This is the first book by Josie Silver and it will not be my last! The was just the right amount of darkness and mystery and the lighthearted humor. The fun relationship between the Melody and Fletcher will definitely have me coming back for more of this series.

I have been a huge fan of Josie Silver’s since One Day in December. That book brought out so many emotions, I still think about it. I also read A Winter in New York and truly enjoyed that too.

Crazy Spooky Love is very different from those two books and let me say, I loved it. It was such a fun, cute, breath of fresh air after reading some heavy thrillers. This book gave Scooby Doo meets Ghostbusters vibes (both of which I love). The characters were very well written. I loved Melody and her team. Their banter was so realistic, I found myself wanting to join them in their adventure. Artie was the perfect addition to their group. All three had very distinct personalities. I loved the different personalities of the three ghosts and Fletch became someone I found myself liking in the end. Josie Silver has this way of writing that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re a part of the story. She has become one of my favorite writers. I can’t wait to read more titles by her. This book is a solid four stars. I will be purchasing it to add to my collection of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC of the book!!

Are ghosts the new vampires? If so, I am on board (mostly).

The newest Josie Silver novel introduces Melanie Bittersweet and her ghost-hunting squad to the world. With her best friend Marina and new employee, Artie, in tow, Melanie navigates her ability to see ghosts with a bumbling love life and a less than normal family dynamic.

Positives first: I loved the ghost-hunting and whodunnit plot lines in the novel. Every time Marina and Artie were on the page, I was engrossed in the story. Their dynamic was fun and very Scooby gang (IYKYK). The ghosts were all fully developed side characters and I enjoyed learning more of their stories as the novel went along.

Negatives: Why was Melanie absolutely FERAL for all of the men she encountered? The two male love interests honestly kinda sucked (Fletch grew on me, sort of) but the romance part of the story went nowhere for me. Also, there were WAY too many pop culture references for someone who isn't extremely pop-culture savvy (luckily I am but I can see how it would go over the heads of some readers).

I am on board to read another Melanie Bittersweet adventure, if only for more Italian desserts from Marina's Nonna and more Artie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballatine for the ARC of this book!

Loved this!!!! This was a fun, fast-paced romp full of spectral shenanigans, quirky charm, and unexpected romance. Melody is a delightfully relatable heroine—equal parts sharp, awkward, and endearing—as she takes on restless ghosts, family expectations, and the chaos of starting her own business. The ghostly mystery is compelling, the humor is on point, and the simmering tension between Melody and the infuriatingly attractive Fletcher Gunn adds just the right amount of swoon. This paranormal cozy mystery will make you laugh, cheer, and maybe even believe in second chances—from both the living and the dead.

Overall this was a fun and quirky read! I found myself enjoying the majority!!

I really liked the characters, especially in the “ghostbusting” team! They each had unique personalities and it made me love the character more. I’m not a huge fan of a love triangle, but I love Fletcher the most.

The mystery aspect is what kept me reading! I was thoroughly enjoying that aspect and needed to know what happens.

Like I mentioned, I wasn’t a big fan of the love triangle. It would have been better if there was a focus on 1 love interest.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. I was immediately drawn in by the cover and was excited to get a copy. The story starts by introducing us to Melody, who like the women in her family, can see ghosts. Melody doesn't embrace it the way her Mom and Grandma do. Instead of working for the family store, Melody wants to open a Ghost hunting business. Her first case is trying to get rid of three brothers who are haunting their old family home. I loved Melody and her Scooby-Doo team, Marina and Artie. As they investigate, we also meet Melody's ex Leo, who also has a ghostly connection, and Fletcher, an investigative reporter. As the gang investigates, we learn more about Melody and the true story behind the brothers haunting the house. I know she might not appeal to every reader, but I really liked Melody and her quirkiness. I thought her friends and family provided the right amount of humor and heart to the story. I look forward to more of Melody, her ghost mysteries, and can't wait to see what happens next. This book was the perfect blend of paranormal and cozy mystery and would make a great beach read.

Crazy Spooky Love was a fun and delightful read! It's cozy mystery with a paranormal twist which made this a vey enjoyable read for me. Think Ghost Whisperer but not as scary/gory.

Melody was relatable, despite being a medium. I liked her as a lead. There's a love triangle here that's fun and not too serious. I will admit I'm sort of rooting for Melody and Fletcher haha. They're quirky and have a great dynamic.

I also liked the ghosts and thought they were well executed.

The humor balances the story's darker moments, making this a lighthearted read. The writing is easy to read and get lost in.

A great escape! Cannot wait for book two!

Josie Silver is one of my all-time faves, so I was seriously excited to get approved for the eARC — thank you NetGalley and Ballantine!

This one was such a cozy, feel-good read with just the right amount of spooky sprinkled in. It was super easy to get into, and I ended up flying through it in a couple of sittings.

Okay, so — love triangles? Usually not my thing. But somehow, Josie made it work. The characters were so well written, and the whole situation felt more heartfelt than messy, which I really appreciated. I actually found myself caring about all of them, which is rare for me with that trope.

Now let’s talk about the magical realism, because that was one of my favorite parts. It wasn’t over the top — it just added this quiet, slightly mysterious vibe to the whole story. Kind of like the kind of magic you want to believe could actually exist. It gave everything a little extra sparkle without taking away from the emotional core of the story. Loved that.

Overall, this book gave me all the cozy, slightly spooky, romantic feels I was hoping for. It’s heartfelt, a bit whimsical, and just a really lovely escape. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something sweet with a touch of magic.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I am always drawn to quirky stories and this book did not disappoint. A very easy and light-hearted read. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, with a twist of the paranormal and a dash of romance, this should be on your TBR list! I can’t wait to read Kooky Spooky Love.

Thank you so much to Josie Silver, Ballentine I Dell and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Josie Silver's Crazy Spooky Love is a glitter bomb of ghostly fun – vibrant, a little messy, but undeniably entertaining. Melody Bittersweet's ghost-busting adventures, complete with chaotic spirits and a reporter so hot he could spontaneously combust a ghost, make for a delightful, cozy read. The ghost mystery was genuinely clever.

However, Melody sometimes felt like she ran on pixie sticks, and the humor occasionally swerved into whiplash territory. The love triangle was less "agonizing choice" and more "one clear winner." Despite my minor quibbles, Silver's writing is pure magic, with heartfelt scenes and pacing that zips along. A fresh, imaginative read that kept me giggling.

Publishing Date: September 2, 2025
3.75⭐/5
Thank you to Dell, Ballantine, NetGalley and Josie Silver the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Melody can see dead people. Not in a demonic possessed way, but in a chatting with them and helping them way. At 27, she is panicked about the trajectory of her life and living under her family's thumb. So she starts her own ghost busting agency.

The premise of this book is interesting, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Melody is annoying af and her internal monologue reads like a 17 year old, not a 27 year old. The romance, if it can be called that, side plots were the worst part. There was an attempt to do an enemies to lovers thing, but there was just... Enemies fucking? Rivals that were former lovers, but it wasn't explored enough to make me care about it.

I will not be posting this feedback on review sites prior to publication

My first Josie Silver book, and I will be back for more! 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
I enjoyed this book.
It is one of those books that I laughed out loud, and it made me happy.
It was a quick read, and the banter/wittiness, so good!
This book is cute, it's eccentric, and it needs to be added to your Fall season TBR!
Melody can see ghosts (along with all women in her family). She leaves the family business to start her own ghostbusting business. She gets hired to get three ghosts out of a home.
Enter Leo, Melody's ex. He is fame-seeking, attention-seeking, and trying to film a ghost hunt type TV show.
Then we have Fletcher, a reporter, who is geared up to expose Melody (and her family) and her family as being frauds/fakes.
The plot was structured fairly well. I did have some issues with pacing in several areas of the book, but it did recover in others. I felt more like the love triangle/romance of the book is more subplot than anything. Honestly, I would have been okay without it.. I think.
The characters are decently developed. More so with Melody than the other characters. Loved the ghosts (the brothers). I did have some trouble connecting with the main characters. Particularly with Melody and just how outlandish her character was throughout the plot.
I have to say, this book gave me Scooby Doo vibes, and not in a bad way!
Thank you to NetGalley and Josie Silver for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

This book was indeed crazy and spooky (and fun!). Our FMC and her mom and grandma are super fun with their ghost involved businesses and we see Melody break out onto her own. It was a fun time!

I loved this, and I hope there are a dozen more with this adorable cast of characters. I want Gran and Lestat watching soaps, Marina’s family to show their faces, and Artie to know about his dad. Can’t wait!

I'll be honest, I saw "Josie Silver" and hit REQUEST without reading beyond the title. I assumed it was a love story set in London during Halloween.

This is a ghost book.

It took me a while to get into it as the protagonist, Melody Bittersweet, not only has a silly name...she acts kind of zany. Maybe a little too zany. She sees ghosts, drives a bizarre car, and her family and friends range from "offbeat" to "wacky." There is a love triangle, if that's your thing. Except for Melody's friends, most of the characters were obnoxious. I loved her friends and two people we meet at the very end of the book. There is a hot ghost who seems okay, too.

I am so glad I stuck with it! Eventually, Josie Silver's talent for writing endearing characters shone through, the ghost stuff grew on me, and it became crystal clear that writing this book was a labor of love for the author. It really found its pace in the second half of the book and it just felt like the author was writing this for herself. It turned out very sweet. By the end, I was delighted to see this was a series. Color me converted! I'm looking forward to the next one.

There is some SPICY stuff in the second half. Proceed accordingly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A fun romp of a book. It’s a little cheesy at times, but overall I enjoyed it. The characters are interesting, but can run to cliche. The cheesy antagonistic ex, the skeptical newspaperman, the inevitable love triangle. Cute and likeable in a hallmark Christmas movie kind of way.

Thank you Josie Silver, Dell Publishing, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

This was not my favorite. Nothing really happened until about halfway through the book. With the “Love” in the title I expected of that but Melody’s “connection” with the MMC is anything but love. She literally says she wants him “from the neck down”.

It was quirky and had its comedic moments but I wanted more from both the characters and the plot.

probably my most heartbreaking DNF of the year 💔

I adored the cover and really wanted to like this since I just DNFd another Josie Silver arc but I’m realizing her work might simply not be for me despite how much I seem to love the premises at first

so begrudgingly, reasons this didnt really work for me:

- melody kinda sucked (i weirdly really liked her in the first chapter and enjoyed her family dynamic but almost immediately she got …weirdly mean in her inner monologue esp towards ghosts in a way that barely felt valid like i get that its probably annoying to see ghosts you dont wanna see but she had a much more school bully vibe that made me ??? i guess it explained why she wanted to run a ghost busting agency but jt lowkey just made me not really like her)

- leo dark seemed fine but from the way melody was describing their relationship + their dynamic gave not much with a guise of forced “chemistry” …i was disappointed cuz I really wanted this to be a “holy shit two cakes!” situation

- skipped ahead to read about fletcher and he also seems whack so see above

- i did like marina! maybe her book might be more my vibe?

thank you very much nonetheless to netgalley and dell for this arc to review!

Crazy Spooky Love is the first book I’ve read by Josie Silver and it was a good entry point into her writing.

Crazy Spooky Love was a cute and fun read and I really love how this incorporated a ghost mystery of 3 brothers who couldn’t move on due to a family murder that had remained unsolved until Melody Bittersweet starting investigating.

Crazy Spooky Love isn’t much of a love story and I didn’t really see much of that love triangle between Melody, Fletcher and Leo. I think with more character growth and relationship development between Melody, Fletcher Gunn and Leo Dark, Crazy Spooky Love has the potential to become a mystery/romance hook.

I’m interested to see where this series goes with the next book Kooky Spooky Love

Rating: 3.5 stars
Publisher: Ballentine Books
Where to find Reviews: Instagram, Amazon and Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine Books for the arc of Crazy Spooky Love in return for a honest review

Cute and fun read about Inherited ghost viewing abilities. When you want to change the family business from just talking to helping them cross over, it leads to all kinds of mayhem. Laugh out loud parts and funny stories abound.