This was cute. It did indeed feel like Scooby doo with a twist. There were a lot of times where I was kicking my feet up and giggling my my butt off.

Tonnes of fun. I breezed through this cosy paranormal mystery comedy. My fave is the friendship between Melody, Marina and their new friend/assistant and fellow outcast Artie. I also enjoyed the love triangle with Melody’s ex Leo and disbeliever Fletch (choose Fletch) and also Melody’s mum Silvana and gran Dicey.

The only thing I worry about is if there’s no character growth as this series continues. For instance the references to her sugar addiction is a bit repetious. Will Melody’s mum keep inviting potential matches for her to dinner? Is gran going to keep interfering in her cases? Will the love triangle keep be as boring as the Stephanie Plum series? I also hope we learn more about Melody’s grief losing her dad when she was born. Also, how old is Artie? They keep calling him boy but he’d drink beer with his dad. Is he a teenager?

Thanks to Ballantine/Dell and NetGalley for the ARC.

A little something different from Josie Silver. A great spooky kooky romance about Melody Bittersweet. All the women her family can see dead people. A cute rom-com story for the spooky season. Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

3.5⭐️This was quirky, nerdy, and funny. If you don't take reading too seriously or need a silly break, this will work.

This book had ghosts, romance, murder solving, and found family. It was a little bit of everything, and it worked.

Melody has seen and talked to ghosts her whole life and has decided to start her own business to help them move on to the afterlife.

She is hired to remove the ghosts from a house for sale where she quickly learns that these 3 ghost brothers won't be easy to get rid of.

One brother was murdered by one of the other brothers, but we don't know who and Melody must solve the 100 year old murder to be able to set these ghosts free.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Crazy Spooky Love starts slowly as it gradually introduces all the main characters, including the three ghosts that Melody is hired to eliminate. However, once we find out what’s behind the three ghosts’ reticence in “moving on”, the rest of the novel takes off at a fast pace as Melody solves the mystery behind Douglas’ murder. There are quite a few twists and red herrings along the way and lots of physical attraction between Melody and Fletch. This is a very entertaining whimsical and lighthearted mystery. I’m looking forward to reading more about the further adventures of Melody and her Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency in the upcoming Kooky Spooky Love.

I think that this would make a good Hallmark Mystery series because it had a good premise, but the writing drove me crazy. I looked it up, and the author originally self-published this book in 2016. This is the traditionally published version that I think needs more editing because it feels like a debut, and Josie Silver has published too many books for me to have this feeling.

There were way too many pop culture references, beginning with a Harry Potter reference on page 26. Harry Potter in 2025, surprisingly. It made me feel that either this author somehow doesn't know anything about JKR's current reputation, or she is ok with it. And then there were MANY more pop culture references in the book that I think dates this: Wednesday Addams, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Kate Middleton, Charmed, Cluedo, Candyman, RuPaul, Scooby Doo, Ghostbusters, James Bond, Charlie's Angels, Thor, Doctor Who, and Clark Kent. And that's just in the first seven chapters. It took me out of the story, and it annoyed me seeing so many real things in a fantasy.

Like I said before, the story itself was good. Melody Bittersweet can see ghosts, and so can her mom and grandma. But now she's 27 and sick of passing along messages from the dead to their living relatives, so she decides to start her own business getting ghosts to leave. Her best friend Marina, her mom's secretary, and a kid that she hires at the request of a ghost are all here to help. So Melody decides that her first case is going to be that of a rich guy asking her medium ex-boyfriend Leo Dark to help him clear out Scarborough House. Scarborough House is being haunted by the ghosts of three brothers, one of whom was murdered in 1910 and refuses to let any of them move on until someone solves his murder. While buttering up the ghost brothers and investigating the murder, Melody is also flirting/avoiding Leo and a hot anti-ghost reporter named Fletcher Gunn.

The premise was fun. I think that with a different writer or with a better rewrite, I would have really enjoyed this murder mystery. The romance didn't feel very natural, and all of Melody's lusting after hot men felt forced to me. I didn't like the characters, and I was deeply annoyed by all of the pop culture references. But I stayed because I wanted to find out who killed Douglas in 1910. Since the author first self published this in 2016, she should have edited this much more before publishing it (almost) a decade later. This should have been a really good mystery romance.

Again, I feel the same way about this as I do about Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson books: fun premise for a cozy, hate the writing, would love to watch the Hallmark series about the ghost hunter who solves mysteries and the two handsome men trying to flirt with her. 3 stars for the premise.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell for the ARC.

The word that comes to mind is..quirky. It was very fun, very entertaining. It also took me forever to get into and really didn't go much below surface level emotions.

The rag-tag band of characters was thoroughly lovable, but there may have been a smidge too many generations of Scarboroughs to keep track of.

Silver is still hands down one of the funniest romance writers. I live for her FMC's inner monologues. But this plot was so all over the place that it felt like she was playing a writer's version of Chopped where she was given random ingredients and had to incorporate them. Paranormal! Love triangle! Animal sidekick!

Also, the romance is very much the B, maybe even C-plot.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

3.5⭐️ Thoroughly enjoyed this book and am happy to have been immersed in this world! The banter was fun and witty. The ghosts didn’t feel out of place. The mystery gave the book more of a direction than just ghost hunting. While it tended to lean a little too silly for me, I still very much enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the next!

I was given Crazy Spooky Love by Josie Silver in exchange for my honest review from the publisher through NetGalley.

The book follows Melody Bittersweet, a medium, who is running a ghostbusting business. She has been hired to take care of a house that won't sell due to the ghosts haunting it. But what she didn't count on was her ex and rival business, Leo, is also on the case. Then to add to her stress, a local reporter is also nosing around the ghost house.

A fun, love triangle that hits the right notes for a Autumn read.

27 year old Melody Bittersweet can see dead people, just like her mom, and her mom’s mom, and all the women before them. She’s finally out starting her own ghost busting business (separate of course from her family’s business of just generally supporting spirits) with her best friend Marina and new assistant/awkward boy Artie (and a silly one eared pug)! Their first case involves fratricide, ghost twins (died at different ages so it’s extra weird), unknown family members, a hidden murder weapon, and of course - Melody’s ex also investigating (bc he can also see ghosts???)

Partially vibes of Uk Ghosts, partially vibes of insert-crime-procedural-of-your-choice-here, partially practical magic, and partially teen drama love triangle, this new series has it all!! I was entertained from the jump with Melody’s dynamic with Marina, sweet Artie’s excitement for ghost hunting, the mystery of the Scarborough family, and the romantic prospects (even if a little juvenile in her thinking). I laughed a lot, I cried a little - exactly what I want in a book!


Thanks so much to Josie Silver, Dell Random house, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Melody was part of the Bittersweet family, a family known for their gift of seeing and communicating with spirits. After celebrating another birthday, Melody decided to use her talents in a different way and opened the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency. Her first mission was to rid the Scarborough house of its ghosts, but the ghosts would not able to leave until Melody solved the mystery that was keeping them earthbound.

This was quite a change of pace from previous Josie Silver books, but I have to admit, it was a lot of fun. If I had to sum up this story in a few words, I would definitely use madcap as one of my adjectives. This world was filled with characters that were quirky and even a bit over the top. Their personalities and antics adding a lot of humor to this tale which had me smiling and laughing out loud.

Along side the mystery element was a bit of romance. There was not one but TWO romantic interests for Melody. I suppose the love triangle was established in this book, but I have to say, there was a clear favorite for me, and I am eager to see how Melody's romantic relationships play out.

Overall, I enjoyed getting to know the zany characters that inhabit this world, and I am looking forward to more mystery and mayhem with the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency.

This is like a Hallmark ghost hunting mystery series. It’s light, fluffy and fun.
You are in Melody’s pov who comes from a family of women who can see dead people. She decides she wants to branch off and start her own business - getting rid of ghosts/helping them cross over.
The spooky vibes will be perfect for this coming fall. There is a little on page spice but it’s definitely not the main story.
I can’t wait to see what case Melody takes next!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the early arc! This book is set to publish Sep 2.

This was funny and fun and full of ghostbusting delight 👻

It had a bit of a slow start for me, but once it picked up, I flew through the pages! Every single character was SO much fun - I wanted more of literally everyone. I did think the answer to the mystery was a bit of an obvious choice (no spoilers, but I wished someone else was the culprit to keep it interesting!) but that’s just me 🤷‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this eARC!

I love Josie Silver so very much, I will read anything she puts out, and I was SO pleased that this book was equally as entertaining. I am used to her emotional books, so a fun paranormal book with a smidge of romance was such a pleasant surprise.

Melody, Marina, and Artie were so fun to read about as they carried out their mission of banishing ghosts from an old home. Add in Fletch and Leo (and even the creepy twins), you have such a fun cast of characters who really round out the story!

If you’re looking for a fun fall read, this is it. You’ll find yourself laughing, gasping, and maybe even crying if you’re like me.

Love love love this series. Great different twist on a paranormal investigator. Love the scooby gang and her strong family.

I’ll admit, this was a fun read at times. It took me a little longer to finish, mostly because I kept reaching for other books over this one. I’ve always loved the touch of magical realism Josie Silver weaves into her stories, so I was excited to see her take a more paranormal spin here. But while the concept was intriguing, the execution sometimes leaned too satirical, and I struggled to really connect with some of the characters.

I’d describe this one as more of a cozy paranormal romance/mystery with a hint of spice. Will I pick up the next book in the series? Honestly, I’m still undecided.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, Dell, and Josie Silver for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

"As is often the case in life, even in death, what really mattered was love."

3.75 Stars!

This was SO FUN!! Like Ghostbusters meets Scooby Doo and throw in a little romance.

I love a good quirky, hilarious, spooky cute story, and this book delivered. Plus -- who doesn't enjoy a good love triangle?!

The Bittersweet family are far from normal since they seem to have quite the connection the paranormal. Melody Bittersweet, worried about her future, decides to open her own ghostbusting biz with the help of her BFF. Their first case? A trio of brothers who have more unfinished business than your normal relations (cough - murder - cough) and in order to pass on, justice must be served!

The Girl's Ghostbusting Agency is on the case! Unfortunately so is Melody's handsome ex and his team of Darklings. Also in the mix? A annoyingly hot reporter who doesn't even believe in ghosts and wants to discredit everyone. So what now? Melody's got to solve a murder to keep herself in business but she also needs to protect her heart from Leo and Fletch.

A ghoulishly good time and a perfect romance read for spooky season, Can't wait to read book 2!! And hoping there might be more to come as well?!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This one earned a solid three stars from me: a fun, creative story that just didn’t completely click with my reading tastes.

I don't think this is for me. I'm DNFing at 15% in

This was my first book I've read by this author and I just personally don't like the writing style. It just isn't for me. There are a lot of like pop culture references, but they are all really old references and it just feels kind of like this author is trying to write for a younger audience but just kind of missing the mark.

This book was definitely a departure for Silver and while I have enjoyed her previous books this one didn’t quite connect for me. It was a fun premise, especially for the spooky season, but it seemed a little corny and trying too hard in parts. I didn’t find the emotional connection to the characters that I have felt in previous stories. A fun read but not quite the Silver story I was expecting.