This was so cozy and cute! The perfect combination of ghost hunting and romance! I loved the scooby doo vibes with our hilarious side characters! The literal mystery machine! This was the perfect book to start the fall season off with!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

Crazy Spooky Love is chaotic, charming, and just the right amount of ghostly. It’s definitely a departure from Josie Silver’s usual emotionally-driven romance, but I had a great time with this one! Think paranormal rom-com meets cozy mystery, with a side of British banter and ghost drama.
Melody Bittersweet is a delightfully quirky medium trying to run her own ghost-busting business while juggling an infuriating ex and a skeptical (and swoony) local journalist. The ghost plot involving the Scarborough brothers adds a fun layer of intrigue, and I really appreciated that the story wasn’t just about the romance, the mystery actually had teeth.

Yes, the humor occasionally leaned a bit zany for me, and Melody sometimes veered toward being too over-the-top, but I still rooted for her. Fletcher was the standout love interest by far- snarky, grounded, and surprisingly sweet. The love triangle? Meh, I could’ve done without it, but it didn’t ruin the fun.

Overall, this was a playful, heartwarming read with just enough spook to make it a perfect fall weekend book. Not my favorite Josie Silver novel, but I admire the genre leap and would totally read the sequel.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine | Dell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This was such a fun read! This had a lot of things I loved dry witty sarcastic humor, a medium that decides to start her own ghostbusting agency, a found family with characters that make you laugh and smile, and a couple of potential love interests to swoon over. I loved the characters and overall just really enjoyed myself with this one. This was a great read to start off the fall with and I’m excited to read future books in this series! 😊

Well this was a lot of fun! In Crazy Spooky Love, Melody is a new business woman capitalizing on her ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Her first job finds her investigating a murder and competing with her ex, Leo Dark, for the money. I went into this thinking it would be a lot more about the romance, but the highlight of the story for me was definitely the friendships! In fact, the love triangle may have been one of my least favorite parts of the story. I didn’t really fall for either of the love interests and it felt like a lot (maybe all?) of their connection was based on physical attraction. But I really enjoyed the ghost murder mystery and thought that Melody and her sidekicks added a lot of humor and just the right amount of ridiculousness to the story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = 5/5 Stars!

This was the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a long time! It was the perfect kickoff to fall reading. I have always loved Josie Silver’s writing with that lovely British wit and snark and this book had it all. I think this might be my favorite book by her now. The romcom style with a paranormal twist was so well done. All the characters were well rounded and left me wanting to hear more about each of their stories. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the quirky and fun world of Melody Bittersweet!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Melody Bittersweet sees dead people. It's a family trait passed down to her by her grandmother (Paradice or Dicey) and mother (Silvana). All three live and work together in their family business, Blithe Spirits.

After turning 27, a momentous age in the Bittersweet family, Melody decides to start her own business, The Girls' Ghostbusting Agency. (Who ya gonna call?)

Here are some things I loved about this one:

👻The office banter at the agency is hilarious. Nothing is off the table and they are all over the map. if you loved the original Ghostbusters movie, you will appreciate the office shenanigans.
🍪Melody's BFF Marina brings in treats made by her Nanna Malone every day. They sound so delicious! After all, who wants to eat store-bought biscuits? Nobody, that's who.
🐶Lestat, the pug, gets the award for the most adorable dog while also being the most annoying. Melody's path to acquiring said pug is also a hoot.
📺The pop culture references are through the roof and so much fun. From Brooklyn 99 to Die Hard to snookers, they have it covered.

If you are in the mood for a paranormal read with humor and heart (as described), this is the book for you. As a bonus there is a second book coming out in October: Kooky Spooky Love. I will be reading that one sooner than later.

Spice note: there is one quite descriptive love scene in this read. I am more of a closed door fan, but I do give Josie Silver props for making even that part of the plot fun reading.

Thank you to Ballantine/Dell and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a romcom with a paranormal twist, it's different from any other books I've read from this author, but I enjoyed it. This book was so fun! I loved all the crazy characters throughout. Being a huge fan of the paranormal, this was a fun take on the usually morose topic of communing with ghosts. Josie Silver brought a humor that I wasn't expecting for this. I'm so excited that this is going to be an ongoing series! I can't wait to see what Melody and the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency gets up to next, and hopefully Melody's fashion choices improve...because that may have been the scariest part of this book.

I will be sharing my review on Instagram 9/9!

I really wanted to love this one—it has all the ingredients: quirky medium, haunted house mystery, love triangle with a snarky reporter and a fame-hungry ex. And parts of it are fun! Melody Bittersweet is charming, and the ghostbusting setup is lighthearted and unique. But the pacing felt uneven, and the humor didn’t always land for me. It’s cozy and whimsical, just not as gripping as I hoped. Still, if you’re in the mood for a paranormal romcom with a playful vibe, it’s worth a try

I wanted to love this, but I just didn’t. The characters and plot fell flat, and Silver spent too much time rambling about things that didn’t matter. The concept of being a female ghostbuster was fun, but the conflicts and climax were just missing something.
Overall, it was not my favorite romcom. Had it been my first Josie Silver novel, it probably would have been my last.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital arc.

Melody Bittersweet is a medium from a long line of ghost mediums. She decides to set up her own agency and takes on a case, but there's unfinished business to contend with. To make matters worse, her fame-chasing ex is in town to solve the mystery first, and a handsome reporter keeps following her. The ghosts themselves are involved as well, and won't leave things alone.

This is the first book in a trilogy of Melody Bittersweet books. Her voice is fun and lively; growing up seeing ghosts like her mother and grandmother means that few things really bother her about the spiritual world. Her best friend Marina is a hoot, the brash and loving friend who brings a charm of her own. They're the main team for the Girls Ghostbusing Agency, though they take on Art, who is also charming in his own way. I immediately loved the trio, the way they interacted with each other, and how they saw the world around them.

The mystery involves the grand house in town that turns out to be haunted, and the house's owner wants the ghosts gone so he can sell it. We meet the trio of brothers who had been trapped there, one since his murder in the house in 1910, one due to regret and feeling driven away, and the murdered brother's twin. They can't be seen by anyone but Melody and her ex, who had dumped her and has since gone on to be a TV ghost hunter. Added to this mess is the local reporter who is sure that Melody and her family are all frauds and hates her ex for putting that fraudulent behavior on display. The problem for Melody isn't just that they keep interfering with her attempts to discover who the killer was, but that they're both attractive. She and her team talk with the ghosts and look around the house, and we eventually learn what happened.

This book is a fun start to the trilogy, and I look forward to what's in store for her and the rest of the team. Her family members are fun to read about, and I am also craving Nonna Malone's sweets after reading so much about them.

Fun cozy mystery meets ghost story with a bit of romance mixes in. Perfect for fall reading! For fans of Finlay Donovan.

I love Josie Silver's romance books but she is brilliant in the gothic genre as well!!!!!!!! I love this book and it's quirky line up of characters and I can't wait to see what they get up to next!!!!!!

Crazy Spooky Love is a great blend of humor and heart, with just the right amount of the “supernatural”. Melody Bittersweet makes for a memorable heroine—quirky yet relatable. The premise of helping unsettled spirits move on is handled with warmth and creativity, and the banter throughout keeps the tone light and engaging. The mix of ghostly antics, romantic tension, and small-town charm made this a cozy and enjoyable read.

While the pacing slows slightly in the middle and some supporting characters feel a bit exaggerated, these are minor drawbacks in an otherwise entertaining story. The love triangle provides both tension and sweetness, and the ghostly mystery ties the narrative together in a satisfying way. Overall, Crazy Spooky Love offers a fun, whimsical escape perfect for the fall season!

ADD THIS TO YOUR FALL TBR if you love all things romance and spooky! I really enjoyed reading this book - and I can't have picked a better book to kickstart the fall reads. The atmosphere of this one and the set up was beautifully done - a little spooky just with the ghosts / spirits but in the best way. Melody is the perfect main character - her personality shines through and I just really enjoyed being in her perspective. Also Fletcher is EVERYTHING! I am so excited to start book #2 of this series! Definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine | Dell for the opportunity to read this book!

Crazy Spooky Love is a fun lil read for the spooky season!

Melody Bittersweet and the women of her family are gifted in speaking with the dead... this is also a skill that Melody's ex Leo possesses and he is making it big. Melody has some ghost hunting to do and finds herself getting absolutely frazzled by the local reporter.

This one made me laugh - I enjoyed figuring out the mystery while also figuring out the romance.

Thank you to Ballantine/Dell for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Just finished reading an advanced copy of a book that was just released on September 2nd called, Crazy Spooky Love. This is about Melody, and she can see ghosts. Her grandmother and mother both have businesses helping the dead and the living communicate, but Melody is 27 now and she wants to start her own business and stand on her own two feet. So she starts a business to get rid of ghosts, to help them pass on. Her first job is an old house that won't sell because 3 ghost brothers are stuck there, and one of them was murdered. So now her job has become solving a murder so the ghost brothers can peacefully pass on. But she has her ex Leo (who can also see ghosts) snooping around with a TV crew trying to accomplish this job before she does. As well as Fletcher, a reporter who doesn't believe in any of this "ghost nonsense" and is only there to chase a story, or so he says... Because he just might be chasing her heart too. This was such an entertaining story! If you like the TV show Ghosts, this would be the perfect book for you, because this story definitely gave me Ghosts vibes! It has comedy, romance, mystery, suspense, and ghosts! It was a perfect read for spooky season and I can't wait to read book 2! 👻🩷📚

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC of Crazy Spooky Love, in exchange for an honest review.

Crazy Spooky Love is the first book in the Melody Bittersweet series. All of the Bittersweet women can see ghosts. Melody’s mother Silvana and grandmother Dicey own a business where they pass messages from the dead to the living (even reminders to take out the trash). Melody wants to own her own business - ghostbusting. The Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency is born, and Melody brings in her best friend Marina and Arthur, who was recommended to Melody by a ghost. Built into the pages is a murder mystery involving three brothers named Isaac, Douglas, and Lloyd. Isaac or Lloyd murdered Douglas when he was only twenty-one and none of them can move on until the mystery is solved. There is also a bit of romance, as Melody struggles with her feelings towards her ex-boyfriend Leo and nosy reporter Fletcher. The last few chapters flew by, and I think book 2 is going to pick up right where this one left off! This was a very quick read and kept me entertained. And remember,“It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

While I usually love a Josie Silvers novel, this one was not my favorite. I’m not a big fan of love triangles, I feel like you knew where this was going to go. But the main character just felt far too wild and quirky to connnwct with

While seeing ghosts is the Bittersweet family business, Melody decides to go out on her own and create a ghost busting business with her best friend. Her first case is helping three ghost brothers move on but along the she needs to break in a new assistant, solve a hundred year old murder, outsmart her ex--another medium--and beat back her growing feelings for journalist and skeptic, Fletcher.

This was such a cute spooky romcom! Here's what I liked:

The humor: Silver is such a great writer and her humor shines in this one. All of the characters have their own unique humor that fits them perfectly. I found myself laughing out loud to so much of this. It has a goofy Scooby Doo feel to it, which I loved.

The romance: I adored Melody and Fletch. They were honestly perfect together. They have a great banter and "will they won't they" back and forth. Some of his dialogue when they are in the moment, his verbal worshipping of her if you will, was really hot. I loved them.

The mystery: The whole story has a great balance between comedy, mystery, and romance. I loved the mystery of the dead brothers. While it's not too complicated, there is a really great conclusion to it.

The side chargers: From her friend to the ghost brothers to her hilarious grandmother, I adored all of the characters in this one. I'm so excited that this is a series and I can see them all again.

All in all, this was a great spooky romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC but…no.

One thing about me is imma hate on a book that’s quirky for the sake of being quirky and nothing else.

Oof.

While This book was inaccurately marketed as a cozy mystery romcom, the romance could barely even be considered a sub-plot. There’s almost no character development for anyone besides Melody, and there’s one touching scene at the end (that opened the door for an interesting plot device but was promptly dropped).

I won’t be continuing this series.