The narrator of this book, Cassandra Campbell, did an excellent job of keeping this story alive. She did each character perfectly. Gave me chills and cringes and made my tears flow in places. She made this story come to life.

This was a wonderful book. Emily Carpenter has done a great job of pulling me in and making my day. This is such a good book. From start to finish. Not holds barred.

When Billie is at the lowest in her life she receives an email that will change her life. Not just her life but her husband Peter and their daughter Mere's lives also. Billie is at a point where she needs a drastic change. Her restaurant has closed due to the pandemic and her mother moved off to join a cult. Things are not going good for her. Her husband is a therapist who can easily work from home, and anywhere.

This family move from NY to GA and start a fresh life. The email that Billie received was from a town called Juliana. Juliana, GA it seems is a small town and you can buy a home for only a hundred dollars. She can own a new restaurant and have plenty of land for a garden and for her daughter to be able to run and play without worries. In Juliana, GA there is no crime. Everyone gets along for the most part. And it's easy to get what you need to do whatever it is you are doing. They barter with each other a lot.

But there is also secrets in this small town. Deadly secrets. Things that have happened over the years that the founding fathers believe have made the town prosper and thrive. Seems you can do or have almost anything in Juliana if you know the right person. But there are secrets.... Deadly secrets... Be warned.

This was a very exciting read for me. From start to finish I enjoyed it. It made me hold my breath in a few places. Cringe a lot and I did shed some series tears too.

If something seems to good to be true run from it. Run fast and hard.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Kensington, #rbMedia, for this ARC.

Five big stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley, RBmedia, and Cassandra Carpenter for an Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it. Billie uproots her family on a whim after receiving a spam email about a grant to sell houses/property in a small southern town for $100. This character makes a lot of questionable choices which is probably to be expected since her mom joined a cult. 😅

I feel like the story only fell flat for me because the story was cliche and predictable.

3.5/5⭐️
Slow but picks up a little over halfway. The last 25% had me clenching fists, stressful but great. Interesting story line, author paints a good picture of the town and the vibes. Enjoyed the ending. Good narration.

4 stars! 🌟 Huge thanks to RBmedia | Recorded Books for the ALC via NetGalley! 💌

💀 WELCOME TO GOTHICTOWN 💀

Listen. The moment I saw Southern Gothic and haunting, atmospheric vibes, I knew I had to get my hands on this. And let me tell you—this did NOT disappoint.

🏡 Premise? Billie Hope, a former NYC restauranteur, moves her family to Juliana, Georgia, enticed by a too-good-to-be-true pandemic-era incentive: a $100 Victorian home and a grant to start fresh. But once they settle in, the town’s saccharine Southern charm starts to feel... off. Nightmares. Tension. An unsettling obsession from the town elders. And the creeping realization that Juliana doesn’t just welcome newcomers—it swallows them whole.

🔪 The Vibes:
✔️ Creepy small-town secrets
✔️ Cult-y energy lurking under that sweet hospitality
✔️ Family drama + an unraveling marriage
✔️ Slow-burn suspense that turns into a full-blown nightmare

🎧 The Narration:
Cassandra Campbell NAILED this one. Her voice carries that perfect mix of warmth and unease—exactly what you need for a slow-burn psychological horror like this. She brings Billie’s tension and paranoia to life, making every whispered secret and chilling moment hit even harder.

👀 The Good:
📖 The atmosphere? IMMACULATE. The town’s eerie warmth seeps into your bones before it chokes the life out of you.
😨 The slow-burn tension? Perfection. I was yelling at Billie through my earbuds like, "GIRL, GET OUT!"
🎭 The characters? Flawed. Messy. Real. Billie and Peter aren’t perfect, and that just makes their unraveling even more delicious.

🤨 The Meh:
✧ Some subplots (especially Billie’s mom drama) felt like they distracted from the juicy, spine-tingling horror.
✧ The ending? A bit rushed—I needed more time to soak in the chaos!

📢 Final Verdict: If you love cults, small-town horrors, and that slow, creeping dread that makes you question EVERYONE, this one’s for you. If you’re into unsettling mysteries, eerie atmospheres, and stories that get under your skin, YOU’LL EAT THIS UP.

⚠️ But fair warning: If you get an email offering you a dream house for cheap? DELETE IT. IMMEDIATELY.

🔮 Pub Date: March 25, 2025
💀 CWs: Infidelity, death, violence, murder

I don't normally do anything that's even horror-adjacent, but this was clever and interesting (and not too creepy).

Review copy provided by publisher.

Interesting read. A family makes a move after finding the perfect home for just $100. The offer seems too good to be true. The whole town seems to know each other, but there is something weird going on. Why is the family having trouble sleeping?

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ALC!
The narrator did a great job keeping my attention!

This is the perfect novel for fans of Southern Gothic horror (specifically perfect for those who are also fans of Old Gods of Appalachia). I LOVED this book and would absolutely read again!

3.5 Stars

This was a crazy twisty story! It wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. It kind reminded me of a creepy Scooby Doo episode. I think I would of liked it more if it would of been a little bit shorter. It kinda dragged on through the middle of the book. Great ending though and was overall and enjoyable read. The narrator was fantastic! I loved how she captured the funny accent of the towns people.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Listening to Gothictown was interesting. Positives? Great atmosphere, love the history of the town, and overall well written. Negatives? Mostly I just didn’t care for the main character. I just think it was a selfish thing to do to uproot her family like that and move to somewhere she knew nothing about. She’s mainly the reason I didn’t give Gothictown four stars. But honestly I’d still recommend to those who love great atmosphere and quiet towns with secrets.

This was such a fun read (listen). Although it seems a bit predictable because a deserted town that offers you a whole house for $100 is destined to have its issues, it was still a fun experience.

Overall: 2.5/5
Narration: 3.5/5

First, shoutout to Kensington for sending me a physical copy of this book and to NetGalley for the ALC as well! If you know me, I love an immersive read, and I’m so grateful I had the audiobook because it made the reading experience way better. And I can confidently say that if I hadn’t had the audiobook, I probably would’ve DNF’d this one.

I have definitely been a victim of book marketing shenanigans before, so I didn’t take the comparisons in the blurb too seriously. But I will say, the description did prepare me mentally for the absolutely ridiculous decisions this main character was going to make. Anybody willing to buy a house from a spam email and uproot their family because someone offered them a $100 home in a place they have zero connection to? Yeah, they are going to be making some wildly unreliable and questionable choices throughout the book. And that’s exactly what we get here.

I mean, I know her last name is Hope, but Billy, come on, girl. Anyone who reads horror and thriller books knew there was no positive outcome to the decision you made.

Now, my issue with this book is that while I enjoyed the narration (probably around a solid 3-4 stars), the book itself was just… extremely boring. This should not have been a full-length novel. It would’ve excelled as a novella. And I know there are people who will be drawn to the synopsis, the book cover, and the title, just like I was. But all the great elements it had—elements that could have made an amazing horror story or an engaging thriller—were stretched too thin. By the time you get to the conclusion, it just doesn’t feel worth it.

The strongest part of this book is the setup: Billy gets the email, thinks relocating her family is a good idea, and sees it as a chance for a fresh start after losing her restaurant during COVID and dealing with her mother seemingly joining a cult. I also liked the eerie atmosphere—the interactions with the townspeople, the house itself, the lore of the town. The author really nailed that.

But the book’s length worked against it. I’m not saying it’s super long, but it felt like the author stretched it out to fit multiple genres. At times, it dabbles in romance, then thriller, then horror, then a bit of paranormal. And because it plays in so many different spaces, none of them feel fully developed.

That being said, I do think this book could work well for people who don’t usually read horror but want to dip their toes in. This has one of the softest landings for a horror book. The ending wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t what I was hoping for. Cozy readers might actually enjoy it, which is funny considering the title Gothictown.

For me, though, this book spent way too much time on buildup, only to have those elements never really land. It relied heavily on Billy’s questionable choices to push the plot forward, and after a while, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief anymore.

Also, Billy’s characterization was odd. It would’ve been way more interesting if she weren’t a mother or a wife. I think it would’ve made sense for her to relocate alone or with a best friend. The way she’s written, she’s making choices that don’t make sense for a partner or a mom—not in a “flawed character” way, but in a way that feels like the book completely forgot she had responsibilities.

Ultimately, I think this book would’ve benefited from being shorter. A tighter length would have forced the author to be more direct and commit to a specific genre. As it stands, there’s too much space in between the compelling moments, which makes it easy to lose interest. But I know there will be readers who love the atmospheric elements and the slow-burn pacing. If you’re going to read it, I highly recommend the audiobook—it made it much easier to get through!

As someone who's grew up in a small town in the south I definitely understand how creepy the south is. Carpenter obviously also gets that as well. This book was a little slow but creepy and atmospheric. The building dread as this book progressed. This is definitely one to check out if you enjoy that type of setting.

Gothictown had a premise I usually love—a whole town hiding a dark secret—but it didn’t quite deliver. I expected a haunting Southern Gothic or horror vibe, but it leaned more toward a slow-burn mystery, which made the pacing drag.

Billie, the main character, was hard to connect with—unfaithful, self-absorbed, and oddly detached from her kid, who she barely mentioned. The audiobook was just okay, and the narrator’s voice for the daughter pulled me out of the story.

Overall, it wasn’t for me, but readers going in expecting mystery over horror might enjoy it more.

When I think of a gothic town...I think of old historic buildings, interesting characters, new beginnings and maybe a long-buried secret that no one is allowed to know about. So basically, the plot of Gothictown!

The audiobook is a little over 12 hours but time flew by for me because I was so investing in Billie's story in Juliana. Cassandra Campbell narrates perfectly for a cast of all ages, genders, and regional backgrounds! I enjoyed listening to her.

The title and cover are sure to lure readers in and I think we will see this all over Booktok/Bookstagram. My first time reading anything from the author and I'm definitely going to check out more! Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Carpenter, Cassandra Campbell, and RB Media for the opportunity to read Gothictown. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly.

This was a very interesting read/listen! It started off a little slow and I asked myself, “where are we going?” But it picked up and I figured out the direction! It was written well and the story kept me guessing and engaged.

It’s also crazy because I could definitely see something like this playing out in real life. People are wild 😅

So if you’re looking for a gothic tale with a bit of mystery, thrills, and a touch of paranormal, then this read is for you!


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a 3.5/5

About the audio: Great narrator, great pacing, no exaggerated performance that pulled me out of the story. Great overall.

A fast paced interesting read, but not one to remember. I think there could have been more ambiance in here but at the same time, the writing style made for a very quick read. The thing is; the stakes never felt too high.

It could've been a bit creepier and, in my opinion, it would have been nice to save that epilogue for later instead and have that information told to us by the 80% mark or even later. Knowing from the very beginning just made me wonder when things would get incredibly sick and twisty, but it didn't really happen. There were deaths, ominous things, even creepy animal-related stuff, but it somehow felt very peaceful.

With spoilers:

Maybe I would've cared more if the bad stuff was potentially going to happen to the kid, or if the husband had been likable at all. Even if you have an explanation as to why he was being a bit of a bitch, if I only get that information after everything is done, it won't change the fact that I didn't care about him at all at the time of the big-bad-thing. You can tell me why he was acting mean and even threw a random glass at her? Cool, but when he was gone I only thought ''hm, okay'' and I did not feel bad retroactively. (I don't think even Billie did, to be honest, lol)

2.5 ⭐️’s rounded ⬆️

The cover and title of this book is what first drew me in, but after listening I don’t think they fit the story. I was expecting something darker and more atmospheric to fit the bill of “Gothic”town.

With that said,
This southern mystery, wrought with hundreds of years of misdeeds and secrets in a cult like town with 3 main families that run everything seems to good to be true. Billie asks herself this when she gets an email detailing the towns initiative to gain residents by offering $100 homes and $30k to start her own business. She is all too eager to move her family there after closing her successful restaurant in NYC due to the lockdown.

The first 60% kept me intrigued to uncover exactly what was happening to Billie and her family. The more time spent in their new home the more they are hit with unfortunate events and potentially dangerous situations. One thing is made clear by the founding families, don’t ask too many questions and be careful who you talk to when looking for answers.

Readers will get those answers, but for me they were too predictable and slow to come. I found Billie’s rose colored glasses and blasé attitude when stuff was really going down to be frustrating. I get the woman was doing what she felt she needed to survive, but it ultimately fell flat for me.


Thank you to NetGalley & RBmedia for the ALC of Gothictown in exchange for my honest review.

With its haunting cover and intriguing description, "Gothictown" pulled me in from the first page. The author expertly delivers heart-pounding suspense and spine-tingling fear without ever needing to dip into the supernatural.

Imagine this: Billie Hope, tired of the concrete jungle of NYC, is given a jaw-dropping offer—a Victorian home in the charming town of Juliana, Georgia, for a mere $100.00, along with a business grant to kickstart her dream restaurant. It sounds like a fairy tale, right? But in a world flipped upside down by a pandemic, who could resist the allure of a fresh start away from the chaos? Billie, her husband Peter, and their daughter eagerly embark on their new adventure, ready to embrace everything this quaint small town offers.

From the moment I entered the story, I was captivated! The history of Julianna unfolds with generations of secrets and eerie whispers. But as the sun sets, the town reveals its true colors—far from the picture-perfect paradise. The family begins to experience unsettling nightmares, and Peter starts to change in disturbing ways, leaving Billie questioning their leap into the unknown.

This was my second read from this talented author, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to the author and RB Media/Recorded Books for providing an early audiobook copy through NetGalley. The narrator brought the story to life, adding an atmospheric touch that sometimes left me holding my breath.

#Gothictown #EmilyCarpenter #RBMedia #RecordedBooks #audiobookreview #netgalley #Georgia #ARC #capcut #lefttoread #reader #read #honestreview #thriller #bookreviewer #thrillerbooklovers #thepulse #lovetoread #lovebooks #booknerd #readaholic #bookstagrammer #booktok #bookish

Gothictown by Emily Carpenter was an interesting concept and a wonderfully eerie setting, but unfortunately the execution fell short of its potential.

The book's strongest aspect was the atmosphere—the tiny-town setting came alive, and the growing tension of foreboding kept me interested in the early going. The idea that a seemingly ideal town had an underlying dark secret was fascinating, and I awaited where the author would take things.

Unfortunately, the pacing was atrocious. The first 60% was plodding with too much setup and not enough payoff. When the plot did finally twist, it was frustrating rather than satisfying, as the main character's choices became increasingly illogical and unbelievable. Her motivations weren't always apparent, and I couldn't connect with her because of it.

There were also too many inconsistencies throughout the book—characters being too quick or too slow to respond to, and respond sensibly to, major events, illogical jumps that did not make sense, and plot threads that were introduced and never resolved. The supernatural elements had promise but were not developed enough, and the ending tied up too conveniently after such a slow build-up.

Claiming to mashup-market this as The Lottery cross-cut with Sharp Objects was dishonest—it neither achieved the psychological depth of Sharp Objects nor went completely whole hog with the eerie, creepy theme possibilities of The Lottery. Rather, it alternated between gothic horror and thriller without quite finishing off either genre.

While I loved the mood and atmosphere, the exasperating plot and character choices made this one a letdown. I wish I could have liked it better, but ultimately just didn't connect with it.

Arc review ✨

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early audio copy in exchange for an honest review! Some parts ahead are maybe spoiler ish so warnings there but if you are a horror buff, you will not be surprised by them at all, I know I wasn’t.

This one follows a popular horror plot of “Young family moves to a what anyone could see is a too go to be true idyllic small town filled with red flags for a better life” and I figured this would be predictable (it was) but I so badly needed a fun and fast paced pallet cleanser read in between all my literary fiction and over the top complicated fantasy trilogy binges though.. so I kept listening… and waiting.

Note here, the audio narrator did well! I didn’t mind them.

First off, poor Peter. Thats pretty much the extent of my emotional range in this book, I could care less about anyone else. I saw what was coming for him from the first chapter. Anywho, overall this book was not as exciting as I had hoped. I was expecting more action I think. The author could have just went ham with this, all the ingredients were there… it all felt so safe and that’s why it’s a lower rating. I was kind of bored. They did one of the “sacrifices” by just putting someone to sleep almost peacefully…

The ending felt off as well… I do love a happy ending as much as the next person but they got out relatively unscathed and everyone just goes to prison?…. Again, safe. That’s how I’ll sum this one up. It wasn’t bad, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. Kind of a bummer.

⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up cause goodreads makes me round.

🖤