This book shines in its atmospheric abilities. It’s moody and eerie and makes you feel like you are in a creepy town with heavy feelings of unease and uncertainty. That being said, some areas were too descriptive and verbose, while others were glossed over. This is also translated in the characters; some are highly and arguably overly developed, while others fall short. It does make the book feel a bit clunky and uneven. Even at that, I did enjoy the plot and overall Southern Gothic feel of the book.

This was an interesting small-town mystery thriller. I liked that our Main Character was an outsider trying to integrate into the town, even though the premise was pretty unbelievable. I liked the lore of the town and would have liked to see more of it throughout.

I don’t really like Southern Gothic. I liked this book anyway.

This is fun and clever, and while I wish it had been creepier, it’s a well-crafted Gothic and an intriguingly plotted story.

There was a smattering of holes in the plot that don’t really get cleaned up (odd for a book that is pretty neat and tidy in its solve), but overall the construction of this story is pretty good.

You can almost believe the elders of a creepy southern town would do all this, and I thought the “blame Sherman” aspect of it was especially spot on.

The protagonist makes some decisions early on in the novel that feel a bit ridiculous and out of character, but they do feed the story well.

While not quite eerie enough for my taste, I thought the sense of place here was notably good, and the whole “this town is a cult” thing was exceptionally well-rendered in the details. All the barter system stuff, and the corruption at every turn made for a solid sense of what a group of people like this would do if they had the space to try it.

The story also does a pretty good job of taking traditional gothic set pieces (why is there an abandoned mine? Well, because there’s always an abandoned mine!) and making them feel fresh and intriguing.

In all, fun and well worth a read.

Definitely not for me. I love horror, but this was predictable and mind numbing. All the characters are so unlikable that there was no one to root for. The narrator's overly exaggerated southern accent was irritating and distracting. One star.

The premise of this book sounded very intriguing, and I was hoping to love it. Unfortunately, I did not care for the narrator, and so I unfortunately decided to DNF. I may try reading this as a hardcopy or e-book.

A weird one. Oh, I just hate horror stories where the whole community is involved in a big, terrible secret... we've seen it time and time again, but I can't pretend to believe that no one on the outside would notice. Maybe it's also the Southern gothic for me - I'm simply not scared of a bunch of Americans in that way. But the writing is a solid, strong 5 out of 5. Girl, you should have taken that viral restaurant money and moved to Europe (and yes, I know there are horror novels about that too).

Gothictown was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

When things are too good to be true- a house for only $100. Everyone helps Billie set up her dream restaurant. The only cost is trade- free breakfasts for x amount of time. THe more help she gets, the more seems off. Husband starts acting strange. Cat starts acting strange. The town has intense gratitude to Mayor Julia and prays to her. When her marriage starts to fall apart, a cryptic message from a police officer a town over, a missing husband, a sabotaged escape, Billie has to find a way to save the family she has left. In true Gothic Horror- a fresh start no one should have to pay.

There’s a quiet unease woven into the fabric of Gothictown, and that’s where this book shines. The setting of Juliana feels at once welcoming and deeply unsettling. I really enjoyed how the town itself almost became a character, cloaked in sweetness and civility while something more menacing pulsed just beneath the surface. That contrast between innocence and deceit gave the story an edge that lingered.

While I appreciated the atmosphere and the slow-burn unraveling, this didn’t quite hit the notes I was expecting from this author. Having read her earlier work, this felt like a departure in tone and pacing. Some characters felt like they were missing pieces—just shy of fully coming to life—and the suspense, while consistent, never fully escalated into the kind of horror or thriller I had anticipated. Strangely, the biggest twist for me was that the story wasn’t what I thought it would be. Once I settled into that, I could see the path ahead. The author left quite a few breadcrumbs, and I did find myself predicting the ending early on.

Still, there’s no denying Emily Carpenter is a talented storyteller. It’s possible this book is a new direction for her, maybe aimed at reaching a different audience. While I may not have been the ideal reader for this one, I can see the appeal in its eerie mood and unsettling charm. And for readers drawn to quiet dread and small-town secrets, Gothictown will absolutely find its place.

The narrator had a wonderful voice—smooth, steady, and perfectly suited for a book with this much ambience. I thought she did a great job carrying the tone of the story, and I’d love to hear her narrate another thriller in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Carpenter, and RBMedia for the ALC of the audiobook.

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Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for letting me listen to and enjoy this book.

I was sold when I say the title to be honest, I love gothic reads and that cover… yea please. I loved the story plot that our main characters leave New York and travel to the countryside lured the by and amazing deal of getting a house for $100 if they move to the town. Has anyone seen the add like that for Italy because I mean sign me up! If I had that chance I’d move too, creepy towns and haunting dreams wouldn’t stop me. I liked how we meet quite a few characters but they all weave into the story nicely. I liked that we never really knew who we could trust. I was interested throughout, the pacing was a tiny bit slow but not to make me not want to read it. I enjoyed the narrator. I got through the book daily quickly as well. I can’t really get into too much more without spoiling things.
I would recommend this book to most readers. I think most will find it quite entertaining and mysterious and maybe even a bit scary.

This wasn't for me. I found it slow and it was a repeat of a lot of books before it. I was mentally numb by 50%

This was a fun and intense listen. Love a dark Gothic vibe for a book and this delivered thankfully given the name.

This suspenseful novel offers a compelling blend of Southern charm and creeping unease that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Billie Hope’s move to Juliana, Georgia, driven by pandemic-era incentives and the promise of a fresh start, feels timely and relatable. The author does a great job capturing the allure of a small town with big opportunities, while gradually unveiling the darker undercurrents beneath its friendly facade. The pacing is steady, with just enough tension building to keep readers guessing about what truly lurks beneath the surface. While some plot twists felt a bit predictable, the atmospheric writing and strong character development more than make up for it. A gripping read for fans of psychological thrillers and Southern Gothic fiction alike.

In this Gothic Horror/small town thriller, we follow Billie and her family, who, after closing her very successful New York City Restaurant during the pandemic, are seeking a place to start over and have her daughter grow up away from the hustle and bustle of the city. When Billie learns of an initiative from the town of Juliana, Georgia, where her family can move into a larger manor house on acreage and open a new restaurant for $100, her husband, daughter, and cat pack up and move to this small southern town. Once they move into the house, everyone starts having bad dreams, Peter (the husband) starts going off the wall, and even the cat seems to not be himself. Though the townspeople seem to be nice, the old guard (the founding 3 families) seem to run the town, and the longer the family lives there, the stranger things become. As people go missing, Billie starts digging and uncovers some very unsavory history, but will her family make it out of the town alive?

So, this is a great Southern Gothic novel; there is enough haunted house element to make that stand out as a Gothic novel for me. For some reason, when I think of Southern Gothic, there has to be this ominous house at the center. Is that always the case? No, but that is where my brain goes when I think of this. Yes, there is an epic house and a lot of the story does revolve around the manor that the Hopes live in, but it is really the town. We, as the reader, know what is happening (to an extent) because we get glimpses into the past, and we know from the beginning some of the secrets that Juliana has. Not necessarily to the extent we do by the end, but we do know the danger that the Hope family could be in. There are plenty of red herrings, plenty of what-ifs, and a few on-page murders. The characters are all engaging, and you just want to know what is going to happen next. Not everything gets tied up in a nice bow, but there are some nice resolutions. The blurb compares this to the short story "The Lottery". I think it is a stretch to compare it to that story, but I do kind of see where there is a parallel, but that is stretching it a bit. I feel bad for the daughter in this story because she is used as a pawn, and her life changes from the instant they move to Juliana, and she becomes scared of the family cat. Who is probably just scared about moving and is acting out. The overall story is pretty good. I'm trying to think of a good way to describe this book, but someone is always watching, and you can't keep secrets from the Old Guard.

Welcome to gentle Juliana Georgia, dripping in small town charm, until you scratch under the surface and find a different atmosphere altogether. If you haven't read any works by Emily Carpenter, this compelling southern gothic novel will turn you into a fan. Carpenter sets the scene with an episode from the Civil War, which lets the readers know that one hundred and sixty years later, the founding families will still hod sway. This novel is complete with paranormal experiences and unchecked evil.
Cassandra Campbell's narration drew me into the story. Campbell is a versatile actress who voiced several characters, changing registers for gender or age. The twists and turns in the story kept me hooked and I didn't want to stop listening. I was so engrossed in the story that although I had access to a downloadable listening copy from Kensington, I got a print copy of the book so that I could find out the end quicker.

When things seem too good to be true they probably are. How can you say no to a new house and land for only $100? It's a chance at a new life, a new career, a place for their child to grow up. When Billie and her family move to their new home, everything seems just fine. Slowly things get a little strange, but it could be in their heads. There is always a good reason to excuse the odd stuff. When Billie's husband has had enough and leaves, Billie starts to wonder just who she can trust. I could not put this down. I needed to know all the things. The twists were so good. Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for allowing me to read the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

I red half of it and the genre was not for me. I know that it was well written and the characters were great but it was not a good story for me at this time.

This was a fun thriller that wasn’t what I was expecting! Gentle Juliana is a picture town full of hopes and dreams and during the pandemic it seems like the perfect place for Billy Hope to restart and find the perfect small town vibe to raise her family with her husband.

But it is definitely too good to be true! And gentle Juliana start seeming a bit more sinister!

I love a good thriller and having the right narration makes it all the better! Narrator Cassandra Campbell does an excellent job quitting the atmosphere and earrings then develops this small southern town. With great voice variation for the various towns people and different accents, Campbell really brings the characters to life.

This was my first Emily Carpenter book and I will definitely be on the lookout for some more of her work because this one had me on the edge of my seat!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an audio Arc in exchange for my honest opinion. First, the narrator was perfect for this story, I very much enjoyed how she brought the character of Billie alive. Secondly, I loveeee Southern Gothic Horror/small town drama so this hit all the marks for me.
Billie Hope receives an email one day to purchase a house in small town Julianna, Georgia for the whooping price of $100. Too good to be true, amiright? Any sane person would have probably figured out it wasn't a great idea, but in light of post pandemic, cramped New York apartment living Billie convinces her family that they should take the plunge. 
Julianna seems picturesque, but of course weird stuff starts going down. I love small town gossip and the way everyone seems to know everyone's business so fast it's comical. I love the accusations that come with weird stuff that starts happening and the easily believed explanations that truthfully are so out there you want to shake the main character. It's the kind of situation where I found myself yelling at her "get your daughter and goooooooo!" much to my kids' amusement. The only this i disliked was how conveniently/neatly the ending wrapped up but besides that this was such a good listen and highly recommend!

Gothictown gave me "sleeping with the enemy" vibes. Billie Hope is a headstrong character, almost to her detriment. The situation she found herself in was literally "too good to be true" and yet she pressured her sensible husband into making this move and paid for it with his life. Peter Hope for his part, did everything he could to make it work and in the end he lost. The ending to this book left me in disbelief, there is no way I'd stay. If this is a series, then it makes sense to pick up the next book with Mar Hope. All in all, this audiobook was a good time.