I enjoyed the story but found the pacing to be a bit slow. It felt like it took a while to get to the root of the story. Once I did, I was intrigued by what was happening, but didn’t feel overly compelled. I do love Julie Clark’s writing and Poppy was my fave character.

(Rounded rating up from a 3.5)

This was a wonderful thriller that includes family drama, mystery, and twists and turns. I was able to guess some of the book, but there were plenty of parts I did not guess correctly. This book was more of a slow burn, which I usually can’t sit through but, I didn’t have a problem getting through this one. The characters are well developed, there’s great twists and turns, suspenseful and just overall a great read.

Julie Clark’s books are hit or miss for me. This one was fantastic!! Fast-paced, unique plot, and I like the two different timelines and multiple POV..

Oh this SLAPPED!!!

Olivia is a ghost writer and her estranged father asks her to write his memoir. AND when he was in high school (~1975) he was the prime suspect for the murder of his two siblings that was never solved. The book switches POVs and kept me guessing until the last bit. 10/10 recommend.

Thanks NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is family drama at its best. This is a deeply layered murder mystery 50 years in the making. Clark gives us an intense lesson on just how much the past can truly affect the present and future with this dysfunctional and heart-breaking family tragedy. When Olivia reunites with her estranged father to ghostwrite his memoir, she is forced to face the ghosts in her past, as well as the murder in her father’s past. A murder that happened before she was born, but has defined her whole life. Told through multiple POVs, Clark gives the reader a full picture of the past and present. With some perfectly executed twists and misdirections, this story keeps you on your toes and fully invested in solving the case. This was excellently written and really highlight some thought provoking themes that linger with you well after reading this book. Overall this was an excellent read that will keep you invested and leave you shocked.

Don't be fooled by the middle of this book, because just when you feel like the book is heading no where , lace up your Hokas and get ready to sprint to the finish, when I hit the 77% mark I knew I wasn't going to stop until I got to the last page, and that I did. Now also don't be fooled by my last sentence, this was not an amazing book, but it was not bad either. Julie Clark is a very solid writer, and held my attention from start to finish. Written in dual timelines, Clark teetered back and forth between past and present. The present is Olivia who is ghostwriting for her fathers final book as he is on his death bed, which is his lifestory.
In the past Vincent (Olivia's father) was all but prosecuted for murdering his brother and sister. There was never quite enough evidence to convict him, however that shadow has lingered over Oliva her whole life. Now with his death eminent she sets out to figure out what happened all those years ago.
The whole time I was reading I was so interested in what would happen, and just when things would pick up Clark would switch to the alternate timeline..she did this in a masterful way, this book was really hard to put down.
At the end it did become a little frustrating with the chase Olivia had to go on to obtain the truth....I wanted to just scream at her dad, "JUST TELL HER WHAT HAPPENED" But I guess if that happened we wouldn't have a book to read.
There were a few obvious reveals I was able to call early, but one was a total shocker that I totally did not catch--You got me Julie.

**Okaay** Let's Address the Elephant in the Room: Kamala and AOC get a shout out....seriously? Why would anyone put these two in a book? I cannot wrap my head around one positive thing about this. First not only does it date the book but also shows me that Julie Clark is possibly deranged. Obviously she wrote this book pre November 2024...But the best part, guess who is laughing all the way to the White House? TRUMP! And I love it! In 20 years people will not even know who Kamala is let alone AOC. Enough politics, but honestly that one sentence is not going to age well....


Glad I read this book because it introduced me to a new author that I will for sure want to read more by.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Ghostwriter.
I was not influenced or paid in exchange for my review.

A very interesting read that had me hooked from the start! 🙌

While not super twisty, it had me trying to figure out who murdered Poppy and Danny. The pacing did feel a bit sluggish at times, but it still kept my interest. Definitely recommend checking this one out!! 👏

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Julie Clark for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

SYNOPSIS
-In 1975, two teenage siblings were murdered. Their brother, Vincent, was the only one left standing—and people have never stopped whispering about him.
-Decades later, Vincent is a famous horror author…and his estranged daughter Olivia, a struggling ghostwriter, gets offered a job she can’t refuse: write his final book.
-Only it’s not fiction—Vincent wants to finally tell the truth about what happened that night.
-But with a failing memory and a lifetime of buried secrets, Olivia has to figure out what’s real, what’s revision, and whether she ever truly knew her family at all.
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MY THOUGHTS
-This was a masterclass in storytelling. Julie Clark nailed the pacing, structure, and every little twist.
-I love a dual timeline when it’s done right, and this one really is. Seamless transitions, layered tension, and super satisfying to read.
-The murder mystery + dysfunctional family angle? So good. And the cold case element gives it that eerie, page-turner vibe.
-The exploration of memory and truth was brilliant. Vincent’s dementia adds this extra layer of suspense; you never fully know if what you’re being told is fact or fiction.
-Olivia is such a compelling character. Flawed, honest, smart; her emotional arc is deeply satisfying.
-The plot never drags. I flew through it. There’s always something happening, but it never feels chaotic.
-The ending lands perfectly. No loose threads, no eye rolls.
⸻
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Twisty, fast-paced, and emotionally smart. Ghostwriter is the kind of book you’ll cancel plans to finish. It’s got everything: cold case murder, messy family secrets, unreliable memories, and characters who feel like real people.
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THANKS: Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 3, 2025.

Loved this one. I really enjoy books with different points of view, and this one was done so well. The way the past and present are woven together kept me hooked the whole time.

My heart broke for Danny and Poppy. Their story was emotional, powerful, and stayed with me long after I finished the book. I also kept wishing that Olivia was younger, so she had some time to have a family of her own after everything that had come out. I felt like she had such a troubling life.. but I am happy of the outcome.

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a suspense novel that absolutely delivers. It follows a disgraced journalist who takes on a new assignment: ghostwriting the memoir of a famously reclusive author. She quickly discovers that the author is her estranged father, a man she hasn’t seen in years and whose past holds dark, long-buried secrets. What begins as a writing project soon spirals into truths that become harder to outrun.

I got my hands on an ARC of this novel and this is one I feel so lucky to have been given. From the very first sentence: “I know what your dad did.” the book had me engrossed, engaged, and locked-in. I simply could not step away from this story.

Completely propulsive, suspense-filled and intricately woven, the story is my favorite kind of writing where the author knows their reader is intelligent and they give us what we deserve. A book that’s worth a turn of every page.

By about the halfway point, I knew that I would be giving it at least four stars and it just had to deliver a satisfying ending to hold on to that rating. But by the final pages, when all of my questions had been answered more than satisfactorily and every hole had been neatly filled, I knew I had to give this one five stars. With writing this interesting and intriguing and intelligent, it would be completely unfair not to give it the flowers it deserves. This will be one that EVERYONE will talk about and I honestly will accept no criticism of this book. A flawlessly delivered thriller for readers who love being honored with a story like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All raving is my own.

“I wish I could freeze time. To live inside this moment forever. My family, its best version of itself.”

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! It’s always an honor to read books before they are published, especially ones as highly anticipated as Clark’s newest novel coming out this summer. This one was a fascinating tale about what can happen when a family is torn apart by secrets, lies, and hidden trauma that bubbles to the surface when two siblings are found dead and the third remaining sibling is the only one left… and accused of their murders. Told as a slow burn, the pacing dragged at times, but the payoff was well worth it as everything unraveled. It was captivating to watch the events of that horrendous night slowly come together through Vincent’s recollections to his estranged daughter, who is ghostwriting his memoir on his deathbed. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and the ending was incredibly satisfying. Make sure you grab a copy of this thriller this summer!

I just finished “The Ghostwriter” by Julie Clark, and I enjoyed it very much!

It’s the story of a woman, Olivia Dumont, who grows up hiding her true identity; the daughter of a famous horror writer, Vincent Taylor, who is suspected of killing his siblings when they were kids.

Olivia had a successful career as a ghostwriter before her career was derailed. She’s then offered the opportunity to write her estranged father’s memoir, which she takes, and the story takes off from there.

The story will draw you in pretty quickly and will keep you guessing for sure. It’s an excellent thriller with really well developed characters! What I loved about it was not just the who done it aspect, but also the strong family dynamics that play such a vital role in what happens to Poppy and Danny, Vincent’s sister and brother.

This book earned a solid 4 stars from me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book publishes on June 3rd, 2025. Now go read it! Let me know in the comments if you’re intrigued!

#TheGhostwriter
#NetGalley
#bookstagram

My first by the author but definitely will not be my last, thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for this e-gift.

Olivia has spent a good portion of her life trying to hide from her past….. until that past pulls her back in with one phone call. A ghostwriter by trade, Olivia was held in high regard by her peers and publishers. One course of action took away everything: speaking her own mind against a misogynistic male author. Well now she’s literally paying for it (court ordered that is) and needs a new writing job to help gain the funds.

If Olivia had any other offers, she would take them. But if she can just get through this one request, she’ll get paid quite handsomely and be on her way. All she has to do is ghostwrite for her ridiculously famous father.

After all this time, the world renowned author Vince Taylor (also known as Olivia’s father), wants to branch out of his usual horror genre to write one last novel. This one will be his memoir, giving his readers and haters the answers they so desperately want and put all of the rumors to rest. For being the only surviving brother in a small town leaves a legacy that is not easily shaken, and horrible rumors as well.

Olivia is now tasked with the job of ghostwriting her father’s memoir while also discovering the long buried truth behind her aunt and uncle’s murder. Does the truth really set you free though?

This book is so eloquently written, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The twists and character development kept me on the edge of my seat. I promise you, you will not be able to figure this out in its entirety. Hard topics are delicately discussed and are weaved very well throughout the story. I will definitely be recommending this novel to all that will listen!

This was a little two slow-paced for me and at times felt repetitive, like whole sections were copied and pasted from another chapter. I did like the general story and time jumps, but it didn’t hold my interest like I had hoped.

When faced with the only hope of saving her career or losing everything she has, Olivia does the one thing she thought she'd never do - return home and face her father.

Despite their broken relationship, and the many unanswered questions she has about the murder of his siblings when he was a teenager, she somehow managed to follow in his footsteps and become a writer as well. Only Olivia writes as a ghostwriter, while Vince Taylor is infamous. Except a debilitating disease has stripped him of his ability to write, and she accepts the job to ghostwrite his memoir.

So much of this novel is fascinating - the father/daughter relationship, the idea of being the only sibling remaining, the mystery of the novel, the process of being a ghostwriter. I was pulled into not only Olivia's story but also her father's, and the throwbacks to Poppy's perspective were outstanding.

I did find that there were parts in the middle that slowed the story and the pacing down, maybe some additional plot details or elements would have kept the pacing consistent. But I really do enjoy Julie Clark's writing and her ability to pull stories together.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley.

4.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the opportunity to read this eARC

Y'all, this book was SOO good. I devoured this one. The twists were twisty, the turns were turny and my gosh I had NO idea what the final conclusion was going to be (the best kind of thriller).

Olivia, a ghostwriter, is contracted to work with her estranged father, famous thriller author Vincent Taylor. Vincent has a complicated history, with his siblings being murdered in 1975 and the killer never caught. There have long been suspicions that Vincent himself was the killer. Olivia is determined to not only write the best memoir for her father, but to also uncovered the mystery of that day in 1975 and find that truth to what really happened.

This books has it all. The flashbacks to the 70s (including nods to the sounds that made that decade what it was), the twisty plot that kept me guessing, the questionable characters. The writing was superb. Standing ovation for Julie Clark

This was an excellent murder mystery that drew me in right away and that I had a hard time putting down. The story and characters were engaging and the idea of telling the story through a ghostwriter/unreliable narrator combination felt fresh and interesting. There were a few places when I found myself briefly lost (maybe because I was reading so fast?) but it was easy to get back on track and I couldn't wait to see how it turned out.

This book was so so so good. I loved the idea behind the Ghostwriter aspect. The plot twist was also well done - I predicted parts, but not all of it. The past 6ish months it has been hard for a thriller to stick out to me, but this one succeeded. Julie's writing always has a way of sucking me in, but I was also obsessed with Poppy and all of her flashbacks.

The anticipation and tension at every turn...I LOVED this so much!

Olivia is a successful Ghostwriter. But she has spent her whole professional life hiding the fact that her father is the famous horror author Vincent Taylor, also known as the prime suspect in the brutal slaying of his siblings. Following a scandal, her finances are severely constrained so she reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite her father's last book. In the process, she'll have to face all the secrets and ghosts in her family's past...

BRAVO 👏🏽 for a binge-worthy mystery that had me hooked! I can't count the amount of times I shouted "oh sh*t!" because I was truly stunned. Clark slowly (but skillfully) unravels the Taylor family's secrets and lies. The era and eerie atmosphere was so vivid that it felt like I traveled back to 1975. I WISH there was a way to watch the film reels that are described and so crucial to the plot (think QR codes like in TELL ME WHAT YOU DID.)

There are so many twists; some predictable, others surprising but either way, all very riveting. The unraveling of the father-daughter relationship between Vincent and Taylor is explored so powerfully; their dynamic is thought-provoking and quite emotional. The characters are well-developed and multidimensional. Is Vincent a reliable narrator? You'll find yourself asking that question throughout the whole story. We get a mixed timeline and perspectives from Vincent, Olivia and his sister Poppy. I would've really loved a POV from Olivia's mother, too.

If you enjoy stories revolving around a dysfunctional family and investigating a cold case murder, this is the book for you. You'll be thinking about it long after you've finished it.

I love Julie Clark’s books but this was not my absolute favorite. Still a good read though. I appreciated the story of Olivia wrestling with her past and her father’s past, but the ending didn’t quite do it for me.