of suspense that has me eager to read her other novels.

My interest never wavered while reading this suspenseful novel about a ghostwriter who is asked to write her dying father's memoir. Estranged but needing the advance to pay off her house, the daughter takes the assignment and goes home. This story centers around the mystery of the murder of her aunt and uncle as teenagers where her father was a suspect. Relationships and murder are explored culminating in a somewhat predictable effect satisfying ending

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. This book was so written beautifully. It follows Olivia who has shed her old self and has worked hard to separate herself from her famous father. When she is called back to her hometown to be the ghostwriter for her father's memoir--she finds herself finally getting the answers to the questions surrounding the unaliving of her aunt and uncle when they were teenagers. But how much is her father telling the truth or is he trying to change the narrative to look innocent?

I flew through this book and was going back and forth on who to believe. Definitely will be recommending this book.

"everyone is an unreliable narrator."

Ooooh this one was SO GOOD. It had me hooked from the start. Olivia is in a really tough spot. She's burned some bridges recently in her ghost writing career and the industry has canceled her for it. She's in a bit of a bind, financially, and is wondering if she'll work again.

When a surprise offers is extended. After leaving her father's house years ago, she's never been back, never spoke to him again. As a famous horror author, she felt he'd neglected her and she'd rather having nothing than forgive him for his mistakes. But now he's asking her to ghostwrite a story with him - one that comes with a large advance and additional pages as they work well and turn pages in. She doesn't want to but agrees. She needs the money.

From there, this story is completely addicting. I've spent the whole day relating the whole story to the family in my house. We were all waiting on cliffhangers as the mystery unfolded and each twist turned tighter. I had no guesses and enjoyed kicking around the ideas with my husband and adult child. Can you believe it, we ran out of ideas and I just had to keep reading because I truly didn't know what was coming next. This is a heartbreaking story about 2 siblings, murdered and taken horribly from their family, their friends, and the lives they should have been allowed to lead. It hooked me from the start and was such a great thriller! I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This is a complex family drama/murder mystery/thriller that really hits the mark for entertainment value. Olivia is a ghostwriter who returns to her childhood home in Ojai at the request of her estranged and strange father who is suffering from Lewy Body dementia. The request is for Olivia to write his memoir in which he plans to tell the real story behind the murders of his 2 siblings when they were all teens. As Olivia tries to deal with her father’s memory loss and mood swings, she begins her own investigation in spite of her father’s directions not to talk to anyone who might provide her with needed information.
I really enjoyed how this mystery slowly unfolded as Olivia methodically found clues and talked with people who knew her father. The family drama added a lot of interest and intrigue and I thoroughly enjoyed another great story by this author. My only criticism is my usual pet peeve of basing some of the turmoil on lack of communication between the characters. Of course, communication with Vincent, Olivia’s father would be strained due to his dementia but speaking with other characters, especially being truthful with her partner, Tom and contacting her mother early on would have been more realistic in my opinion. But I guess this is a good way to add to the suspense.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Julie Clark and now I want to read everything else she’s written! I was thoroughly engaged and sucked in for the entire duration of this book!

I really loved the aspect of having Olivia our protagonist, figure out the truths of what happened to her dad and her aunt/uncle through the stories and videos of Poppy.

It felt as though we were deciphering the clues and figuring out along with the main character.

I want to say thank you to Net galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Typically, I'm not a fan of unreliable narrator-type thrillers. But I was intrigued by this one and I'm glad I gave it a chance!

The Ghostwriter centers on writer Olivia Dumont, who's hired by her father, a famous writer who needs assistance writing his memoir. For decades, he's lived in the shadows of his sibling's gruesome deaths in the 70s and finally wants to set the record straight. But with his own challenges and their strained history, this is a bit more challenging of an assignment than Olivia bargained for.

It's a bit of a slow burn, but I liked the flashback chapters from Vincent and Poppy, they really added intrigue to the story. I had my theories throughout but really wasn't expecting the way this would all play out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read a copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So good. I love how it sucked me in right away. It was a fast paced book. I liked the sibling dynamic and i figured one of them must be the murderer. There were a few twists in the book and I didn’t have any of them right.